Shopping in the Old City

The tunnels connecting the different sections of the Old City are, in fact, souks (marketplaces) lined with vendor stalls featuring everything from food to jewelry to souvenirs.

One vendor sells t-shirts that cater to both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Debb shows no interest in t-shirts, however, instead buying a pretty ceramic mug and bowl from Suha ...

... and a pendant and earrings from Mustafa. We engaged in probably a half hour of haggling with the very sweet Mustafa over the earrings, but Mustafa wouldn't take no for an answer. Debb wasn't interested in his opening price of $150, but after much bargaining and pleading, Debb finally offered him $20 and he closed the deal. The pendant was purchased for the remaining shekels in my pocket.

 

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People of the Old City

But I can't end the posts of the Old City with a bomb disposal site. Let's instead focus on the wonderful and interesting people we saw.

How beautiful are these women?!?

Kids everywhere are great.

This woman is one of several walking around the Al-Aqsa mosque shouting Alahu Akbar (God is great), apparently trying to warn off Jews whom they believe want to come in and destroy their mosque. I can say that they are very loud!

Israeli soldiers, men and women, are everywhere, and heavily armed.

And tourists are everywhere! These nice guys are from Spain. I took their picture for them, after which they let me take one of them.

 

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The Old City: Part Three

Finally on to the Christian Quarter and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Christians believe is the site of Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

The Altar of the Crucifiction, which sits above the rock Golgotha upon which Jesus was believed to be crucified. Apparently you can crawl under and touch the rock, though I didn't.

Directly below is a window through which you can see the rock. The crack in the rock was said to be created by an earthquake that occurred when Jesus died. The rock is also believed to be the place where Adam's skull is buried, and when Jesus died his blood ran through the crack onto Adam's skull and absolved him of the Original Sin. Whew. A lot to absorb.

Just inside the church entrance is the Stone of Anointing, the place where Jesus' body was prepared for burial. Nearby is the rotunda and a chapel which has two rooms: one is said to contain the stone that sealed Jesus' tomb, and the other is the tomb itself. Greek Orthodox priests were having a ceremony or service, so I wasn't really able to obtain any pictures.

Our guide shows us a color-coded plan of the church, the colors indicating which Christian churches (orthodox, Coptic, etc. -- about 18 in all) control which sections of the church. Apparently it took centuries for them to make peace with one another so that each could hold services at strictly regulated times. More evidence of the continuing strife in this place.

The most interesting thing to see, however, was right outside the church. Know what this is? Believe it or not, it's a bomb disposal site: a place in which to safely detonate and contain bombs that might be found nearby. Gulp!

 

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The Old City: Part Two

In the Jewish Quarter we visit the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall.

Jews believe that the Temple Mount was the site of King Solomon's temple, later expanded by King Herod. The Western Wall is all that remains of that expansion, and is where Jews come to pray.

As times have gotten more conservative, the Wall is now roped off into two sections, one for men and one for women.

 

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The Old City of Jerusalem: Part One

What a day we had! A full walking tour of the Old City, holy to Jews, Christians & Muslims. Our guides did a great job of explaining the historical significance of the sites tinged with quite a bit of sadness about the ongoing political conflicts that tear this place apart.

Above is the Old City as seen from the Mount of Olives outside and above.

In the foreground is a Jewish cemetery where some Orthodox Jews were paying respects.

Instead of leaving flowers, Jews leave rocks on the tombs. I don't know why.

Also on the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane which is home to olive trees that are over 2000 years old and still produce olives each year.

Next to the Garden of Gethsemane is the Basilica of the Agony, a Roman Catholic Church that houses the rock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest and crucifixion.

 

We then drive from the Mount of Olives to the Lion's Gate, one of several gates to enter the walled city. The wall, interestingly, was built in the 16th Century by the Turks when the Ottoman Empire ruled this area.

As we enter, we first visit the Temple Mount and the Muslim Quarter. Above is the Dome of the Rock, a shrine located on the Temple Mount of the Old City. This shrine was built in the 7th Century by a Muslim caliph, and is considered sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike (a real recipe for conflict).

The rock inside, poorly seen here due to ongoing renovations, is said to be the Foundation Stone where Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. (God then gave Isaac a reprieve, and a lamb was slaughtered instead.) later, this is the site upon which King Solomon erected his temple. Muslims believe the rock is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Christians believe this to be the place where Jesus will return to earth during the End Times prophecy. It's amazing to me that one site can be claimed by all three religious traditions, and makes me wonder if peace can ever be had. Interestingly, this site (the Temple Mount, in which the Dome of the Rock and also the Al-Aqsa Mosque sit) is run by Jordan! Why? Prior to the Six Days War in 1967, Jordan controlled this section of Jerusalem. After Israel won this territory (and the West Bank) from Jordan, Moshe Dayan decided to leave control of the Temple Mount in Jordanian hands.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque, seen here from the Dome of the Rock, is the third holiest shrine in Islam, after shrines in Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

It is mostly empty on a Sunday, but every Friday this carpet is flooded with Muslims in prayer.

In a reflection of the conflict and sadness of this place, Muslims keep old tear gas canisters, fired by Israeli soldiers into the mosque during times of disturbance, on display, just above a stack of korans.

 

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On the road to Israel

Not quite the road to Damascus, but it'll have to suffice. Today was pure travel -- no pics, sorry. Up early in Addis Ababa, head to the airport. Wickedly thorough security <sigh>. Then we fly to Lanarca, Cyprus! where we deplane and let the Cypriots inspect the hell out of our plane before it can continue to Israel. Apparently the Israelis don't trust us, or the Ethiopian security -- who knows. But we survive that, and land in Tel Aviv where we actually had a pretty easy time going through immigration. We had heard horror stories. Drive by bus an hour to Jerusalem, and here we are at the King David hotel with a great view of the Old City. Tomorrow we tour the Old City and all the famous places (check back tomorrow) and then Monday we tour first Bethlehem and then the Israeli Knesset. Pretty cool itinerary. But now: time for sleep.

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The Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela

King Lalibela had eleven churches built in the 12th century, entirely by carving them out of the existing rock, rather than building them. A most unusual sight (and site).

The interior

An entrance

The churches have paintings on many walls and are still actively used and maintained by the priests. While the edifices are gorgeous and amazing, the priests exude holiness that is more interesting to photograph.

 

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