F CUS GUIDES
vanda-biffani.jpg) |
Jerusalem
vanda-biffani.jpg)
|
vanda-biffani.jpg)
|
vanda-biffani.jpg) |
HOME
GUIDEBOOKS
Google map
Jerusalem
SITE
SEARCH

Copyright
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
|
CORONAVIRUS PRECAUTIONS DURING 2020 MAY CAUSE
SOME HOTELS, RESTAURANTS AND ATTRACTIONS TO
HAVE ENTRY LIMITATIONS OR TO BE COMPLETELY CLOSED, AND EVENTS TO BE
CANCELLED. ALL FOREIGNERS ARRIVING IN ISRAEL ARE SUBJECT TO 14 DAYS
QUARANTINE.
Over the millennia,
many have yearned for a spiritual Jerusalem. As a result, for visitors
perhaps the hardest thing to grasp is that Jerusalem is no mere dream or
spirit, not a myth or metaphor, but a real, vibrant, modern living city, home
to over one million people, most of whom are not religious and view it
as simply a working town like any other.
However, in truth, this really is not a town like any other. Jerusalem is
one of the most intriguing, fascinating
and rewarding cities in the world. It's also an inspiration. Above all, the New City - West Jerusalem - is a
triumph of hope over adversity, the reborn capital of
a once shattered land. As recently as 1967, Jerusalem re-emerged
as Israel's capital after nineteen
hundred years of
oppression and occupation.
The Old City and the area surrounding it contains a staggering wealth of
history, dating back to the building of
the Second Temple on Temple Mount, which Jesus attended with the crowds of other
Jewish pilgrims and worshippers like himself. Close by stand the sites and structures at the heart of Christianity, and
vitally important Islamic monuments, one of which - the gleaming Dome of
the Rock on Temple Mount - has become the most recognisable
sight in all Jerusalem.

As you cross the
city boundary into Jerusalem, there's a frisson of excitement
about its long history and immense religious and political
importance.
However, the busy central area (in West Jerusalem) with its traffic, crowds of shoppers and lively,
upbeat
atmosphere, is surprisingly like any other city, albeit with
weightier political concerns than most.
Pass through
the mighty fortifications into the Old City - where most of the historic and religious sights are located - and come face to face with an awesome heritage and
complex cultural diversity.
Jerusalem
-
Yerushalayim in Hebrew
-
is located on Israel's eastern boundary, in the region
historically called Judaea.
The city
dates back at least to the construction in about 1000BC of the
First Temple where the Jewish priests made sacrifices,
and which was the focal point for all Jewish
religious observance at that time. It stood on Temple Mount.
That Temple was destroyed by the
Babylonians in about 586BC, but just 70 years later was rebuilt
as the even grander, more vast, gold-clad Second Temple.
Although Jews had become more scattered by now, the Temple
remained the focal point of their religion and nationhood.
The Temple was further reconstructed, enlarged and adorned by King
Herod in about 19BC,
during the Roman occupation of Judaea. However, because
the Jewish people resisted Roman rule, the Temple was again
destroyed in 70AD, along with most of Jerusalem (135AD).
Having crushed the Jewish Revolts and banished the Jews from
Jerusalem, Emperor Hadrian also changed the name of Judaea to Palaestina and brought in measures to humiliate the population. Most fled
from Judaea and became scattered throughout the Roman empire, beginning the
Jewish exile which lasted until the decline of Rome and the
Arab
conquest (638AD), after which Jews
began to return to Jerusalem. Most of the Jewish
Diaspora remained scattered in
different countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Having to flee the medieval Crusades of western Europe,
the majority were eventually living in Eastern Europe, for a
period of some 1000 years.
Under the impetus of extreme anti-semitism
in the 19th-century Russian Empire, while many Jews fled to the
Americas, Zionism emerged
as the Jewish national liberation movement and led to an organised,
idealistic return to Jerusalem
and Judaea, especially during the early 20th century. By this
time, the British had taken control of the Jewish homeland,
under the British Mandate.
