Holy Land

The Holy Land Latin: Terra Sancta, Arabic: الأرض المقدسة al-Arḍ ul-Muqaddasah;) or Holy Lands (plural) is a generic term that usually refers to one or more countries in the Middle East, specifically the Levant, that witnessed the origins and early history of three of the world's great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

In order of size (and probable importance) to the traveller / pilgrim, countries associated with the term "Holy Land" are as follows:

Israel - holds the vast majority of sites and the Old City of Jerusalem, scene of the crucifixion and resurrection
the Palestinian Territories - the West Bank includes Bethlehem and Hebron
Jordan - includes a number of sites and localities associated with Judaism and Christianity, especially from the life of Moses and Jesus

Various events recounted in the Bible take place in nearby regions including Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula.

During the Crusades, Europeans strove to take the Holy Land back from the Muslims and succeeded for a time. Some of today's tourist attractions in the region are buildings or ruins from that period.

Jewish Holy Land

Christian Holy Land

Bethlehem — the town where Jesus was born, the City of David, who was the great King of Israel.
Nazareth — widely believed to be where Jesus spent his childhood and early adult life
Sea of Galilee — the area in which Jesus did much of his ministry
Jerusalem — historical capital of Israel, and also the place where Jesus spent the week leading up to his crucifixion, which took place just outside the city
Mount Sinai — in the Sinai desert of Egypt, home to the longest running Christian monastery, the Monastery of St. Catherine, and believed to be the Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments
Tiberias — on the Sea of Galilee, a good starting point for a bike ride around the sea or a trip to the Golan Heights
Al-Maghtas, Jordan — on the Jordan River, where Jesus was said to have been baptised by John the Baptist.
Jesus Trail

Islamic Holy Land

Jerusalem
Mecca
Medina

See also our articles on the Hajj pilgrimage and on the medieval Muslim traveller Ibn Battuta.

Also, shrines particularly holy to Shia Muslims are in:

Karbala
Najaf
Samarra
Qom
Mashhad

Bahá'í Holy Land

Haifa
Akko

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