Sacred Land

In reading fiction and non-fiction, I've felt there were commonalities between the histories and peoples of ancient Israel and Judah and the Navajo people. If Tony Hillerman's mystery novels can be relied on, some Navajo create sacred bundles containing stones, soil, and plants collected on pilgrimage to the four mountains that define the boundaries of their ancestral lands.

from israellycool.com

What would my sacred bundle contain? What are the major geographical features of Israel? (I'm revealing gross ignorance here.) The Negev, a huge desert in the south. The Mediterranean coast with cliffs and sandy beaches. Farmlands near the coast and in the Jordan Valley. The Dead Sea. The hills of the Galil and the Kinneret. The Golan Heights. Mount Carmel. The Mount of Olives. Mount Hermon.

It's obvious, even to me, that I lack basic familiarity with the Land. I'll start my studies with Wikipedia.

A pilgrimage through the Land of Israel would include sacred sites mentioned in Tanakh, places where the matriarchs and patriarchs camped and were buried, towns and cities of ancient Israel and Judah, places of worship in Beth El, Shilo, and Jerusalem. (It's time to re-read Tanakh with an eye to place.)

Where were the high places? How many bamot were in the Land? 

Here's a map showing the territories of each of the twelve tribes, including those outside the Land, on the east bank of the Jordan River.

I'm eager to learn more.

Ah... I should have followed my gut and left the Yeshivah of Rotting Pomegranates to explore Israel, meet more of its people, and master its language. But this will be better, because now I know why it's so important to know the Land that I belong to.