Binoy Nazareth Journeys Through the City of Nazareth

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BINOY NAZARETH JOURNEYS THROUGH THE CITY OF
NAZARETH
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• DISCOVER THE HOLY AURA OF THE SACRED CITY OF
  NAZARETH

• Fascination for the spiritual, historic places,
• adventurous trails besides discovering the wild
• and wonderful aspects of Nature have always
• been close to my heart. This time, I decided to
• take off in to a journey of peace, tranquility
  and to
• discover the holy aura of the sacred city of
• Nazareth. I have always been intrigued with
• Nazareth, the little town where Jesus grew up.
• As I explored the ancient town of Nazareth which
• is the capital city of the northern district of
  Israel,
• I was inspired by the interesting sights,
• archeology, the Middle Eastern charm combined
• with the modern culture.

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• An old and revered historic city, Nazareth is
  located in
• Lower Galilee and is the largest Arab city. Being
  the
• hub of Christian pilgrimage, Nazareth has been
• associated as the boyhood home of Jesus. It was
• here that Jesus preached in the synagogue and was
  
• rejected by the people. I walked around the
  Nazareth
• Village where excavations had taken place and
• noticed with awe the 2000-year old winepress
  carved
• in to the bedrock. The ruins of terraces,
  watchtowers
• and a vineyard stretched silently having
  witnessed
• the greatest phenomenon of Jesus and His
  miracles.
• I could just imagine Jesus walking around as
  people
• gathered from far and near to hear of His
  wondrous
• parables.

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• TRAVELING THROUGH A KALEIDOSCOPE OF SIGHTS

• As the day rolled into a balmy
• afternoon, I wondered about the
• life of people of those times as I
• took in the sights of the stone
• quarries and the spring-fed
• irrigation system. It was asked in
• that time if anything good would
• come out of the small and almost
• insignificant, Nazareth not
• knowing that the prophecy of
• ancient times would come true in
• the form of a Messiah.

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• As a must-see pilgrimage center for a believer,
  here I was, actually reliving the past
• where stupendous incidents took place causing the
  little town of Nazareth to take pride
• of place on the map. My spirit of adventure took
  over and I wandered through the
• ancient paths, alleys and the maze-like streets
  of the old city of Nazareth. I found
• myself right in the middle of Shuk or bazaar
  which was teeming with life, color and
• awash with the smell of spices with the sound of
  the muezzin calling people to
• worship. Buzzing with vibrancy, the Shuk ranged
  out myriad surprises with souvenirs,
• exotic apparel, food delicacies, Middle Eastern
  antiques and a kaleidoscope of
• everything imaginable. I found myself haggling
  with the local craftsman over Dead Sea
• cosmetics and a beautifully carved hookah

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• SAMPLING AN EXOTIC ARRAY OF DELICIOUS CULINARY
  DELIGHTS

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• Though the people of those days ate simple yet
  tasty, nourishing food, Nazareth ranges out an
  exotic and delicious
• spread. The cuisine and the culture of this old
  city inspired my taste buds to go on a tasteful
  spree at hummus eateries
• where you can enjoy fatayer, sharwarma, baklava,
  knafeh and tehina and halva. Tasting this
  excellent food is a
• privilege for a foodie and gourmet chefs with the
  hummus being light and creamy along with the
  incredible Lebanese
• sandwich and of course kebab in a grilled pita. I
  was delighted at the repertoire of culinary
  delights which is endless in
• Nazareth with the ultimate street food. I loved
  the Awaeh or sugared jelly doughnut, goats milk
  labaneh, shanklish
• cheese and sizzling lamb chops. My culinary
  journey evolved over the most amazing sesame
  cookies, maamoul,
• karkish anise cookies, barazek, sabanekh or
  pastry triangles with wild spinach filling and
  steaming, myriad delicious
• food.

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• JOURNEYING THROUGH ANCIENT MISTS

• As I made my through this unique Middle Eastern
• atmosphere the spirit of adventure had already
  captured
• and rejuvenated my soul to discover and delight
  in an
• exceptional tour of Nazareth. I walked down the
  narrow
• streets and admired the picturesque homes of the
• hospitable people of Nazareth. Making my way to
  the
• Church of the Annunciation decorated with
  beautiful
• paintings, I discovered a history of Byzantine
  and Crusader
• periods in its sacred history. Memorable in its
  rendition, the
• Church of Saint Joseph is structured where
  Joseph, Marys
• husband had his carpentry shop while the Greek
  Orthodox
• Church of the Annunciation is near Marys Well.
  Though I
• was reluctant to leave this historical site, I
  wandered
• through the incredible Maronite Church, the
  Salesian
• Church and St. Gabriels Church to revel in the
  mists of
• time.

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• The interesting museum housed in the White Mosque
  reveals the history and the beliefs of Nazareth.
  Magnetic and
• mesmerizing, The City of Nazareth threw open its
  ancient secrets and I was amazed at the
  underground passages of
• the Greek Orthodox bishops house and the
  compound built by the Russians. The ancient Bath
  House, the Megiddo
• National Park, the holy caves of Nazareth, the
  old Roman town of Seppheris and the Nazareth
  Village completely
• occupied and boggled the mind. Of course, a trip
  to Nazareth is not complete till one visits the
  Jordan River and the
• Sea of Galilee to relive ancient times and revel
  in a memorable and historical past.

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Travel with Binoy Nazareth Through the Ancient
and Awesome City of Nazareth