Latrun Museum (Yad
Lashir)
Latrun is the site of many
famous military battles. Here, Joshua commanded
the sun to stand still and the Maccabees, Romans, Crusaders,
Arabs and British marched through here on
the way to Jerusalem.
In Israel's War
for Independence,
some of the fiercest fighting of the war
took place at Latrun.
From 1948 to 1967, the Israelis were unable
to gain control of the road and had to build
a detour to circumvent the Arab Legion. Known
as no-man's land, the UN had to supervise
this area of land, until it was retaken
by Israel in 1967.
Anyone who ever liked playing
with soldiers and tanks as a kid, or still
finds military hardware and strategy of interest,
will love the Museum of the Israel Defense
Forces Armored Division. The museum has
a memorial to the brigade that fought here
and more than 100 tanks used in Israel's wars are displayed. You can climb on some
of the earliest tanks made and compare them
to ultra-modern versions built by Israel's
own military-industrial complex as well as
those imported from the United States.
Yad Lashir is located at Latrun Junction
Hours of Admission:
Sunday through Thursday, 8:30-4:30
Friday, 8:30-12:30;
Sunday, 9:00-4:00
Sources: Israel Foreign Ministry |