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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