Carta's Official Guide to Israel, a comprehensive handbook, has two sections: the gazetteer - which is a complete alphabetical listing of every named site in areas under Israel's jurisdiction, and a concise survey of historical and modern Israel.

Facts included in the gazetteer have been compiled from scholarly and other official sources and augmented by firsthand information obtained from municipalities, local councils and local residents. The information thus collected should satisfy varied interests.

Alongside the name of each entry is a grid reference made up of six digits whereby its location can be found on Israel maps: the first three digits are read on the map from west to east and the last three from south to north. Biblical place names carry a reference denoting one significant passage where this name appears in the Old or New Testament.

Transcription of proper names presents a variety of choices. First are the many English translations of the Bible. There is the official transliteration system, sponsored by the Hebrew language academy, of rendering Hebrew and Arabic letters into Latin characters. There are various scientific methods, as well as everyday usage of newspapers and magazines. Variations, though, are in the main minor and names are generally easily recognizable in any of these versions. We have rendered Hebrew and Arabic names according to the official transliteration system. Biblical names appear as they are written in the Bible published by the American Bible Society. Names with an accepted and familiar form in English appear thus: Acre, Galilee, Tiberias, Nazareth, Bethlehem etc. For the maps a simplified system of transcription has been used.

We are deeply indebted to the editors of the original editions of the Hebrew Kol Maqom which was first published in the early 50's. The original slim book was compiled by the Chief Education Officer of the Israel Defence Forces. The last printing of the original took place in 1967. A new expanded and revised edition for which Adam Druks, Ze'ev Yeivin, Baruch Sarel, Dan Schleyer and many others did yeoman's service, is published jointly by Carta and the Ministry of Defence.

We would like to express our gratitude to Moshe Shalvi who shouldered the great task of translating the first English edition of this gazetteer; also to Robert Kaplan who adapted and expanded articles on favoured tourist sites. The Historical Survey was written by Beverly Cayford, Benjamin Jaffe and Moshe Aumann. This edition was updated by Shlomo Ketko.

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