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Discover Jerusalem – The Amazing Treasures of Old and New

November 16, 2014

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Discover Jerusalem – The Amazing Treasures of Old and New

One of my favorite directors-Jean Luc Goddard exasperated the critics so much with his absolute disregard for a set format, that one of them is said to have remarked, “But surely Mr. Goddard, a story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end?”

Goddard is said to have quipped, “Yes, definitely–but not necessarily in the same order.” I myself would have wanted to follow this while talking about Jerusalem and its many charms, and what you can do with them; but the city’s past cannot be trifled with, and definitely not by me.

Discover Jerusalem – Listen to the Call of the Old City

The old city, apart from being a storehouse of history, architecture, and faith, is also divided into four quarters. Armenian, Jewish, Christian, and the Muslim areas. Although each quarter is part of the same city, each area is vastly different than one another. It is safe to walk in any area. Each area has such diverse foods to try and eat, gifts to buy, and old sites to see.

You can walk the path trod by Jesus, on the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where he was crucified, and later resurrected from. The Dome of the Rock is one of the ancient shrines in the world for the Muslims, as is the Western Wall for the Jewish. The Jewish Bar-mitzvah (coming of age) ceremony is also celebrated here. My cousin and my best friend James had theirs over here.

It is really fun to walk in the old city, with alleys crisscrossing each other, and then getting separated again at Arab marketplaces called shuks (pronounced shook).

Discover Jerusalem – Story of Life at Machane Yehuda Market (The Shuk)

Baked sweets at Mahane Yehuda, famous market in Jerusalem

If the heart of Jerusalem beats in the old city, then it spills over at the Machane Yehuda. The market is famous for cheese, halva, coffee, wine, bread, cookies, savories, and exotic dishes. Fruits and veggies are also available, but its real charm is the people and traditions. It’s like a mirror of Jerusalem, and sparkles at its cosmopolitan best.

Every Thursday Katy and I would go down to do our shopping before the coming weekend. So much energy, life, and excitement. We would meet friends for coffee and the best falafel anywhere! After all these years, it still feels exotic.

Discover Jerusalem – Hear the Skyline Speak at Haas-Sherover-Goldman Promenades

The three promenades sit side by side in the Armon Hanatziv neighbourhood, and offer the best panoramic view of the Old City, West Jerusalem, and parts of the desert. Tourists are up and about here at almost all times.

However, a little unknown location that offers in my opinion the best view of the Old City are from Mount Scopus at the Hebrew University. That is the view that an invading army would see before coming down on the city. Impressive!

Discover Jerusalem – Step Inside Knesset

The Israeli Parliament is open on Thursdays, and Sundays. Step inside to see the Israeli Declaration of Independence; tapestries by Marc Chagall hang on the walls among other illustrious art.

Oh, and if you have time, be sure to check out the Israeli Museum, across from the Knesset. Truly an amazing place to visit, with unbelievable things to see.

Discover Jerusalem – See Israel’s Finest Public Building

The Israeli Supreme Court is seen as being the finest public building in the country. It’s a marvel of modern architecture, and nods to all the distinct styles from the Greek to the British.

Smell the Roses

The Wohl Rose Park is at the foot of the Supreme Courts, and bang opposite the Knesset. It will be a refreshing feeling after a walk through the architecture, and moments to savour without any doubt.

Watch the Birds

No they are not Hitchcock’s birds; neither they are angry. But if you are in the Supreme Court, Knesset neighborhood, and have gone into the Wohl Rose Park for a breather, then the next step would be to visit the Jerusalem Bird Observatory nearby.

Discover Jerusalem – Pay Respect to those Who Have Been Claimed by the Holocaust

Hall of Names - Yad Vashem, Jerusalem — Hall of Names – Yad Vashem, Jerusalem

Yad Vashem is the memorial to the victims of history, and exhibits film footages, recordings of survivors, documents, artifacts, and installations.

It has moved me every time I have gone in with friends and relatives who are visiting. Believe me, it has got nothing to do with Judaism or Jews. I have seen the same vacant look on every face that has come out of it. Please, be there. I’ll be writing a full article on my experiences going there.

