The walled Old City of Jerusalem is on a plain about 2,500 feet above sea level. The walls still stand and enclose many of the ancient sites. There are eight main gates to the city.
The Old City is not only an historic place, but the center for the world’s three great religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. As such, it is a divided city. There are four sections to the Old City: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian. Each houses sacred areas and many overlap. As you can see from the map, Temple Mount is in both the Jewish and Muslim sectors. We spent one whole day and parts of others exploring but could not see everything.
The Muslim Section
The gate leading into the Muslim quarter is St. Stephen’s Gate because it is near the site where Stephen was stoned to death. It also goes by Lion’s Gate because of the engravings of lions on both sides of the gate.
The center of the Muslim section is the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount. Many consider it the most prominent building in the Old City. The Jewish people believe this was where Solomon built the temple, and when Muslims took over after the temple was destroyed, they built the Dome of the Rock on its site. Only Muslims may enter, so we saw only the outside with Its golden dome that can be seen from all around Jerusalem. Next to the Dome of the Rock is the Mosque of Al-Aqsa.
There are several Christian sites in the Muslim Quarter as well. The Christian church of St. Anne is one. It is remarkable because it has survived relatively unchanged since 1138 CE. This church is reputed to be built over the home of the Virgin Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim. There is a cave beneath the church floor where Mary was supposedly born.
The Pool of Bethesda, another Christian site, is also found in the Muslim Quarter. In John’s Gospel, Jesus heals a man at the Pool of Bethesda, but the waters were also thought to have healing powers.
There were two pools at the time of Jesus’ ministry. The earlier dated back to the 8th century BCE. The purpose of the pools was to provide water for the sacrificial rites.
Finally, the Via Dolorosa or “Way of Sorrows” begins in the Muslim Quarter. The first seven stations are there. Via Dolorosa translates into the “Way of Pain,” and it is the way Jesus traveled from his trial to his crucifixion. There are 14 stations, and the first seven are in the Muslim Quarter.
The Jewish Quarter
The Western Wall is Judaism’s most holy site. It represents the temple which once stood on this site. The part of the wall where people pray is 187 ft. long and is divided, so the men pray on one half and the women on the other. However, on one side is the Dome of the Rock and on another the Muslim Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Cardo Maximus is an excavated street in the Jewish Quarter. This section shows what Jerusalem might have looked like 1,400 years ago. It is about eight feet below the level of the modern streets, showing how Jerusalem has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. We descended to find a wide walkway with beautiful mosaics on the walls.
The Citadel (Tower of David) is a huge defensive tower built by Herod inside the Jewish quarter. Today, it houses a museum on the history of Israel.
The Jaffa Gate
The Citadel was built to protect the Jaffa Gate from insurgents. Inside Jaffa Gate is a small square with entrances to the Christian Quarter on the left, the Muslim Quarter straight ahead, and the Armenian Quarter to the right.
Close to the entrance to the Jewish Quarter is the Temple Institute. In front of it is a huge Menorah, symbol of the temple they would like to build. It is by the Golden Gate into the old city.
Armenian Quarter
The Cathedral of St. James dates from 1100 CE. It is known for its oil burning lamps. Tradition says that this was built on the site where Herod killed the Disciple James. Inside is a chapel where they believe the head of James is entombed.
Across the courtyard is the seminary, and we were taken there for coffee. One of the monks gave the most inspiring sermon. It was a blessing to see the church and meet some of the monks and hear their personal tales.
The Maronite Convent is located near the Jaffa Gate. It serves as the cathedra of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate of Jerusalem and Palestine and is the official residence of the archbishop. It has a chapel and Pilgrim’s Guesthouse. The Maronite Church is an Arab speaking sect of the Catholic church that traces its roots to St. Maroun in the early 5th century. The sisters served us lunch on our full day in the old city. Their hospitality was welcoming and food delicious. I knew nothing of this group before coming here.
St. Mark’s Syriac Orthodox is located inside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. Tradition has it that it is constructed on the site where Christ had the Last Supper with his disciples. It is also believed to be the site of the house of Mary, the mother of Mark the Evangelist. It dates from the time of the Crusades. While the Syriac Orthodox often worship in Arabic, their official language is Syriac. There is an inscription inside the doorway that identifies the place as the location of the Upper Room. You enter a small room under a vaulted ceiling that barely held all of us. Across from the entrance is an icon of the Virgin Mary, that claims to have been painted by the evangelist Luke. A staircase in the back leads to a smaller space where they say the Last Supper took place.
The Christin Quarter
Central to the Christian Quarter is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or Church of the Resurrection. I will save this for a separate post because there is so much to see there.
St Anthony’s Monastery is the headquarters of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Jerusalem. Coptic Christians are from Egypt. It is adjacent to the northern wall of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and is one of the oldest monasteries in the city. While the complex contains five churches, we only saw St. Anthony’s Church. This church is large with drawings and icons explaining the life of Jesus. The iconostasis, separating the altar from the nave, is in Byzantine style. This church is a popular pilgrimage site for Coptic Christians. This church also marks the ninth station of the Via Delarosa, where Jesus fell for the third time on the hill of Golgotha. Tradition holds that a column in the door of the monastery marks the actual spot.
Then there is the Church of the Redeemer, the only protestant church in the Old City. It is Lutheran and was built in the late 1800’s by Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was one of the first Western rulers in modern times to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. it is located next to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and has the tallest bell tower in the Old City. While you can climb to the top of the tower, I did not.
There is so much to see in this walled city. I feel we only scratched the surface, but what we saw and experienced brought to life the history of all three religions.