This time I invite you to a fairy tale,
A legend that begins many, many years ago.
Somewhere in the early eighth century the first millennium was founded,
So called because it was built on sand dunes.
It is the only city founded by the Arabs during their reign in Israel.
This is Ramel in Arabic. Hence her name in Hebrew – Ramla!
Although Ramla was founded as a Muslim city, Christians soon recognized it
as “Ramah,” the home of Samuel the Prophet,
And in the early “Ramatim”, Joseph’s house I picked up, who took Jesus down
from the cross.
The Jews also believed that Ramla was the early Ramatim and even named
one of the Shmuel the Prophet who was from Ramatim.
Ramla was in a good place on the ancient road between Jaffa and the city of
Jerusalem.
Such as the illustrious Commander Napoleon (one of the most important
French rulers), Richard Lev Harry (King of England) and more
Today, Ramla is a diverse city whose population (81,000 inhabitants) includes
Jews from 93 different countries,
24% of its residents are Arabs (a third of whom are Christians).
How do you put years of glorious history into one day?
Take 20 creative and talented bloggers and lead them with close guidance
Among the major and representative city sites, through all senses,
And they’ll do everything else … I’ve already said they’re talented
So I joined a group of bloggers invited by Galit Kedar and Ramla Municipality
And I came to Ramla, getting to know her up close, ready for surprises.
Our tour begins at the Grand Mosque
Many years ago the Crusaders in Ramla built a large and decorated cathedral.
But a century later, when the Mamluks conquered the city, they turned the
cathedral into a mosque.
And this is actually the largest complete Crusader building in the country,
which serves as a Muslim mosque that is still active today.
In the museum near the Grand Mosque we saw an ancient collection of gold
coins and also an exhibition by artist Amira Boecek.
The coins are a fascinating relic from the city’s early days,
Ramla was one of the only cities in Israel that received permission from
the authorities to make coins,
And coins were minted there from its founding to the earthquake that
struck the city in 1068.
The coins, which can be seen in the museum, came from around the
Muslim world, from Algeria, Iran and Armenia.
The currency cache is a testament to the city’s important place in the local
and state economy.
We visited the ancient home of a Christian Arabian artist named Nihad Debit,
Lenihad a fascinating life story.
The image from the Goramla site
Nihad attended the Thelma Yellin School of the Arts, continued his
bachelor’s and master’s degrees, lived for several years in Sofia, Bulgaria, and
moved to Greece,
Greece spent 6 years in prison for bringing drugs into the country. Among his
well-known works you will find special olive trees made of metal.
A similar olive tree is also found at the entrance to his home
And some small olive trees inside his house (a building that existed before
1927)
From there we proceeded to the old Franciscan church (with the clock tower)
Photo by Galit Kidder
And to the Franciscan monastery that has existed since 1396.
In the 15th century, the church complex housed a hostel where Napoleon
Bonaparte (somewhere in 1799) was on his way to the Holy City of Jerusalem
(which, incidentally, he did not arrive).
According to legend, with Morning, when Napoleon was awakened by the
mousin’s call at the nearby mosque,
He shot to death from the window of his hostel room directly in the muezzin.
Conclusion: Do not try to wake a French army officer from his sleep!
In the 19th century the abbey was rebuilt and most of the old lodge
disappeared,
But the window of Napoleon’s room can still be seen from outside.
We also visited the White Mosque complex
Huge cisterns, whose remains can be seen today, were excavated under the
central and large mosque
They were excavated to provide drinking water to the city’s first residents.
View from above of the remains of the White Mosque and the cisterns
The complex surrounding the ancient mosque also includes a standing tower
and is called the “square tower” and “the white tower”
If you want to see from the top of the tower Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Shoham, Lod
Hamlet Nesher factory and more
You will have to climb 111 steps inside the tower to the vantage point at the
top.
From there, we proceeded to the 400-square-foot magical rainbow pool,
There we did an experiential and surprising cruise
But before you reach the rainbow pool you can see a water fountain that is
more than 900 years old!
The ancient fountain was found in the remnants of a wealthy estate from the
end of the 10th century and the first half of the 11th century AD,
And brought from there to the Rainbow Pool area.
The rainbow pool was built to serve as a reservoir in 789
And it exists to this day and is full of beautiful water and fish brought there not
too long ago.
And now, it’s time to eat! What to do ?
A tasting tour in the Ramla market
Ramla’s large and colorful market is known for the quality of fruits, vegetables,
fish and foods sold there,
And of course thanks to the low prices and the great restaurants that surround
it.
If you are not doing a tasting tour I recommend you eat at least one of the
things we have tasted, for example:
A very tasty Tunisian sandwich
And at another stall, not far away, you will find “borekas” that you haven’t
tasted yet
Pickles and cheeses in different flavors
And for dessert, halva and dried fruits
After eating all this goodness, full and satisfied we arrived at –
The main synagogue of the Karaite community in Israel
There we heard a very interesting stories about the Karaite community,
What makes it different from us, what sets it apart, are they committed to
fixing mezuzahs on the doorframe,
Are they obliged to wear a skullcap, what their synagogue looks like and
why, what does a woman want a divorce, how to celebrate Bar Mitzvah and
more …
The Karaite Synagogue and the Karaite Rabbinical Council are open to visitors
in advance.
This is where our tour ended, I really enjoyed the city, the company, the
atmosphere and the flavors
I expect Ramla to be an important and sought-after tourist destination,
Because of its historical richness, because of its importance to all religions
And because of the city’s future investment in tourism infrastructure that
preserves its glorious past,
While investing in the city’s future – education, and fostering the next
generation.
In short – what can be done in Ramla?
You can sail in a boat in a pool of water sunk between houses and
underground,
Wander through special and beautiful churches, mosques and synagogues.
You can climb a 700-year-old tower from which you can see the city towers of
Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan,
Eating at a vegetarian Indian restaurant is especially recommended and
named “Maharaja”.
You can take a stroll in the large, indoor market in the city center,
And taste especially delicious foods on a colorful tasting tour that inspires all
senses.
You can meet unique and famous artists in the Old City,
See the collection of ancient gold coins in the museum.
You can visit the largest British military cemetery in the country and see Harry
Potter’s grave there!
Sir Harry Potter of the Worcestershire Department,
A British soldier who was killed while serving in Hebron in 1939 and is only 19
years old.
* List of other sites to see in Ramla here
* Most of the sites in the city are within walking distance of the Ramla train
station, so we recommend that you visit them on foot!
* You can do the tour with a guide you order here
Or independently with the help of a free special app (with GPS and voice guide),
Which will take you through the various city sites, details and download the
app here
Link to Ramla website
Thanks:
Galit Kedar who produced the tour for us
To the talented guide Ron Peled
Orna Samaria, who organized, accompanied and guided us on the tasting tour
of the market
City Spokesman Ronnie Barzilai
And last but not least: for bloggers who participated in the tour
Link to a post about Ramla:
Leave a Reply