This is just the beginning; you can do a lot of other things in Jerusalem. And if you, like me, are a fan of Goddard, then you can start with other things as long as you keep this on your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed!

So come with me and Discover Jerusalem. From the Via Dolorossa, The City of David, and so much more!

Enjoy!

Via Dolorosa – A Walk Through History

November 1, 2014

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Via Dolorosa – A Walk Through History

It was about 645am and I found myself not sleeping well that night. I was in my bed in the hotel I was staying in, in French Hill, Jerusalem. I had moved to there only the week before from China. I received a text message from my friend Mark that said, “Can’t sleep, lets go out.”

So, I got up, dressed, and walked outside the hotel and down the block to meet Mark, he was staying at the Student Dorms. We were both studying at The Hebrew University. As it was still early in the morning, and we were really new to the land, we decided to take the safe route down to the Old City, which was Sderot Hayim Barlev. The road runs straight North and South, right into the old city.

We didn’t talk much on the way down, just walked, enjoyed the crisp cool air, and still realizing we were in Jerusalem!

We reached the New Gate when I turned to Mark and I could see in his face a need to explore something important to him, as though he was searching for something but wasn’t sure what. He asked if we could walk the Way of Grief – Via Dolorosa, where Jesus is said to have walked his last steps carrying the cross.

Whether you believe in anything religious or do, the walk itself is remarkable. So of course we did.

It was eerily silent at that hour – the only sound I heard was my own footsteps on the cobbled streets, and then the loud peal of church bells. We then realized we had lost our way searching for the Via Dolorosa, because we couldn’t see the way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and there weren’t too many people we could ask. So, we backtracked decided to do the walk again.

By this time it was later, people were out, shops were opening, the sun higher in the sky.

The walk on the Via Dolorosa begins at the Muslim Quarter and goes past 14 stations, a number of which have chapels for meditation and silent prayer.

It ends in the Christian Quarter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christ was crucified and laid in a tomb.

Along the way, the streets were alive, unlike the previous night. As I walked past the heady aroma of spices, I heard the merchants’ calls to sell “antiques” and the playful antics of children. I wondered if it was a similar day when Christ walked on his tortured journey.

We cave to a man’s forceful hawking and stop for a cup of coffee. He is chatty, and says that every year, especially during Easter, hundreds of pilgrims descend on the Via Dolorosa, and walk ‘the walk’, praying at every station, often crying at their Savior’s agony. The 14 stations are now marked by churches, some small, some large, some ancient and some not-so-ancient. And some of them have bronze light fixtures with the number written in Roman numerals on them. Catholics pause before the stations, saying a prayer and then move on to the next one.

via dolorosa, jerusalem, israel 5th station

I ask the man if the stone footpath is actually the one that Jesus walked on, and he smiles. Some of the paving stones have an incident etched on them (I would later learn that some of the stones are from the First Temple period, dating back 3000 years ago) – from when the Roman soldiers mocked Jesus as king. Hundreds of pilgrims find peace in walking over those stones, who was I to be skeptical? But yes, I was right. The paving stones came almost a century after the crucifixion – when Roman emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem.

8th station - via dolorosa — 8th station – via dolorosa

I continued my journey over those paving stones and reached the steps to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Inside, the ancient church was lit by flickering candles, and had ornate altars and gilded iconography. The church has a number of shrines, each built to mark a time in the last hours of Christ’s life, and leading up to the sepulchre, from which you go on to the ancient, if plain, tomb.

Not every stone at the Via Dolorosa may go back 2000 years, but the atmosphere sure does.

Even in the gift shop outside where the crown of thorns comes in different hat sizes and at $2 apiece. And as w walked away, I realized how calm my friend felt and saw that he enjoyed this walk on a very deep level.

Dome on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel

The road is astounding, unfortunately some newer buildings black the straight path Jesus took so you need to make some turns, but overall it is the same path now called Via Dolorosa. I will be writing about each of the stations and experiences of watching people walk the path, the meanings behind each station, and the ascent to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

I loved living in Israel and I can’t wait to tell more!

Enjoy!

