Temple Mount Sifting Project and
Jerusalem Field Studies Tour:
Theme: Herod the Great
January 2-17, 2010
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE GROUP AND A SAFE RETURN!
The Temple Mount Sifting Project and Jerusalem Field Studies Tour is a unique and special trip to the Holy Land. A study tour through this magnificent and ancient city, with its rich history, will edify each participant and deepen one's walk with God. You can enjoy this great opportunity to sift through artifacts and remains recently removed from the Temple Mount. Step back in time as you hold coins, pottery and other remains from the ancient world.
This tour is being led by ABR Staff Archaeologist and Researcher, Gordon Franz. Gordon combines a scholar’s love for God’s Word and his archaeological and geographical knowledge of the Lands of the Bible. As a former instructor at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem, he has conducted numerous field trips throughout Israel and Jordan. More recently he has explored other Lands of the Bible such as Cyprus, Italy, Malta, Egypt, Turkey and Greece. His archaeological experiences includes working on excavations at Jezreel, Lachish, Ramat Rachel, and several excavations in Jerusalem, including Ketef Hinnom where the oldest Biblical texts were discovered on two silver amulets. Gordon has regularly worked with Dr. Amnon Ben-Tor at the Hazor excavations since 2005.
***All interested travelers may email the ABR office at
ABR@BibleArchaeology.org
to request a free packet of information, which includes 1 free sample copy of the
Winter 2009 issue of Bible and Spade
, dedicated to the 2008 Temple Mount Sifting Project. Please include your name, address and phone number in your email.***
Costs
1. Total cost for an unforgettable 15 days in the Holy Land is $3499 per person, double occupancy. Single rooms are available at an additional cost of $500 per person. A non-refundable deposit of $500 per person is required to reserve your space.**
2. Travelers wishing to make their own flight arrangements to Israel may join the trip. The GROUND ONLY price for this trip is $2100. Partial trips can be priced on an individual basis. Travelers who join the group on a partial basis are responsible for their own travel arrangements. Contact Henry Smith at ABR@BibleArchaeology.org with requests for partial trips.
3. DEADLINES:
a. FULL PAYMENT IS DUE IMMEDIATELY!
b. Final Payment for those traveling on the plane with the group is due by MONDAY November 30, 2009 by NOON. Effective with ticketing, the airfare is non-refundable.
c. In the past, we have been able to get people on the trip after the deadlines, but we can make no guarantees in this regard. Please contact ABR with specific questions or concerns you may have about this. We would like you to join us if at all possible, so please contact us asap with questions!
e. Those who make their own flight arrangements must have their full GROUND ONLY payment into the ABR office by Tuesday December 15, 2009. FULL PAYMENT is due IMMEDIATELY to secure your hotel room.
4. Flight Information:
Delta Airlines
Flight 86, Departs JFK: Saturday January 2, 2010 at 9:05 PM EST. Arrives at Tel Aviv: Sunday 1/3/10 at 3:15 PM Israeli local time.
Flight 87, Departs Tel Aviv Sunday January 17, 2010 at 12:40 AM Israeli local time. Arrive at JFK Sunday 1/17/10 at 6:30AM, EST.
** ABR will in act in good faith as a Christian ministry in determining any possible refunds, but can make no guarantees in this regard.
Tour Costs Includes
- Round trip flight from JFK to Tel Aviv (Please make your own arrangements to JFK).
- Stay at Knight's Palace Hotel in the Old City
- All tips, entrance fees and taxes
- Air-conditioned tour bus on weekends
- Solid Biblical teaching with lectures and interpretation by ABR staff
- Evening Lectures by various professional Israeli Archaeologists
- Most Meals
Program of Study
Lectures:
Dr. Gabriel Barkay: “The Temple Mount Sifting Project.”
Field Trips:
Dead Sea: Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Herodian Jericho (?).
Herodium (tour with Ehud Netzer or one of his assistants)
Daily tours:
Temple Mount, Pool of Bethesda
Mount of Olives
Bank of Israel's Numismatic Museum and see the exhibition on Jewish coins. A special presentation will be given to us by the curator, Dr. Rachel Barkay, on the coins of Herod the Great and the Herodian dynasty.
Hinnom Valley: Hebrew Union College Museum, So-called Herod’s Family Tomb, Ketef Hinnom, JUC – Protestant Cemetery
Northern Necropolis: Herod’s Family Tomb, Garden Tomb, Tombs of the King
Jewish Quarter: Burnt House and Herodian Quarter
Jewish Quarter: Temple Institute
City of David: Southern Wall Excavations and Parking Lot Excavations
City of David: City of David
*The daily schedule will be determined on the ground, day to day, as weather and circumstances permit.
