Cochin - Nevatim. ( Part One - the museum)

From Cochin (Kerala, India) to Nevatim (Neghev, Israel) - a small indian-jewish community with a great history, an amazing little museum, and a stunning synagogue.

We reached Nevatim agricultural settlement at noon. After  passing a big, brown sign with the name 'moshav Nevatim'  in hebrew (see the header), and a traditional well  in memory of the founders, we were led by Mira, the local guide, to the building which houses a compact museum with some very interesting exhibits.

traditional well in memory of the founders

the well - closer view

building that houses the Heritage museum

front view of the building

entrance to building housing the museum

After a few introductory words, Mira, the guide, wanted us to watch a 16-minute documentary on the history and customs of her community and its immigration to Israel. Very captivating film  as it included  interviews with people who were among the first settlers of Nevatim, in 1954.

Mira - her back to screen, face to visitors

The walls  at the entrance and in the movie room were covered with black&white pictures depicting snippets from the community's life in India. (It is important to mention that they've had good relations with their non-jewish neighbors there ; no hostility/persecution experience whatsoever). 

listening to lecture;  pictures with life snippets on the walls

more  Cochin life snippets on the wall

Merchants in Cochin, they became farmers in Nevatim - not an easy transition, that from trade to agriculture. Apparently, the shy and modest indian community underwent this transition quite well. They  also got this small tourist attraction enterprise  - the Heritage Center which includes the museum and the synagogue.

Next  - open rooms with  a rich variety of encased exhibits from daily life in Cochin: clothing (daily and holiday),  jewelery items, household ware, religious and cultural artifacts (light holders, holiday lamps, Torah case) etc.

wedding clothes

bracelets

wedding rings

household ware

chandeliers

standing light holder

Hannukah lamp

Torah case

overview - room with lightholders and the Torah case

Heraklion Archeological Museum

The Heraklion museum, one of the finest  in Europe, is rich in exhibits and extremely interesting. It requires more than one visit to absorb all that beauty and knowledge displayed within its walls. I spent about three hours there and had the chance to contemplate, among other things, the original artifacts transferred from Knossos Palace (the topic of my previous post.) 

entrance to museum

visitors looking at the exhibits in the glass cases

 taking photos

The museum, located in the town center, has 27 rooms on two floors. No camera flash allowed inside. In a room passage, dedicated to echoes in the world about the Minoan findings, I noticed on the wall a newspaper photo of Liz Taylor. She was wearing a golden brooch in the form of a bull horn, designed according to the original item found in one of the excavations in Knossos. Beautiful woman ,beautiful brooch.

Liz Taylor 's photo in the Media room.

The exhibits displayed in the museum  were found in various settlements of ancient Crete ( Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros, Malia, Gortyn) - in palaces, storage rooms, caves, sanctuaries, cemeteries, and  graves.

famous bee pendant (found at cemetery outside Malia palace)

These exhibits reflect various aspects of life in Minoan Crete: daily domestic life ( pots, jars, vases, bowls, utensils and tools.) religion (ritual vessels, figurine offerings), sports: boxing, hunting, bull jumping (murals, bull -leaper figurine and bull-leaping frescoe), art (frescoes, painting on pottery,on walls, sculptures, jewelery),  coinage ( evolution of cretan coins),burial customs (sarcophages, coffins, various items buried with the dead), afterlife beliefs (i.e. the dead needs the same items as those needed in his life; that's why they get put in his grave at the time of burial).

I was especially attracted to the stunning  jewelery collections:

jewelery

There are lots of clay, ivory , bronze - human and animal- figurines on display. The figurines were used by the ancient cretans as house decorations, as religious offerings to the gods, or got buried with the dead as personal possessions, or as protective devices. (The ones in the header picture represent goddesses with arms raised).

figurines

The exhibited  coins and seals  tell a lot about social, economical, and artistic life in ancient Crete; they are a "golden mine" to researchers.

coins

The ancient Cretans (Minoans) were considered a peaceful society, and yet many weapons (swords, spears, daggers) were found in houses, sanctuaries, and graves.

weapons

At the end of my visit, I felt overwhelmed  by the richness just viewed at the above museum. If someone happens to be in Heraklion, I would highly recommend visiting this wonderful place.