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EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
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EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
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Project Editors Nick Inman, Ferdie McDonald Art Editors Jo Doran, Paul Jackson Commissioning Editor Giovanni Francesio at Fabio Ratti Editoria S.r.l. Editors Elizabeth Atherton, Cathy Day, Simon Hall, Freddy Hamilton, Andrew Humphreys Designers Chris Lee Jones, Anthony Limerick, Sue Metcalfe-Megginson, Rebecca Milner, Johnny Pau Picture Research Monica Allende, Katherine Mesquita Map Coordinator Dave Pugh DTP Designer Maite Lantaron Researcher Karen Ben-Zoor Main Contributors Fabrizio Ardito, Cristina Gambaro, Massimo Acanfora Torrefranca Photography Eddie Gerald, Hanan Isachar, Richard Nowitz, Magnus Rew, Visions of the Land Illustrators Isidoro Gonzáles-Adalid Cabezas (Acanto Arquitectura y Urbanismo S.L.), Stephen Conlin, Gary Cross, Chris Forsey, Andrew MacDonald, Maltings Partnership, Jill Munford, Chris Orr & Associates, Pat Thorne, John Woodcock Printed and bound by in China First American Edition 2000 16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Published in the United States by: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, UK
Reprinted with revisions 2002, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 Copyright © 2000, 2016 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London A Penguin Random House Company All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISSN 1542-1554 ISBN 978-1-4654-4131-7 Floors are referred to throughout in accordance with European usage; ie the “first floor” is the floor above ground level. Note The term “Holy Land” has been used to describe the areas covered by this guide.
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem
Contents How to Use this Guide 6
Introducing Jerusalem, Israel, Petra & Sinai Discovering the Holy Land 10 Putting the Holy Land on the Map 16 Putting Jerusalem on the Map 18 A Portrait of the Holy Land 20 The Holy Land Through the Year 40 The History of the Holy Land 44
The information in this DK Eyewitness Travel Guide is checked regularly. Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices, gallery hanging arrangements and travel information, are liable to change. The publishers cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides, Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, Great Britain, or email: [emailprotected].
Front cover main image: The historic centre of Jerusalem The lavishly decorated interior of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
Old Jaffa’s attractive waterfront
Israel, Petra & Sinai Region by Region Israel, Petra & Sinai at a Glance 166 The Coast and Galilee 168
The Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 190 Petra and Western Jordan 210
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Jerusalem Area by Area
The Red Sea and Sinai 240
The Jewish Quarter 80
The Christian and Armenian Quarters 92 The Mount of Olives and Mount Zion 112 Modern Jerusalem 122 Further Afield 132
Sporting and Specialist Holidays 286
Survival Guide
Jerusalem at a Glance 62 The Muslim Quarter 64
Middle Eastern handicrafts
Practical Information 292 Bedouin camel, Western Jordan
Travel Information 302 General Index 310
Travellers’ Needs
Acknowledgments 324
Where to Stay 256
Phrase Book 327
Where to Eat and Drink 264 Shops and Markets 276
Entertainment 282
Pomegranates
Three Guided Walks 144 Shops and Markets 152 Entertainment 154
Jerusalem Street Finder 156
The remote St Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai
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HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE chapters describe important sights, using maps, photographs and illustrations. Features cover topics from food to wildlife. Recommended hotels and restaurants are listed in Travellers’ Needs, while the Survival Guide has tips on travel, money and other practical matters.
This guide helps you to get the most from your visit to Jerusalem and the Holy Land, by providing detailed practical information. Introducing Jerusalem, Israel, Petra & Sinai maps the region and sets it in its historical and cultural context. The Jerusalem section and the four regional
JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA
Jerusalem Area by Area The city is divided into five areas, each with its own chapter. A last chapter, Further Afield, covers peripheral sights. All sights are numbered and plotted on the chapter’s area map. The detailed descriptions of the sights are easy to locate, as they follow the numerical order on the map.
Historic Streets, Buildings and Gates 2 Ecce Homo Arch 3 Via Dolorosa 4 Lady Tunshuq’s Palace 6 Chain Street 8 Damascus Gate 9 Herod’s Gate q Lions’ Gate
Holy Places
Souks and Markets 5 Cotton Merchants’ Market 7 Central Souk
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The Stabat Mater Altar is one of numerous chapels and shrines that fill the church, which commemorates the Crucifixion and burial of Christ.
CHRISTIAN AND ARMENIAN QUARTERS
MODERN JERUSALEM
Omar Mosque (see p103)
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MUSLIM QUARTER
JEWISH QUARTER
Locator Map See Jerusalem Street Finder, map 3
The Christian Quarter, centred on the Holy Sepulchre
2
Khanqa Salahiyya (see p103)
6 Christian Quarter Road
5 Church of St John
Along with David Street, this is the quarter’s main shopping thoroughfare. It specializes in religious items and quality handicrafts.
the Baptist The founding of the Crusader Knights Hospitallers is connected with this small church. A carved stone cross echoes the order’s historic emblem.
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Area Map For easy reference, sights are numbered and located on a map. The central sights are also marked on the Street Finder maps on pages 160–63.
1 . Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The most visited part of the Old City, the Christian Quarter is a head-on collision between commerce and spirituality. At its heart is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most sacred of all Christian sites. It is surrounded by such a clutter of churches and hospices that all one can see of its exterior are the domes and entrance façade. The nearby streets are filled with shops and stalls that thrive on the pilgrim trade. Respite from the crowds can be found in the cafés of Muristan Road.
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Souk el-Dabbagha With the Holy Sepulchre church at the end of the street, the few shops here have no shortage of customers for their religious souvenirs.
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Street-by-Street Map This gives a bird’s-eye view of the key area in each chapter.
Ethiopian Monastery (see p99)
Stars indicate the sights that no visitor should miss.
Pillars of original Byzantine Holy Sepulchre church (see p102)
S O U K E L D A B
Jaffa Gate
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David Street From the Jaffa Gate area, David Street is the main route down through the Old City. This cramped, stepped alley doubles as a busy tourist bazaar.
For map symbols see back flap
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THE CHRISTIAN AND ARMENIAN QUARTERS
Street-by-Street: The Christian Quarter
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A visitor at the Dome of the Rock, centrepiece of the Haram esh-Sharif JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA
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A locator map shows where you are in relation to other areas of the city centre.
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Each area of Jerusalem has its own colour-coded thumb tab, as shown inside the front cover. Sights at a Glance lists the chapter’s sights by category, such as Holy Places, Historic Districts, Museums and Archaeological Sites.
Restaurants p270 1 Abu Shukri 2 Viennese Café
1 Monastery of the Flagellation 0 St Anne’s Church w Haram esh-Sharif pp72–7
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(see pp34–5). In the 14th and 15th centuries the Mamelukes rebuilt extensively, especially in the areas abutting the Haram esh-Sharif. The quarter has been in decay since the 16th century. Today it contains some of the city’s poorest homes. It is also one of the most fascinating and least explored parts of Jerusalem.
Sights at a Glance
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THE MUSLIM QUARTER This is the largest and most densely populated quarter of the Old City. It was first developed under Herod the Great and delineated in its present form under the Byzantines. In the 12th century it was taken over by the Crusaders, hence the quarter’s wealth of churches and other Christian institutions, such as the Via Dolorosa
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Zalatimo’s is a famed confectionery shop; its storeroom contains remains of the doorway of the original 4th-century Holy Sepulchre church. 2 Alexander Hospice
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Belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, the hospice is built over ruins of the early Holy Sepulchre church.
T R E E T
Key Suggested route
4 . Muristan The intersecting avenues of the Muristan were created when the Greek Orthodox Church redeveloped the area in 1903.
For hotels in this area see p260
Walking routes, shown in red, suggest where to visit on foot.
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Detailed information The main sights in the city are described individually. Addresses, telephone numbers and opening hours are given, as well as information on admission charges, guided tours, photography, wheelchair access and public transport.
3 . Lutheran Church of
the Redeemer This church has an attractive medieval cloister, but most people visit for the views from the bell tower.
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JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA 0 metres
Alexander Hospice 2
Souk el-Dabbagha. Map 3 C3. Tel (02) 627 4952. Excavations: Open 9am–6pm daily. &
Home to St Alexander’s Church, the central place of worship for Jerusalem’s Russian Orthodox community, the Alexander Hospice also houses some important excavations. When the hospice was founded in 1859, the site was already known to contain ruins of the original church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in AD 335. However, in 1882, excavations revealed Alexander Hospice doorway remains of a Herodian city wall. This finally proved that the site of the Holy Sepulchre church was outside the ancient city walls, which added credence to the claim that it was on the true site of Christ’s crucifixion (see pp96–9). Also preserved here are
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 3
24 Muristan Rd. Map 3 C3. Tel (02) 627 6111. Open 10am–5pm (winter: 4pm) Mon–Sat. & for bell tower only. ∑ elcjhl.org
This Neo-Romanesque church was built for the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, and completed in 1898. Renewed interest in the Holy Land by Europe during the late 19th century had ushered in a period of restoration and church building, with many nations wanting to establish a religious presence in Jerusalem. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer was constructed over the remains of the 11th-century church of St Mary of the Latins, built by wealthy merchants from Amalfi in Italy. An even earlier church is thought to have existed on the site from the 5th century. Many
The dominating tower of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer For hotels in this area see p260
THE CHRISTIAN AND ARMENIAN QUARTERS
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of a 30 colonnaded street and, in the church, part of a triumphal arch from Hadrian’s forum, begun in AD 135. The excavations are open to the public, but only parts of the church can be visited.
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details from the medieval church have been incorporated into the new building, and the entrance way, decorated with the signs of the zodiac and symbols of the months, is largely original. The attractive cloister, which is inside the adjacent Lutheran hospice, has two tiers of galleries and dates from the 13th–14th centuries. Perhaps the most interesting part of the church, though, is the bell tower. After climbing the 177 steps, visitors are rewarded with some great views over the Old City.
