It was wonderful for me to return to Jerusalem and to spend a few days there with my family and friends. We had a great time and packed in a lot of things in just a few days.
Museums
After our morning in Bethlehem we went to the Israel Museum and saw a large model that represented Jerusalem just before the destruction by the Romans in 70AD. This was really helpful prior to us visiting all the sites. One of the girls said it reminded them of Madurodam in the Netherlands.
Part of the Israel Museum was The Shrine of the Book which contains the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Aleppo Codex. You weren’t allowed pictures inside so we could only get a picture of the white dome.
We also visited the Holocaust Museum where you also weren’t allowed to take pictures inside. It was a pretty moving visit, even though we were a bit rushed. Since it was late in the day and we were one of the last groups in before they closed, they kept announcing that section would close in about 10 minutes and basically followed us from section to section closing them behind us. The girls like to read a lot of historical fiction and have read a lot about World War II, so it wasn’t new material to them but still impactful to visit.
Mount of Olives
Another great view of Jerusalem is from the Mount of Olives. There are a lot of grave sites here, both Jewish and Christian (Jewish because the valley has historically been used for that and Christians because of the belief that Christ will return on the Mount of Olives to enter Jerusalem and they believe they will be raised in Christ first). It turns out it was the equivalent of the Jewish Memorial Day (we seem to be good at finding local Holidays) so some of the lookouts where blocked for visitors visiting the graves and it was quite busy.
At the foot of the Mount of Olives is where it is traditionally believed the Garden of Gethsemane was located. Again there is a church, but also some ancient olive trees.
From the Garden of Gethsemane we drove along the Kidron Valley towards Caiaphas’ House which brought us really close to the temple mount. This is the south side of the current temple mount and would have been the main entrance into the temple during Jesus’ day, even though it is all walled in today.
Caiaphas House – St. Peter In Gallicantu Church
There is a church at this location that was built over a Byzantine Church and a Crusader church, but unlike some other church locations, there is strong archeological evidence that this was what it claims to be: the high priest house/palace. It was a large complex with its own wells and baths indicating someone of importance in the Jewish area, but the addition of guard house and prison cells are the strongest case for the high priest house as other houses would not have those. Therefore this is most likely the very cells that Jesus was detained in and the courtyard where Peter denied Jesus. It also would have been the same prison where Peter and John were detained when they first started preaching in Jerusalem.
The church is located south of the current old city. This area was the City of David area and is where Jerusalem was originally started, but over the years it has expanded up and around the temple mount and when the walls were rebuilt after the Roman destruction, this area was no longer walled.
A sculpture depicting Peter’s denial, and some of the archeological ruins looking out over the temple mount’s south side with Mount of Olives beyond it.
Some of the prison cells, including the holes to chain prisoners to the wall.
The dungeon pit, where they believe the most serious offenders were placed, most likely in solitary confinement and therefore a likely place for Jesus to have been held during his questioning by Caiaphas. The entrance shows the steps the soldiers would toss the prisoners into the pit from.
Old City
From Caiaphas House we walked to the Old City.
Zion Gate with bullet holes from the 1948 war.
The mis-named Tower of David since it wasn’t built by David, but by Herod. It has been fought over and destroyed numerous times over the centuries with the latest restoration done by the Turks.
Jaffa Gate to the left of the larger breach in the wall created in 1898 by the Ottomans. The opening allows easier access for vehicles into the old city. The Tower of David is to the left.
The Old City streets were as busy as I remembered and yet distinct in their districts (Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim).
Though not intentional, we did end up walking most of The Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross) which marks a possible route that Jesus took from Pilate’s palace to Golgotha. There are stations along the way and a good indication that you were close to one was a tour group stopped there.
Lions Gate and Herod’s Gate, which was closest to our hotel.
Damascus Gate.
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulcre has a complex history. The church has parts that are Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic, and to a lesser degree the Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches. The church claims to have been built over the spot where the crucifixion occurred at Calvary or Golgotha and also the tomb where Jesus was buried and was raised from the dead. There is also a third object there which is believed to be the stone upon which Jesus was prepared for burial.
The church entrance.
Like the Church of the Nativity, there were long lines so just our guide and friend went up the back way to see the crucifixion shrine.
Looking down from the crucifixion area to the entrance on the left and the burial preparation stone.
The burial preparation rock didn’t have a line because more than one person at a time could approach it. There was definitely a lot of “tactile Christianity” going on.
The wait at the tomb shrine was the largest!
One of the many beautiful ceilings in the church.
The Western (Wailing) Wall
The Garden Tomb
The Garden Tomb is a site just outside the current old city, close to the Jaffa gate. It contains a garden, tomb, and a skull rock formation (making it another possible location for the crucifixion). The Christian organization the runs it does not claim that this is the actual site of the crucifixion and burial, but that it shows more of what it might have looked like compared to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. I remembered coming here 30 years ago and really appreciating it and my family really enjoyed it as well. It does help put a better picture in your mind of what it might have looked like rather than the crowds of people in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Beautiful gardens and flowers.
Skull rocks.
The garden had many places for individuals or groups to have times of devotion. This was our favourite one and we spent some time there.
The tomb in the garden.
Between the Garden Tomb and our hotel was the Albright Institute which had sponsored the archeological dig I was on 30 years ago. It has changed less than I have.
It wasn’t all touring, sometimes it was fun and games! We had played quite a bit of euchre as a family on this trip but our friends introduced us to 6 persons euchre which was a lot of fun and a good way to unwind after a full day.
Hezekiah’s Water Tunnel
My girls have heard me talk numerous times of going through Hezekiah’s water tunnel 30 years ago and they were excited to do this on our last day in Jerusalem. Back than it wasn’t a big tourist destination and you had to wander down an alley to find the entrance. It has since all been developed into this big complex and is part of the City of David museum.
The museum is situated lower down into the Kidron Valley from Caiaphas’ House and provides a good view of the poppies in the valley and all the graves on the Mount of Olives.
The new parts that I don’t remember from before was the excavation of the towers surrounding the Gihon spring which is the source of water. This was originally a Canaanite tower around the spring before David took it over. The spring is actually outside the main city walls, but this tower and corridor from the main walls to the springs was the original structure. Since overflow would escape into the Kidron Valley supplying both the city and any besiegers, on threat from the Assyrians, King Hezekiah had the springs dammed up and the flow redirected into the side of the hill via a tunnel to enter the city.
The water got about 50-75cm deep in some spots (making it hard for Annika to keep her shorts dry) and the ceiling was pretty low some times (making it hard for some of us to walk) but everyone had a big smile on their face and it was a highlight for us.