Objectives
By the time the “sifters” leave Jerusalem, they will have a good grasp of the history and topography of Biblical Jerusalem, as well as a special focus on Herod the Great. They will also understand the importance of the Temple Mount in ancient worship as well as the modern political ramifications of the site.There will be evening lectures on subjects relating to Jerusalem and the Temple Mount by some of the leading Israeli archaeologists.
We will be sifting the debris from the Temple Mount Monday to Friday for two weeks. Each day will have a field study, either in the morning, before sifting, or in the afternoon, after sifting. The project normally works from 8 AM to 4 PM. We will do our study walk, either before the sifting and arrive by 10 AM and sift until 4 PM, or do the studies walk at the end of the day and leave by 2 PM.
We will stay at the Knight’s Palace/Gloria Hotel in the Christian Quarter of the Old City. This hotel is run by Christian Arabs and is very strategically located by the New Gate.
The participants will be given a syllabus before the trip of articles and notes concerning the sites we will visit and the topics that will be discussed by various Israeli archaeologists.
NOTE:
To be able to fully participate in all the activities planned for this tour, you should be physically fit, as there will be a significant amount of walking.
1.Click here to open the Adobe PDF of the Winter 2009 issue of Bible and Spade, dedicated to the 2008 TMSP.
2. Click here to read testimonies and see video footage from the 2008 Temple Mount Sifting Project. ABR Travelers Return from The Temple Mount Sifting Project and Jerusalem Field Studies Tour
3. We STRONGLY RECOMMENDED the purchase of travelers insurance in the event of a family emergency, illness, etc. ABR CANNOT GUARANTEE THE RECOVERY OF ANY MONIES PAID FOR THE TRIP! https://www.travelex-insurance.com/
4. All Travelers MUST have Medical Insurance coverage for this trip. ABR cannot and will not be responsible in any way for any hospital or doctor visits needed by travelers, whether the result of sickness or injury. MEDICARE IS NOT ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THE US!
5. We strongly recommend Medical Evacuation insurance as well, in case a traveler need to be transported to the US. Without insurance, this could cost more than $50K. https://www.travelex-insurance.com/consumer/welcome.aspx
6. No visa is required if you are traveling from an APPROVED country and are staying less than 90 days. If you have other plans, please visit the Israeli Embassy website here: http://www.israelemb.org/consular_Visa.html
7. Passport must have an expiration date that expires SIX MONTHS beyond January 17, 2010. Please apply for a replacement passport immediately if your expiration date falls before July 31, 2010. YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED INTO THE COUNTRY. There are no exceptions!
8. This trip is not tax deductible.
Project Background
In October 1999, the Islamic Waqf, the Moslem Trust, and the Islamic Movement conducted a construction operation on the southeast corner of the Temple Mount. This operation included a dig which inflicted much irreparable archaeological damage. These actions are also part of a general trend by the Islamic Waqf to prevent any archaeological research on the Mount that may reveal elements of the Jewish past. But the main goal of the this construction was to create "facts on the ground" by turning every vacant point on the mount into a mosque. The Waqf also converted the underground chamber that they dug out and the entrance to it, known as "Solomon's Stables" into a mosque for prayer, the third on the Temple Mount.
The earth from this operation, bursting with archaeological wealth relevant to Jewish, Christian, and Moslem history, was removed by heavy machinery and unceremoniously dumped by trucks into the nearby Kidron Valley. Although the archaeological finds in the earth are already not in situ, this soil still contains great archaeological potential. No archaeological excavation was ever conducted on the Temple Mount, and this soil contains the only archaeological information that has ever been available to anyone.
The first task of the project was moving the earth from the Kidron Valley to the Tzurim Valley National Park. Some of the soil was then sifted by a mechanical portable screener, in order to minimize the amount of sifting done by hand. Then, the rest of soil was manually sifted, a process that included washing the material and scrutinizing it to identify all the archaeological artifacts.
The Archaeological Importance of the Project
The finds found in this project are unique because they are part of the first archaeological project that has ever examined artifacts from the Temple Mount. Therefore, every find is very important and exceptional. Even the smallest piece of pottery that you find can be dated to a certain period of history, which, when processed statistically, will help us understand the amount and types of activities that took place on the Temple Mount throughout history.
This work also is an expression of a deeper spiritual connection to this wonderful and holy place, that was, and remains a vital part of the history and culture of Isreal.
Volunteers: What Do They Do?
Volunteers help in the wet sifting phase of the work. They begin by choosing a bucket with material soaked in water, spill it onto a screen, and spread the mud out evenly. Each screen has a hose for washing off the mud. Once the material is thoroughly washed, it is scanned for any man-made items. Generally, there are six common types of finds:
- Pottery
- Glass shards
- Bones
- Metals
- Mosaic stones
- Worked stones. Rarer finds such as coins, seals or jewelry may also turn up.
The following links will provide you with additional background information and reports on the Sifting Project.
Updated: Thursday, December 3, 2009