More images from Israel

Now that I have a few minutes to myself, I thought I'd post a few more photos from Israel. Enjoy!

The first photo is of an old synogogue at Masada - the fortress King Herod had built for himself. He never had to actually use it, but a group of Israelites used it around 70 A.D. when the Romans were fighting them. It was the last Jewish stronghold in that war, and the Israelites managed to hold off the Romans for four years. The story goes that just as the Romans were about to overtake them, the Israelites gathered in the synogogue and kiled themselves and each other - men, women and children. They figured it was better to die free then to be taken captive by the Romans. It was sort or eerie to sit in a spot where so much bloodshed once took place.

The second photo is the Western Wall, which used to be part of the Temple in Jerusalem. People gather here for prayer -- the men on one side and the women on the other. The wall is filled with tiny pieces of paper -- prayers of people who visit the wall and stuff them into any crack or hole they can find. The wall is one of the most sacred places for Jews.

The third is a view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. The golden dome is the Dome of the Rock, or the Alaxa Mosque. This is where the temple once stood.

The fourth is just a picture of the market it Old Jerusalem. It doesn't do it justice. The cobblestone laneways were filled with people, and tonnes of sounds, smells and vibrant colours. You could buy just about anything here - fresh fruit and vegetables, pungeant spices, baked goods, falafels, silk scarves, jewellery, and souvenirs. Such streets were interspersed with centuries-old seminaries, Jewish schools, private homes, and sacred stops along the Via de la Rosa, or the Way of the Cross: where Jesus walked on his final day.

The fifth photo is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; where Jesus' tomb is believed to be. The church also contains the spot where Jesus's body was dressed for burial.
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