City of David – 3000 Yarns of Yore

October 22, 2014

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City of David – 3000 Yarns of Yore

To say that I had an ‘adventure’ in what is considered the oldest part of the Holy City of Jerusalem, is not giving my experience justice. But adventure it truly was – especially if you consider my sloshing through thigh-high water in Hezekiah’s Tunnel.

Getting to the City of David is not difficult in itself. The easiest way is leaving through The Dung Gate then make a quick left (watch for buses and taxi drivers, it’s very narrow there on the street) and walk down Derech HaOfel. Walk on the right hand side for about 100 yards and make your right which takes you straight to the entrance. You’ll see plenty of signs to make sure you’re in the right place.

This Streetwise Jerusalem Map that folds into pocket size was probably the best map I ever had in my life. Incredible detail for Jerusalem, roads were so clearly marked. Even after being there for a while, I always kept one in my bag!

I had asked for a guided tour, and as soon as I booked it, I knew I was stepping back some three millennia. But was I prepared for the spectacular day I had ahead? Not quite, because I had thought this would be yet another historical walk where the guide points at strange writings and dates them to the life and times of Jesus Christ.

About two years ago, the administration of The City finished rebuilding the welcome center and it is truly beautiful. Modern outdoor facility yet it blends so well into the natural landscape. There are a few lines depending upon what you’re there to see. All tellers speak English and will be happy to assist.

My guide and I walked down a suspended walkway over ruins of what he said was David’s palace – the same place from where he saw the beautiful Bathsheba. What I saw from here was not a bathing beauty but the spectacular valleys that surround the city.

I stopped for a brief moment, suspended a few feet over the rocks of the ancient palace and could literally feel myself transported back 3000 years in time, before Jerusalem itself was conquered by David and his armies, this was the seat of his power, the capital of the Israelites. I was literally standing on the spot where David stood and Solomon could have been born!

The views were breathtaking and if you have time, I recommend going to see the 3D movie about the city.

The City of David is an excavation that is ongoing outside and below the walled city of Jerusalem, and I was fascinated with how much we still don’t know today of the city.

A part of the city lies below people’s homes. And even though they have been offered 10 times the value of their homes, they refuse to move and therefore, excavation has been halted in several parts of the city (which is actually quite small in itself)

We went past legacies of the First Temple Period, and saw remnants of a wall built by Nehemiah, that my guide said was the biblical “stronghold of Zion” and mentioned the site where a clay seal was discovered with the name of Jeremiah’s scribe Gemariah, son of Shafan.

From there he took me to Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and this was the adventure for me. Built by the eponymous king to protect Jerusalem’s water from an attack by the Assyrians (the main water supply for the city then lay outside the walls of the city, this brilliant decision saved the city and its people), the tunnel forms an intricate system below the city. If you don’t want to get your feet wet, walk through the dry Canaanite water channel (dating back far before the Israelites were there). But if you are up for it, do the sloshing, and you won’t regret it.

The 1760 feet long passageway was dug at both ends and converged at the middle, and if you are going down, water shoes are a must. Also, bring a light bag with you to put in your wallet, phone, shoe’s, too.

Warren's Shaft, the entrance down to Hezekiah’s Tunnel — Warren’s Shaft, the entrance down to Hezekiah’s Tunnel

I had come prepared, so in I went, armed with my flashlight. It is best to wear a headlamp but a flashlight works just as well. But don’t carry a big bag – my backpack kept getting stuck in some of the narrow parts of the tunnel. The water is at most waist-high, and cold!

As you step off the stone rock into the running water, the tunnel is pitch black, you can’t see the water rushing under yourself, you feel the coldness right up to your knee’s or even waist! Make sure to keep your hands either on the wall to the side and in front of you. The journey is exhilarating, even to think they built this tunnel 2500 years ago in pitch black, and the path seems to go on forever. As I moved my flashlight around, I could see small areas off to the side of the tunnel. My guide explained to me this is where the workers slept and ate. There was no time to go back with the approaching Assyrian army.

Suddenly, my guide disappeared in front of me! But don’t worry, with the tunnel being all stone, I heard his echo from around a sharp bend in tunnel; I had literally just turned 90 degrees! Then another turn and we continued straight. My guide explained to me that this was an error. Workers above the tunnel were supposed to hit a nail in the ground which made nose below for the workers to follow in order to dig straight. I guess here someone wasn’t following directions!

