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PLEASE BE AWARE MAR SABA DOES NOT ADMIT FEMALES .There's not much else to say but this fact is not always made clear by tour guides/groups. Women have to wait outside whilst the men go in
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Date of experience: December 2019
2 Helpful votes
Helpful
This is a must-see, even if you cannot get inside. The surrounding Judean Hills and the Kidron Valley are an amazingly beautiful place to hike, with breathtaking views. The monastery is set amid amazing scenery, with paths and steps going down into a wadi. Unfortunately the Israeli settlers use the Palestinian desert for their waste-disposal which has left the wadi badly polluted with rubbish and the water contaminated. It is shameful really - and heartbreaking.…
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Date of experience: December 2019
1 Helpful vote
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+1
The desolate and amazingly looking monastery was built in 483 AD and is one of the oldest continuously active Christian monasteries in the world. It is located in the middle of nowhere, in the Judean Desert, and is a multi-layer structure with huge, massive walls, built in and blending into the steep wall of a barren, isolated hill, facing the Kidron Valley and the West Bank. The best views of the monastery are from the West Bank, while the visitation (women are not allowed) is only possible if you come from Bethlehem. After travelling through the desolate desert for a few hours, the emerging view of the monastery on the other side of the Kidron River is really an impressive and amazing sight to behold and not to be missed.…
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Date of experience: October 2019
3 Helpful votes
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What an unexpected marvel in a spectacular setting! Truly one of the most fabulous sights I saw in Israel...up there with some of the world's more well-known landmarks. Set in an isolated hillside in the Negev desert this ancient Greek Orthodox monastery is a wonderful to behold. The color blends in with the curved landscape... part cave-dwelling part ancient ruins and part magnificent multi-layer structure climbing the hillside. Its presence seems positively mystical. The best view is from the israeli-controlled West Bank (I believe it's area C) if you off road into the desert, past Bedouin lean-to houses and long floppy-eared goats and young herders on their donkeys. But if you want to enter the monastery, and women can't, you have to do that from the palestinian-controlled side. Don't miss it!…
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Date of experience: December 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Stunning monastery set in the wonderful Palestinian desert, and well worth the steep climb involved to reach the top! Magnificent architecture and views.
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Date of experience: November 2019
2 Helpful votes
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