Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls 🇮🇱 Israel - The Holy City Video Guide

Jerusalem is in the Judea region. Geographers divide Judea into several distinct regions, the Hebron Hills, the Jerusalem Saddle, the Bethel Hills and the Judean Desert east of Jerusalem, which descends in a series of steps to the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is a city of mountains and valleys, which greatly contributed to its history. There are four mountains that lie in a straight line, going from east to west. Starting in the east, they're the Mount of Olives, the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah, Mount Zion, also called the Upper Hill. The city is directly and materially associated with the history of the three great monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islamism. The site has been continuously inhabited from prehistory and presents a series of exceptional testimonies to its banished civilizations. A mountainous walled city with a 5,000 year history, Jerusalem is a major site of pilgrimage for all three religions. For Jews, Jerusalem is the site of the Temple, now in ruins except for the western wall. For Christians, it's the site of Christ's death and resurrection. For Muslims, it's the site of the prophet's night journey to heaven. The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters according to religious groups. Located in the southwest corner of the Old City, the Armenian Quarter is the center of national, religious and cultural life of Jerusalem's Armenian Orthodox residents. The towering surrounding walls of the Old City, an impressive union of medieval and Middle Eastern architectural features, are among Jerusalem's most striking features. The walls were commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, who invested heavily in the development of Jerusalem during the 16th century. The walls roughly follow the outline of the ramparts surrounding ancient Roman Jerusalem. When Ottoman Sultan Selim I appeared with an army at the gates of Jerusalem in 1517, he was welcomed by the ulama, who peacefully presented him with the keys to the city. The fortunes of the Ottoman Empire, motivated and sustained by Islamic values, had ebbed and flowed since Osman, at the end of the 13th century, became the leader of a group that evolved to become the Ottoman Turks. The Tower of David is Jerusalem's citadel, located near Jaffa Gate, on the western side of the Old City wall. Under the domination of the Ottoman Turks, the citadel was repaired during the Ottoman rule and served as a garrison. A round mosque tower was added high above the walls, giving it its current state. This mosque tower and the entire complex was nicknamed the Tower of David, named after the city's founder king. Jaffa Gate was the nearest entry point into Jerusalem for pilgrims, who disembarked at the Mediterranean port of Jaffa and leads into the Jewish and Christian quarters of the city. It was the gate used by General Alembi to enter Jerusalem in 1917, after his defeat of the Turks. The 16th century Damascus Gate, one of a number of entry points allowing passageway through Jerusalem's ancient walls, is the largest and most ornate of the Old City gates. Built in 1538 by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the Damascus Gate and adjoining wall have been the subject of considerable historical probing and archaeological digging. Pilgrims who wrongly thought this gate led to Herod's Palace gave it his name. Lion's Gate, built by Suleiman the Magnificent, was given this name because of the pair of lions engraved on either side of the gate. It's also known as St Stephen's Gate. It allows entry into Jerusalem from the east next to Temple Mount, close to the Via Dolorosa. Zion Gate, named after Mount Zion, is an entry point in the western side of the city and leads to the Jewish and Armenian quarters. The Via Dolorosa, the road Jesus walked from the place of Pontius Pilate's sentencing to Golgotha, means Way of Sorrows. Many picture this last road as a pastoral quiet scene, a path winding its way up a mountain to where crosses stand starkly against the sky. Walking the real street in Old Jerusalem means putting aside these images and replacing them with other more meaningful ones that bring the visitor closer to moments they'll always hold precious. For as long as Christians have been coming to the Holy City, they've walked the last path of Jesus. As time went on, the sacred stories became sacred landmarks, the Stations of the Cross. There are 14 stations. The fifth station refers to the biblical episode in which Simon of Cyrene takes Jesus' cross and carries it for him. This is located on the corner where the Via Dolorosa turns west off Alouard Road and begins to narrow as it goes uphill. Hundreds of years ago, the course of history was changed with the crucifixion in Jerusalem. From that time on, the names of Gethsemane, the Mount of Olives and Golgotha have resounded with powerful significance, evoking the concepts of sacrifice, redemption and an all-enduring faith. It was in Bethlehem that Jesus was born, but the birth of Christianity without question occurred in Jerusalem. Until the martyrdom of Jesus, Judaism was the uncontested religion of Jerusalem. But what began as a Jewish sect quickly spiraled into a worldwide phenomenon with repercussions that have resounded from thousands of years ago to this day. The Via Dolorosa pilgrimage has been followed since early Christianity, beginning as soon as it became safe to do so after Constantine legalized the religion in the mid-4th century. From the 14th to 16th centuries, pilgrims followed the Franciscan route, which began at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and included eight stations. Around this time, the tradition of 14 stations of the cross was developing in Europe. Today, the main route of the Via Dolorosa is that of the early Byzantine pilgrims, with 14 stations along the way. