The compact size of Israel means that almost anywhere (with
the exception of Eilat) is reachable for a day trip from Jerusalem.
The coastal cities of Akko, Tel Aviv and Haifa can easily be visited
in a day, as can the area around the Sea of Galilee and even (in
a long day) the Golan Heights. There is enough to see in most of
these places to merit a longer visit however, in terms of historical
and religious sites, none of them can match Jerusalem. The 1st stop
for any visitor has to be the Old City, which contains the holy
sites that have caused such turmoil and unrest
marking Jerusalem’s history and still felt today. The Old
City is divided into quarters (the Armenian, Jewish, Christian and
Muslim) each with its unique identity and character.
Whether sightseeing or just exploring,
visitors should be aware of the intense campaign of terrorism
being waged against Israel. Popular crowded venues, such as busy
street markets, restaurants and cafés, discos, crowded buses,
have particularly been targeted by suicide bombers. Security guards
have now been posted at the doorways or entrances to most such locations
and it is advisable to be wary of venues that have not put any security
measures in position. To date, tourist sights have not been struck
by the bombers, and Arab areas or Muslim sights are unlikely to
be hit.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Containing the last 5 Stations of the Cross of the Via Dolorosa,
this is the most sacred Christian site in Jerusalem. Upon entering
the church, the little stairway to the right lead to the Chapel
of Golgotha and 3 Stations of the Cross, where Jesus was stripped,
crucified and removed from the cross. The Sepulchre itself is at
the centre of the church and marks where Jesus is thought to have
been buried and resurrected.
Downstairs is the Angel’s Chapel, where the
resurrected Christ made himself known to Mary Magdalene. The site
of the church was 1st chosen in the 4th century by Queen Helena
and the existing structure dates mainly from the period of the Crusades.
It is divided into sections, which are each under the authority
of a different Christian denomination. Protestants do not acknowledge
that this was the site of the Crucifixion or Resurrection.
Via Dolorosa, Old City
Telephone: (02) 627 3314.
Opening hours: Daily from 5.30 am to 9.00 pm (summer), daily 4.30
am to 8.00 pm (winter).
Admission: Free.
Citadel or
Tower of David
The tall, slender stone tower rising gracefully from the
ancient walls of the Old City is almost as familiar an
image of Jerusalem as the Dome of the Rock. But despite its name,
the Citadel has nothing to do with King David (the city’s
founder) and was in fact constructed in the 1st century BC, as a
fortress for Herod the Great.
It has consequently formed part of Jerusalem’s defence structure
for over 2,000 years. What remains today is mostly medieval. It
now houses the outstanding Museum of the History of Jerusalem, which
intensely chronicles the entire history of the city. The Citadel’s
tallest tower, the Phasael, offers a superb panorama over the Old
City. The main entrance is nearby to Jaffa Gate.
Armenian Patriarchate Road, Old City
Telephone: (02) 626 5333.
Website: www.towerofdavid.org.il
Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Friday
from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm (April to October), Saturday to Thursday
from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm, Friday from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm (November
to March).
Admission: There is a charge.
Mount of Olives
Rising beyond the city walls, to the east of Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives is part of the range
of hills neighbouring Jerusalem. The olives that gave the place
its name were cut down in Roman times and the western slope is now
covered by the white tombs of the biggest Jewish cemetery in the
world. Tragically, it was badly damaged during the Jordanian occupation
(1948 to 1967), when stones were smashed and defaced and many were
removed to be used for construction.
Among both Jews and Christians, is the faith that the resurrection
of the dead will begin on the Mount of Olives. The mountain has
added religious importance for Christians, as the place Jesus came
on the night before his arrest and trial. The Garden of Gethsemane,
which Jesus visited after the Last Supper, lies at the foot of the
slope. The believed tomb of his mother, Mary, is a Byzantine and
Crusader structure reached through a fine doorway that leads to
an underground shrine containing various tombs. Although medieval,
these are said to be the actual graves of Mary, her husband Joseph
and her parents. At the summit of the mount, an Arab village named
Et-Tur affords a beautiful panorama of the Old City.
Mount of Olives, East Jerusalem
Opening hours: Each day, 24 hours.
Admission: Free.
