On the island of Cyprus, its history lies in many layers with different eras being exposed through many archaeological digs which date from prehistoric times to the present day. Cyprus offers many opportunities for visitors to explore the history of the country through its many archaeological sites:

Ancient Kourin is one of the island’s most important archaeological sites which include extensive ruins and well-preserved mosaics. There are also many more key areas of interests such as the public baths, the Nymphaeum, the necropolis, the Fountain House, House of Gladiators and House of Achilles. However, the most spectacular site at Kourin is the Greco-Roman amphitheatre, which has been entirely restored and is currently being used to hold open air musical and theatrical performances.

Paphos mosaics are also notable archaeological sites, which were discovered in 1962 and have been acclaimed as some of the best examples of Roman floor mosaics discovered to date. These mosaics can be found in many places such as: The House of Dionysos, Theseus, Aion, Orpheus and Four Seasons, allowing more opportunity for visitors to see these significant sites.

The remarkable site of Ancient Salamis is another main archaeological site within Cyprus where visitors can spend time exploring the nearby city walls, gymnasium, theatre, Roman baths, villa, forum and agora, in addition to the Basilica of St Epiphanius and the temple of Zeus Salaminios.

These archaeological wonders give visitors a chance to explore the true history of the island and also give great sites to see on Cyprus holidays. It is an opportunity to deviate from a traditional holiday and explore sites which they may never have experienced.

As an experienced producer and provider of production services in Israel for foreign crews and TV networks filming in Israel, I provide my services to each and every format crews want to shoot: feature films, documentaries, TV commercials, music videos and high-profile exhibition videos. A lot of crews come to shoot for a week, two weeks or even a month; they film documentary shows or parts of series all over the country and visit different locations.

Yet frequently I am asked for some ideas to shoot short, content-driven segments, which focus on one particular aspect of the Holy Land, the three religions or certain archaeological sites and their history. I have compiled a small but compact list of filming short segments (60 or 120 sec) for crews filming in Israel, which should give filmmakers some ideas what they could focus on.

Filming in Israel – Future Prophecies Segment in Jerusalem

Since the beginning of time, prophecies and their human messengers have inspired mankind, causing great excitement and anxiety of what the future might hold for each and every one of us. There are plenty of prophecies connected to Jerusalem, the holiest city in the world, and if a film crew in Israel wants to focus on prophecies and adequate locations, here are some suggestions: 

The Mount of Olives – the site of the Second Coming

The Himnon Valley – the Valley of Hell, stage to Judgement Day

The Kidron Valley – the Dry Bones Prophecy surrounding the tombs

The Golden Gate – the prophecy which sees Jesus walking triumphantly through

the Golden Gate into the city of Jerusalem

Filming in Israel – Nazareth Segment

Beautiful old Nazareth is a very important site to Christianity. Jesus of Nazareth spent his boyhood years here before moving to Capernaum to begin his ministry. There are a number of wonderful locations which crews can visit in one day and edit a great segment as an introduction to Jesus’ life and times.  

The town of Nazareth – old streets, marketplace

The House of Mary and Mary’s Spring

The Church of Annunciation

The Prophecy of the Birth of Jesus – the land of Zebulon and Napthali

Filming in Israel – King Herod

King Herod is often referred to as the Greatest Builder of Ancient Times, and the are numerous ruins around the country which pay tribute to his extraordinary visions and architectural adventures. A segment about Kind Herod should definitely include:

The Herodian – Herod’s Palace, near Bethlehem

The Port of Caesarea – also recommended for underwater archaeology

The Antipatris – on the road from Caesarea to Jerusalem

The Cypros – in Jericho

The Temple Mount and Western Wall – reflecting on the reconstruction of the second temple

The Second Temple Model – to be seen in the Israel Museum

Filming in Israel – Archaeological Excavations in Progress

Digging with archaeological experts on the many sites around the country is not only a popular activity for tourists and archaeology fan. Many crews join one or the other dig throughout their shoot in Israel; the choice of the site depends much on the focus of their film. Here is a list of archaeological sites that have continuous excavations:

City of David – located at the southern tip of Temple Mount

Tzipori – also known as Sepphoria, just a few km north of Nazareth, great mosaic floors

Jacob’s Ford – up in the North, ongoing digs with Prof. Ronnie Ellenblum

Tel Megiddo – the biblical Armageddon, the cradle of Archaeology in Israel, ongoing excavations have uncovered the layers of more than 30 cities

Tel Tsafit – close to Kfar Menachem about 40 min south of Jerusalem, the site is connected to the battle between David and Goliath

Filming in Israel – The Way to Bethlehem

Crews filming in Israel regularly visit Bethlehem to film the stunning Church of Nativity. For crews interested in illustrating Mary’s and Jospeh’s way to Bethlehem, there are some more suggestions here:

The Model of the Second Temple (Israel Museum) – Mary and Jospeh stop on their way to give praise at the temple

Church of the Nativity – the birthplace of Jesus

The town of Bethlehem

Surrounding fields with shepherds and old olive trees

Mount Zion – Mary is said to have fallen in eternal sleep here

This is merely a glimpse of what can be done when filming in Israel – the country’s historical sites, the archaeology and the landscape surrounding them never seize to amaze me! Furthermore, the above locations are also covered in our Israel / Christian footage archive of Biblical Productions, for anyone interested in acquiring archival footage.