Shalom from Jerusalem's Old City

On this day we went into Jerusalem's Old City, armed with several maps that nevertheless were never enough to give us a good idea of what street we really were on or in what direction we really were headed. Still, we made our way around and saw several of the things we wanted to--and decided we needed to return at least one or two more times before we left, to see the rest.

We started by taking a stroll up toward the Dung Gate, but we didn't quite make it there; we walked through a beautiful garden outside the Old City and then went through the Zion Gate into the Armenian Quarter, though we thought we were on our way to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall.

The picture to the right/above is of the garden, and the photo to the left is of an Armenian shop with all its beautiful ceramics.

We had printed out Granny's comments on reading the Tel Aviv page; she wrote in advance recommending things to do in Jerusalem. One of her comments was as follows:

"Grandpa and I used to love walking in the Jewish Quarter of the City, and one day we noticed that there was the beginning of a new excavation. They had dug up two huge Roman columns, and were using heavy machinery to erect them on their bases. . . . The next time we went to Israel (two years later), we found the columns in place, and the road had been excavated."

Well, Granny, we think the photos above and to the left are the same columns; when we saw them, I immediately thought of your message. It was almost like having you there!

We passed the columns just before we saw the Hurva Synagogue, and all the people in and around it.

These were just some of the images we saw, of course!

(One of the realizations I made the day before was that, with the digital camera, I had hardly used my regular camera; I was still on the first roll of film! So Adam promised me he would remind me to take "real pictures" from then on; in fact, he hardly need have done so; I was so taken by what I saw in Jerusalem on this first day that I finished that first roll and took nearly two others--about 60 photos in all.)

After seeing the Haredim and the Hurva, we made our way to the Wall, and the picture to the right was one I took that included the Wall and also the Dome of the Rock.

I was amused that, once we got further down the stairway, you couldn't see anything on the other side of the Wall; it was like the Muslim Quarter didn't exist (the Muezzin wasn't calling anyone to prayer; had it been the right time, I imagine the song of the Muezzin would have penetrated even the Jewish Quarter).

The photo to the left is of us near the Wall; we quite enjoyed asking strangers to take pictures with this camera. They frequently tried to hold it up to their face as one would hold a regular camera, but it has a digital screen for a viewfinder, so you can hold it several feet in front and still see the image; on the other hand, it is quite difficult to see anything if you hold the digital screen as close to your eye as you would a regular camera.

When we got near the Wall, Adam put on his Grandpa's kippa and tallis, and I took this picture (from a considerable distance) of him praying at the Wall. In case you can't see, Adam is pretty much in the center of the photo.

There was a class of Israeli schoolchildren near the wall, too, hearing the story of Purim, and wearing cute silver-paper crowns and carrying copies of "the whole Megillah." When the class was over, all the parents took turns taking pictures of their children with the Wall in the background; it was too cute not to "join in."

After Adam was back from his prayers, he handed me the kippa and tallis and I headed over to the women's side; I was going to wear just the kippa, but Adam said it would be a liberating moment if I wore the tallis as well, and that he would be proud of me for doing so. I figured I would face opposition, and indeed one old woman saw me as I walked toward the Wall and said "Lo, lo" (No, no), and then something about "tallis." I walked past and she followed me saying, "Lo, tallis, lo..." but then I just said "ken" (yes) and she must have been shocked into stopping her opposition. So when I was at the Wall, although it was a bit awkward, I felt somewhat righteous as well.

The image to the left is of excavation to the right of the Wall, which Adam says was a big mound of dirt the last time he was there (20 years ago).

The picture to the right is of the Dome of the Rock, which we saw after leaving the Jewish Quarter.

Here are Adam's comments:

While we stood there looking at the map, a guy repeatedly attempted to solicit us to hire him as a guide for the day. We declined and headed over to the mosque, only to find that we needed tickets. On our way back to buy tickets, the man said, "See, I told you, many useful things you need to know that I can show you on a tour."

We went into the mosque one at a time because we didn't want to leave the cameras outside, despite the guidebook's comment that few items are stolen from the area.

Monica went first and took this photo afterwards (it came out surprisingly clear, considering it was taken from outside).

