Show city in israel safed. Safed. Settlements - Guide to Israel. Ancient city and fortress ruins

Alpine Safed or Safed (Tzfat, Safed) is a city of cabalists and mystics, one of the four holy cities in Israel and the youngest of them. Safed is located on the very top of the mountain, at an altitude of about 900 m above sea level, in the Upper Galilee. Religious shrines annually attract pilgrims here, and unusual architecture - tourists. The city was built up at different times by people from different countries, so the heritage of different national cultures has been preserved here. Safed is famous for its galleries, artists, musicians and workshops of local artisans, as well as very beautiful nature: here you can simultaneously observe the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea.

Walking around the city, you will notice that many doorways are painted blue. This is no coincidence: it is believed that blue protects against the evil eye.

According to legend, Safed was founded by the son of the Old Testament Noah.

How to get there

Two major regional highways pass through Safed: No. 90 (from north to south) and No. 89 (from west to east). Therefore, it is very easy to get here by car or by bus from any major Israeli city:

• bus number 361 runs from Haifa to Safed, travel time is about 2 hours, fare is about 40 ILS;
• from Tiberias you will have to go with one change;
• from Tel Aviv there is only one bus number 846 per day, in the evening. Travel time - 3.5 hours, ticket price - 50 ILS;
• from the Central Station in Jerusalem, bus number 982 will take you to Safed in 3.5 hours, the fare is 40 ILS. Prices on the page are for November 2018.

Search for flights to Tel Aviv (nearest airport to Safed)

How to navigate in the city

The central part of Safed is small, there are mostly old quarters, and there is no particular need to use public transport. The entire city center is located on a hill, in its eastern part there is a bus stop, in the western, exactly opposite, is Jerusalem Street. On it you can find a travel agency and several restaurants, in addition, it is here that the oldest buildings in the city are located.

Weather in Safed

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While the rest of Israel is suffocating heat, in Safed there is a pleasant mountain coolness and clean air. In summer it is about +25 °C, the weather is dry and sunny, but in winter it is often rainy, especially in January, but it is rarely colder than +9 °C.

Safed Hotels

There are about 50 hotels in Safed. As elsewhere in the world, the cost of living depends on the number of stars and proximity to city attractions. The most expensive quarter in Safed is the Old City, many of the hotels here are located in historic buildings with arched ceilings and old exposed stonework.

A 4-5 * hotel will cost about 230 USD per day for a double room. A good “three-ruble note” in the center, within walking distance from all the sights, will cost from 150 USD. You can stay in guest houses and hostels for 60 USD, but it is better to count on 100 USD per day for a double room.

Shopping and shops

There are no shopping centers and popular stores in Safed - for this you need to go to larger cities, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Here it is worth shopping in the Artists' Quarter: in the galleries you can buy paintings and handicrafts by local artists and artisans. In Safed there is a factory that produces wax candles - they can be bought at any souvenir shop - and cheese dairies where high-quality cheeses are made. Both are local attractions.

Cuisine and restaurants of Safed

The first thing to try in Safed is local cheese, mostly hard varieties. On the territory of the city there are several private cheese factories, some of which are over 100 years old, and they cook according to old recipes.

• Meiri Cheese Dairy is the first in the city, it has existed since 1840 and has been owned by the same family all this time. Here you can taste Safed cheese made from a mixture of cow, goat and sheep milk or other varieties, such as "bulgarit" (similar to feta cheese). A visit to the cheese factory with a tour and tasting will cost about 15 USD per person, it has a shop and a small restaurant.
• Another popular cheese factory with a history - "Kadosh" - is owned by the Moroccans, and they make an unusual yellow hard cheese "Kashkaval".

There are no problems with catering in Safed. There are both Israeli fast food and coffee houses and restaurants of various national cuisines, including rare ones - for example, African. HaAri 8 restaurant serves delicious Middle Eastern and Israeli cuisine, cafe Monitin is worth going for seafood delicacies, Bat Yaar is a good steakhouse. There are also vegetarian restaurants here: Elements Cafe and Tree of Life; an interesting kosher dairy restaurant is Seudat Gan Eden. One of the best wine bars is Geffen Courtyard.

