The Time Elevator (Voyage Terminal)

Although you can explore Jerusalem for days on end and barely scratch the surface, if you're interested in getting the big picture on the city and its history in just under half an hour, hop onto the Time Elevator. This exhilarating romp through more than 3,000 years of history pushes all the right buttons (and pulls out all the stops) with a panoramic screen that portrays all of the crucial events, as narrated by tour-guide Shalem (Chaim Topol of 'Fiddler on the Roof' fame).
 

But the viewer isn't just a passive spectator in the arena of history; the motion-based seating moves the audience with the turbulence of the times, while surround-sound and a wealth of surprising effects bring the viewer even closer to the action, making the experience all the more immersive.
 

The elevator journey begins deep underground with the Jerusalem of the Bible, slowly climbing through history. You’ll come face to face with King David, gain an up-close tour of Solomon’s glorious First Temple and witness its destruction; explore the winding alleyways of Eilia Capitolina, built by Emperor Hadrian on the ruins of Jerusalem; encounter the fearsome Saladin as he fends off the Crusader invasion of the Holy Land; and finally, rise through the roof (not unlike Charlie Bucket) for a breathtaking aerial view of the modern city.
 

Although the towel has already been established - to quote Douglas Adams - as “about the most massively useful thing” any traveler can have, this is doubly true when it comes to the Time Elevator, which at times takes the idea of showering its audience with special effects a bit literally.
 

The faint of heart (or those who prefer a drier, more academic approach to history) can also enjoy the show. There are several stationary seats, and the ones that do move can also be adjusted according to the whims and fancies of individual audience members.Despite its immersive quality, the journey into Jerusalem’s past is in two dimensions. But if it’s the full 3-D experience you’re after, despair not: the Time Elevator offers several additional films.

These include a journey through the universe, starting with a tour of our solar system, the Earth, the moon and neighboring planets, that features close brushes with a comet, solar winds and an errant asteroid. There is also a journey to India that takes the viewer through the history, geography and rich culture of the wondrous country. The program combines reconstrucuctions of archaeological findings from India in full 3-D, magnificent panoramas of the lanscape and bits and pieces of the reality of India that showcase its incredible diversity of religions, cultures and lifestyles.
 

Finally, if you’re a fan of Asimov’s ‘Fantastic Voyage’ or just scientifically curious, be sure not to miss the Time Elevator’s journey into the human body, which explores the fascinating of biological equipment that is far more wondrous than anything man will ever come up with.