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Places of Interest in Israel
GALILEE

Main City - Nazareth
Nazareth, (An-Nassra in Arabic and Natzrat in Hebrew) is a vibrant center of Arabic life in Galilee. Its population is about half Christian and half Muslim.
In the past, Nazareth had experienced a stormy history. It was conquered by the Romans and later by the Arabs, and only during the perion of the crusades did it see a time of splendor as the seat of bishops and main administrative center of Galilee. It was destroyed in the second half of the 13th century.
The most impressive architectural and artistic monument in the town is the Basilica of the Annunciation. The building is of decisively modern appearance, enhanced by the lofty dome. The present church, which is built over a Crypt enclosing the Grotto of the , was completed in 1969 after the design by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio. Before that, at the same spot, five churches had risen in succession, starting in the year 365. In 1955 the last one, a Franciscan church, was dismantled to make way for the present basilica. Still in the 4th century, the Byzantines raised a new building, which was replaced by the crusaders by another church with an aisled nave.
It was only in the 17th century, when a Franciscan community settled there permanently, that favorable conditions existed for the Nazareth to be repopulated.

Tel Megiddo
Tel Megiddo is also known as Armageddon and is an ancient tel located just southeast of Haifa. Excavations at the site have uncovered 20 layers of ruins, ranging in time from the late Chalcolithic Age (c. 3500 BC) to the 5th century BC. At one stage Megiddo commanded the crossroads between several ancient trading routes that linked Egypt to Syria and Mesopotamia and was the site of many fierce battles.
The most impressive remains include a Canaanite temple dedicated to Astarte (20th century BC), chariot stables and a Palace from Solomon's time (10th century BC), a public grain silo built during the reign of the Israelite King Jeroboam II (8th century BC), and a man-made tunnel engineered to allow access to water during a siege. Some of the ruins have been reconstructed, and excavations are still underway.
Mostly swamp until 1920 when it was drained by Jewish immigrants, the Jezreel Valley can be seen from the lookout point atop the tel.One can also see the Gilboa range and the hills of Nazareth.

Tiberias
Tiberias (T'verya in Hebrew) was built in 18 AD by Herod Antipos, and was named after the Roman Emperor Tiberias.
Tiberias was built on the site of older Jewish graves and subsequently most Jews refused to enter the town. Rabbi Shimon Bar-Yohai declared the town pure in the 2nd century AD, and it soon became the seat of the Sanhedrin and the religious center of the Jews.
During subsequent conquests by the Persians (614 AD) and Arabs (636 AD), Jews from Tiberias packed up and moved to Babylon and Jerusalem. Tiberias was destroyed by the Mamluk and remained deserted until the beginning of Ottoman rule in 1517. In 1837 an earthquake that rocked all of northern Palestine devastated Tiberias, but it was soon rebuilt.
One of the places to visit is Karnei Hittim (the Horns of Hittim). It was here at this mountain peak that Salah ad-Din defeated the Crusaders in 1187. From this mountain peak, one can see Jordan to the east, the Mediterranean to the west, and Tzfat to the north.

Tzfat
Tzfat (Safed) is built upon Mt. Kenaan and t is a city of incredible beauty and tranquility. Jewish traditions are taken seriously here and each street corner has its own odd set of legends.
In 1158 its Crusader-built castle was captured by Salah ad-Din. It was lost again in 1240 to the Mamluk (Mamluks - Turkish slaves) Sultan Baybars. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that many Jews arrived in Tzfat, seeking refuge in the relatively tolerant Ottoman Empire.
Today, tourists of all denominations come to enjoy Tzfat's unique character and its crisp, sweet air, which sages call its characteristic "element".

Golan Heights

Although the Golan Heights is labeled as a disputed occupied region, for the purpose of looking at it geographically we will consider it part of Galilee.

The Golan Heights occupies an area of about 1,256 square kilometers (about 485 square miles) and it overlooks Israel's upper Jordan River Valley.

From 1948 to 1967 and briefly in 1973, the Golan Heights region was a base for Arab sniper attacks on Israel. A number of Israeli settlements were established there after the Six-Day War.

Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981, but neither Syria nor the United Nations recognized the move.

The status of the Golan Heights is still a major factor in the changing relations between Syria and Israel. Israel gains important defensive and offensive advantages against Syria with the possession of the Golan Heights. It is also then able to control river headwaters feeding Lake Tiberias and the River Jordan.

Although negotiations between the two countries have been under way since 1994, the issue of Israeli withdrawal from the region is still a major source of disagreement.