The rise of the
Nazis in 1930s Germany, their conquest of Europe during WW2
and their extermination of Jews during the
Holocaust,
gave an extreme urgency to Zionism.
Zionism triumphed over Arab and British colonialism in 1948, and the
liberated Jewish land was renamed Israel. Jerusalem was
finally fully re-conquered by Jewish forces in 1967, and once more became the Jewish capital.
The main
tourist office is just inside the
Jaffa Gate into the Old City.
Although it has many
neighbourhoods and districts, the city consists principally of
three distinct zones, which are historically and culturally quite
separate.
••The Old City
is the walled ancient city that lies on
Jerusalem's eastern edge.
••East Jerusalem is a small, densely populated Arab district north of the Old City.
••West Jerusalem extends west from the Old City,
and includes the busy Jaffa (Yafo) Road and the vibrant modern downtown area around King George V Street and Zion Square.
Walking is easy, pleasant and safe at all
times in West Jerusalem (almost the whole
city).
Take more care in the Old
City and East Jerusalem.
There's an extensive and inexpensive public
transport network, run by different companies. For an overview
and information, visit the
Jerusalem Transportation
website.
Single-fare tickets are available
before boarding
from machines at stops. Locals normally travel
using a pre-paid Rav Kav card (a plastic smart card like
London's 'Oyster', that can be topped-up with prepayment). This is available for visitors too: just complete
an application form at the bus station; you'll need ID and a
passport style photo.
Buses - also Express Buses running in dedicated
lanes - are operated by Egged. Useful for visitors is
the hop on/hop off Line 99 which follows a circular sightseeing
route. There's no service on Shabbat. East Jerusalem has its
own buses.
Egged website.
Taxis can be hailed in the street or
pre-booked. Shared taxis called sheruts [Hebrew: sherutim] run along set
routes, usually the same as the bus routes, and generally cost
less than the bus.
Jerusalem Light Rail is a slick,
modern tram service. To date only Line
1 (or Red line) is open, with 23 stops from Mount Herzl to Air
Force Street, including all along Jaffa St, King George St, Mechane Yehuda
and Damascus Gate (for the Old City). Trains run every 10
minutes throughout the day (except Shabbat - though they do run
on Saturday after Shabbat finishes).
Jerusalem Transport Light Rail webpage.
Jerusalem Light Rail operator's website.
Eat and drink in Jerusalem |
There are hundreds of cafés,
outdoor tables and open-fronted snack stalls as well
as numerous smarter restaurants in and around
Zion Square and Ben Yehuda Street and on all the busier streets.
Most of the 4/5-star hotels also have good quality restaurants
open to the public.
For a street snack or take-away, try
an Israeli classic, "falafel in pitta" (falafels,
houmous, salads, tahina all in a pitta 'envelope') or shwarma (same as
kebab). For a variations, ask for a laffa (a tasty flat bread)
instead of pitta.
Almost all eating places in Jerusalem, other than Arab
establishments, are kosher, meaning that meat and milk cannot be
served together and all ingredients conform to Jewish religious
law.
Israelis drink relatively
little alcohol, but Israel produces good wines from
very ancient grape-growing areas. The wines of Israel, now
produced in modern wineries, range from light white to dry red and sweet rosé. The
best come from the Israel's Golan and Carmel regions. All are
kosher.
Most visitors to
Jerusalem are on package holidays including accommodation. However,
it's easy to choose and book independently. The tourist office can assist with hotel bookings.
The tourist office website includes
comprehensive hotel and guesthouse information, with online
booking available in most cases.
The main avenues of
the city centre (West Jerusalem) are packed with hotels in every
price bracket. Rates are higher for any place with a view of the
Old City.
An interesting alternative is the quiet, modestly priced
hotel at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel (or Rachel), 3 miles from Jerusalem
on the Bethlehem road.
www.ramatrachel.co.il
By air - Airlines, including budget airlines,
fly direct from every part of the world to Israel's Ben-Gurion
Airport, 30km (18 miles) from Jerusalem with good transfers by
rail or road. Flight time from London is around 5 hours.
