Until the 1880s the gates were closed and opened at sunset and sunrise - how cool is that? Ok, back to reality, entering through Damascus Gate placed us in the Muslim Quarter. The Old City is divided into four quarters: Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian. So, we are walking down streets like this in the Old City Muslim Quarters...
...and we are immediately in the middle of religion and history because we come upon the Monastery of the Flagellation, where Jesus was condemned by Pontius Pilate...the real life first station of the cross. We were on Via Dolorosa, the path that Jesus walked, carrying the cross, on his way to crucifixion.
After taking a minute to realize where we were and what had happened there we continued on our way through the Muslim Quarter to the Western Wall, one of the most important sites in Judiasm.
For those of you unfamiliar, the Western Wall is important because it is the sole remnant of the Temple built by King Soloman and then a second temple constructed by King Herod. Jews believe the gate to heaven is closest to the Western Wall and it has become a place of pilgrimage for Jews since it is the closest permitted accessible site to the holiest spot in Judaism.
You may be able to tell from the close-up pictures that there are little notes in the wall, Jews are allowed to place written prayers between the holy stones of the Western Wall.
So, in less than an hour in the Old City I saw where Jesus was condemned, then the holiest spot in Judiasm, and just behind the Western Wall is the Dome of the Rock, the third most holiest place in Islam. Why? Because inside the gold-domed building is the rock where Islamic tradition states Mohammad acended into Heaven accompanied by Gabriel.
After that we walked through the Jewish Quarter and then the Armenian Quarter before arriving in the Christian Quarter and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the highlight of my day.
Immediately inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the Stone of Anointing, the very stone where Jesus' body was prepared for burial.
As you continue into the church you come into the Rotunda and in the center of the rotunda is the Edicule of the Holy Sepulchre. The Church is built on the hill where scripture says Jesus was crucified, buried, and was resurrected. The Edicule in the rotunda contains two very small rooms, the first holds a piece of the stone that sealed the tomb after Jesus' burial.
The second room is believed to be where the tomb itself was located. The cave itself was carved away in the early 100s. After spending a few moments in the Edicule (unbelievable that I was standing in the very area where so much had happened) we explored more of the Church and saw the Rock of Cavalry, a rock believed to be cracked during the earthquake that occurred when Jesus died on the cross.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the most moving experience for me as a Christian. To be on such holy ground and have already walked along Via Dolorosa on the same stones that could have been walked upon by Jesus Christ on his way to be crucified...there are no words, I am just fortunate to have had the opportunity to be there where so much happened so long ago.
The rest of the afternoon was spent scaling the actual wall of the Old City. From Jaffa Gate you can - for a small fee - start walking along the top of the wall, known as the Ramparts Walk. It starts right next to the Tower of David and you get some great views of modern Jerusalem, which is to the west of the Old City.
After scaling the Ramparts Walk we spent some time wandering around the shopping markets in the Old City, purchased some cool souvenirs including a great vacation travel poster from the 1930s entitled "Visit Palestine" (watch for it coming to a wall near you in my apartment) with the Old City vista in the background. We exited the Old City through Damascus Gate.
What a day - exploring Jerusalem's Old City. The experience was overwhelming.
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