The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage

Situated at a critical road juncture of the ancient Middle East, the Land of Israel at the confluence of cultures gave birth to the monotheistic religions of the Western world. In Israel, where history and geography are closely intertwined, we visit the remains of the old Canaanite cities that dominated the country 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, the archeological digs of Israelite cities of 3,000 to 2,000 years ago and the many Roman and Byzantine historical sites dating back 2,000 years. We tour Jerusalem with it’s many holy sites, see landmarks mentioned in the Bible and travel to more recent Crusaders and Ottoman sites.

The unique Dead Sea Scrolls, the 2,000 years old texts of the Qumran sect including the full book of the prophet Isaiah and fragments of other scriptures are exhibited at Israel’s Museum in Jerusalem. Nearby is Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial housing exhibits and documents related to the fate of the Jews of Europe during WWII. From Jerusalem we take a short drive to the mineral rich Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth and visit Massada, the formidable desert fortress of King Herod.

The trip is planned as an exposure to the small but historically rich country of Israel. Seeing history first hand as a continuum of thousands of years of human experience may help gain insights into the current complexity of the Middle East, beyond the typical media headlines.

Day 1: Tuesday, 10 June

Depart late evening via TG/EL AL to Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport (flight takes 10 -11 hours)

Day 2: Wednesday, 11 June

	Land in Ben Gurion airport at around 8:00 am Proceed to Haifa. En-route, visit Caesarea, the ancient Roman and Crusaders port city. Lunch
Afternoon:	Drive to the 2nd century Jewish necropolis of Bet She’arim. Stop at the Druz village of Daliat el-Carmel whose people are an off-shoot of Islam. Night in Haifa

Day 3: Thursday,12 June

Morning:	Visit Haifa’s Bahai Temple & Gardens. Travel to Akko (Acre) to visit Akko’s castle, crusader’s era remains and prominent Ottoman era buildings. Lunch at a fish restaurant by the sea
Afternoon:	See Rosh Hanikra cliffs and border crossing to Lebanon. Travel near the Lebanon border to Baram’s 4th century synagogue. Proceed to Nebi Yusha overlook of Northern Galilee and Golan Heights. Overnight near the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias

Day 4: Friday, 13 June

Lower Galilee region near the Sea of Galilee. Visit Capernaum the site of
Jesus’ famous sermon of the fish and bread and where 1st- 4th synagogues
stand, visit the ruins of the old synagogue in Korazim, then proceed to see
the excavations of Roman Zippori. Stop in Nazareth to visit the Church of
the Annunciation. Night in Tiberias

Day 5: Saturday, 14 June

Travel to Kochav Hayarden (Belvoir) crusaders’ fort overlooking the Jordan. Then visit Bet She’an, the old Canaanite tel (mound) and the magnificently excavated Roman and Byzantine city. Continue to Megiddo, (Armageddon). Drive to Jerusalem. Night in Jerusalem

Day 6: Sunday, 15 June

Morning:	Jerusalem, new city. Visit Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book housing the Dead Sea scrolls and a first century model of Jerusalem. Then visit the Holocaust memorial of Yad Vashem, see Israel’s Knesset building (exterior)
Afternoon:	Jerusalem, old city. Visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), the Jewish Quarter, the Temple Wall Tunnel, and Church of Holy Sepulcher, (traditional site of Jesus’ burial place) Armenian Quarter and more. Night tour of King David’s Citadel and nearby city walls. Night in Jerusalem

Day 7: Monday, 16 June

Dead Sea region. Visit the baptism site of John the Baptist on the Jordan River and the nearby Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. See the desert oasis of Ein Gedi, float in the Dead Sea. End at the fortress of Massada, site of the last Judean stand against the Romans. Night in Jerusalem

Day 8: Tuesday, 17 June

Travel to Bethlehem to see the Church of the Nativity, Jesus’ traditional birthplace. Visit the caves of Bet Govrin, site of an underground city dating back to Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Then get a good view of the surroundings of Jerusalem from Nebi Samuel. Night in Jerusalem

Day 9: Wednesday, 18 June

Visit the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem with its wealth of archaeological displays. Drive to Tel Aviv, visit homes in the Bauhaus architectural style, and if time allows also Jaffa, with its many restaurants, art galleries, souvenir shops and boutiques. Proceed to Ben Gurion airport for the evening return flight to Bangkok

Day 10: Thursday, 19 June

Arrive at Suvannaphum airport in Bangkok in early afternoon

A contribution of 130,200 Baht is solicited to meet costs. The contribution will cover transportation, hotel accommodation (two persons per room), all meals in Israel, air port taxes, along with fees to museums and ancient monuments mentioned in the programme and donation to Siam Society. In the event of an increase in charges by airlines, hotels or other suppliers, the cost will be passed onto participants. Single supplement is Baht 12,900. For non-members Baht 3,500 extra cost.

A deposit of 30,000 Baht is required before upon reservation and the final balance due by May, 10 2008. THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE THE VISA FEE TO ISREAL. The Siam Society reserves the right to change the programme as necessary.

Siam Society Events

June 10 - 19, 2008:
ISRAEL (CANCELLED)

For further information and bookings please contact

Siam Society Events

June 10 - 19, 2008:ISRAEL (CANCELLED)

For further information and bookings please contact

June 10 - 19, 2008:
ISRAEL (CANCELLED)