Avoid arriving on Shabbat or festivals (Fri
sunset to Sat sunset), when there is no public transport out of
the airport - only taxis.
••Book well ahead to stay
near the Old City.
••Private guided tours in English are
available at short notice from the tourist office
guide service.
••Modest dress is required at places of worship
whatever the religion. At Jewish sites,
men should cover their heads (a paper kippah
- skullcap - is
usually available free if required).
••Shabbat shutdown:
from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, almost
everything is closed and there is
no public transport at all.
••Where is it?
Jerusalem is in eastern Israel, about
80km (48 miles) from the
Mediterranean.
••International phone
dialling code:
00 372 (+ drop initial 0 from local number)
••Time zone: GMT/BST + 2 hours.
••Money: Shekel (or New Israeli Shekel, NIS).
|
The Old City
On the eastern edge of
Jerusalem is its ancient Old City. Within the encircling
ramparts, explore bustling,
narrow market lanes and quiet alleyways of the four very different
Old City Quarters – Jewish, Muslim, Christian and
Armenian. Each
has its own distinct character.
|
David’s
Tower
As you enter Jerusalem’s Old City through
impressively fortified Jaffa Gate, David’s Tower (History of
Jerusalem Museum), rises imposingly on the right. Inside, its
brilliant displays vividly tell the long and complex history of
the city. The rooftop gives a stirring vista towards Temple
Mount.
www.towerofdavid.org.il
Temple Mount /
Dome of the Rock
The elegant Dome of the Rock,
its gold shining above beautiful tiled walls, dominates the
tranquil, park-like Temple Mount (Har HaBayit in
Hebrew, Al Haram al-Sharif in Arabic), site of the ancient Temple,
centre of Jewish worship.
At the southern end of the enclosure
stands Al-Aqsa mosque, third holiest in Sunni Islam. Beside the
mosque, a 12th-century Crusader building houses the Islamic
Museum.
In recognition of its importance to Islam, the Israeli government allows
Temple Mount to be run by the Islamic trust or waqf, who
impose strict standards of Islamic modesty and behaviour.
Security considerations dictate the changing
entry procedures. Generally,
non-Muslim visitors may
enter the site (except during prayer times) via Moors Gate on
the wooden walkway from Western Wall Plaza, but are not allowed
inside any of the buildings on the site. However, the whole site
is frequently closed to non-Moslems.
Approach via Western
Wall Plaza, Old City.
Western Wall
Every kind of Jew from around the world - Sephardi, Ashkenazi,
Ethiopian, religious, secular - crowds the huge plaza in front
of this awesome wall of mighty stone blocks, the most revered
site in Judaism.
Although this was in fact only the outer
retaining wall of the site, it is the last remnant still
standing of the great Temple itself. This is
one of the few holy sites whose importance is based on
historical reality rather than myth or legend.
Extending all along one
side of the animated plaza, which lies below Temple Mount, the wall
is 20.2m (67ft) high and 27.7m
(91ft) long.
Western Wall Plaza, Old
City.
Jerusalem
Archaeological Park
and The Davidson Center
One of the most impressive
and rewarding sights in the Old City is this immense
archaeological site along the south side of Temple Mount. It can
be approached via Western Wall Plaza or Dung Gate. Years of
excavation have yielded amazing discoveries at this site.
Highlights are the underground ruins of a Byzantine House, and the
huge Hulda Stairway
(partly reconstructed) that gave direct access to the Temple
via the Hulda Gates. These stairs were the main access to the
Temple. The steps are all different widths to ensure that anyone
going up to the Temple had to approach slowly and carefully.
