Between the northern part of the salty Dead Sea andthe coast of the amazing blue Mediterranean, in the Judean mountains lies the landmark of the whole world - the ancient city of Jerusalem. It was founded more than five thousand years ago and now is the capital of Israel and the political center of the country. This amazing city is considered one of the most important in the world, its historical heritage, religiosity and a large number of famous attractions attract every year a lot of tourists. The special atmosphere of Jerusalem permeates every stone, at any time of the year people enjoy visiting the Old Town, they come to pray to the Wailing Wall, inspect all 8 gates of the city and come to the Temple Mount.
Jerusalem - what is this city?
Jerusalem is considered by many as a holy city,adherents of various religions perceive it as their own, so it unites Islam, and Judaism, and Christianity. In addition, this capital is home to various ethnic groups, such as Arabs and Armenians, but most of them are Jews, of whom over 30% are ultra-Orthodox. This must be taken into account when visiting Israel, so as not to find trouble and not to offend the morals and traditions of the world's sights with the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The old part of the city is divided into 4 quarters: Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian, of which the first area is considered the cheapest in terms of housing and the least secure. There is an opinion, and with it many agree that this city is in the center of the world, and the Old City is called the heart of Jerusalem. Its area is small, it is only about 1 sq. Km. km, and it is in itself - one attraction that it is impossible to have time to examine and thoroughly study even in a few years. The new part, which is the rest of Jerusalem, began in 1860, its construction began from the west of the Jewish outskirts. The new city continues to expand, and now it has more than 780 thousand people. For exploratory visits, the capital of Israel is available at any time of the year, and comfortable warm weather persists in winter. In summer, the temperature is about + 28 ° C, and in winter time it rarely falls below + 7 ° C. In the city there are a lot of hotels, guest houses, hotels, hostels and guest houses, each of which has its own advantages, and the price dispersion will allow choosing the most suitable option. Travel agencies offer travelers tours to any wallet, for any age category, based on the wish to visit this or that tourist attraction.
Mosque Kubbat al-Sahra
This mosque tourists know as the Dome of the Rock, sheis the most important sight of Jerusalem. Its huge golden dome, with a diameter of 20 meters, can be seen by every resident and visitor from anywhere in the Old Town. It was erected on the top of the Temple Mount, which in ancient times was called Mount Moriah. Now this mosque is an architectural landmark, a historical monument and the heritage of all of Israel. The Dome of the Rock was built a long time ago, in the 7th century BC Khomir Abu Il-Malik ordered the building. Amazing appearance will not leave anyone indifferent. The mosque was seized by Christians, then by Muslims, destroyed, burned, suffered from earthquakes, but with every restoration all the best masters and materials were used and it gained even greater grandeur. At construction, the number 4 was used. It symbolized 4 sides of the world, therefore the Dome of the Rock has 4 doors oriented to the south, north, west and east. The attraction is surrounded by a terrace, on each side of the world to which the steps lead. Decorated with mosaic and tile walls rise above the city, they are executed in a blue-green-white-gold range, and inside the building you can contemplate the golden letters with which the Koran was transferred to the walls. Among the numerous columns of the main mosque of Jerusalem, in the very center of the Dome, is the sacred site, from which, according to legend, the Prophet Muhammad ascended. It rises above the marble floor by 2 meters, it is surrounded by a wooden balustrade, and so it seems that it floats in the air. Most tourists will have to admire the landmark in the distance. This mosque is open only to the "faithful", since it is the most important Muslim shrine. There is a belief that one night the archangel Gabriel seated Muhammad on a winged horse and moved him from Mecca to Jerusalem. There the prophet was allowed to ascend to Allah, who entrusted him all the Muslim covenants, and on the ground, in Kubat al-Sahra, there were three hairs from the beard of the prophet and the imprint of his foot, stored in the Dome.
The Majestic Wailing Wall
The length of the wall is 488 meters. It rises to 15 meters, and yet its part is hidden under the ground. Its erection was made of huge stone blocks, pre-hewn, each stone densely adjoined to the rest, each new row set in a ledge inwards. It tipped the wall, but it helped it to stand for a long time without a binding material. The Wailing Wall is a famous landmark of the Jewish people. It is believed that all Jews, when they pray, look towards Israel, living in Israel - towards Jerusalem, and the Jews of Jerusalem look at prayer in the direction of the Wall. This structure became known as the Wailing Wall because the Jews mourn their First Temple and the Second Temple precisely here. Both were destroyed in different years, but in one calendar day. Another prophet Jeremiah predicted the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem and the fact that the wall of one of them will remain. Now this property and holy place of all Jews, thousands of people come here every day, at any time of the year and from all over the world. Here you can meet Jews from all over the world, and residents of Israel, and tourists. People pray for the revival of the power of Israel, they write notes with requests to God and put them between the stones. You can ask for anything: about health, healing, love, wealth and even peace in the whole world. But you can only come in the appropriate attire: women should cover their shoulders and be dressed modestly, without sparkles, motley and numerous ornaments, and married people should cover their heads with a handkerchief for the time of prayer. Men should be wearing headdresses. At the Western Wall, men should stand on the left side, and women on the right side. At any time the building is revitalized, a variety of languages are heard, people of all ages are asking for something of their own. It is worth remembering that the entrance here is free for everyone, and on Saturday and Jewish holidays on the territory it is forbidden to smoke, use mobile phones and take pictures.
The Way of the Cross
Via Dolorosa, known as the Roadsorrow, is the path Jesus Christ went from the place where he was sentenced to Golgotha. It is believed that 14 times some events stopped the procession, and now chapels or churches are erected on these places. The road starts from the territory of the former tower of Antonia, where now stands a female Catholic monastery. Earlier there was the residence of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prosecutor, who sentenced Jesus to death. In the courtyard of the monastery there are two chapels, Convictions and Flogging. The first is erected on the site of the verdict, and the second is the next point on the way. According to legend, it was in this place that the saint was scourged, he was dressed in a scarlet shawl and a crown of thorns. The third stop is the first fall of Jesus, the fourth is the meeting place of the saint with his mother the Virgin Mary. Traditionally, it is believed that she overtook the whole procession to see her son. The sixth station is connected with a meeting with Veronica, who emerged from the crowd and wetted him with a cool wet handkerchief face. At the seventh point, Jesus fell a second time, stumbling over the threshold of the Judgment Gate, leaving the city. The eighth stop on Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem is commemorated by the conversion of the saint to the daughters of the city. The ninth point is the place where the condemned man fell again, the third after seeing Golgotha. The remaining five stations are already inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and go in this order: the removal of clothing, nailing to the cross, death on the cross, removal from the cross, position in the coffin.
The Gate of the Holy City
There were always 8 monuments to JerusalemThe gates surrounding the old part of the city. The most beautiful, richly decorated and notable ones are Damascus, which lead to the Muslim quarter. They are also called columnar, as one of the columns measured the distance from the capital of Israel to any other city. The lion's gate is decorated with lions of heraldry, it was through them that Jesus came to Jerusalem, and next to them begins Via Dolorosa. The smallest gates leading to the Muslim quarter are the Dung Gate, which used to be the usual opening in the fortress wall. The Jaffa Gate is the most famous, as almost all tourists begin with their acquaintance with every landmark of the city. The gates of King David stand next to Mount Zion and the tomb of King David. The flower gate is decorated with flower ornament, they are also called the gates of Herod, Antipas, whose house was nearby. The Hamid Gate is relatively new and was built to cut crowds of pilgrims that marched to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Golden Gate has been walled in by the Turks for a very long time. The Jews believed that a new messiah was to come through them, but the enemies blocked his path.