When she came out, she reminded me to say, "Salem aleicum" to the ticket-taker. When I said it, he looked a bit taken aback but then smiled and said, "Aleicum salem."

Also while Monica was inside the mosque, a group of Arab schoolkids gathered outside to go in. They looked to be about seven or eight years old. I (Adam) entered the mosque, and the kids entered in a moment later. Or shall I say thundered in. They ran the length of the hall, with only about ten or so pausing periodically to pray. An older man followed yelling what I assume was the Arabic version of "Sheket!" When they left, the space was eerily quiet.

Al Aqsa was gorgeous inside, but not nearly as beautiful as...

...The Dome of the Rock, pictured on the left (we look pretty good, too). A nice Australian couple caught a cute picture of us as they made a hundred funny comments about our digital camera along the lines of "Isn't it amazing?" Monica also captured a couple of pictures on traditional camera of the amazing, intricate tiling and stained glass. It's too bad we couldn't take pictures inside, because it is breathtaking. Each stained glass window is a bit different, and each tiled column is a work of art in and of itself.

(Discussing it later, I mentioned to Adam that for some reason I felt more religious, and on more sacred ground, at the Dome than anywhere else. He assuaged my fears and said it made sense, since the Rock around which the Dome was built was the one on which Abraham was supposed to have almost sacrificed Isaac. I guess that part I hadn't realized. We also learned, later, that right near there, though far underground, is where archaeologists believe the Ark of the Covenant is buried!)

We couldn't spend very long in the mosque because it was heading on toward 2:00 p.m. As we were kicked out of the mosque area, we headed to the next important event: lunch! (Can you believe we hadn't eaten yet?!) The picture on the right is of the falafel vendor in the souk. He had a kind of ice cream scooper to scoop up the mush and make fresh falafel. Mmm-mmm good! We got a great regular photo of him, smiling and making the sandwich--it makes us smile just to think of how great that falafel was, and he was such a cute old man!

If the Carmel Market was the New York of outdoor markets, the Souk in the old city is Tokyo, Beijing, and Kuala Lumpur combined. Of course, the entire amazing area is beneath walls hundreds of years old. I can hardly describe all the details--women sitting on the ground in the middle of the street selling herbs, a guy using an old tire on a chain attached to his cart as a brake down the rickety streets, junk vendors, clothing vendors, fish vendors, spice vendors, cake vendors, motor oil vendors, and much much more. Yes, motor oil vendors; one can buy almost anything in the Souk. Even an adaptor for an American plug, which we found in a tiny little shop after the shopkeeper rummaged around pulling out junk for about three minutes.

Neither Monica nor I could believe the extent of the marketplace, and we didn't even see David Street, which is apparently the main drag. After wandering for about an hour and bargaining for a couple of gifts, we found ourselves near the Christian Quarter. That is when we heard the sounds of the muezzin calling the devoted to prayer.

If your computer is mpeg-enabled, click here to see an mpeg of the Old City's minaret with the sound of the muezzin calling the faithful to the afternoon prayer. (The image doesn't move much; we just wanted to record the sound of the call.) It may take awhile to download (2-3 min, 538K), so please be patient, if you care to try it.

The picture to the right may give you a decent idea of the chaos that is the Souk. Monica has many more pictures on real film if anybody is interested. She caught a great shot of a man flipping dough to make a flat bubbly cake. Very cool.

Of course, the Souk wouldn't be the Souk without a snack. We had a doughy stick basically like a Spanish churro but flavored with honey instead of with sugar. "Only one shekel! One shekel only! What a deal, you really must try! What, only one? What is the lady going to eat then? You don't need to share..."

So, boy, what a day that was! After arriving a bit too late to go to the Citadel, a castle/interactive museum, we decided to call it a day for now and head over to the NetCafe again. But not before taking two last shots while exiting the Old City at the end of our grand first full day in Jerusalem.

These two photos are views of and from the Jaffa Gate. Note the high walls at this point and the steep cliffs, making this gate a strategic strongpoint even as recently as the 1967 war.

And so ended Day 4 (March 17).

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Last updated on July 1, 1999.