The
Davidson Center, close to the park entrance, uses these
archaeological discoveries as the basis for an imaginative
high-tech showcase of life in Second Temple times and other
periods. A film of a pilgrim visiting the Temple is among the
highly effective attractions. The high-tech Virtual Reality
Reconstruction (available only to groups, but it may be possible
to join a group) is similar, but enables a guide to give you a
tour around the Temple exterior, though not inside, as no
excavation of the Temple itself has been possible
Website
Wohl
Archaeological Museum
Go below ground level to visit genuine 2000-year-old villas and a mansion in this exceptional
museum/archaeological site in the Jewish Quarter. Each has a
ritual bath decorated in ceramic tiles and collections of
household objects from the period.
1 HaKaraim St. T: (02)
628 3448.
Church of the
Holy Sepulchre
Enclosing what Catholic and Orthodox churches accept as the site
of the Crucifixion, this ornate Byzantine church at the heart of
the Christian Quarter is a fascinating complex of different
shrines in the hands of different denominations.
St Helena Rd. T: (02)
627 3314.
The New City
West of the Old City is the extensive urban area built by the
Jewish population since the late 19th century, especially during
the great influx of Jews in the 1920s and 1930s.
|
Yad Vashem
On the western edge of the city, this remarkable and
deeply affecting
museum and documentation centre is Israel's principal monument
to the millions of Jewish people - approximately half the
world's Jewish population of the time - murdered in the
Holocaust. The extensive site contains many separate memorials,
such as the Children's Memorial. All are deeply moving.
www.yadvashem.org
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum is the country’s foremost collection of its archaeology and ancient art, with some of the
world’s most impressive archaeological discoveries on display.
Among them, the Dead Sea Scrolls, housed in their own building,
the Shrine of the Book.
www.imj.org.il
Jerusalem's main
shopping experiences are the bazaar-like Street of the
Chain, in the Old City; smarter Old City shopping on the
Cardo; in the city centre (in West Jerusalem), the vibrant and
colourful Mahaneh Yehuda daily produce market and enjoyable
pedestrianised Nahalat Shiva lanes; Malka shopping mall – the
city's largest, with hundreds of stores, located in the Malka
district at the the end of the Rabin highway.
••Judaica - It's no surprise that city centre Jerusalem
shops and stalls in the Old City Jewish Quarter sell a wide
variety of Judaica (hanukkiot, mezuzot, kippot, dreidels, etc)
from classic silverware to innovative designs and materials.
••Jewellery - Fine silverwork, gold, jewellery set with
diamonds, are all locally made by talented craft workers, often
with imaginative designs and very reasonable prices.
••Designer
fashions - Israel is fashion conscious, with a
stylish informality all its own. Casual clothes and beachwear
are specialities.
••Arts
and crafts - Stroll Nahalat Shiva for artworks and
handmade jewelry by local artists.
••Shuk bargains - Along the narrow alleyways of the Old
City, open-fronted stores in the Arab Quarter offer hand-blown
glass, wood-carved souvenirs and interesting jewellery.
Note that haggling or bargaining is not usual in Israel
(except in Arab markets and Arab stores).
Jewish religious festivals and holidays (like
Shabbat) start and end at nightfall.
Dates are fixed by the Hebrew calendar. The
major festivals are:
Pesach - especially the first night (Seder night);
Shavuot; Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur; Sukkot;
and Hannukah.
Find this year's dates here:
www.hebcal.com/holidays/
There's always a lot
going on in Jerusalem.
For latest events information, see
www.itraveljerusalem.com/Events
Jerusalem Marathon
Postponed to 6 November 2020
Tens of thousands of runners take to Jerusalem's streets
for this annual event.
www.jerusalem-marathon.com
Jerusalem Arts Festival
Previously in March
(no new dates fixed)
Drama, dance and music staged day and
night during a busy week at the city’s major venues.
website
Israel Festival
Postponed to 3-12 September 2020
Vibrant, inventive, multi-disciplinary arts festival in Jerusalem
and nationwide celebrating Israeli and
foreign contemporary performing arts as well as music from pop
to classical.
www.israel-festival.org.il
Winter Events
The programme
of winter events celebrating art, music and culture every
winter
weekend
are shown on the
website.
|
|
|
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
^
Top
|
|
|
|