One of the many souvenir shops in the Muristan 4
Muristan
Muristan Rd. Map 3 C3.
The name Muristan derives from the Persian word for a hospital or hospice for travellers. For centuries the area known as the Muristan, south of the Holy Sepulchre, was the site of just such a hospice for pilgrims from Latin-speaking countries. It was built by Charlemagne in the early 9th century, with permission from the caliph Haroun el-Rashid. Partly destroyed in 1009 by the Fatimid caliph El-Hakim, it was restored later in the 11th century by merchants from Amalfi. They also built three churches here: St Mary Minor for women, St Mary of the Latins for men, and St John the Baptist for the poor. St John the Baptist still stands today, and was where the Knights of the Hospital of St John (or the Knights Hospitallers) were founded. They were to take over much of the Muristan area as their
6 Christian Quarter Road Map 3 B3.
Together with David Street, which runs from Jaffa Gate towards the Muristan, Christian Quarter Road is one of the main streets in the Christian Quarter. Marking off the Muristan zone, it passes by the western side of the Holy Sepulchre, and parallel to Souk Khan el-Zeit. This busy road is lined with shops selling antiques, Palestinian handicrafts (embroidery, leather goods and Hebron glass), and religious articles (icons, carved oliveThe fountain square, at the heart of the Muristan wood crucifixes and rosaries). 5 Church of St John headquarters, later building Midway up the road on the their own huge hospital to the right, down an alley signposted the Baptist north of the church. During for the Holy Sepulchre, a short Christian Quarter Rd. Map 3 C4. the Crusades it was reported stairway descends to the Closed to the public. that there could often be up modest Omar Mosque, with to 2,000 people under their its distinctive square minaret. The silvery dome of the Church care here at any one time. Its name commemorates of St John the Baptist is clearly By the 16th century the the caliph Omar, the person visible above the rooftops of Muristan had fallen into ruins generally credited with saving the Muristan, but the entrance and Suleyman the Magnificent the Holy Sepulchre from falling is harder to spot among the had its stones used to rebuild into Muslim control after hordes of people along busy Jerusalem’s city walls. Jerusalem passed under Christian Quarter Road. Today the Muristan is very Muslim dominion in A small doorway leads different from how it once February 638. Asked to into a courtyard, which looked, most traces of the go and pray inside the in turn gives access to original buildings having long church, which would the neighbouring Greek since disappeared. It is now almost certainly have meant Orthodox monastery characterized by its quiet its being converted into a and the church proper. lanes and attractive pink-stone mosque, he instead prayed Founded in the buildings. The lanes converge at 5th century, the on the steps outside, the ornate fountain in the main thus allowing the Church of St John square – site of the original church to remain a the Baptist is one hospice. The surrounding Christian site. The of the most ancient streets are packed with small churches in Jerusalem. Glassware on sale on Omar mosque was shops selling souvenirs, handiAfter falling into ruin, it Christian Quarter Road built later, in 1193, by crafts and antiques. Along the Saladin’s son Aphdal was extensively rebuilt nearby Muristan Road you will Ali, beside the old Hospital of in the 11th century, and aside also find a number of outdoor the Knights of St John. from the two bell towers which cafés where you can sit and The unassuming Khanqa are a later addition, the modern absorb the atmosphere. church is little changed. Salahiyya is at the top of In 1099 many Christian Christian Quarter Road. Built knights who were wounded by Saladin between 1187 and during the siege of Jerusalem 1189 as a monastery for Sufi were taken care of in this mystics, it is on the site of the church. After their recovery old Crusader Patriarchate of they decided to dedicate Jerusalem. Its ornate entrance themselves to helping the way may be as close as you sick and protecting the pilgrims are allowed, however, as it is visiting Jerusalem. Founding not open to non-Muslims. the Knights of the Hospital of Along the north side of the St John, they later developed mosque is El-Khanqa Street. into the military order of the This attractive, old, stepped Hospitallers and played a key street is lined with interesting role in the defence of the Holy shops, and runs up one of the The distinctive dome of the Church of Land (see pp52–3). Old City’s many hills. St John the Baptist
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
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Israel, Petra & Sinai Region by Region
Once coveted by Egypt’s pharaohs for its reserves of turquoise, copper and gold, Sinai is now equally prized by tourists for its white, palm-fringed sands and the limpid waters of the Red Sea, rich with marine life. Its close association with key episodes from the Old Testament also makes the Sinai’s mountainous interior an area of deep religious significance for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.
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been crossed by countless armies, including that of the Israelis, who held the region from 1967 to 1982, when it was returned to Egypt under the terms of the Camp David peace treaty. In the years since then, tourism has boomed as southern Sinai and the peninsula’s eastern coast have been developed with all- inclusive resorts, such as Sharm el-Sheikh. But the wilderness is far from tamed. Inland Sinai remains virtually uninhabited, with barren mountains sheltering hidden oases such as Feiran, with its thousands of date palms. More dramatic still are the underwater landscapes of the Red Sea, where vast coral reefs provide a home for more than 1,000 species of marine life, making for one of the world’s richest dive sites.
THE RED SEA AND SINAI
Exploring the Red Sea and Sinai
Eilat
Coloured Canyon
Aqaba, with a typical Red Sea scene of beach, palms and looming mountains
1 Taba
W ad Wadi el Biyar
2 Nuweiba 4 Sharm el-Sheikh
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The Sinai Desert, where only the hardiest forms of life survive, such as camels and acacia trees
Ain Khudra Oasis
5 Ras Muhammad
EGYPT
Feiran di Wa
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Gebel Banat 1511m
FEIRAN OASIS
Major road Minor road Four-wheel-drive track
Gebel Giddat el 'Ila 2207m
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Each region of the Holy Land can be quickly identified by its colour-coded thumb tabs (see inside front cover).
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Ras Garra
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Getting Around The coastal roads are good and the main resorts can be reached by car. Travelling in the Sinai interior is trickier, especially as foreigners are not permitted to stray off the main roads. Organized hikes or camel trips are perhaps the best options for those wanting to explore the desert. Buses serve coastal locations, as well as some places in the interior such as St Catherine’s Monastery. Israeli and Jordanian visas and Sinai passes can be obtained at the borders (see pp292–3).
Naama Bay
SHARM EL-SHEIKH RAS MUHAMMAD NATIONAL PARK
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
The underwater scenery and marine life of the Red Sea, which is every bit as stunning as the canyon. If you continue a little desert and mountain landscapes above further along the trail you will For map symbols see back flapsolitary Haggar come to the Maktub (Rock of Inscriptions). Since the Nabataean period, pilgrims going to Sinai have left graffiti carved on the rock. Heading south from Nuweiba Muzeina along the coast leads to the Abu Galum Nature Reserve. A maze of narrow wadis penetrates the interior, with an abundance of plants and wildlife, such as foxes, ibexes and hyraxes. The beach at Ras Abu Galum is usually deserted except for a few Carvings on the Haggar Maktub, in the desert near Nuweiba Bedouin fishermen. 1 Taba oasis, which for centuries was a port for pilgrims going to Road map F5. @ 3 Dahab Mecca. It now has many hotels Since Israel returned ownership and tourist villages. To the north Road map F6. @ is Nuweiba el-Tarabin, named of the Sinai peninsula to Egypt after the Bedouin in 1982, the small In Arabic the word dahab tribe that lives here. coastal town of means “gold”, and the name You can visit the Taba has served derives from the sand on the ruins of the large as a border post beautiful beaches. The crown between the two of palm trees, the beaches Tarabin fortress, countries. A pleasing and the light blue sea make built in the 16th stretch of beach this one of the most popular century by the is overlooked by localities in Sinai. It has grown Mameluke sultan a five-star hotel. up around the old Bedouin Ashraf el-Ghouri. Just under 20 km village of Assalah, which still The Nuweiba area (12 miles) to the survives today. The many is rich in beaches, south is the resort camping sites, simple hotels and diving and Bedouin with his camel, of Taba Heights, and beachside restaurants snorkelling sites. outside Nuweiba attract an array of mainly which boasts some of independent travellers who Environs the most luxurious hotels in lend a raffish air to the town. Sinai, as well as an 18-hole golf Nuweiba makes a convenient Many also visit for the worldstarting point for trips to the course and a marina. There are class diving sites around Sinai interior. One of the most views from the resort across Dahab. Among the most fascinating is to the Coloured the Red Sea to the Israeli, famous and dangerous are the Jordanian and Saudi Canyon, a narrow sculpted “Canyon” and the “Blue Hole”. Arabian coastlines. gorge created by water erosion. Between Taba and Taba Its sandstone walls have taken Heights, just offshore is on many hues of yellow, red and ochre due to the slow process of Pharaoh’s Island (or Coral oxidation of the ferrous minerals Island), which is dominated in the rocks. The canyon opening by an impressive Crusader can be reached by car from the fortress. Tickets for the boat across to the island are available Ain Furtaga oasis, about 15 km (9 miles) from Nuweiba on the from the Salah al-Din Hotel road west, and thence by on the coastal road. following the Wadi Nekheil track. Another fascinating trip uses 2 Nuweiba a jeep track from Ain Furtaga through the immense Wadi Road map F6. @ g from Aqaba Ghazala to Wadi Khudra. (Jordan). Midway along the track you Nuweiba lies midway along the will come to the Ain Khudra oasis, a lovely patch of palms Gulf of Aqaba at the side of a promontory and consists of two and tamarisks seemingly wedged between the high, distinct districts. To the south is Raccoon butterflyfish with diver, off the near vertical, red walls of the the luxuriant Nuweiba Muzeina coast of Dahab in the Gulf of Aqaba
Detailed information All the important towns and other places to visit are described individually. They are listed in order, following the numbering on the Regional Map. Within each town or city, there is detailed information on important buildings and other sights.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
THE RED SEA AND SINAI
St Catherine’s Monastery
Bell Tower This was built in 1871. The nine bells were donated by Tsar Alexander II of Russia and are nowadays rung only on major religious festivals.