Guides in Safed

Entertainment and attractions in Safed

The main attraction of the city, where all tourists go first of all, is Artists' quarter. He appeared here after the war, when four craftsmen turned to the local authorities with a request to allow them to set up workshops in abandoned houses. Over time, jewelers, sculptors, and other craftsmen joined these artists, and soon a whole creative quarter was formed on the site of dilapidated buildings. This place is very colorful, there are many workshops and artisan shops. Prices are quite high, as they are designed primarily for tourists, but if you bargain, you can agree on a completely acceptable option. It's worth going here even if you're not going to buy anything, as it's essentially a large free open-air museum.

Safed is known throughout Israel for its unusual klezmer music. Here you can hear it from everywhere, especially in the city center, but you can feel the depth and color of this folklore at the klezmer music festival, which takes place here every year in August.

There are many preserved in Safed ancient synagogues, each of which has its own history. The most famous is the Ashkenazi synagogue Ari, built in the 16th century. Sephardim. It is believed that Rabbi Yitzhak Luria, who created one of the directions in Kabbalah, came to pray at this place on the eve of Shabbat. The second synagogue - the synagogue of Rabbi Yosef Karo, also built in the 16th century, is known as the Torah Study House. According to legend, under this holy place there is a basement in which an angel-mentor passed on the secrets of Kabbalah to the rabbi.

The city has also preserved Ruins of the Crusader fortress of Safet which dates back to the 12th century. Initially, there was a single tower here, which for many years served as a fortification for the Knights Templar. Picturesque here are not only the ruins themselves, but also the view of the city, which opens from the Fortress Hill.

Also noteworthy are the ancient cemetery "Beit Kvarot Attik", the Shem ve Ever Cave, the Museum of Printing Art, the Puppet Museum and the Red Mosque.

- a small city in the north of Israel, spread out on picturesque green hills, in which numerous rivers and springs originate. The city is one of the main shrines of Judaism, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron. From Safed opens a breathtaking panorama of the famous , The Mediterranean Sea and Mount Hermon, covered in snow in winter.

The first mention of the city dates back to the time of the Second Temple of Jerusalem (566 BC-70 AD), when Safed was one of the fortress cities that became a haven for Zealot rebels. During the Crusades (1095-1291), the Knights Templar, seeking to take control of a strategic height, erected a large fortress here with a double wall 28 m high. Behind the walls of the fortress, the city of Safed began to grow and develop rapidly, which later turned into district center. At the end of the 11th century, the troops of Sheikh Salah ad-Din captured Safed. Under the rule of Saladin, a large Jewish community began to emerge in the vicinity of the city. In the middle of the XII century, the city again came under the rule of the Knights Templar and remained under its control until the capture of the Mamluks in 1266. Under the rule of the Mamluk Sultan Baibas, Safed became the largest and most prosperous city in northern Israel. As a shrine city, Safed became famous in the 16th-17th centuries after the greatest Kabbalists began to flock here. Among them was the creator of the fundamental code of Jewish laws, Yosef Karo. In 1516, Safed was conquered by the Turkish army and became part of the powerful Ottoman Empire, which contributed to the improvement of the economic situation of the city, the development of trade and population growth. In the middle of the 18th century, Safed was completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake that claimed thousands of lives. In 1831, Israel was captured by the Egyptian Sultan Ibrahim Pasha, who made great efforts to turn Safed into a major commercial and commercial center of the Galilee. By the beginning of the War of Independence (1948-1949), a significant number of Jews lived in Safed, and after the victorious operation in May 1948, the Arabs almost completely left the city.

Today, Safed is a beautiful city that attracts the attention of tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. There are numerous synagogues, galleries, art workshops, not to mention cultural, historical and architectural monuments. Main sights of Safed are considered an ancient fortress, almost completely hidden underground, and the synagogues of Banai, Sephardi and Karo. All these beauties are located in the old part of Safed, where thousands of tourists flock every year.