At the end of the tunnel, you find yourself at the Pool of Shiloah, where Christ sent the blind man to wash after He put mud over his eyes. But if you are a Jew, this is the pool where you were to take ritual ablutions before going on to Solomon’s Temple, called a Mikvah.

From here we continued on to the newly opened underground walk along an ancient alley that ends at Robinson’s Arch near the Western Wall, which isn’t a bad idea to do if you’re already wet. That is a great story on its own and I’ll be sharing that one real soon!

However, there isn’t a changing room after the Hezekiah Tunnel walk, and wet pants are hardly suited to a day’s tour of the millennia-old city. So feel free to either walk back up to the entrance of the city, or pay a few shekels for a bus to drive you back to the entrance (small warning, the walk is all upward).

Enjoy your walk and be prepared for trip back in time!

Be sure to check out the official site of The City of David

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Melting Pot of Christianity

October 18, 2014

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The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A Glimpse into the Melting Pot of Christianity

No city but Jerusalem can claim to hold as much importance to Jews, Christians and Muslims in almost equal measure. So when you are here, explore all the four quarters of the city to get a feel of the complex culture of this place. What better place to start my foray into the Christian quarter in the northwestern corner of the city than the Church of the Holy Sepulchre that is at its heart!

You get to the church complex from the Souk el Dabbagha. The structure is not impressive, given the fact that it had fallen in and out of Christian hands several times in the history, and had been built and rebuilt in bits and pieces. But even a casual visitor is transported to another world on stepping into the church. You don’t have to be a pilgrim to be awed by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Interestingly, the Greek orthodox, the Catholic and the Armenian churches that own the different parts of the The Church of the Holy Sepulchre do not control its entrance.

Main entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem — Gathering of visitors and pilgrims at entrance

They reportedly come to blows ever so frequently over small matters. No wonder Sultan Saladin entrusted the keys to the custody of a Muslim in 1192, and they remain with the Joudeh Al-Goudia family still. The warring Christian factions cannot agree on even the slightest change in the arrangements too. A mute witness to this status quo is the ‘immovable ladder’ on a parapet visible from the courtyard. It has been perching against a window for the last two centuries at least.

The smell of incense and melting wax greets you as you follow several people carrying wooden crosses while winding their way through the church, stopping briefly at different sites of interest. They are obviously undertaking a pilgrimage along the miniature Via Dolorosa, emulating the last walk of Jesus to the place of his death. On the way you pass different Stations of the Cross including the Prison of Jesus, the Chapel of the Nailing to the Cross, and the Chapel of Crucifixion.

The Golgotha, which means ‘the place of skulls’ where Jesus was crucified, lies under the altar of a Greek church, with a silver disc marking the spot. The Stone of Unction has many pilgrims kissing and kneeling by it, with the wall behind it depicting the preparation of Jesus for burial.

Dome of Holy Sepulchre Church — Large Rotunda above the cave where Jesus was Buried

As you know, the story doesn’t end there. Within the complex you come to the large rotunda containing the rock-cut tomb of Jesus, now enclosed in a stone-clad structure called Aedicule. A skylight in the dome lights up this holiest of holy places of the Christians from where Jesus had resurrected. There are a few other chapels to visit, for example, the Chapel of the Angel and then another one deep underground where Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine discovered Jesus’ cross.

at the Church of the Holy sepulchre - Jerusalem — Believed burial site of Jesus

It is not exactly easy to imagine how all these places of interest came to lie under the same roof. But, when you emerge at the other end, with or without the wooden cross, you get the feeling that you have just walked through a poignant story.

There is so much more to see, learn, hear, feel, smell, understand, and explore within The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Make sure to stick around for great self walking tours, what it is like upon first entering The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and that ladder mentioned earlier.. could it really have been Jacob’s ladder?

Oh, and make sure to check back soon for the coolest and almost “secret” like way into the The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the rooftops!

Place at Dome on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem — Secret? Rooftop Entrance to The Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Plus! Just how many ways are there to reach The Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Want to know the fastest? The most colorful? Best stops along the way for food and gifts? Check back real soon!