Montefiore
Windmill
Located in the downtown area of west Jerusalem,
the Montefiore Windmill is 1 of the oldest and most famous landmarks
outside the Old City. It was built by an Anglo Jewish philanthropist,
Sir Moses Montefiore, in 1858 in an attempt to provide a basis of
employment for the city’s poor immigrant Jewish population.
With the windmill and 2 rows of houses he set about establishing
the 1st Jewish Quarter outside the walls of the Old City.
Not used often as a windmill, it was damaged during
the 1948 war that led to the establishment of Israel. Today it has
been renovated by the Jerusalem Foundation, and the houses form
a Jewish Artist’s Colony with a music centre and guesthouse,
while the windmill has become a museum dedicated to the life of
Montefiore.
West Jerusalem
Telephone: 02) 675 1711.
Website address: www.jerusalemfoundation.org/home.php
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, Friday
9.00 am to 1.00 pm.
Admission: There is a charge.
Passes
A 2 day pass for the no. 99 bus, which gives a guided tour of the
city, will allow discounted entry to the Tower of David
Museum, the Israel Museum, and the Biblical
Zoo. It can be bought at ticket offices at these sites
or from the bus drivers.
Temple
Mount
Temple Mount (Har Habayit in Hebrew, Al Haram ash-Sharif in Arabic),
also called Mount Moriah, is sacred to both Judaism
and Islam. It is a natural hill, which was built
up artificially to maintain the huge Jewish Temple that stood here
in Biblical times. Temple Mount has remained the focus of the Jewish
religion ever since, whilst praying, Jews worldwide still face Temple
Mount.
It was from a black rock within
the complex, where, according to the Koran, Muhammad made his ascension
to Heaven at the conclusion of his Night Ride from Mecca and in
the bible where Abraham offered Isaac for sacrifice. With the arrival
of Islam in the 7th century, the octagonal, blue tiled Dome of the
Rock, with its large gold dome, was built over the huge black rock.
Dominating the skyline of the Old City, its dome glinting in the
sunshine, this stunning building is Jerusalem’s most famous
landmark and an absolute must for visitors.
Also on Temple Mount is the Al Aqsa Mosque, the
most ancient mosque in Israel and (unlike the Dome of the Rock)
an actual place of Muslim worship. It's silver dome dates from the
11 th century. The Islamic Museum, the 3rd building within the complex,
contains Islamic artefacts and relics. Only 1 of the 10 gates to
the complex, Al-Mughradia (Moors) gate, allows entry for non worshippers.
This is situated to the right of the Western Wall and is accessed
from Western Wall Plaza. However, the complex is currently closed
to non Muslims.
Temple Mount, Old City
Website: www.al-aqsa.com
(Muslim site), www.templemount.org
(Jewish site)
Opening hours: Closed during all prayer times (unpredictable), otherwise
Sunday to Thursday from 7.30 am to 10.30 am and 12.30 pm to 1.30
pm, and during Ramadan Sunday to Thursday 7.30 am to 10.30 am. Closed
to non Muslims Fridays and Muslim holidays. During periods of tension,
the site may be closed.
Admission: Free for Temple Mount, a charge for Dome of the Rock,
Al Aqsa Mosque and Islamic Museum have a combined ticket.
The Israel Museum
The Israel Museum is the nation’s leading showcase for its
archaeology, art and anthropology.
It houses a large number of fascinating exhibits relating to the
long history and culture of the Jews in the region. Among the highlights
are the modern sculptures of the Art Garden, the 20th century artworks
of the Art Pavilion, and the Archaeological Galleries, where significant
discoveries are displayed. In the Ethnography and Judaica wing,
exhibits include a collection of old Jewish artefacts. A Youth Wing
features hands on activities for families and art classes for children.
The museum’s greatest treasure is contained in a remarkable
separate building called the Shrine of the Book.
Resembling the lid of an earthenware jar, this structure was created
to hold and display the Dead Sea Scrolls and other antique manuscripts.
Discovered beside the Dead Sea at Qumran in 1947, the Scrolls consist
of the oldest known scripts of the Torah or Pentateuch (the 1st
5 books of the Old Testament), as well as the enigmatic scrolls
of an austere, scholarly Jewish sect apparently resident at Qumran.
Ruppin Boulevard (near the Knesset), west Jerusalem
Telephone: (02) 670 8811.