Climbing down the winding mountain Yerushalayim street, we will get to the Old City. From here we will begin our journey through the Jewish shrines. The first synagogue on our way is the synagogue Abohav built in the 15th century. Within the walls of this sanctuary are kept ancient scrolls of the Torah, which are used on the days of the celebration of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yim Kippur (Judgment Day) and Shavuot (the feast of the giving of the Torah). An interesting historical fact regarding the Abohav synagogue is that during the terrible earthquake of 1837, only the wall facing Jerusalem remained intact.

The next synagogue we will visit is the synagogue Alshekh built in the 16th century. The synagogue was built in the Samarkand style. Turkish Jews once prayed within the walls of this sacred building, crowned with a dome.

We follow further and find ourselves at the walls Binai synagogues, whose shrine is the tomb of Rabbi Bannay. Down the street stands another synagogue - Karo Synagogue built in the 16th century. The first building of this Jewish temple was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1759, but the synagogue was soon rebuilt. Above the entrance to the building there is a plaque dedicating to the restoration project.

Next to the old cemetery stands the most famous synagogue of the city - Sefaradi synagogue ARI XVI century. This synagogue is unusual in many ways: for example, there is no mezuzah at the entrance (a scroll of parchment made from the skin of a ritual animal, attached to the outer door frame and containing part of the text of the Shema prayer). Another amazing thing inside the synagogue is a wooden Torah cabinet against the south wall, which was completely untouched in the 1897 earthquake. There are many amazing stories about this building. One says that during the War of Independence of 1948-1949, during Shabbat prayers, when the synagogue was full of people, an enemy shell fell in the courtyard of the building, a fragment of which pierced the podium right in the middle of the synagogue, without hitting a single living soul. .

In addition to the synagogues and the ruins of the fortress in Safed, numerous caves are also of interest. The most famous among them is Shem ve Ever cave hidden deep underground. The cave is located next to the bridge passing directly over the Palmach and Jerusalem streets. It is said that the cave got its name from the great-grandson of Noah. The cave is also often referred to as "Inextinguishable", as the vaults of the cave are lit by the fire of hundreds of candles, giving this place a mysterious beauty and mystical atmosphere.

In the western part of Safed is old jewish cemetery, which is now a place of pilgrimage for Jews from all over the world. Here are the crypts and burial places of rabbis, kabbalists and teachers of the holy ARI, Alshekh, Cardovero and many others.

At the top of the mountain, where the medieval citadel of the Templars once stood majestically, there is another unique place that is definitely worth a visit: the magnificent Givat HaMetsuda Park, which offers a breathtaking view of the city and its surroundings.

We advise you to definitely taste the local semi-hard cheese produced in Arab cheese dairies, many of which prepare cheese according to old recipes. Cheese is made from the milk of small cattle (goats, sheep). The most famous cheese factories in Safed are the Meiri Cheese Factory, established over 170 years ago, and the Kadosh Cheese Factory. You can visit them any day from 08:00 to 15:00 (except Saturday). Entrance fee: 50 shekels per person.

Safed hosts an annual world Safed Klezmer Music Festival, which is the world's largest festival in this musical genre.

Not far from Safed there are 2 more shrines of Judaism and Kabbalah - and the village of Meron.

Well, starting the day with a tour of the Jewish shrines, we propose to continue it, in the holy city for Christians -.

Safed is one of the four holy Jewish cities. He is the youngest of them. According to legend, it was founded by Noah's son. In the XIV-XV centuries. was considered the center of Jewish education and trade, and in the XVI-XVII centuries. gained fame as the center of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism.

Here, along with Jews, Russian Christians and Maronites also live. Safed is a very interesting city with unusual architecture. And the reason for this is that in different periods of its existence it was built up by people from different countries of the world. The city is famous for its galleries, artists, musicians, artists, workshops of local creators.

Safed is a beautiful place surrounded by majestic mountains, raging rivers and many springs. There is clean air and a warm sun, inviting you to wander along the winding streets, breathing the history of antiquity.

Ancient city and fortress ruins

Most of the sights are located in the Ancient City: synagogues, the quarter of artists, the ruins of the main fortress, built by the Crusaders in the XII century. It was considered the largest in the entire Middle East.

