Palestine with Jerusalem: The Bradt Travel Guide

by Henry Stedman

The features of this guide include background history, from the birth of civilisation to the new millennium and sections cover the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Jerusalem in detail, accommodation,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1841620017
• ISBN13: 9781841620015
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

At Long Last, But Well Worth The Wait!!

There are many travel books on Israel. Only a few of these grudgingly add Palestine (usually with Palestine in small letters, almost as an embarrassment or an afterthought). I was very intrigued to find this gem of a book, dedicated specifically to Palestine and Jerusalem, and was absolutely delighted once I delved into its content.For me, the first forty pages or so are worth their weight in gold. There is a very good, concise history of Palestine & Israel and, of course, Jerusalem. The impressive thing is that it is short enough to read, clear enough to be easily understood, and covers the whole history of the area... and best of all, does it without prejudice or bias. I have been very unhappy with all the lengthy one-sided books available on this subject, most of them starting from a specific time in history that benefits the opinion of the writer. Kudos to Stedman for his even-handedness and willingness to cover the whole picture. Also, the three major religions (Islam, Christianity, Judiasm) are described in a way that promotes understanding of the evolvement of the religions and the main likenesses and differences between them. This should be required reading for all college students! It makes it much easier to understand why each side believes as it does and why there is such conflict today between the Palestinians and the Israelies.That being said, once the concise history lesson is over in the beginning of the book, Bradt gives what he calls a "warts and all" view of Palestine. He has been to Palestine on a number of occaisons and has grown to deeply respect these people. He puts the traveller at ease by covering very useful and diverse locations and travelling options. Everything from main foods of the area to border crossings, from getting to know the people to avoiding being mistaken for an undercover Israeli officer, from wonderful sites in the cities as well as off the beaten path... this guide can take you there. I am very impressed and deeply grateful that someone finally took the time to create and publish this book. Considering the writer even had some maps "created" so they could be included in this book shows the length of his dedication to covering the whole of the subject. I enjoy reading, but this is the first book that I've felt compelled to write a review on. I hope that even people who do not anticipate being able to get to Palestine will check out this book for the understanding it provides.