The Old City of Jerusalem is the holiest of regions for the three monotheistic religions. It is also a cultural and historical mecca, surrounded by 16th century Ottoman walls and 11 gates divided into four quarters (Jewish, Armenian, Christian and Muslim).
Our first glimpse left us speechless. We viewed the city from several high points to help pull it all into some perspective. This was helpful. At ground level, it is a labyrinth of alleys, streets, buildings, churches and bazaars. It is also a living city - families live and work here.
We walked the last steps of Jesus down the Via Delarosa to the magnificent Byzantine Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of his crucifixion, burial and resurrection. A few other sites here included the Christ Church (the first Protestant church), St. Alexander’s Church (Russian), Lutheran Church of the Redeemer and the Church of St. John the Baptist.
We continued to the Jewish Quarter to visit the Wall, a 2700 year old fortification built by King Hezekiah to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians. The Jewish Quarter was home to European and Sephardic Jews during the centuries under Ottoman rule. There are several synagogues, squares and, of course, another bazaar.
We descended from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. The status of the Western Wall as the most important existing shrine derives from its connection with the ancient Temple. The 2,000-year-old wall was not itself part of the Temple, but a remnant of the retaining wall King Herod built to create the vast plaza of the Temple Mount. After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 BCE, and, after the dedication of a pagan town in its place 65 years later, the city became off-limits to Jews for generations.
The area is divided into two sections one for men and one for women. Many people stand before the wall praying, pressing their foreheads against the wall, kissing the stones and leaving small wads of paper stuffed into the cracks with personal prayers.
We joined a small tour to get into the Western Wall Tunnels and then viewed it alone. The passage followed the northern extension of the wall for several hundred yards. It added to our appreciation of the enormity of these sites. One of the foundation stones weighs 570 tons.
We spent our second day roaming Old Jerusalem at our own pace. We walked up to the Temple Mount and the unmistakable Dome of the Rock. This is the third most holy sight for Muslims. The gold plated Dome of the Rock is the symbol of the city most people recognize when thinking of Jerusalem. . The Al-Aqsa Mosque is here and, again, a bazaar.
On our third day in Jerusalem, we started the day with an emotional visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial with its astounding museum. We were very thankful that our guide began with a tour of the Children’s Memorial before entering the Hall of Remembrance. (We didn’t think we could appreciate these gardens, if we had visited the Halls first.) We walked along a path, known as the Avenue of the Righteous, with trees dedicated to people who risked their own lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. In the Hall of Remembrance, an eternal flame burns. We also appreciated our guide’s emphasis of this memorial as an understanding of all international holocausts. The museum is within a beautiful modern building, which tells part of the story. Two polished stonewalls lean toward each other without touching, leaving one with the sensation that they could fall in at any time. These walls continue in a straight line into the distance. Visitors weave in and out of the main hall as they view the exhibits.
On another day, we went to the Israel Museum. Among the many fascinating exhibits, we experienced the discovery of the mysteries of the Shrine of the Book (the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest copy of the Hebrew Bible). The original Aleppo Codes of the Masoretic Text is also on display. We could see a full 1:50 model of ancient Jerusalem here. Finally, we strolled the beautiful outdoor sculpture garden.
There were several other experiences for us in Jerusalem. A tour of this old city provoked a powerful appreciation of this city as an epicenter of faith.
