Ancient Judean Date Palm, Pride of the Land of Israel, Reborn!

Last Chance to visit "It's A Date!"
Beginning 09.06.13
Display - Daily
18:30 - 21:00
Museum

Dates, one of the seven species of the Land of Israel, and the leaves of the palm tree which are one of the four species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth. Judean Dates were craved by the Roman Emperor Augustus, and praised by the ancient Greeks for their medicinal properties. Mark Antony allegedly gave Cleopatra the "date district" of Jericho as a gift, the city described in the Bible as 'the city of the palm trees'.

Following the Crusader Period, the Judean Date Palm became extinct. However, in March 2005, a team of experts led by Dr. Sarah Sallon and Dr. Elaine Solowey succeeded in miraculously germinating a 2000 year old Judean Date Palm seed excavated at Masada in the 1960s.
A special display for the holidays will feature an array of artifacts decorated with the famous Judean Date Palm, complemented by photographs of the reborn Judean Date Palm from Masada. 


A link to the Arava Institute's website: www.arava.org