Bethlehem

Before going into Bethlehem we stopped at one of King Herod's Palace/Fortresses.  It is one of the largest and best preserved.  They believe it was used as a final burial spot for him.  The man who so desperately wanted to be king of kings is long dead with only crumbling remains to mark his tyrannical evil reign.  His paranoia for protection drove him mad at the end of his life. The irony is his worst enemy is his own self.

 Imagine this full of water.  This was a giant swimming pool or lake with a round island built in the middle.

 The pool is the rectangle in the middle and his palace would have been off to the right.  

 A closer shot of the columns that once surrounded the pool

 On the mountain above the pool and palace is this fortress.  This is looking down into it.

 The remains of the largest tower, it would have gone up an additional 90 feet above the fortress.

A drawing of what it would have looked like.

 This niche would have had a statue in it.  All the walls would have been plastered and painted fresco's and ornate decor.

The views are spectacular from here.  Although the day is hazy you can see the Dead Sea in the top third of this picture. To the far right would be the town where Amos lived and off to the left of this picture you can see far in the distance some of the towers in Jerusalem. You have a birds eye view of  Bethlehem.

 The shadows and clouds were magical over the sandy wilderness.  It reminded me of how a fire can be mesmerizing.

 After Herod was gone some rebel Jews took over and built this bath in one of the court yards.

 As with all enclosed fortresses you need water.  Here is the opening to the tunnels leading to the cisterns.

Some boulders used at the time of the Romans.

For lunch we stopped at a place called the Tent.

From your table you had a spectacular view.

 You could even try one of the fancy smoking pipes.

Well here we are,finally, at the Church of the Nativity or the birth place of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.  It is rather plain on the outside.

In we go.  The halls are dim and cavernous.   There are ornate touches everywhere.  

 Part of the original floor from the old church that stood here before this one.

The real embellishments are next to the alters. Gold, colored glass, icons, busy paintings are a lot for the eye to take in.

Even the columns at one time had brightly painted Saints.

 In a cave under the church is where Jerome translated the bible.  The place he lived and studied has been turned into a chapel and area of worship.

This is a painting of the two sisters who helped him with his work. 

Here is God commanding him to do the work.

A fresco of Jerome and those who helped him.

Back up stairs we find a shrine honoring Mary.

I doubt Mary had any jewelry but here is a box filled to honor her.

Outside, the flag that flies on top of the church.

Across from the church is shopping and this tower rises above it all.

Time to go home.  To get out of Bethlehem took a little while. 

Outside of Bethlehem we stopped at Shepard's hill. From a place like this the Shepard's would have seen the angel and the star telling them of the Saviors birth.