Website address: www.imj.org.il
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and holidays from 10.00
am to 4.00 pm, Tuesday 4.00 pm to 9.00 pm, Thursday from 10.00 am
to 9.00 pm, Friday from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm.
Admission: There is a charge.
Tourist
Information
Israeli Government Tourist Office (IGTO)
Address: Visitors Centre, Jaffa Gate, Old City
Telephone: (03) 627 1422 or (02) 26 754 811.
Website address: www.infotour.co.il
or www.jerusalem.muni.il
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm, Fridays
9.00 am to 1.00 pm.
Christian Information Centre
Address: Jaffa Gate, Old City
Telephone: (02) 627 2692
Website address: www.cicts.org
The Visitors Centre in West Jerusalem at Safra Square is temporarily
closed.
Via Dolorosa
The Via Dolorosa (literally ‘Road of Sorrow’) is the
route thought to have been walked by Jesus as he carried the Cross
to his crucifixion at Calvary or Golgotha.
The route begins at the Lion’s Gate, passes through the Muslim
Quarter and leads to the Calvary in the Church of the Holy tomb.
It is marked along the way by the 14 Stations of the Cross. The
stations designate events along the journey and at some of these
points churches have been founded. Every year, 10's of 1000's of
pilgrims walk this route in the belief that they are following in
the footsteps of Christ.
Via Dolorosa, Old City
Opening hours: Each day, 24 hours.
Admission: Free.
Western Wall
Located along one side of a vast plaza at the bottom of Temple
Mount the historic Western Wall (HaKotel in Hebrew). Also
known as the Wailing Wall from the Jews chanting lamentations on
Tisha b’Av, the once a year fast, mourning the destruction
of the Temple. The Western Wall, constructed of massive rough blocks
of golden stone, is a remainder of the outer retaining walls of
the 2nd Temple as reconstructed by Herod in 30 BC (the 1st Temple,
constructed by Solomon, occupied the same site but was destroyed
by the Babylonians).
Since the final complete destruction of the Temple
by the Romans in AD 70, the Western Wall has been the most sacred
place of prayer for the Jewish people. Jews come from all over the
world to pray or to think. Some place notes with dreams, hopes and
messages of goodwill in the cracks of the Wall. In keeping with
Orthodox Jewish practice (as the entire site is technically an Orthodox
synagogue) the length of the Wall has been divided into separate
sections for men and women.
Any man or woman may enter their respective section, provided men
have their heads covered (visitors can borrow a skullcapor a kippah
whilst entering) and women are modestly dressed. The Wall can be
reached either through the Dung Gate or through the Jewish Quarter
of the Old City.
Temple Mount, Old City
Opening hours: Each day, 24 hours.
Admission: Free
Yad Vashem
The name of this, the world’s most significant Holocaust memorial, means ‘A Hand and a Name’,
the word hand being used for a memorial and implying that every
victim will be independently remembered. Yad Vashem (or the Holocaust
Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority) is situated
on the western edge of Jerusalem. It is best known as a monument
to the devastation inflicted upon the Jewish people by the Nazis
during World War II.
There are indoor and outdoor exhibits, including memorials,
museums, sculpture and a research
and documentation centre. The tree lined Avenue
of the Righteous Among the Nations commemorates and honours non
Jews who endangered their lives to save Jews and leads to the Historical
Museum, Yad Vashem’s centre piece, where the course of Hitler’s
‘Final Solution’ is traced.
The Hall
of Remembrance is a serious tent like structure that allows
visitors to pay their respects to the dead. Also contained within
the Yad VaShem complex is the wooded, walled Valley of the Communities,
recording the names of Jewish communities wiped out in their entirety,
and the Hall of Names, where the names and details of over 3 and
a half million individual victims have been recorded and are being
constantly added to.
There is also an emotional Art Museum,
containing work produced by Jewish inmates of the death camps. Perhaps
the most moving, however, is the Children’s Memorial, where,
in a dark underground chamber, names from the list of 1.5 million
children murdered in the Holocaust are constantly read out.
Har Hazikaron (near Mount Herzl), west Jerusalem
Telephone: (02) 644 3400.
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Friday
from 9.00 am to 2.00 pm.
Admission: Free. |
