- What to visit in Old Jerusalem
- Promised land
- Jerusalem Museum
When the question arises about the sights of this Israeli city, even the most experienced guide is lost, because it is difficult even to list them, let alone tell about them at least briefly. Therefore, it is very important to make your own list of what to visit in Jerusalem, and act strictly according to the plan, without distractions.
Jerusalem is equally interesting for Orthodox Christians and Catholics, Muslims and Jews, it has a huge number of religious shrines, masterpieces of ancient architecture and culture, museums and galleries.
What to visit in Old Jerusalem
The heart of Jerusalem is undoubtedly the Old City. Since ancient times, it has been conditionally divided into four quarters, each of which has its own sights and monuments:
- Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Church of Alexander Nevsky, Church of John the Baptist - in the Christian quarter;
- Temple Mount, ancient mosques, including the Skala Mosque, the Temple of Solomon - in the Muslim region;
- Jerusalem History Museum, Western Wall, Citadel of David - in the Jewish Quarter;
- Armenian Gregorian Church, Patriarchate building - in the Armenian quarter.
It is difficult to answer the question of what to visit in Jerusalem on your own. On the one hand, all the main attractions are described in the literature, in tourist booklets and brochures. On the other hand, it is always interesting to listen to a knowledgeable person, a guide, who will tell you not only well-known facts, but also acquaint you with legends and myths associated with this or that object of inspection.
Promised land
For every Jew on the planet, the name of Mount Zion symbolically means "place of return", "home". For centuries, this hill has remained a place of pilgrimage, not only for Jews, but also for representatives of other confessions. Here are places and structures sacred for believers: The Upper Room of the Last Supper; tomb of King David; St. Peter's Church; The Assumption Monastery, founded by the Benedictines.
Everyone who is at least a little familiar with the Bible and the description of the life of Jesus Christ knows about the Upper Room of the Last Supper. It was there that the last meal was held, in which Christ and his disciples-apostles took part.
Controversy continues about the tomb of King David, many scientists doubt that he found his last resting place on Mount Zion, although for other specialists and most pilgrims the issue has been resolved unequivocally (in favor of this hill). It is interesting that the walls of the hall where the sarcophagus is located, in which King David rests, are decorated with inscriptions with a deep philosophical meaning.
A legend is connected with the Catholic Church of St. Peter, telling that it was on the slopes of the mountain that the Apostle Peter denied Christ, and three times. Later, he repented of his deed, therefore in 457 it was decided to build a temple and consecrate it in honor of the apostle. Over the centuries, the temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the building that can be seen today was built in 1920.
Not far from the Chamber of the Last Supper is the monastery of the Assumption, and this religious complex was repeatedly attacked and destroyed, but was revived again. Today it surprises guests with a beautiful and non-standard architectural solution, the Byzantine features of the complex are harmoniously intertwined with elements of the oriental style.
Jerusalem Museum
Interestingly, this side of Jerusalem's life is often forgotten, since the number of religious sites does not give tourists a chance to get to know the museums. But if the trip to this ancient city stretches in time, then you should definitely include in the program a visit to the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Islamic Art and the Museum of Bible Countries.
The Archaeological Museum at one time had the prefix Palestinian, since most of the artifacts stored in it were found at the beginning of the twentieth century during excavations in the Palestinian Mandar. The museum now bears the name of John D. Rockefeller, who sponsored the construction of the new museum building. The oldest exhibits in museum collections are more than two million years old. There are unique artifacts dating back to the 8th – 12th centuries, for example, wooden panels that adorned the Al-Aqsa mosque, marble fragments of decoration from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, items not only from Jerusalem, but also from other ancient cities of Israel are kept.
Another important object, the custodian of historical artifacts, is the Israel Museum. It also houses several unique items that have no analogues in the world, for example, carvings, which today are considered the oldest on the planet, and the nail, according to legend, was used in the crucifixion of Christ.
