Monday – October 9, 2017
Today we entered the Old City of Jerusalem which is a walled city located within the heart of the modern metropolis of Jerusalem.
We entered through Jaffa Gate, which is one of seven gates, and walked through a labyrinth of ancient alleyways with other tourists, pilgrims, and local religious people. The passageways opened to a wide plaza to reveal the Western Wall. The wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple by Herod the Great in 19 BC.
The wall is the holiest place where Jews are able to pray in Israel. We walked through security and our bags were put through x-ray machines. Here is a view of the Western Wall from the stairs:
Men’s section:
The Western Wall of the Temple Mount is one of the most significant remnants in Jerusalem from the Second Temple which was destroyed about 2000 years ago. Entrance to the women’s section:
Inside women’s section:
The family below flew all the way from San Diego, California to have Josh’s Bar Mitzvah at the Western Wall. The women of the family stood on benches to look over a barrier and watched Josh’s ceremony.
The Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel and runs under buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. Walking in the Western Wall Tunnel:
Religious Jews have access to underground portions of the Wall and pray there:
The total length of the tunnel is 485 meters (1600 feet) which is significantly more than the 60 meters (200 feet) of exposed wall in the plaza at ground level.
It began to rain as we walked along the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows). This is believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. The Stations of the Cross refer to a series of images depicting Jesus on that day. We followed the 14 Stations of the Cross:
The Stations of the Cross are located primarily in the Arab Quarter of the Old City. Walking through that quarter is fun because of all the colorful shops. It’s a lot like any Middle-Eastern Souq.
The church of the Holy Sepulcher also called Church of the Resurrection is located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church contains two of the holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus was crucified and Jesus’s empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected.
There was a very long line around the inside of the rotunda to get into the Aedicule. This is the marble chapel which encloses the tomb and a fragment of the stone that sealed the tomb.
Stone of the Anointing:
The church was very crowded and it was difficult to see very much or take decent photographs. However it was a very interesting experience.
We had lunch in the Arab Quarter at a restaurant called Dajani as the noon Call to Worship was broadcast from a nearby minaret.
We walked through the ancient winding alleyways of the Old City and stopped by the modern Jewish Quarter. We also visited the Room of the Last Supper and King David’s Tomb.
We left the Old City of Jerusalem by the Jaffa Gate and passed the Tower of David, also known as the Jerusalem Citadel, built in 1310 by Mamluk sultan and expanded in 1547 by Suleiman the Magnificent.
At night we returned to the Tower of David to see an historical light & music show. It was very well done.