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands on a site that's believed to encompass both Golgotha or Calvary, where Jesus was crucified, and the Sepulchre, where he was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century. The holiest site in Christendom stands at the end of the Via Dolorosa and contains the final stations of the cross. Today's Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands in the place where a temple dedicated to Aphrodite used to stand. This temple was built during the time of the Roman Empire. The building of the temple actually preserved the exact location of Jesus' burial site. Immediately inside the entrance to the church is the Stone of Unction, which commemorates the preparation of Jesus' body for burial. This limestone slab dates from 1808, when the prior 12th-century slab was destroyed. Ownership of this site has varied over the centuries, but it now belongs to the four main sects. The opulent lamps that hang over the stone slab are contributed by Armenians, Copts, Greeks and Latins. Behind the stone, a mosaic depicting Christ's anointing for burial decorates the outer wall of the Catholicon. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built by Constantine I the Great during the 4th century after he became Christian and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. In 326, Constantine I sent his mother, Helena, to seek the crucifixion location in Jerusalem. Known as the Catholicon, this Greek Orthodox cathedral features a large iconostasis flanked by the thrones of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Antioch. Above is a colourful cupola. Directly opposite the entrance to the sepulchre is the large nave of the church, which has been enclosed by a wall on all sides. The complex of the Holy Sepulchre as we see it now is the result of numerous restorations, alternations and additions. It's an enormous and intricate structure that houses different Christian sets. The round area of the church, known as the rotunda or anastasis, preserves the location and shape and a few original columns of Constantine's 4th century Church of the Resurrection built on the site of Christ's tomb. Underneath the large dome is the tomb of Christ itself. The shrine, referred to as the aedicule, is supported by scaffolding on the outside due to earthquakes. The current structure was built in 1809-10 after the severe fire of 1808. It replaced one dating from 1555, commissioned by the Franciscan friar Bonifacio d'Aragusa. The Armenians, Latins and Greeks serve liturgy daily inside the Holy Sepulchre. It's also used for the Holy Saturday ceremony of the Holy Fire, which is celebrated by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch himself. The builders went on to carve away the mountain of rock that surrounded the tomb, leaving only the freestanding rock-hewn tomb chamber. Over this was built an aedicule, a little house, which consisted of two parts, a four-columned porch over the forecourt and a five-columned octagonal marble structure surrounding the tomb chamber. Inside, the shrine contains two small rooms. The first is the Greek Orthodox Chapel of the Angel, which features an altar containing a piece of the stone rolled away by angels at the resurrection. The other leads to the tiny chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, which contains the tomb of Christ itself. The ambulatory of the Crusader Church has three chapels located in three apses. The Greek Chapel of St Longinus in the northeast corner is one of them. A stairway that descends to the large chapel of St Helena is owned by the Armenians and known to them as the Chapel of St Gregory. The chapel has three aisles and two apses. Byzantine, medieval, Crusader and modern elements mix in an odd mishmash of styles and each governing Christian community has decorated its shrines in its own distinctive way. Located on the northwest side of the Old City, the Christian Quarter includes the major sites relating to Jesus Christ. Besides the holy sites, hundreds of stores line the narrow streets where visitors can buy everything, from souvenirs to pharmaceutical items. The narrow streets are characterized by many small shops where merchants sell foodstuffs and traditional handicrafts. The souk ambiance of the streets that sprawls across the Christian and Muslim quarters in Jerusalem's Old City is a cluttered warren of bizarre juxtapositions. Stalls hawking Middle Eastern tourist items next to venerable shops selling the necessities of life to Old City residents. The market offers a fascinating variety of lively shops and stalls, from mixed nuts and spices to different kinds of sweets and pastries, vegetables and falafel, along with souvenirs, ceramics and oriental jewels and cloths. The Western Wall is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it's a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It became the most sacred spot in Jewish religious and national consciousness and tradition by virtue of its proximity to the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. After the Romans destroyed the ancient Jewish temple in 70 AD, the wall was the only remaining structure of Jerusalem's ancient temple. Until the Byzantine period, Jews were banned from coming to Jerusalem. Later, they were allowed to visit only once a year, on the anniversary of the temple's destruction. Here, they wept over the ruins of the Holy Temple. The Western Wall became a permanent feature in Jewish tradition about 1520, either as a result of the immigration of the Spanish exiles or in the wake of the Turkish conquest in 1518. Since then, all literary sources describe it as a place of assembly and prayer for Jews. According to a tradition transmitted by Moses Hafiz, it was the Sultan Suleiman the Conqueror of Jerusalem who recovered the wall from underneath the dung heap which was hiding it, and granted permission to the Jews to hold prayers there. The nearby area became Muslim religious property at the end of the 12th century, and from 1320, there's mention of the Moghrabi Quarter established there. With the expansion of the Jewish population in the Land of Israel from the beginning of the 19th century onward, and with the increase in visitors, the popularity of the Western Wall grew among Jews. Travelers over the centuries used to