Religious, Spiritual sights in Tiberias
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Tomb of Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon
The tomb of Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon is the final resting place of the Spanish physician, also known as Maimonides or Rambam, who worked in the court of the Muslim ruler Saladin. This revered rabbi, who died in 1204, was one of 12th-century Egypt's most highly regarded sages. Legend has it that before his death in Cairo, he instructed followers to load his remains onto a camel and bury him wherever the camel expired. The camel was apparently drawn to Tiberias.
Next to Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon's tomb lies Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai, the Holy Land's most eminent sage at the time of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Ben Zakkai is said to have faked his own death, escaping the ci…
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Church & Monastery Of The Apostles
By the water's edge, south of the Radisson Moriah Plaza Hotel lies the Church & Monastery Of The Apostles. This Greek Orthodox complex is on the site of a Byzantine monastery that was destroyed by the Persians in the 7th century. Since then the complex has been rebuilt and destroyed numerous times; the buildings standing today date from the late 19th century but have been restored as recently as 1975.
Three monks live here and they'll usually admit visitors who ring the bell. There are four chapels beyond the pleasant, walled courtyard. One chapel is dedicated to St Peter, one to the disciples, and one to Mary Magdalene; the one in the ancient round tower is dedicated to …
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St Peter's Church
Hidden along the northern promenade it is worth looking out for the lovely Franciscan church built by 12th-century Crusaders. The Muslims converted it into a mosque, and you can make out an area of uneven stone on the southern wall filling in the hole where a mihrab (prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca) was carved. Later, the Turks used the building as a caravanserai before it was rebuilt as a church in 1870. .
Its two features are the boat-shaped nave, a nod to St Peter's piscatorial profession, and the courtyard built by the Polish soldiers stationed here during WWII.
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Tomb of Meir Ba'al Hanes
One of Judaism's holiest sites is the Tomb of Meir Ba'al Hanes, the 2nd-century rabbi who helped to compile the Mishnah.The tomb is marked by two synagogues: Sephardic, the one on the left with the white dome; and Ashkenazi, with the blue dome. In the courtyard of the Sephardic synagogue is a pillar topped by a large bowl, and four days before the Lag B'Omer holiday a bonfire is lit here on the Pesah Sheni (second Passover).
Crowds of religious Jews visit throughout the year to pray and it is a belief that God will answer the prayers of pilgrims with personal problems.
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Tomb of Rabbi Akiva
A white dome covers the cave-Tomb of Rabbi Akiva. Born in AD 50, he was one of the great Jewish scholars, and was killed by the Romans for his role in the Bar Kochba Revolt (AD 132-35). Take bus number 4 from Ben Zakkai St to get to the tomb.
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Jama al-Bahr Mosque
Built in 1880 with a special entrance for those arriving by boat. The mosque stands forlornly abandoned, and no one appears to have any plans to utilise its potential.
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