In 1168 it was handed over to the Templars, in the XIII century. The Sultan of Damascus ordered the destruction of the fortress. But it was restored again by the Crusaders. Nearby they set up mills and laid out gardens. However, by the will of fate, the fortress was again captured by Sultan Baibars. He made a prison and barracks out of it. And the church on her land was rebuilt into a mosque. Today only ruins remain of this majestic building. But, even despite this, the ancient fortress is worth a visit.

The "Artists' Quarter" is a unique place in sacred Safed. This is a settlement of artists, craftsmen, musicians, artists. Their shops, workshops, houses are located here. Each street, each residential building, even the painted fence gives a unique atmosphere to the entire area. It is here that you can buy a souvenir item made personally by the master.

Synagogues

All synagogues in Safed are unique in that they do not look to the east, as expected, but to the south. According to legend, the Messiah will come from the south, and the locals will be the first to see him.

Named after Rabbi Abochav. It contains a Torah scroll that once belonged to him. There are four scrolls in the temple, but Abohav is considered special. It is read only three times a year. And in one of the niches, according to legend, the Holy Quran is hidden. After a powerful earthquake in 1837, the only surviving wall of the building was the one that was directed towards Jerusalem.

Alshekh

The synagogue is dedicated to Rabbi Moshe Alshekh, who wrote commentaries on the Torah. It was built in the Samarkand style, in the 16th century. The top of the building is crowned with a beautiful dome.

banay

Banai is named after the great rabbi Yose ha-Bannaya. Here is his tomb and a Torah scroll delivered annually on a special holiday to Mount Meron.

In 1759, the building of the Karo synagogue (XVI century) was damaged by an earthquake. Later it was rebuilt. And they named it in honor of Rabbi Yosef Karo, the author of the Shulchan Aruch.

"White" righteous

The synagogue is dedicated to Rabbi Iose ha-Bannaya, who lived in the 3rd century BC. He received his nickname after his death. The Romans, knowing that the Jews could only sacrifice a white rooster, ordered the birds to be repainted. Heartbroken, the residents prayed all night at the rabbi's grave. And in the morning they found that all the roosters turned white.

Near the synagogue grows a fig tree, because of which the rabbi's son died. Taking advantage of his gift, the son turned to the Lord with a request that the tree would bear fruit as soon as possible. He wanted to feed his people, but he angered his father. You can't distract the Almighty with such nonsense. The rabbi asked to take the abilities of the offspring and doomed him to death. The gift is inseparable from the soul.

The oldest and most famous Sephardic synagogue is named after Rabbi Luria (Ha'ari). This place is so holy that it does not even need the protection of a Mezuzah (a scroll with a sacred text). According to legend, the rabbi who prayed here called for the reading of the great forefathers: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David. Thanks to the prayers of the ancients, the place no longer needed additional protection.

Cave of Shema and Evera. Cemetery

The most famous of the numerous caves of Safed is the Shema and Evera cave. From Shema, the son of Noah, came the Semites. Ever is the great-grandson of Shem, the only one who spoke Hebrew after the incident in Babylon. They lived in this cave. However, they know about her not only because of Shem and Ever. Someone says that here Jacob passed on the secret of the Torah to his son. Others - that here he learned about the death of his son. Wept bitterly, and water flowed from the walls. It is also worth visiting the ancient cemetery of Safed. In this place are buried the great Kabbalists of antiquity, rabbis and those who have fallen into disrepair of the Torah.

Three Museums of Safed

Several museums are open in Safed. In the Meiri House museum, you will be told about the creation of a Jewish settlement in the city. You will be able to study photographs, documents, memoirs, life and so on. The Museum of the Bible, created by Denis Ratner, will provide you with 300 works on the theme of the Bible. And in the Museum of the Jewish Heritage of Hungarians, they will tell about the past of Jewish communities from Hungary, Transylvania, and Slovakia.