Library The collection of priceless early Christian manuscripts is second only to that in the Vatican Library in Rome.
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Monastery Gardens In the orchard lies the cemetery, from which the monks’ bones are periodically exhumed and transferred to the nearby Charnel House.
1 Round Tower 2 The Walls of Justinian, built in the first half of the 6th century, are part of the complex’s original structure.
6 The Mosque was created
in 1106 by converting a chapel originally dedicated to St Basil. 7 Monks’ quarters 8 The underground cistern was dug to store fresh water from the monastery’s springs. 9 The elevated entrance, reached by a pulley system, used to be the only access. 0 The Treasury has on display important icons, manuscripts, vestments and works in silver.
4
St Catherine of Alexandria
. Basilica of the Transfiguration
This magnificently decorated church owes its name to the 6th-century Mosaic of the Transfiguration in the apse. It can be glimpsed behind the gilded iconostasis that dates from the early 17th century.
Well of Moses One of the monastery’s main water sources, this is also known as the Well of Jethro, as Moses is said to have met his future wife, Jethro’s daughter, here.
5 Ras Muhammad National Park
Four Seasons Resort, one of numerous luxury hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh
Almost entirely surrounded by reef, the Blue Hole drops to a depth of 80 m (260 ft) only a few metres off the shore. Although many sites are for expert scuba divers only, there are still plenty of others suitable for beginners or snorkellers. 4
Sharm el-Sheikh
Road map E7. k @ n Tourist Office, Sharm el-Sheikh, (069) 366 4721.
Until the latter half of the 20th century, the most famous resort in Sinai was only a military airport. Situated on the western side of the Strait of Tiran, Sharm became famous when Egyptian president Nasser decided to block Israeli access to the Red Sea, thus provoking the 1967 War. Under Israeli occupation of Sinai, the first hotels were built and began to attract tourists, especially expert scuba divers. The Sharm el-Sheikh bay is still a military port, but the neighbouring Sharm el-Maiya bay has hotels, shops and small restaurants. Most of the tourist development, however, has focused on Naama Bay, a few kilometres to the north. This is the place that most people actually mean when they talk about Sharm el-Sheikh. It has a long beach with a host of luxury hotels and diving centres. Boats take snorkellers as well as scuba divers out to the open sea. Here, in the Strait of Tiran, you can
Road map E7. 20 km (12.5 miles) S of Sharm el-Sheikh. k @ to Sharm el-Sheikh, then taxi. Open daily. & 8
observe manta rays, sharks, dolphins and, occasionally, On the southern tip of the sea turtles. For those wanting Sinai peninsula, where the to stay above water, tourists are waters of the Gulf of Suez and taken in glass-bottomed boats the Gulf of Aqaba converge, to observe the coral reef from is a park instituted in 1983 above. Other attractions include to protect the incredibly all manner of water sports, plus varied coastal and marine camel treks, quad biking and environment. It includes excursions inland. extensive coral Another spectacular reefs, a lagoon, sight is the long reef mangroves and under the cliffs to the a rugged desert west of the Ras Umm coastline, and there is a series Sidd lighthouse. of well-marked trails Reachable from leading to the most land, here you interesting spots. can admire Gazelle at Ras Muhammad Among the most a forest of National Park beautiful of these is gorgonians, the Ras Muhammad huge Napoleon headland, the southernmost fish and, sometimes, barracuda. point in Sinai. Formed from fossilized corals, the headland Environs is surrounded by beautiful A 29-km (18-mile) journey by jeep along the coast road north reefs. The diving sites are very varied, with both reefs and of Sharm el-Sheikh brings you wrecks to explore. There are to the 600-sq-km (232-sq-mile) also long, sandy beaches and Nabq National Park. This a clifftop “Shark Observatory”. coastal park on the edge of
Entrance to Ras Muhammad National Park
For all major sights, a Visitors’ Checklist provides the practical information you will need to plan your visit.
Visitors’ entrance The Burning Bush This spiny evergreen is said to be from the same stock as the bush from which Moses heard God’s voice, instructing him to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land.
4 St Stephen’s Well
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map E6. Sinai, 90 km (56 miles) W of Dahab and Nuweiba. Open 9am–noon Mon–Thu, Sat. Closed Greek Orthodox hols. Offerings welcome. Guesthouse: Tel (069) 347 0353. Treasury: & ∑ sinai monastery.com ∑ saint catherinefoundation.org
To Charnel House & Guesthouse
5 Dispensary
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the desert boasts crystal-clear lagoons and the most northerly mangrove forest in the world, which extends for 4 km (2.5 miles) along the shoreline. The hardy mangroves are able to live in salt water, making this is an extremely important environment, linking land to sea. It is used as a feeding ground by migratory birds, including storks, herons and many species of birds of prey.
School of anthias fish, likely to be seen during a dive at the isolated Brother Islands in the Red Sea
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Transport k10 km (6 miles) NE of monastery. @ from Taba, Dahab or Nuweiba to St Catherine’s Village (El-Milga), then taxi. Petrol available at monastery.
. Icon Collection Most of the monastery’s 2,000 icons, such as this one of St Theodosia, are kept here. A selection is always on public view in the Basilica, while the most important icons are on display in the Treasury (see below).
3 The Chapel of the Burning Bush stands where it is claimed the miraculous bush seen by Moses originally grew.
THE RED SEA AND SINAI
Ras Muhammad
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
A community of Greek orthodox monks has lived here, in the shadow of Mount Sinai, almost uninterruptedly since the monastery was founded in AD 527 by Byzantine emperor Justinian. It replaced a chapel built in 337 by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine, at the place where tradition says that Moses saw the Burning Bush. The monastery was named after St Catherine only in the 9th or 10th century, after monks claimed to have found her body on nearby Mount Catherine.
Summit
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Regional Map This shows the road network and gives an illustrated overview of the whole region. Interesting places to visit are numbered and there are also useful tips on getting to and around the region by car and public transport.
Scenic route
Gebel Feirani 1685m
Gulf
El Tur
MOUNT SINAI
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Gebel Katarina 2642m
Mir di Wa
Ras Abu Galum
Blue Desert
ST CATHERINE’S MONASTERY
St Catherine’s Monastery, an ancient walled retreat in the Sinai Desert
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Gebel Umm Ri' 1312m
Gebel Serbal 2073m
Ras Abu Suweira
Abu Galum Nature Reserve
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N a b q N a t i o n a l Pa r k
Suez
Ras Sharatib
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Sights at a Glance
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Ras el Naqb
Most visitors head for where the mountains and desert meet the clear cool waters of the Red Sea; specifically, Divers filming at Eilat’s Dolphin Reef Eilat, Aqaba and, most picturesque of all, the Sinai east coast. Its string of modern resorts, The incredible Coloured Canyon inpeninsula’s Sinai while uninteresting in themselves, are set against a backdrop of extraordinary natural beauty. Nuweiba, Dahab, Naama Bay and Sharm el-Sheikh are the largest and most well-developed tourism centres, but there are many smaller, more private beach retreats. St Catherine’s Monastery can be visited as a day trip.
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Apart from Jerusalem, the Holy Land has been divided into four other regions, each of which has a separate chapter. The most interesting cities, towns, historical and religious sites and other places of interest are located on a Regional Map.
Introduction The landscape, history and character of each region is outlined here, showing how the area has developed over the centuries and what it has to offer the visitor today.
ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
National Park 6 St Catherine’s Monastery pp250–51 7 Mount Sinai 8 Feiran Oasis
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THE RED SEA AND SINAI
The Sinai Peninsula forms a triangle between the gulfs of Aqaba and Suez, two finger-like extremities of the Red Sea. Although the whole of Sinai is Egyptian territory, Israel and Jordan also have small stretches of Red Sea coast at Eilat and Aqaba, respectively. The word “Sinai” probably derives from “Sin”, the moon god worshipped in Egypt under the pharaohs. But the region is better known through the Bible as the “great and terrible wilderness” negotiated by Moses and his people in their epic 40-year journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It’s here that God supposedly first spoke to Moses through the medium of a burning bush and here, on Mount Sinai, that Moses received the Ten Commandments. The peninsula has
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St Catherine is one of the most popular of early Christian female saints. Her legend, not recorded before the 10th century, recounts that she was a virgin of noble birth, martyred in Alexandria in the early 4th century. After being tortured on a spiked wheel (hence the Catherine wheel), she was beheaded. Her body was then transported by angels to Sinai, where it was found, uncorrupted, some six A 14th-century panel painting of centuries later by the St Catherine holding a wheel local monks.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
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The Top Sights These are given two or more full pages. Historic buildings are dissected to reveal their interiors. Other interesting sights and areas are mapped or shown in bird’s-eye view, with the most important features described.
INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI Discovering the Holy Land
10–15
Putting the Holy Land on the Map
16–17
Putting Jerusalem on the Map
18–19
A Portrait of the Holy Land
20–39
The Holy Land Through the Year
40–43
The History of the Holy Land 44–59
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INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
DISCOVERING THE HOLY LAND is also a six-day tour covering western Jordan, with two days in the magnificent city of Petra, as well as an itinerary maximizing three days by the Red Sea in Sinai, Egypt. Travellers with time can combine all five itineraries to a make a superb one-month tour of the whole region. Pick, combine and follow your favourite tours, or Tel Aviv simply dip in and out and be inspired. Jaffa
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The following tours have been designed to take in as many of the region’s highlights as possible, while keeping travel times manageable. First come ideas for making the most of a week in Jerusalem, then follows a one-week tour of northern Israel, taking in all the must-visit sites along the Coast and Galilee. Next, a five-day round-trip covers the Dead Sea and the Negev Desert. There
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Five Days in the Dead Sea and the Negev Desert
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One Week in the Coast and Galilee Six Days in Petra and Western Jordan
Ovdat
Three Days in the Red Sea and Sinai
Masada, overlooking the Dead Sea Famous for the siege in the Jewish-Roman war, the fortress at Masada offers some ethereal views of the Judaean Desert.
