Tour of Palestine

View from Mount Olives

We had set Thursday aside to travel in the Palestinian territories outside of the Old City in Jerusalem so that we could pray Jummah in Masjid Al-Aqsa and walk around Salaah time. We woke up early to perform Fajr at Al-Aqsa, and it was the Imam (Shaikh Ali Al Abbasi) who helped us arrange a driver (Abdul Wahab) to take us on a tour for the day.

We left the hotel at 9.30am and visited the following sites:

1) Mount of Olives

2) Mount of Taqbeer (where Omar RA said Taqbeer before entering Jerusalem)

View from Mount of Taqbeer

3) Garden of Gethsemane (the place where Judas is meant to have betrayed Jesus according to the Bible)

4) Bethlehem - The Wall and then Church of Nativity

Church of Nativity Bethlehem

5) Halnoun - Masjid Yunus (prayed Dhuhr) and the grave of Sahaba Lalak ibn Abdullah ibn Jerr RA died 55 AH (which has an incredible 1400 year old olive tree growing outside it)

More info: http://www.islamiclandmarks.com/palestine/other/mosque_of_yunus_as.html

Masjid Yunus AS (Makam) on Halnoun

Old Olive tree and Grave of Lalak ibn Abdullah RA

6) Hebron/Khalil - Graves of Ibrahim AS, Isaac AS, Yaqub AS and wives including Sarah, Rufqah and Ruqayah (mimber from Salahuddin Ayubi).

More info http://www.islamiclandmarks.com/palestine/other/majid_khalil.html

Outside Masjid Ibrahim in Khalil / Hebron

Inside Masjid Ibrahim

Ghost Town - Streets of Khalil

Graffiti in Streets of Khalil

Abu Mazen Restaurant

Then had a meal of stuffed chicken at Abu Mazan in Hebron / Khalil



7) Bin Naim - Masjid where Lut AS stayed (prayed Asr) and visited Mount where Ibrahim AS made sijdah when he saw the punishment of Lut's AS people, Masjid Yakeen there are second footprints.
Grave of Fatima bint Husain bin Ali RA in same area (i.e. grand-daughter of Ali RA)

Makam Lut AS in Bin Naim

Mountain where Ibrahim AS did sijdah when seeing punishment of Lut's town

Spot where Ibrahim AS did sijdah

More info: http://www.islamiclandmarks.com/palestine/other/tomb_of_lut_as.html

8) Lod - Place where Dajjal is destroyed by Isa AS and then Markaz Dawah (maghrib in same place Masjid Lod)

Lod

9) Daoon Anwas - Graves of 14000 sahaabas who died in a plague


10) Bait Hanina - Esha in Masjid Hijrah, right near the Wall

Konafa in Haj Jafar

Then had Konafa (Palestinian dessert made of cheese, crumble and nuts) at Haj Jafar famous dessert place

We got back to Jerusalem at around 11pm

Costs:
Taxi for tour: 1700sh (£288)
Lunch for 7 (dawat AG): 260sh (££44)
Dessert 4 plates: 24sh (£4)

Note: We never had much time to shop around and negotiate for the taxi cost of the tour, we think we paid too much but between the two people recommended to us that we spoke to this one was much cheaper (the other brother, Abu Saleh, who is well known in the area and speaks good English wanted 400sh each = 2400sh/£400 for the day). If people have more time they should ask more people and shop around and probably can get a better rate. They should also try to find an English speaking driver, we made do with Br Abdul Wahab as me and my brother can speak enough Arabic to explain what we needed to.