marvel at the immense dimensions of the lower stones, and believed they were part of Solomon's Temple. They have an average height of 1 meter and length of 3 meters, but some are as long as 12 meters, weighing over 100 tons. They were probably quarried at the Cave of Zedkiya near the Damascus Gate. In order to withstand the soil pressure of the filling behind the wall, the rows were laid in a terraced manner, each row being set back a few centimeters relative to the one beneath it. The wall thus slants slightly eastward. The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock, an impressive and beautiful edifice. The Dome of the Rock can be seen from all over Jerusalem. The great golden dome that crowned the Dome of the Rock was originally made of gold, but was later replaced with copper and then aluminium. The aluminium is now covered with gold leaf, a donation from the late King Hussein of Jordan. The beautiful multicolored Turkish tiles that adorn the shrine's exterior are faithful copies of the Persian tiles that Solomon the Magnificent added in 1545 to replace the damaged originals. The lower half of the exterior is white marble. Inside the shrine, an arched wall called the Octagonal Arcade or inner octagon follows the exterior shape. An open space between this and the central circle forms the inner ambulatory around the rock. The sacred rock that's the central focus of the shrine is a large ancient rock. For Muslims, it's the rock from which Muhammad's winged horse leapt into the sky, accompanied by the archangel Gabriel on the night journey into heaven. The cavity beneath the rock, accessible by a staircase near the south entrance, is known as Bir el Arwa, the Well of Souls. It's said that here the voices of the dead mingle with the falling waters of the lower rivers of paradise as they drop into eternity. The dome of the rock is built approximately in the center of the haram on an additional platform. Al-Haram al-Sharif is an enormous open-air platform of artificial construction that houses the Congregational Mosque of Al-Aqsa, numerous memorial buildings and fountains. and is surrounded by many madrasas. The location of the dome of the rock connects it with a long tradition of two other monotheistic religions in Jerusalem, Judaism and Christianity. The place is not only the place where the second Jewish temple was built, but is also associated with the first Jewish temple of Solomon. In addition, the rock was considered to be the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. The Haram al-Sharif is a complex site with intricate relationships between its various architectural components and the city at large. This complexity is further complicated by the inherited traditions and meanings from the pre-Islamic Judeo-Christian periods. The site was abandoned from 70 AD during the Christian era up until the Islamic conquest. During the Mamluk period in Jerusalem, over a period of three centuries, the cultural centrality of the haram was emphasized by placing almost all building activity in its immediate vicinity or on the streets leading to its gates. Bab al-Silsila road is one of the only three gates through which entry of non-Muslim visitors into the Haram al-Sharif compound is permitted. The monumental gate, Bab al-Katanin, leads to the splendid street market of Suq al-Katanin, market of the cotton merchants. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, the distant mosque, is the most important mosque in Jerusalem. Located on the Haram al-Sharif, it's the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. The Al-Aqsa Mosque occupies the south side of the haram, temple mount, and is oriented north to south. The entrance and main façade is on the north side. Built by Templars, the three central bays of the façade are Romanesque in style. The interior of the Al-Aqsa Mosque with seven aisles dates mostly from the 20th century. The nave and east side of the mosque were rebuilt as part of a major restoration from 1938 to 1942, during which the Carrara marble columns were donated by Italy, and the colorful painted ceiling was funded by King Farouk of Egypt. The contemporary congregational mosque of Al-Aqsa is a result of different stages of construction and renovations. It's usually agreed that Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad Caliph, who was the patron of the Dome of the Rock, started the construction at the end of the 7th century. The minbar is situated to the right of the mihrab and consists of a raised platform reached by a set of steps. The mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the Qibla, that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. The covered area of Al-Aqsa Mosque is a very simple but large and imposing rectangular structure. It has an area of 3,500 square meters and holds up to 5,000 Muslims at prayer at one time. The 19th century Church of Mary Magdalene is a distinctive Jerusalem landmark on the Mount of Olives. The Church of All Nations is located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The mosaic above the entrance depicts Christ as the link between God and humanity. The front of the church features a colourful façade supported by a row of pillars. At the base of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem is a crusader church said to mark the tomb of the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus. Centred around a quarried-out tomb that may well date from the 1st century, the upper church is little more than a portal dating to 1130 and pointed arch supported on eight marble columns. Traditions about Mary's burial in this area of Jerusalem may be as old as the 2nd or 3rd century. Jerusalem, at the crossroads between the watershed route of the Judean Mountains and midway between Nablus and Hebron and the connection from the coastal Via Maris to the Jordan Rift Valley, has historically given it strategic importance. This meeting place between East and West has over the ages become cultural as well as physical. Jerusalem forms a unique witness to the cultural cradle of the Western monotheistic religions, including important Jewish, Christian and Islamic sites.