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Smear yourself with mineralrich black mud, before soaking in the salty waters of the Dead Sea. Scale the heights of the historic Masada and admire the superb views from Herod’s clifftop palaces.
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Splash around in the Red Sea at Eilat and enjoy the nightlife along the attractive seafront boulevard.
Explore the ruins at Ovdat and Beersheva.
St Catherine’s Monastery Dahab Mount Sinai
St George’s Monastery The spectacular cliff-hanging complex, located amid the rugged beauty of the Judaean Desert, is still inhabited by a few Greek Orthodox monks who maintain their ancient way of life.
The monastery at Petra (see p234) as depicted in a 19th-century engraving by David Roberts
Petra
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Escape the crowds at St George’s Monastery and see remarkable views of the Judaean Hills across the gorge.
Go hiking and biking through the staggering vastness of the Ramon crater in the Negev Desert.
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Qumran
Have fun on the beach, relax in fashionable café-bars and sample eclectic Israeli cuisine in white-washed Tel Aviv.
Nazareth, and see the sites of his ministry on the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee. •
Appreciate the emerald slopes of the Baha’i Gardens from Haifa’s gorgeously restored German Colony. •
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Jerusalem
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One Week in the Coast and Galilee
Capernaum
Tabgha
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Contrast Akko’s mosques with the Jewish tombs in Safed. Walk in Jesus Christ’s footsteps through the green hills around
Relish the fresh fish and famous Galilean cuisine at one of the many unique restaurants in the region. Marvel at remarkable Beth Shean, a ruined city that flourished for millennia and is now known for Israel’s bestpreserved Roman theatre.
Madaba Dead Sea
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The Monastery at Petra One of the most striking monuments in Petra is the Monastery, which boasts a massive façade carved into the sandstone hill. It was most likely a temple for the Nabataeans.
Wadi Rum
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Three Days in the Red Sea and Sinai •
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Six Days in Petra and Western Jordan • •
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Sharm el-Sheikh
Gulf of Aqaba
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Be awed by the extensive ruins at Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East. Soak up the buzz of lively Amman, which has a great restaurant scene alongside Roman-era attractions. Admire the Byzantine-age map at Madaba, a town with a wealth of mosaics. Chill out in a premier sparesort idyllically located
on the Dead Sea, while trying out its reputed healing properties. •
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Gaze up at the pink perfection of the hidden city of Petra, where one day is simply not enough.
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Sprawl by a campfire under the stars in Wadi Rum. Wind down on Aqaba’s long stretch of beach, to indulge in water sports and savour fresh fish for lunch.
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Snorkel or dive down and be stunned by Sinai’s luminous, colourful underwater world. Make the climb up Mount Sinai in the footsteps of Moses, either on foot or by camel, as the sun rises. Visit one of the world’s oldest monasteries – the walled fortress of St Catherine’s, which preserves a priceless collection of icons. Enjoy the ambience of an Egyptian-style coffee shop and let your hair down in the clubs of Sharm el-Sheikh. Relax on cushions at Dahab’s mellow restaurants on the beach promenade, after diving or trekking.
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One Week in Jerusalem The Old City is crammed with many fascinating sites and it is possible to see a great deal in a short span of time, as it is a small area. •
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Arriving Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. A private taxi or shared sherut takes 45 minutes to the city. Transport The alleys of the Old City can be negotiated only on foot. For outlying sights, take a taxi or use the Light Rail and bus services. Booking ahead Western Wall Tunnel tour and the Night Spectacular.
Day 1 Morning Start early at the Western Wall (p89), then ascend the Haram esh-Sharif (pp72–7) to see the Dome of the Rock (pp76–7). Exit via the Bab el-Asbat and walk along Via Dolorosa (pp34–5), which traces the last footsteps of Christ. Stop at the Monastery of the Flagellation and Ecce Homo Arch (p68) and eat a houmous lunch. Afternoon The Via Dolorosa culminates with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (pp96–9), the most sacred site in Christendom. Next, absorb Jerusalem’s history in the museum at the Citadel (pp106–9), before exiting via Jaffa Gate to the shops on Mamilla Avenue. Mamilla Hotel’s rooftop bar has great views of the Old City; nearby Nakhalat Shiva (p127) has many options for dinner.
Day 2 Morning Head to the exceptional Israel Museum (pp136–41). Three hours is the minimum needed here, and when fatigue sets in, make use of the cafés for lunch. The biggest draws are the Shrine of the Book and the re-created synagogue interiors – but make time for the Fine Arts Wing, where new exhibits seamlessly showcase ancient pieces alongside contemporary work. Afternoon Visit the Jewish Quarter (pp80–91) to see the Cardo (p84) and the Sephardic Synagogues (p86), or just watch life on Hurva Square (pp84–5). In the early evening, opt for the Western Wall Tunnel tour (p89), then savour an Israeli-fusion meal in the Cinematheque (p154) or the First Station complex (p152), where you can also take a stroll along converted train tracks. Day 3 Morning Explore East Jerusalem – Solomon’s Quarries (p130), Garden Tomb (p130) and Palestinian Pottery (p150) –before relaxing in the garden of the American Colony Hotel (p131). Afternoon Call in at the Rockefeller Museum (p131), then tread Crusader-era steps down to the Tomb of the Virgin (p118). From the sublime Basilica of the Agony (p118), ascend the Mount of Olives (pp114–15). The Dominus Flevit Sanctuary (p117) is just one beautiful church along the route. Then it’s a short ride for Palestinian food and Taybeeh beer just north of Damascus Gate (pp70–71).
The interior of the Catholikon, at the centre of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre For practical information on travelling around the Holy Land, see pp302–9
Day 4 Morning Begin at Yad Vashem (p142), the museum of the Holocaust. Take the trail through the pine forest (or a bus) to delightful Ein Kerem (pp142–3), where cafés nestle alongside quaint galleries. Afternoon Walk the Old City walls (pp146–7) in the late afternoon light, from Jaffa Gate to Lions’ Gate. Pop into atmospheric St Anne’s Church (p71), before enjoying a drink and the superb views at the Austrian Hospice. In the evening, watch the Night Spectacular (p107) at the Citadel. Day 5 Morning Stroll the flower-filled lanes of Yemin Moshe (pp124–5), see the inspiring architecture of the YMCA and King David Hotel (p126), then cross the New City to Mahane Yehuda market (p135). Enjoy fantastic eateries, bars and shops among the hollering vegetable vendors. Afternoon Return to the Old City to wander Muristan (pp102–3) and do souvenir shopping on Christian Quarter Road (p103) or in the souks (p70). Continue on to the City of David (p119) for an exciting walk in thigh-deep water through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. In the evening, try the trendy Russian Compound (p128) for a meal. Day 6 Morning Visit the magical Monastery of the Cross (p134) for its wonderful Georgian frescoes. Then choose between two museums nearby: the Bible Lands Museum (pp134–5), displaying archaeological treasures, or the LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art (p134) which also exhibits a collection of antique watches and clocks. Afternoon Explore Mount Zion (p120) to see the glittering interior of the Church of the Dormition (p120) and King David’s Tomb (p121). If the time is right (3pm), pop into St James’s Cathedral (p110) to hear the clergy’s hypnotic singing; otherwise, head straight to the
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a jumble of churches and little shops. Next, see the fascinating Mona Lisa mosaic and ruins at Tsipori (p185). If so inclined, see the basilica on Mount Tabor (p185), which boasts extraordinary views; otherwise head straight down to Tiberias (p188) on the Sea of Galilee (pp186–7), with its vibrant Roman history, strong Jewish flavour, striking basalt-stone buildings, beaches and hot springs. Boats docked at the picturesque port of Tel Aviv Jerusalem Archaeological Park (pp90–91), which has an intriguing subterranean visitors’ centre.
Day 7 Morning Make an early start to Bethlehem (pp196–9), either by taxi or bus 21 from Damascus Gate. Beneath the atmospheric grotto of the Church of the Nativity (pp198–9), a silver star marks Jesus’s birthplace. The souks and Baituna Al-Talhami (p197), a Palestinian house-cummuseum, are also worth a visit. Afternoon Take a taxi to the Herodion (p196), topped with the ruins and riddled with tunnels dug nearly 2,000 years ago. Return to Jerusalem for an early dinner in the German Colony, then take in a film, concert or theatre show.
One Week in the Coast and Galilee •
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Airport Arrive and depart from Ben Gurion Airport. Collect a hire car from the airport, or take a taxi or train to Tel Aviv, then arrange car rental there. Transport Requires a hire car.
Day 1: Tel Aviv Survey the city’s Bauhaus architecture on Rothschild Avenue, arty Bialik Street (p176) and fashionable Dizengoff Street (p174). The buzzing Carmel Market (p176) leads south to the run-down yet chic Neve Tzedek (p177), where you can eat at the beautifully restored HaTachana (p177). Stroll down the promenade
to Jaffa (pp178–9). Here, explore the quirky flea market and Artists’ Quarter, and feast on contemporary Israeli cuisine. Day 2: Tel Aviv Spend the morning at Beit Hatfutsot (p172), Museum of the Jewish People, then laze or surf the afternoon away at one of the beaches. Alternatively, culture buffs could view the masterpieces at the Museum of Art (p174). Come sunset, head to the Old Port (p173) for dinner. You could also take in some culture – the Bat Sheva dance company is world-renowned.
