Dome of the Rock

We were able to glimpse the Dome of the Rock from a view point atop the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Since only Muslims are allowed to visit this eight sided mosque, this little peek from afar was as close as we got.

Even though it wasn’t always a mosque, the Dome of the Rock is especially holy to Muslims, since this is where the Prophet Mohammed ascended to Heaven.

Jerusalem was so hazy that I checked to see if the weather app on my phone would have a pollution alert on it. To my surprise, it did not.

Also to my surprise, rather than bring up the weather for Jerusalem, the local area it brought up was the very street we were standing on.

City planners in Jerusalem have made it mandatory for all buildings to be clad in limestone, known locally as “Jerusalem stone.” This gives the town a more cohesive look, by enabling modern structures (such as the apartments in the last photo) to blend in with the ancient.Read more