At an altitude of 800 m, in the Nimrod National Park, there is a medieval fortress. They named this great building in honor of the biblical king Nimrod. Erected in the 13th century, it was intended to protect against enemies. In the XVI century. served as a prison for the Ottoman nobility. Unfortunately, in the XVIII century. The fortress collapsed after a strong earthquake. Today, travelers have the opportunity to explore the restored part of it: spiral staircases, unique plaster, secret corridors, loopholes.

The Daughters of Jacob Bridge is only half an hour from the city. Many people know this place as "Jacob's Ford". In ancient times, there was a crossing here - part of the Hora trade route. A local legend tells that here the daughters of Jacob mourned the death of their brother. Therefore, the bridge annually attracts many pilgrims.

From high 1204 m., from the majestic Mount Meron, a view of the city of extraordinary beauty opens up. Most of the mountain is a natural reserve. Its top is covered not with snow, but with greenery. At the foot of the mountain, the pillars of the country's oldest synagogue were discovered. At the foot of the mountain you can find graves sacred to many Jews. For example, the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the author of the main book on Kabbalah.

According to the Gospel, this is the Sea of ​​Galilee. "Lake of Tiberias" is called because of the neighboring city of Tiberias. "Lake of Genisared" - because of the adjacent valley of the same name and the city. The waters of this freshwater lake fill the lowest land area on Earth (213 m below sea level).

According to the New Testament, Jesus spent a significant part of his life in the vicinity of the lake and its cities. Previously, there was a "sea route" from Egypt to Mesopotamia. And the Egyptians used the healing hot springs of the lake, rich in sulfur and salts. The lake attracts a huge number of pilgrims from all over the world.

Baram Park is named after the ancient Jewish settlement on the site of which it was created. The remains of a synagogue from the 2nd century BC have been preserved in the park. In the 19th century a Christian village was built on the ruins of the settlement, with the consonant name of Birim. But in 1948, during the military conflict, the residents were forced to leave their home. The park still has a church, which is the spiritual center of the Maronites, who once founded the village.

One of the biggest, oldest Jewish music festivals in Israel. By visiting it, you can plunge into the unforgettable atmosphere of ancient Safed. Traditionally, many stages are erected on the streets, where klezmer and Hasidic music is played. Free admission. And during the day, excursions, seminars, concerts of young musicians and invited teachers from different countries will be held throughout the city.

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The mystical city of Safed, also called the City of Kabbalists, is located in Israel, in the heart of Galilee. There are no suitable words in the world that can describe this mysterious place. Since ancient times, the city has attracted the interest of pilgrims from all over the world, and today hundreds of tourists come here, attracted by the historical and religious heritage of Israel. In a word, in attractions in Safed enough.

Climate in Safed pleasant enough, especially in summer: not hot, slightly cool. Therefore, it is good to visit the city at this time of the year.

In Safed, the past and the present intertwine in the most amazing way. Here you are wandering through winding narrow streets, paved with stones, which people have been walking on for more than a thousand years, and here you are entering Jerusalem Street, which is so full of modern life that it feels like it is a parallel world. But, you see, it gives the city a certain charm.

Particularly popular among tourist attractions in Safed uses the Artists' Quarter. The area is home to galleries and workshops where craftsmen create their masterpieces. Exhibitions of their works are also held here, and any street artist will paint a wonderful picture for you for a reasonable price, whether it be a portrait or a landscape.

You will get an unforgettable experience by visiting a candle factory. Previously, access there was closed, but now there are excursions, and tourists can even make their own candle, taking it as a souvenir. The plant also owns a small shop where you can buy its products. By the way, he has repeatedly received Guinness certificates for his products. In particular, for the record number of wicks on one candle.

Plenty in Safed and attractions religious nature. Synagogues are scattered throughout the city, the most famous of which is Abohav. It still contains the sacred scrolls, which are more than two thousand years old. Another famous synagogue is Ari. It received its name in honor of one of the preachers of Judaism in medieval times. The niche in which this famous righteous man prayed is also considered a sanctuary. According to legend, it was there that David and Abraham appeared to him, finishing his prayer with him.

The city center has a variety of restaurants and bistros. You can find places with Israeli cuisine, as well as with Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Arabic and European. National cuisine is represented by pumpkin strudel, Jewish salad with beets, hummus and puff pastry.

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