Israel

by Fabio Bourbon (Text), Patrizia Balocco (Graphic Design)

Israel thrives on contradiction. Although it is a relatively new nation, it stands at the forefront of technology, its people turned passionately toward the future. But they have not forgotten a single moment of their past - the origin of their spiritual resources. From the country's desert sands and from the darkness of its caverns, vestiges of ancient times resurface: Israelite fortresses, Roman amphitheatres, Byzantine churches, and castles dating back to the crusades. Israel is a melting pot in which a universal unity and a wealth of unequalled social experience prevail. Hundreds of kibbutzim testify to the birth of a new way of life, and, after centuries of neglect, the land is rich with fertile fields and crops. The country represents the realization of a dream born of a people's will to return to their homeland after twenty centuries of Diaspora. It is a microcosm of ethnic groups, a meeting point for countless peoples, cultures, and civilizations all drawn to this strip of land by the promise of the Biblical prophecy. Israel is a land of ancestral history and unexpected natural beauty, but it is the human landscape that best portrays this young nation's role as a vital presence in the world today.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Fabio Bourbon è uno scrittore di formazione classica, specializzatosi nella divulgazione della storia delle civiltà del passato e dell’arte antica.

Reviews

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very effective photograph book that contains tightly narrated overviews of key locations in Israel, along with a brief history of the state (up until pub date of 1994). The photographs are spectacular, with a significant number of overhead shots of large regions like cities, or the Wailing Wall. On the other hand, other photographs convey the sacred intimacy with which inhabitants and visitors navigate various religious practices and traditions from all the major religions of the world.