Day 6: Sea of Galilee and around In the morning, visit the sites of Christ’s ministry, commemorated in the pretty churches at Tabgha and the remains of Capernaum (p188). Then twist uphill, past the Church of the Beatitudes (p188), to Kabbalist Safed (p185) for a complete contrast – explore old synagogues, the Artists’ Quarter and the rabbis’ tombs. Spend the night in Safed, or return to Tiberias.
Day 3: Caesarea and Haifa Set off for Herod’s port of Caesarea (p180), which has a splendid seaside setting. Then go north to multicultural Haifa (p181). Look in at the Carmelite Monastery and Elijah’s Cave, or one of the many museums. Dinner on the Germany Colony’s picturesque avenue, with views of the Baha’i Gardens (p181), is a must. Day 4: Akko and Nazareth Be at the Baha’i Shrine and Gardens (p181) when it opens at 9am, then take the short drive to Akko (pp182–3) to explore the subterranean Crusader City. Move on to historic Nazareth (pp184–5) and squeeze in a visit to the Basilica of the Annunciation (p185, closes 9pm), before sampling the rich food culture of this Arab town. Day 5: Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee Devote a couple of hours to exploring Nazareth’s old centre,
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A 6th-century mosaic in the synagogue at Beth Alpha
Day 7: Sea of Galilee and around Wind upwards to the Crusaders’ bastion of Belvoir Castle (p188), for astounding views across the Jordan Valley. Spend a couple of hours wandering the splendid Roman-Byzantine ruins at Beth Shean (p189) and drop in to admire the vivid 6th-century mosaic floor at Beth Alpha (p189). Pick a spot for lunch in the Lower Galilee. Explore the site of Megiddo (p184), before making your way back to Tel Aviv.
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INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
Six Days in Petra and Western Jordan •
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The Ramon Crater as viewed from the observation deck of the Mitspe Ramon Visitors’ Centre
Five Days in the Dead Sea and the Negev •
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Airport Arrive and depart from Ben Gurion Airport. Collect a hire car from the airport, or take a private taxi or shared sherut to Jerusalem and arrange car rental there. Transport Requires a hire car. Booking ahead Book at least 2 weeks in advance for snorkelling or diving with dolphins in Eilat.
Day 1: Jerusalem to Ein Gedi Detour off the Jerusalem– Dead Sea road to picturesque St George’s Monastery (p194). Those with a historical bent should then stop at Qumran (p200), where the Dead Sea Scrolls (pp140–41) were discovered. Floating in the Dead Sea (p201) is an absolute must – a good spot is the Ein Gedi beach (p201). In the afternoon, hike in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve (p200) or just relax in thermo-mineral waters at the lowest point on earth. Day 2: Masada and Ein Bokek Energetic folk should do Masada (pp204–5) at dawn, walking up the Snake Path to see the sunrise over the Dead Sea; otherwise, the cable car starts at 8am. Allow at least three hours to explore the fortress itself. Have another dip in the Dead Sea at the free beach in Ein Bokek (p201), before travelling down to the
scenic Eilat (p209) in time for a delectable fresh-fish dinner. Day 3: Eilat Eilat, by the Red Sea, is the best place in Israel for diving and water sports. You can swim with dolphins at Dolphin Reef, or just enjoy the beach, good food and a dash of nightlife. To extend your trip… Cross the border into Jordan or Egypt, to visit Petra or laze by the beach in Sinai for a couple of nights. Day 4: Makhtesh Ramon Start early to drive through the heart of the Negev to breathtaking Makhtesh Ramon (p208). It is excellent for hiking and mountain-biking, or you can take jeep tours through the wildly beautiful landscape. The town of Mitspe Ramon – perched on the crater’s edge – has a frontier feel, yet it has amazing accommodation, plus interesting shopping and eating spots in the Spice Route Quarter. Day 5: Ovdat and Beersheva Travel on to Jerusalem, stopping to visit either the Nabataean and Roman-Byzantine remains at Ovdat (p206) or make a circular walk through the gorge Ein Ovdat (p206), where there are ice-cold pools. Have lunch and a leg-stretch in Beersheva (p207), which has some attractive Ottoman-era architecture and a fun Bedouin market, before continuing on to Jerusalem.
For practical information on travelling around the Holy Land, see pp302–9
Airport Arrive and depart from Queen Alia International Airport, Amman. Transport By taxi, or hire a car in Amman and drop it off in Aqaba. Booking ahead Internal flight from Aqaba to Amman.
Day 1: Amman In the morning visit the Roman ruins of Jerash (pp214–15), an hour north of Amman. This expansive site has a splendid colonnaded Cardo and an ovalshaped plaza. In the afternoon, head up to Amman’s Citadel (p216) for fantastic city views and the on-site Archaeological Museum (p217). Make an exploration of the Downtown area (p216) and its lively markets in the evening, before feasting on a Middle Eastern meal. Day 2: Madaba to the Dead Sea Go to Madaba (pp220–21) to view the extraordinary map – a 6th-century mosaic of the Holy Land depicting Jerusalem, the Jordan River and many other places covered in this guide. It’s a short drive to Mount Nebo (p219), where tradition holds Moses died after seeing the Promised Land. Spend the afternoon soaking in the salty waters of the Dead Sea (p201), relishing the facilities of a top-class resort.
The ancient Roman ruins of the Cardo in Jerash
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divers could check out the marine life at the famed Blue Hole. Dahab is also a great place to try kite-surfing or trekking.
Coral Bay Resort by the beach in Aqaba
Day 3: Kerak to Petra Visit the magnificent Crusader fortress of Kerak (p219) before moving on to Petra (pp224–35) – the highlight of any trip to Jordan and one of the world’s great archaeological wonders. After an early lunch in Wadi Musa village, walk the narrow Siq (pp226–7) to be awestruck by the glowing-pink Treasury (p228) at the gorge’s end. You’ll pass by the rock-hewn Theatre and have time to explore the City of Petra (pp232–3), as well as the museums, before dusk. Day 4: Petra Attempt to get up at dawn – it’s worth it, to have the Siq to yourself and see the sun rise over the Treasury. Take in Petra’s outlying sites, starting with the impressive façade of the Royal Tombs (pp230–31) and the Tomb of Sextius Florentinius (p235), then climb to the spectacular Monastery (p234). After lunch and a rest, energetic visitors should go to the High Place of Sacrifice (p234); it’s a stunning walk with tombs and monuments along the path. Alternatively, return through the Siq and take a taxi to secretive Little Petra (p235): no less impressive but much less visited. After a long day, treat yourself to dinner at the Movenpick Resort. Day 5: Wadi Rum From Petra, make the journey to ethereal Wadi Rum (pp236–8), a rose-sanded swathe of desert interspersed with wind-hollowed canyons and peaks. There are many rewarding hikes, or you can take a jeep or camel safari with local Bedouin, then spend
a surreal night camping by the fire under star-filled skies. Day 6: Aqaba Take a one-hour journey to Aqaba (p239) on the Red Sea. There are archaeological sites in town, otherwise the stretch of sand south of the port is perfect for some pure beachtime or water sports action. From Aqaba, a flight back to Amman takes 45 minutes.
Three Days in the Red Sea and Sinai •
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Airport Arrive and depart overland via Eilat in Israel; or take a flight to Sharm el-Sheikh Airport, 17 km (11 miles) north of town. Transport By taxi or bus.
Day 1: Dahab Cross the Taba (p246) border and head south along the coast to Dahab (pp246–7). A swathe of cute cafés lines the shore; just spend the afternoon swimming and relaxing, or experienced
Day 2: Mount Sinai to Sharm el-Sheikh Make a pre-dawn start to St Catherine’s (hire a taxi or join a tour) and ascend mystical Mount Sinai (p253), holy to Muslims, Christians and Jews alike. Then enter St Catherine’s Monastery (pp250–52) to see priceless icons and the radiant early-Byzantine Mosaic of the Transfiguration. Have lunch in El-Milga village, before journeying to Sharm el-Sheikh (p247) for a swim and a lively night out in the town’s busy markets, pubs and coffee shops. To extend your trip… From St Catherine’s, go on a camel safari in the desert plateaus or trek through the mountains and gardens with local Bedouin guides. Day 3: Sharm el-Sheikh Spend the day immersed in the warm waters of the Red Sea – diving, snorkelling, glassbottomed boat trips and other water sports are all easily arranged. It’s just over three hours by car back to the border at Eilat (open 24 hours). Note that it’s possible to connect Sinai and Jordan by ferry between Nuweiba and Aqaba (daily; visas can be arranged on board the vessel to/from Jordan, or on exiting the vessel in Sinai).
St Catherine’s Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai
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INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
Putting the Holy Land on the Map The crossroads of three continents – Africa to the south, Asia to the east and Europe to the west – the Holy Land encompasses the whole of Israel and the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, and parts of Jordan and Egypt. Its boundaries could be said to stretch from the Mediterranean in the west, inland to the Jordanian deserts, and from Galilee in the north to the southern tip of the Sinai peninsula. At the core of the Holy Land is Jerusalem, an ancient walled city which stands on the Judaean Hills, just to the west of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.
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R 45
Putting Jerusalem on the Map
Bir Nabala
Jerusalem covers 125 sq km (48 sq miles). In terms of geographical extent, this makes it Israel’s largest city. However, despite its surface area, it is less populous than the Tel Aviv urban area. Only 800,000 people live here – 500,000 Jews, 280,000 Muslims and 15,000 Christians. At the core of Jerusalem is the walled Old City, standing 800 m (2,600 ft) above sea level. Dotted on the hilltops around, and strung along the valley floors between, are the ever-expanding modern suburbs. The city limits extend almost to the Palestinian towns of Ramallah in the north and Bethlehem to the south.
