Zahi
Shaked A tour guide in
Israel and his camera zahigo25@walla.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522
The Church of
Saint George (
Arabic:
كنيسة القديس جيورجوس or كنيسة مار جريس
Hebrew: כנסיית גאורגיוס הקדוש קוטל הדרקון) is the major shrine for the fourth-century
Christian martyr Saint George (الخضر Al-Khidr in Arabic) and is located in
Lod, Israel.[1] The current church, built in
1870, shares space with the El-Khidr
Mosque.
Toward the end of the nineteenth century, the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem received permission from the Ottoman authorities to build a church on the site of a previous basilica. The church is built over an earlier
15th century AD structure, and occupies the north end of the nave and left-hand aisle of the earlier church, from which there survive two apses - which, contrary to the normal rule, face north rather than east.
The Ottoman authorities stipulated, that part of the plot be made available for a mosque. Consequently, the current
Church of St. George incorporates only the northeast corner of the
Byzantine basilica. The prayer hall of the adjacent mosque contains a column that once stood in the nave of the basilica. The church contains the sarcophagus of
St George.
My name is Zahi Shaked
In
2000 I became a registered liscenced tourist guide.
My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the
Holy Land.
Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the
Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of
Christianity.
In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(
Masters)
Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a
Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of
Pilgrims in the
Steps of
Jesus. We climb to the peak of
Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the
Sea of Galilee, land on the water and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. This is a many faceted experience. Not only history which you will remember and cherish, but an experience which I hope will be inplanted in your hearts and minds, and will accompany you all the days of your life.
- published: 19 Nov 2015
- views: 27