Dead Sea
405 meters below seal level make the Dead Sea the lowest point on earth, which because of its high salt content makes it inhospitable to life -but helpful in treating skin diseases.
 
 

Hisham's Palace
Five-km north of Jericho are the ruins of the desert palace of Umayyad Caliph Hisham Ibn Abdul Makik destroyed by earthquake before it was completed in 747 AD, containing royal buildings,a mosque,water fontains and spectacular mosaic floors.
 
 

Solomon's Pools
The pools are three huge rectangular cisterns cut in the rock and masoned locally known as Solomon's pools.They are situated about 3 kms south of Bethlehem.The pools hold about 1160,000 cubic meters of water.They are constructed in steps,each six meters above the next,to enable to water to be carried as far as Jerusalem by sheer force of gravity.They also supplied Herod's fortress and palace at Herodion. Near the pools are the remains of Qal'at alBurak (fortress of the pools)also known as Qal'at Murad.The fortress was built by the Turkish Sultan Murad in the 17th century for the protection of the water source and maintained this role throughout the centuries.

Although the construction of the pools is attributed to King Solomon,they probably date from Herod's era,the idea being conceived by Pontius Pilate.History shows that Pilate,not Solomon,built the great aqueduct,which supplies water to Jerusalem. The fortress and the pools are set in a beautiful grove of pine and cypress trees.The site can be accessed from an eastern side road off the main Bethlehem-Hebron road.

The system was in use as recently as 1946 and along much of the route from Bethlehem to Jerusalem original terra-cotta pip- ing can still be found lying around.
 

Solomon's Cave
Solomon's cave is a 200 meter cave under the city wall on Sultan Suleiman's Street between Damascus (Bab el-Amoud)and Herod's (Bab el-Sahreh)Gates.Just out-side the walled city,opposite the cave,is what is believed to be the quarry of King Solomon.It is now used as a bus station for East Jerusalem.The cave is also known as Zedekia's cave,allegedly used as an escape route to Jericho by King Zedekia 597-587 BC)as he fled from the Babylonians.The cave is well lit with steps descending deep under the Old City,and is an interesting experience. The site is open daily from 08:00-16:00 except for Fridays from 08:30-14:00 and closed on Saturdays.