In the year 2000, Holy Land Trust brought together a group of pilgrims from North America, Africa, Asia and Europe to participate in a journey of over a thousand miles on foot and on camelback through the heart of the Middle East. We did this in order to honor the 2,000th birthday of Jesus and to bring gifts and blessings to the people of the Middle East. In 2007 Holy Land Trust will repeat this journey-and you are invited to join our expedition.

The original Magi, or "wise men" from the Bible, were ancient astronomers who traveled many miles to greet the newborn "King of the Jews." Although the Biblical text does not confirm their country or city of origin, many scholars believe that the Magi originated from Persia (modern day Iran). To complete this journey, they would have crossed through deserts, over mountains, through valleys and across rivers. They would have also crossed over political, cultural and religious boundaries. The journey would have been long and arduous. The biblical story leaves many questions unanswered about these men-who were they? What were they seeking? What was so important about the birth of this "King of the Jews" that they were willing to embark on such a difficult and costly journey? And what, in the end, did they learn from their travels?

Holy Land Trust is currently preparing to honor the birth of Jesus, the "Prince of Peace," and the journey of these "wise men" by retracing their route in the year 2007-starting in Iran, through Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Though we will have support crews to transport our equipment and supplies, we will travel through these areas with humble means-specifically, by walking and riding mounted steeds (either horses or camels). Traveling in this way will provide unique opportunities to interact with local communities. It will also help stay faithful to the traditional concept of pilgrimage-instead of seeing the Middle East through the window of an air-conditioned tour bus, we will travel just as the ancient Magi did, in the hopes of honoring their quest and making connections with local communities. In conjunction with this trip, Holy Land Trust will be initiating community service and humanitarian projects for the local communities, in order to serve the people of the Middle East.

The Journey from the city of Hamadan ending in the town of Bethlehem will span approximately 1,600 miles and will last about three months. Although a core group of pilgrims will participate in the entire journey, Holy Land Trust will also offer participants the opportunity to participate in one or two week segments. For example: a participant interested in joining our pilgrimage for the Iraq segment for a few weeks will be able to walk with the group from the ancient ruins of Cteisphon all the way to the Iraqi-Syrian border. Before flying home, they'll have an opportunity to visit Iraq's historical wonders, such as the ancient ruins of Babylon and the museums of Baghdad. More importantly, pilgrims will be able to develop personal relationships within the Iraqi people and join in a dialogue with local Iraqi communities.

Organizing this pilgrimage is no small task but Holy Land Trust is uniquely qualified to faces the challenges that lay ahead of us. We have spent years building relationships in these countries and completed a 1,200 mile "Journey of the Magi" pilgrimage in the year 2000. For more information about the 2007 Journey of the Magi, please contact us at Travel@holylandtrust.org