and agricultural landscapes and first-century daily life - and find new and rich dimensions in familiar texts that take on color, texture, fragrance and fresh meanings. They can also visit a chapel where pilgrims prayed 1600 years ago. At Mini Israel, a large number of miniature models of Christian holy sites are featured - as well as others of general interest from all over the country - and a visit to this site is one way of introducing groups to what they will see, or recapitulating their visit, just prior to departure. Mini Israel is close by the Latroun Trappist Monastery and there may be groups interested in visiting this facility, too. One of the latest sites in the area of potential interest to Christians visiting Israel, and Catholic visitors in particular, is the Saxum Project in the Judean Hills region, between Kibbutz Maaleh HaHamisha and Abu Ghosh, 15 km west
of Jerusalem. The Saxum Visitor Center is an information center for tour guides and visitors to the Holy Land, where interactive and multimedia resources highlight the heritage and roots of the Christian faith, with the aim of fostering a deeper knowledge of other faiths and to provide a solid foundation for understanding the holy sites. Pilgrims can now walk the new 18-km. (11-mile) Emmaus Trail that goes from the Saxum Visitor Center in Abu Ghosh and ends at the monastery of Emmaus Nicopolis. The whole walk should take five to six hours. Other sites of possible interest in this area include the ancient cities of Ramle and Lod. Both were Holy Land centers during Crusader times and the latter was where Aeneas was healed by Simon Peter during a visit to the area (Acts 9:32-35).
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