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A PORTRAIT OF THE HOLY LAND A Jew growing up in New York, a Christian in Lisbon and a Muslim in Jakarta will have childhoods as different as can be imagined, but one thing they will share is a common set of reference points, which will include names such as Abraham and Moses, and, above all, Jerusalem and the Holy Land. For around 2,000 years this narrow corridor of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean has exercised an influence on world culture far out of proportion to its modest size. Events that are said to have taken place here in antiquity gave rise to the three great monotheistic religions. As these religions extended their influence throughout the world, so the Holy Land in general, and Jerusalem in particular, became overburdened with spiritual significance. There is archaeological evidence that Jerusalem is where Solomon built his great temple, Christ was crucified, and the Prophet Muhammad visited on his Night Journey. It comes as a mild shock to some to discover that this spiritual world centre is no bigger than an average city neighbourhood. Those who come to
Jerusalem expecting architectural grandeur to match the stature of these spiritual highlights will be disappointed. The city’s churches don’t begin to compare with the soaring Gothic cathedrals of Europe. The glorious Dome of the Rock aside, the buildings are quite humble. But the effect this has is to bestow on the city an altogether appropriate air of humility and authenticity, pleasingly at odds with the hyperbole and oversell of the new millennium. While Jerusalem is a city rooted in ancient history, at the same time it lies at the heart of a region which possesses a distinctly youthful nature. Both Israel and Jordan, the two countries which, along with Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, make up what we know as the Holy Land, are barely more than half a century old.
Bedouin encampment in the desert scenery of Wadi Rum, southern Jordan Interior of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
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A panoramic view of the skyline of Jerusalem
It is a greatly over-used travel cliché, but here it is difficult to avoid commenting on the striking mix of the ancient and modern. In Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox Jews wearing clothes that were fashionable in Eastern Europe 300 years ago mingle with Christian pilgrims armed with state-of-theart digital cameras. In the wilderness of the Negev Desert, Bedouin tribesmen
Young boy playing football at the Dome of the Rock, the iconic symbol of Jerusalem
speak nonchalantly on mobile phones, while in Galilee Palestinian farmers lead oxen to fields that lie in the shadow of huge biotechnology plants. Equally striking is the mix of peoples. The modern state of Israel has drawn its citizens from virtually every continent, embracing a worldwide roll call of Jewry, from Minnesota to Murmansk, Adelaide to Addis Ababa. Side by side with the Jews – and Arabs – are such minority peoples as the Druze, a mysterious offshoot sect of Islam, and the Samaritans, who speak Arabic but pray in Hebrew and number around 600. In this land of diversity, even the one common element shared by most Israelis, the Jewish faith, is not the uniting factor it might be. The notion of what it is to be Jewish and, more pertinently, what form a Jewish state should take, are subjects of great contention. There are large, and increasingly influential, sections of society that believe Israel should adhere strictly to the laws of the Torah. The greater part of society, however, views the notion of a religious state with horror. The gulf between the two standpoints is best illustrated by the reactions to Dana International. While the transsexual singer’s victory at the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest was celebrated by a part of the nation, the religious sector saw it as
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“the secular sickness of Israel”. Gay Pride parades provoke similar feelings: the one in Jerusalem is greeted with harsh criticism from the religious communities, while the one in secular Tel Aviv keeps going from strength to strength. An even more contentious issue is ownership of the land. Israel bases its right to exist on an ancient covenant with God, related in the Old Testament, in which this land was promised to the descendants of the Jewish patriarch Abraham, as well as the political sovereignty granted to them Souk stall-holder displaying fresh vegetables, a common sight in the local markets of the region by the United Nations in 1947. The Palestinian Arabs have their own the Ark of the Covenant, which they believe claims on the territory, based on may hold the key to human existence. centuries of occupancy. During Amid all this hullabaloo, one should not the 20th century four major wars were fought between forget that the Holy Land is a marvellous region for the visitor. It is not necessary the Arabs and the Jews. to have an advanced grasp of history to The problem is still far appreciate the magnificence of the region’s from being resolved. ancient cities, isolated monasteries and Since the Hebrew tribes hilltop forttresses, while the desert scenery first emerged from the desert of Wadi Rum is a setting in which to live out around the 12th century BC, fantasies, and the diving in the Red Sea is this has been one of the reckoned by some to be unsurpassed world’s most turbulent anywhere in the world. Added to this, there neighbourhoods. Every is plenty of fine dining and comfortable major Near Eastern Divisive Dana accommodation. It is quite possible to visit empire fought here. This International the Holy Land and find that the only issue of has resulted in a fantastic legacy of historical remains, including concern is getting a decent spot on the beach. Roman cities, Byzantine churches and early Islamic palaces. Archaeologists are constantly at work to uncover what other riches this troubled land might yield. Sometimes their aims go far beyond the academic: some expeditions search for evidence to support territorial claims; others seek fabled artifacts such A beach in Tel Aviv, the vibrant cultural and commercial capital of Israel as the Holy Grail or
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Old Testament Sites in the Holy Land Many of the stories told in the Old Testament (known in Judaism as the “Tanakh”) are located within Egypt, Sinai and the “Land of Canaan”, which corresponds roughly to present-day Israel. The Bible gives plenty of precise geographical references. Some places, such as Jerusalem and Jericho, still exist and have yielded archaeological evidence confirming some, but by no means all, of the references to them in the Old Testament. Other sites were only attached to their biblical episodes much later. Touring these sites, visitors cannot but be aware of the contrast between the importance of the events and the often insignificant and all-too-human scale of the places in which they are said to have occurred.
1 The Destruction of Sodom
When Sodom was destroyed by God (see p206) only Lot and his family were spared, but his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.
2 The Sacrifice of Isaac
God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The patriarch was about to obey when an angel stayed his hand and instructed him to slaughter a ram instead (Genesis 22). Tradition identifies the place of sacrifice as Mount Moriah, later a part of Jerusalem, and the site on which Solomon’s Temple is said to have been subsequently built (see p45).
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3 The Tombs of the Patriarchs
Acquired as a burial place for his wife Sarah, the Machpelah cave was the first plot in the Land of Canaan purchased by Abraham (Genesis 23). A mosque/synagogue now occupies the traditional site of the tomb, located in the present-day town of Hebron (see p206–7). 4 Moses Receives the Ten Commandments
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Since the 4th century, Mount Sinai (see p253) has been associated with the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). The Bible places Mount Sinai in a region called Horeb, but the location of Horeb has never been identified.
5 The Death of Moses
Moses is said to have seen the Promised Land from the summit of Mount Nebo and died in the same place. Christian tradition identifies Mount Nebo (see p219) as being just southwest of modern-day Amman. As the Bible states, the whereabouts of Moses’ tomb is unknown (Deuteronomy 34: 1–7).
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6 Joshua Conquers Jericho
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7 The Ark of the Covenant
The Old Testament story tells how the walls of Jericho (see pp194–5) fell to the blast of horns (Joshua 6). This ancient oasis was the first city conquered by the Israelites, led by Joshua, after they emerged from their 40 years in the wilderness.
At Shiloh, the Jews built the first temple and placed in it the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred container of the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The Ark is shown here in a 13th-century illumination being carried by two angels. 8 Samson and Delilah
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The climax of this story, in which Samson pulls down the Philistines’ temple, killing himself and his enemies, is described as taking place in Gaza (Judges 14–16).
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9 David Defeats Goliath
As the champion of the Israelites during the reign of King Saul, David defeated Goliath and routed the Philistines (I Samuel 17). The site of the battle is given as the Ha-Ela Valley, northwest of Hebron.
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Elijah challenged the prophets of the Canaanite god Baal (left). An altar was set up and sacrifices prepared. Only Elijah’s offering burst into flames, showing it had been acknowledged and proving who the true God was (I Kings 18). The traditional site of this event is Mount Carmel, at Haifa (see p181).
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The Old Testament as History Unlike Mesopotamia or Egypt, where ancient texts have allowed the development of a detailed historical framework, the Holy Land has yielded few written archives. The only such resource is the Bible. The later books, which describe events not too far removed from the time they were written, may be relatively accurate. For example, events recounted in Kings I and II can be corroborated by contemporary Assyrian inscriptions. However, the historical basis of stories such as those relating to Abraham, Moses or Solomon must be viewed with caution. The Old Testament as we know it was compiled from a variety of sources, no earlier than the 6th century BC. These narratives might well contain kernels of historical reality, but by the time they came to be set down, they were essentially no more than folk tales.
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Assyrian obelisk (825 BC) showing Israelite King Jehu (I Kings 19)
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Judaism Jewishness is not just a matter of religion but of belonging to a people. Jews believe themselves to be descended from Abraham, to whom God promised a land “unto thee, and to thy seed after thee”. Judaism traditionally passes through the female line or by conversion, with different Jewish movements (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform) having different requirements. Practising Jews conduct their life by the Torah, which can be translated as “instruction” or “guidance”. Its core is the Five Books of Moses, but the Torah also includes all the teachings and laws within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and subsequent interpretations by rabbinic scholars. The creation of the State of Israel has presented the Jewish people with new political and religious challenges.
The menorah, a sevenbranched candlestick, derives from the candlestick that originally stood in Solomon’s Temple.
The Western Wall This is all that is accessible of the remains of the Jews’ great Temple (see pp48–9), built to hold the Ark of the Covenant (see p25). It is the holiest of all Jewish sites and a major centre of pilgrimage (see p89).
The Scrolls of the Torah The Torah is traditionally inscribed on scrolls. During a synagogue service the scrolls are ceremonially raised to the congregation before being read. It is an honour to read them. A boy of 13 years of age or a girl of 12 is bar or bat mitzvah, a “child of the commandment”. During a bar/bat mitzvah service the boys and girls (Reform and Conservative Jews only) read from the scrolls.
