Historical Tour of the Holy Land: Concise History of the Land of Israel

History comes alive in this newly revised edition! Hebrew Scriptures - Canaanites - Israelites - First and Second Temples - Greeks- Romans - Christianity - Judaism - Islam - Crusaders - Mamlukes - State of Israel You will meet them all, and more, on the pages of A Historical Tour of the Holy Land as you tour from event to event in the history of this small piece of land nestled between Egypt and the Fertile Crescent. Beryl Ratzer, an Israeli tour guide, combines her extensive knowledge of Israeli archaeology, geography and history, with her great love of the Land of Israel to enrich the tourist and historian alike in their Holy Land adventure. The geographical setting for both the Old and New Testaments is the Holy Land, which today seems to feature in almost every news broadcast throughout the world. The Holy Land has a fascinating history covering more than three thousand years. Jerusalem, site of the Temple where Jesus prayed and taught, has been lived in during all that time. Countless conquering armies have wreaked destruction but the identity of Jerusalem has never been in doubt. You can learn that history quite painlessly, from the chronology of the biblical period through to modern times. Doesn't seem possible? Most tourists and pilgrims visiting the Holy Land would have agreed with you. At the end of their visit they would ask me: "How do we even begin to remember the interesting, but complicated, history of this land?"

Many books were available but they were too heavy - literally and figuratively.

What was needed was a short, readable and presentable book packed with information. That was why I, a licensed guide, sat down and wrote "A Historical Tour of the Holy Land". Successful beyond expectation, the book is now in its second edition. A mere 156 pages but it introduces the reader to all the people who have lived in, or conquered, the Holy Land - a land which has been known by so many names, from biblical times and up till the present.

Mother of four, grandmother of eight, originally an accountant and now a registered Israeli guide.