Less than an hour from the Meridien Hotel by the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert of Israel is a place called Qumran, a place of immense historical and religious significance.
In these desert mountains were discovered sacred scrolls. The scrolls were made from sheepskin and securely stored on clay pots that were hidden on caves. Bedouin shepherds accidentally discovered the first of these caves in the middle of the last century, paving way to even bigger discoveries by archeologists and religious scholars in the subsequent years.
Some of the scrolls contained “diaries” or personal journals by early Christian hermits, providing a glimpse of how it was like during those earrly days of Christianity in the Holy Land. More recent finds include scrolls of all the books in the Old Testament, except for the Book of Esther, which casts some doubts on whether the Book of Esther is really part of the Holy Scriptures of not.
One of the sacred caves in Qumran
Hi, I came across your wonderful blog while searching for holyland tours. Your pictures were amazing and your insights made me really want to take the trip.
Anyway, just want to inquire on the name of the agency where you booked your tour. Also, i noticed you were with senior citizens – my Mom is 72 yrs old. Do you think she can handle the tour?
Thanks a lot.
Hi Anne, thanks for visiting my blog. I’m glad you liked some of my posts.
On whether it’s ok for your mom to join the Holy Land pilgrimage… it really depends on her physical condition. Both of my in-laws joined me and my wife during our trip. My father-in-law was 75 at the time and my mother-in-law 72. My mother-in-law even joined our 1am hike all the way to the summit of Mt. Sinai. The whole trip involves a lot of walking, btw.
Oh, and our trip was through EPHESUS TRAVEL AGENCY. Their office is in UN Avenue in Manila.