The scrolls, when not in use, are placed in the ark. They may be kept in an ornamental box (right) or else tied with a binder inside a decorated cover, adorned with a breastplate, yad, bells or crown.
The yad (“hand”) is a pointer used to avoid touching the sacred text. It is also meant to direct the reader’s attention to the precise word and to encourage clear and correct pronunciation.
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Divisions in Judaism
Traditional Jewish life is measured by the regular weekly day of rest, Shabbat (from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday), and a great many festivals (see pp40–43). The blowing of the shofar (a ram’s horn trumpet) marks Rosh ha-Shanah, the Jewish New Year.
As a result of their history of dispersion and exile, there are Jewish communities in most countries of the world. Over the centuries, different customs have developed in the various communities. The two main strands, with their own distinctive customs, are the Sephardim, descendants of Spanish Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, and the Ashkenazim, descendants of Eastern European Jews. In Western Europe and the US, some Jews adapted their faith Yemenite bride in to the conditions of wedding dress modern life, by such steps as altering the roles of women. This divided the faith into Reform (modernizers) and Orthodox (traditionalists), with Conservative Jews somewhere in between. Israeli Jews are frequently secular or maintain only some ritual practices. The ultra-Orthodox, or haredim, adhere to an uncompromising form of Judaism, sometimes living in separate communities.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem’s in their distinctive black garb
The Synagogue Synagogue architecture generally reflects the architecture of the host community, but with many standard elements. There must be an ark, symbolizing the Ark of the Covenant, which is always placed against the wall facing Jerusalem. In front of the ark hangs an eternal light (ner tamid). The liturgy is read from the lectern at the bimah, the platform in front of the ark. The congregation sits around the hall, although in most synagogues men and women are segregated. Traditionally, a full service cannot take place without a minyan: a group of ten men.
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Christianity To his followers, Jesus of Nazareth was more than just a prophet, he was the Son of God and bringer of a new covenant replacing the one given by God to Abraham (see p26). His crucifixion in Jerusalem came to be seen as self-sacrifice for the salvation of humankind and inspired a new religious movement based on his teachings. At first this existed as a subsect of Judaism; Jesus came to be known as Christ (Christos, the anointed one, in Greek), as he was held to be the Messiah of Jewish prophecies. However, the new religion spread far beyond Judaea. It saw persecution, then recognition by the Roman Empire, eventually becoming its dominant religion in the 4th century AD.
The Eucharist (Mass) Greek Orthodox priests celebrate the Eucharist, the taking of bread and wine, representing the body and blood of Christ. One of the central sacraments of Christianity, it was instituted by Jesus himself at the Last Supper (see p121).
The Christian Bible is in two parts: the Old Testament consists of Jewish sacred texts; the New Testament relates the life and teaching of Jesus and his apostles. The latter was written from the mid1st century. Most early texts were in Greek; a definitive Latin version by St Jerome (see p199) appeared in about AD 404. This elaborate 15th-century Latin version from France depicts the construction of a temple in Jerusalem.
Icons play a major role in the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches. Usually painted on wood, they are used as aids to devotion, bringing the worshipper into the presence of the subject. This brilliant series of icons decorates the New Jerusalem Monastery in Russia.
The Virgin and Child is a favourite Christian image. Depictions of the baby Jesus emphasize the human side of his nature, while the cult of his mother, the Virgin Mary, allows the faithful to identify with the joys and suffering of motherhood.
The cross is a symbol of the Crucifixion of Christ. An empty cross shows that he has risen from the dead.
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Christian Denominations
A Palm Sunday procession re-creates Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. This is a prelude to Holy Week, the most important Christian festival, commemorating the Crucifixion on Good Friday and Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Almost all the major Christian churches are represented in Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox (see p104) and Syrian churches were the first to be established in the city. Other ancient Christian communities include the Armenians (see p111), Copts and Ethiopians. The Roman Catholic Church established its own Patriarchate here in the wake of the Crusades, and the most recent arrivals were the Protestants. The Greek Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic churches have large congregations, mostly of Palestinian Arabs, while priests and officials tend Syrian Orthodox to be Greek and Italian. Christmas in Bethlehem
Procession of Ethiopian priests in Jerusalem
Armenian priests in their black hooded copes
Churches in the Holy Land The first churches did not appear in the Holy Land until around AD 200 – the earliest Christians gathered together in each other’s homes. Roman suspicion of unauthorized sects kept these churches underground. However, the conversion to Christianity of the Roman emperor Constantine signalled a rash of building on the sites connected with the life of Christ. The usual type of Byzantine church was the basilica, a longitudinal structure with a nave (central aisle) lit by windows in the walls of the side aisles. The apse area, containing the altar, was frequently concealed by an iconostasis, a three-panelled screen adorned with icons.
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Islam Islam was founded by Muhammad, a former merchant from Mecca in Arabia. Born around AD 570, at the age of 40 he began to receive revelations of the word of Allah. These continued for the rest of his life and were transcribed as the Quran. Muhammad’s preachings were not well received in Mecca and in 622 he and his followers were forced to flee for Medina. This flight, or hejira, constitutes year zero in the Islamic calendar. Before Muhammad died in 632, he had returned to conquer Mecca. Within a further four years, the armies of Islam had swept out of the Arabian desert and conquered the Holy Land.
The crescent moon, the symbol of Islam, has resonances of the lunar calendar, which orders Muslim religious life.
Dome of the Rock One of the oldest and most beautiful of all mosques, the richly decorated Dome (see pp76–7) is the third most holy site of Islam after the Prophet’s cities of Mecca and Medina.
The Quran, the holy book of Islam, is regarded as the exact word of Allah. Muslims believe that it can never be truly understood unless read in Arabic: translations into other languages can only ever paraphrase. The Quran is divided into 114 chapters, or suras, covering many topics, including matters relating to family, marriage, and legal and ethical concerns.
The Five Pillars of Faith Islam rests on what are known as the “five pillars of faith”. The first of these, known as the Shahada, is a simple declaration that “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Prophet”. The second pillar is the set daily prayers, performed in the direction of Mecca five times a day. The third pillar is the fasting during daylight hours that takes place for the whole of the holy month of Ramadan, and the fourth is the giving of alms. The fifth pillar is Haj: at least once in their lifetime all Muslims must, if they are able, make the pilgrimage to Mecca, birthplace Muslim at prayer of Muhammad.
House decorated with pilgrimage scenes, indicating the owner has made the Haj
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Muslim festivals are relatively infrequent, with just four major dates in the calendar (see p42). The most important of these are Eid el-Adha (which commemorates Abraham’s covenant with God), marking the time of the pilgrimage, or Haj, and Eid el-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan. Celebrations tend to be communal.
The imam is an Islamic teacher, usually attached to a particular mosque. He delivers the khutba, or sermon, at the midday prayers on Friday. These prayers are always the best attended of the week.
The Night Journey was one of the defining episodes in the life of the Prophet Muhammad. He was carried during the night from Mecca to Jerusalem and from there made the Miraj, the ascent through the heavens to God’s presence, returning to Mecca in the morning.
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Mosques come in many shapes and sizes but they all share some common characteristics. Chief of these is the mihrab, the niche that indicates the direction of Mecca. Most mosques also have a minbar, from which the imam delivers his Friday sermon. A dome usually covers the prayer hall. The minaret serves as a platform for the delivery of the call to prayer, once made by a muezzin, but these days more often a prerecorded broadcast through a loudspeaker.
Balcony, from where the call to prayer is traditionally made Crescent-shaped finial Dome Prayer hall entrance, where footwear must be removed
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Sites of the New Testament
1 The Annunciation
In Bethlehem Jesus was born in a grotto and an angel appeared to shepherds in nearby fields, telling them of the birth (Luke 2: 1–20). A church was first built on the site in the 4th century (see pp198–9) and a star marks the alleged site of the Nativity.
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2 The Birth of Jesus 3 The Wedding at Cana
Jesus performed his first miracle at this small village near Nazareth, at a wedding where he turned water into wine (John 2: 1–11). Joppa (Jaffa)
4 The Baptism of Christ John the Baptist, a cousin of Jesus, baptized and preached the coming of the Messiah on the shores of the Jordan River. John recognized Jesus as the “Lamb of God” (Matthew 3). Two sites are traditionally identified with the baptism – Qasr el-Yehud, east of Jericho on the Jordanian border (see p195), and Bethany Beyond the Jordan, a few kilometres north of the Dead Sea (see p201). Both lie in a military zone but are open to pilgrims throughout the week.
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At Nazareth Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told of her forthcoming child (Luke 1: 26–38). The episode is commemorated by the Basilica of the Annunciation (see p185).
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The life of Jesus Christ, as narrated in the gospels, was played out in a relatively small geographical arena. He was born in Bethlehem; he grew up in Nazareth; his baptism took place at the Jordan River near Jericho; most of his public activity was carried out around the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where he preached, narrated parables and worked miracles; and his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension all occurred in Jerusalem. Unlike the sites of the Old Testament, those of the New Testament saw the rise of sanctuaries, churches and chapels built within two or three centuries of the death of Jesus. For this reason, a number of these sites have some claim to authenticity, although, as with so much in the Holy Land, nothing is beyond dispute.
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5 The Temptations
Following his baptism, Jesus went into the desert, where the Devil tried to tempt him from his 40-day fast (Matthew 4: 1–11). The Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Temptation on Mount Quarntal, just north of Jericho, marks the site of the supposed encounter (see p194–5).
