This is just outside the Qalandia, the main checkpoint between the West Bank and Jerusalem (Al-Quds in Arabic). Most spots on the wall are just random script graffiti but this section has some really beautiful murals on it.
It is impossible to understand the scale of the wall and no picture I take could ever would truly illuminate it to those who have not experienced it first hand. It is like a stationary Dementor from Harry Potter, you just feel it's ominous presence sucking the happiness out of the area adjacent to it. The barrier seems to go on forever in this picture, which was also right at the checkpoint. The saddest part is that it really doesn't serve that much of a security purpose (there are still places where you can sneak through and no suicide bombings have occurred in 7 years I believe) and it just scars the land and pains the eye.
This is the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City, on the Israeli side of Jerusalem. The reason I busted out the camera for this picture though is because if you look at the mass of people headed in to the gate, they are all Israeli soldiers in full uniform (many were also armed). I'm trying to think of a fair comparison for the folks back in Washington, but its not as simply as an analogy to "imagine squads of armed soldiers in Seattle/ Spokane/ etc" It would also be more similar to armed soldiers patrolling something like Chinatown in Seattle- A densely packed business and residential area with defined borders. The militant culture that is so deeply entwined with what most consider the holiest place on Earth is a bizarre mixture.
Anyways on to a more enjoyable topic: a visual tour of the Old City (and outlying area) from the ramparts that surround it. The city of Jerusalem for the overwhelming majority of history, was contained within the high stone walls of the Old City. Until as late as the 1860's there were no people living outside of the walls, though as you can see in the pictures it has since developed through massive growth on the surrounding hills. For a measly 16 shekels (four dollars), you can climb up to the ramparts and tour the walls of the city for about half their total length. These walls were built in the 1500's by the Ottoman Empire's Suleiman and lie directly over the ruins of some of the originals foundations and many rebuilds that occurred in the thousands of years the city has been here. This is a picture from when you first arrive at the top of the spiral staircase to begin the tour, adjacent to the Jaffa Gate from the previous picture. On the right of the rampart is the Sultan's pool (an ampitheatre area) and to the left lies the Old City.
This is a the Tower of David, though most certainly not the biblical one. This was built to strengthen a weak point in the wall and has been rebuilt over and over again pretty much each time the city has changed hands. Apparently there is a great archeological museum below/ within it along with an excavation site, but since I never carry a map because looking like a tourist is for suckers, I don't actually know how to get to it. In other words, I should probably show some humility and bring a map to the city next time.
I really like this picture for a few reasons. First of all, it really gives you an idea of the scale of the Old City's walls in some areas. I'd say in this shot, it has to be pushing 14 or 15 meters in height. This picture also contains some ruins from the older walls (though I could not tell you which ones) directly at the base of the current ramparts as well as the ruins towards the bottom right of the picture. I also was really happy I got this picture when there was a pack of small children below playing soccer. Not that I'm artistic at all, and most certainly not to sound pretentiously artsy, but I really enjoyed the contrast of the timelessness of the inanimate walls with the youthful exuberance of little kids. Damn, still sounds really pretentious.
Here is another picture that shows some ruins of the older walls to the city. Build on top of the rocky bluff, there are two distinguishable sets of cut stone. Since I'm a terrible archeologist though, I could not tell you whether there where from the same wall construction or even the same period.
After you take a 90-degree right turn on the rampart (moving along a new side of the city now) this is one of the main features for the better part of this area outside the city. I took 10 pictures of this monastery, trying to get the perfect angle that incorporated all the features I liked about it and this was one of the better ones. A little research has told me that this is Mount Zion, and the building in the picture is the Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, built s in 1900 but it lies on top of the Haga Sion, a much older church from the Byzantine empire. The cemetery is also beautiful, and I know that at least the section closest to me is the Armenian cemetery.
This is just another picture of the Dormition, but from a little closer along the wall. The structure is massive and I think next time I get to Jerusalem I might just have to try and find the entrance.
I just really enjoyed the wood lattice work that was being used for this refurbishing next to the Dormition. If you ignore the occasion piece of rebar sticking out of the top, I think you get a good idea for historical construction techniques. I was happy not to see massive modern construction equipment.
This is the only stone I saw on my whole walk (a few miles I think) that was covered in moss. I just liked the contrast between white mortar and sandstone and an overtly green one. The little plant at the top is a nice touch as well.
And here we are near the end of the rampart walk, the Haram Al-Sharif, or as most of us call it, the Dome of the Rock. I'm also very close to the Western (Wailing) Wall, but I already have enough pictures of that. The inherent problem for me trying to get close to the mosque is that my holidays fall on Muslim holidays, and on Muslim holidays the entire complex is closed to non-Muslims. When I go to Al-Quds on weekends, I have similar problems: Friday prayers in Islam mean that the Mosque is closed to be, while Saturday is Jewish Shabbat, so pretty much everything else in Israel is closed. I had a day off on Tuesday in commemoration of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) which is when I took all these pictures, but this is about as close as I could get to the Mosque and still get a good picture. Still turned out pretty good though, and I couldn't complain about the weather for the middle of February.
That's all for today! Sorry they are few and far between, but I hope some of you out there are still enjoying the blog
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