Sightstation of Jerusalem: Old Town
Old Town is a very small territory by the standards of modern Jerusalem. Until the middle of the XIX century, it was limited to the whole area of the city. It is here that the most important holy places and tourist attractions are focused: the Christian temple of the Holy Sepulcher, the Muslim Mosque of Al-Aksa, the Jewish Wall of crying. The old town for a long time was conditionally divided into four parts – Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian, but the exact boundaries were installed only in the XIX century. In 1981, the entire Old Town was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Each of the quarters has its own flavor and a set of mandatory to inspect the places. So in the Christian quarter there is a temple of Christ of Resurrection, he is the temple of the Merry Coffin, built on the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In a small Jewish quarter there is a temple mountain with a cry of crying, on which, according to legend, after the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on Earth will stand the third temple of Jerusalem. Through the Christian Quarter, the godway of the Savior – Via Doloros. The most numerous Muslim quarter is not as popular among tourists, but it is the most lively in the Old Town: here is the traditional market "shousis" And the two most important Islamic mosques: Central Al-Aksha and Mosque "Dome of the rock". The Armenian Quarter is less than everyone else, there are a Holocaust Museum, St. Jacob’s Church and the Orthodox Temple of the Apostle Mark.
The old town surrounds the vintage fortress walls height from five to fifteen meters and thickness up to five meters, which have been preserved from the XVI century. You can get on the territory of the old city through one of several historic gates: Damascus, Yaffian, lion’s, garbage or Gate Herod. The last from the gate, the gold, is closed: on biblical attachment it is through them the Savior will enter the city during the Second Coming.
Damascus gate
Stretch in the Arab quarter of the old city of Jerusalem
David Tower next to Yaffish Gate
Muristan – District of streets and shops in the Christian quarter of Old Jerusalem
Route: It is convenient to enter the old town through the Yaffian gate; Immediately behind them is a tourist center where you can get a district map.
