Islamic Heritage

At the southern edge of the Temple Mount, the Davidson Archaeological Park preserves streets, stairways, ritual baths, shops, and monumental stones from the final centuries of the Second Temple period. Walk where pilgrims once approached the Temple, see the remains of the great stairways, and explore the archaeology of Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic Jerusalem. The visit can be paired with the Western Wall, Jewish Quarter, or City of David. The site tells the story of Jerusalem at its busiest: a city of pilgrims, markets, ritual preparation, imperial rule, and a temple that stood at the centre of Jewish life.

At Israel’s southern tip, the Red Sea, the Arava Desert, and the mountains around Eilat create a landscape unlike anywhere else in the country. A private day or multi-day route can combine Coral Beach Nature Reserve, where snorkeling reveals the Red Sea reef; Yotvata Hai-Bar, a conservation reserve for desert animals; and Timna Park, where ancient copper mining took place among red sandstone cliffs. The route can be adapted for families, nature lovers, snorkelers, photographers, and travellers interested in desert history. This is a story of connections across extremes: reef and desert, wildlife conservation and ancient industry, and a remote border region linked for thousands of years to trade routes across the Red Sea and Arabian deserts.

The Tower of David stands beside Jaffa Gate, at the meeting point of Jerusalem’s Old City walls, markets, quarters, and main historical routes. The museum traces Jerusalem’s story through the city’s many rulers, faiths, communities, and transformations. A guided visit can serve as a strong introduction to the Old City before exploring its streets, churches, synagogues, mosques, and archaeological sites. The story of the Tower of David is the story of Jerusalem itself: no single ruler, faith, or community owns its past, yet each has left a lasting claim on the city’s stones and memory.

The Museum of Islamic Art in Jerusalem offers a focused introduction to Islamic art, culture, science, and craftsmanship across many regions and centuries. Its collection includes ceramics, metalwork, textiles, jewellery, manuscripts, weapons, and scientific instruments. The museum also holds the rare collection of clocks assembled by Sir David Salomons, including works associated with the French royal clockmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet. The story told through the collection is one of exchange rather than separation, with artistic styles, scientific ideas, materials, and skilled craftspeople moving across the Islamic world and between East and West.

Haifa rises from the Mediterranean shore up the slopes of Mount Carmel. It is a city of sea views, religious communities, neighbourhoods, gardens, ports, and migration stories. A private day can include the Bahá’í Gardens, the German Colony, Wadi Nisnas, the Louis Promenade, local food stops, and viewpoints from Mount Carmel. The day can focus on Haifa’s mixed communities, modern history, architecture, religion, food, or the connection between the city, the mountain, and the sea. Haifa offers a different way of seeing Israel. Rather than one central story, its character comes from the daily presence of different communities, languages, faiths, and family histories sharing the same steep slopes between Carmel and the Mediterranean.

Spend a day with Eli Romanovsky in the Negev, where ancient trade routes, deep geological time, and desert life come together. Begin at Avdat, a Nabataean city built along the ancient Incense Route. Its ruins tell the story of people who made a life in the desert through trade, farming, and careful control of water. Continue to Mitzpe Ramon and the Makhtesh Ramon, a vast erosion crater unlike any other landscape in Israel. Walk along the rim, travel down into the crater, and stop for short walks among coloured sands, fossil remains, and exposed rock formations. The day can be adapted to your interests. You may choose to visit a Bedouin tent for tea and a camel ride, learn about the makhtesh and astronaut Ilan Ramon at the Ramon Visitor Center, or spend time in Mitzpe Ramon’s Artists’ Quarter. This is a private day for travellers who want to experience the Negev through its nature, stories, and sense of space.