Into Ancient History

Today was the first day we didn't have our van, and the first time we didn't have to check out of the hotel. It's nice being able to be in one place for a few days. This morning, we set off on a walking tour of the Old City and it really is handy to have a guide to get you oriented (even though it did take a few trips before we could confidently get around without a map).

Damascus Gate would be our landmark, from there, the road splits into 2. One path will take you to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the other, the Western Wall. Our 1st site though is Temple Mount and Dome of the Rock, or depending who you're talking to, Haram esh-Sharif (for the Muslims). To the Jews, this is the place where the 1st (and 2nd) temples were built, where Adam and Eve were created, where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac. Over the years as Jerusalem was conquered by different groups, the site went from temple to mosque to temple to destruction. No praying is allowed at the Temple Mount and there are guards keeping watch against that along with policing affection between the sexes. A man cannot put his arm around his wife or daughter even in a photo.

From there, we doubled back to the start of the Via Dolorosa near the Damascus Gate. The Via Dolorosa is a path marking what is traditionally believed to be where the stations of the cross took place. A church marks each station, beginning with the Church of Condemnation and the Church of Flagellation. The churches are small, but the crowds are big (and this is low season). Every day, religious groups make their own processions along the via, carrying a wooden cross.

Station 4 is actually in an Armenian Church while outside Station 5, there's a handprint outside. The final 5 stations are in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Large numbers of pilgrims pour into this site, wanting to touch the spot where Jesus died, and lining up for hours to enter what was traditionally his tomb. Yours truly managed to get in on a later day, but more on that story later.

After the Via Dolorosa, we wound our way back through the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall. There's a distinct difference once you enter the Jewish Quarter, it's cleaner, roads are wider, and you can even see some ruins. The Muslim Quarter, which we almost always end up starting with, has narrower roads with stalls on both sides. Some would say it's dirtier. The other quarters are the Christian Quarter containing a lot of religious items you can buy and the Armenian Quarter which is the smallest, but home to a number of pottery workshops and churches.

The afternoon was ours to explore. After a bagel lunch, which was very refreshingly needed after days of falafels, eggplants and shwarma, we wandered the Old City before climbing up to the ramparts to walk the walls. The walls are divided into 2 sections, as there is one part you cannot walk around. Tickets are purchased at the Jaffa Gate for 18NIS. It is good for 2 consecutive days, so you don't have to do both parts at the same time.

One more stop to wrap up the day. We headed over to the Garden Tomb, another location that Jesus could've died and been buried. According to the geology of the place, this seems more accurate and likely to have been Golgotha (place of the skull, as the rock face was shaped) and the tomb nearby, where the dimension and descriptions match that in the bible. The Garden Tomb is easy to wander through and not too busy since most people believe the the death and burial took place at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

If you think about the argument for this location, it also makes sense because at the time, it was outside the walls of the city and people would not have executed people inside the city walls. Just saying - please don't get mad, it's just logic. At the end of the day, one has to believe what they believe, but still respect others beliefs.Read more