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6 The First Disciples
Christ’s first Disciples were fishermen he encountered on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. He persuaded them to leave their nets to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 5: 18–22). In the mid-1980s a fishing boat was discovered in the mud of the lake. It dates back to the 1st century AD, roughly the time of Christ, and is on display at Kibbutz Ginosar (see p186). Tabgha Sea of Galilee Cana Nazareth Caesarea
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The gospels locate this famous miracle, more colourfully known as the “feeding of the 5,000” (Matthew 15: 32–39), on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The episode is commemorated in a church at Tabgha on the lake shore (see p188), which has a mosaic in front of the altar showing a basket of bread flanked by fish.
Jerusalem Bethlehem Sea
The longest and one of the key sermons in the teachings of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, begins with the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth…” (Matthew 5–7). Tradition has it delivered on a small rise at Tabgha. It is celebrated by the nearby octagonal Church of the Beatitudes (see p188).
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Jesus in Jerusalem In what was to be the last week of his life, Jesus made a triumphal entrance into Jerusalem shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover. He proceeded to the Temple where he drove out the moneychangers (Matthew 21: 12–13). He gathered his Disciples to eat a Passover meal; this was to be the Last Supper. After the meal they went to the Garden of Gethsemane (see p118), where Jesus was arrested (Matthew 26: 36–56). Condemned by the Jewish authorities, he was put on trial before Pontius Pilate, possibly in the Antonia Fortress or the Citadel (see pp106–9). After being paraded through the city (see pp34–5), he was crucified and buried at Golgotha, traditionally identified with the site of the Holy Sepulchre church. Following his Resurrection, Jesus departed earth with his Ascension from the Mount of Olives (see pp114–5).
The Last Supper (Matthew 26: 18–30), traditionally associated with a room on Mount Zion (see p121)
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Via Dolorosa The Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem traditionally traces the last steps of Jesus Christ (see pp68–9), from where he was tried to Calvary, where he was crucified, and the tomb in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where he is said to have been buried. There is no historical basis for the route, which has changed over the centuries. However, the tradition is so strong that countless pilgrims walk the route, identifying with Jesus’s suffering as they stop at the 14 Stations of the Cross. The walk is not done the week after Easter or Christmas.
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Locator Map Via Dolorosa
Sixth Station Veronica wipes away Jesus’s blood and sweat, and her handkerchief reveals an impression of his face. The Chapel of St Veronica commemorates the story, which is not recorded in the gospels.
Fourteenth Station The last Station of the Cross is the Holy Sepulchre itself. The tomb belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, who asked Pilate for Jesus’s body.
Eighth Station Jesus consoles the women of Jerusalem (Luke 23: 28). The spot is marked by a Latin cross on the wall of a Greek Orthodox Monastery.
Seventh Station Jesus falls for the second time. A large Roman column in a Franciscan chapel indicates this station.
Ninth Station Jesus falls for the third time. The place is marked by part of the shaft of a Roman column at the entrance to the Ethiopian Monastery (see p97 & p99).
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Tenth to Thirteenth Stations These four stations (Jesus is stripped of his clothes; he is nailed to the cross; he dies; he is taken down from the cross) are all in the place identified as Golgotha (Calvary) within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (see pp96–9).
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First Station Jesus is condemned to death. The traditional site of the Roman fortress where this took place lies inside a Muslim college, the Madrasa el-Omariyya (see p72). Franciscan friars begin their walk along the Via Dolorosa here every Friday.
Second Station Jesus takes up the cross, after being flogged and crowned with thorns. This station is in front of the Franciscan Monastery of the Flagellation (see p68).
Ecce Homo Arch is where Pontius Pilate is said to have uttered the words “Behold the man” (see p68).
Fourth Station Jesus meets his mother Mary. This point is in front of the Armenian Church of Our Lady of the Spasm, which is built over an earlier Crusader church. This sculpture above the door shows the grief of Mary as she sees her son walking to his death.
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Third Station Jesus falls beneath the weight of the cross for the first time. This is commemorated by a small chapel with a marble relief above the door.
Fifth Station Simon of Cyrene is ordered by the Roman soldiers to help Jesus carry the cross (Mark 15: 21). A Franciscan oratory marks this point on the Via Dolorosa, which is the start of the ascent to Calvary. This painting also shows St Veronica (see Sixth Station).
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Celebrated Visitors As a spiritual or utopian concept, Jerusalem has, over the centuries, been celebrated by poets and artists who have never been there, and who would perhaps hardly have known where it was on the map. However, the Holy City and the Holy Land have also been the subject of a no less impressive number of accounts, journals and paintings by a great many well-known travellers, writers and artists who did visit. From the early 19th century, the region also became a magnet for a steady flow of archaeologists and biblical scholars.
(75,000 miles), also visited Palestine. His journals describe the Tombs of the Prophets in Hebron (see p206–7) and Jerusalem’s Dome of the Rock (see pp76–7), of which he wrote, “It glows like a mass of light and flashes with the gleam of lightning.”
Rediscovering the Holy Land
In the wake of Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt (1798) and recounted in From the Holy subsequent expedition into Early Pilgrims and Mountain (1996). Palestine, and the interest it Travellers Early travellers also visited generated in the Orient, the Holy Land for trade. Europeans began to visit The establishment of The most famous of the Holy Land. First Christianity as the religion of the merchants was to arrive were the the Roman Empire in the 4th Marco Polo who, explorers and century AD triggered a wave in the course of adventuring of visitors, drawn by the his extensive archaeologists, region’s biblical associations. travels, was typified by One of the first pilgrims we entertained Johann Ludwig know of is a nun named by the Crusaders Burckhardt (see Egeria, who was perhaps in their halls p227), who was Spanish, and visited the Holy at Akko. one of the first Land from AD 380 to 415. An The works of Westerners ever to 11th-century manuscript found early Muslim visit Jerash, and who in Italy in 1884 contained a travellers include discovered Petra in copy of her travel diary, which some lively descriptions 1812. Lady Hester makes frequent mention Lady Hester of the Holy City. The Stanhope was an of places such as Sinai and Stanhope 10th-century historian eccentric British Jerusalem. Present-day writer aristocrat who escaped from William Dalrymple used a similar El-Muqaddasi described Jerusalem as “a golden basin her high-society existence to historical account (the journal live in Palestine. Although she of John Moschos, a 6th-century filled with scorpions”. The Moroccan scholar Ibn Batuta did conduct some haphazard monk who wandered the who, in the 14th century, excavations in Ashkelon (north Byzantine world) as the basis travelled over 120,000 km of Gaza) in 1814, she is more for his own Holy Land travels famous for wearing men’s clothing in order to avoid wearing the veil. In 1838, Edward Robinson, an American Protestant clergyman with an interest in biblical geography, was the first to make a proper critical study of supposed holy sites; his name is commemorated in Robinson’s Arch south of the Western Wall (see p90). In 1867–70, excavations south of the Haram esh-Sharif were carried out by Lieutenant Charles Warren of the Royal Engineers, a man who, some 20 years later, would lead the investigations into the infamous Jack the Ripper serial murders in London. Pilgrims in Jerusalem from the Book of Marvels on Marco Polo’s travels
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The Artists With the writers came the artists, the best-known and most prolific of whom was David Roberts, a Scot who visited the Holy Land in 1839. He produced an enormous volume of very precise lithographs, collected and published in 1842, which ensured him fame in his own lifetime. His work remains ubiquitous today, adorning almost every book published Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (1859) by Edward Lear on the Holy Land (see pp8–9). He is remembered in Jerusalem 19th century, were hardly any Better known for his whimsical today through “Warren’s Shaft”, more enamoured. Melville, verse, artist, writer and traveller the popular name for the author of Moby-Dick, thought Edward Lear (1812–63) spent Jebusite well at the City of David the Holy Sepulchre church “a time in the Holy Land, painting archaeological site (see p119). sickening cheat”. Twain was a fine series of watercolours. even more caustic, The English evangelical commenting in his 1895 painter William Holman Hunt, The Writers book The Innocents who belonged to the PreAbroad, “There will be no Raphaelite movement, As the ground was broken Second Coming. Jesus has settled on Ha-Neviim Street by the early explorers, a been to Jerusalem once in Jerusalem in 1854, steady stream of adventurous and he will not come where he painted several travellers followed in again.” The tradition of of his most famous their wake, recording their scathing comment works. In the 20th century, experiences for eager continued in the 20th Russian-born Jewish artist audiences back in the century, with George Marc Chagall (1887–1985) West. François René de Bernard Shaw advising became closely identified Chateaubriand’s brief sojourn Zionists in the 1930s to with Jerusalem. His naïvein Jaffa, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, styled work, with its strong Jericho and the Dead Sea area, erect notices at popular holy sites stating, “Do not Jewish themes, can as related in his Journey from bother to stop here, it Paris to Jerusalem (1811), Mark Twain be seen at the Israel isn’t genuine.” Other Museum (see pp136–41), initiated the fashion for travel writers have been kinder: in tapestry form at the Knesset journals and descriptions of Nobel laureate Saul Bellow (see p135), and in stained-glass the Holy Land among produced a warm-hearted windows at the synagogue 19th-century literati. The account of the city in To of the Hadassah Hospital French poet Alphonse de Jerusalem and Back (1976). (see p143). Lamartine followed in his tracks in 1832, recording his experiences in Remembrances of a Journey to the East. In 1850 the creator of Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert, visited Palestine and Egypt, but found Jerusalem oppressive, writing in his diary, “It seems as if the Lord’s curse hovers over the city.” American authors Herman Melville and Mark Twain, both visiting in the midThe Finding of the Saviour in the Temple (1854–60) by William Holman Hunt
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The Landscape and Wildlife of the Holy Land From the life-giving Jordan River in the north to the scattered oases of the Negev and Sinai deserts in the south, water is precious in the Holy Land. In Israel it is rare to see water that is not used for irrigating land or creating fish ponds. Away from the cultivated areas of Galilee and the coast, visitors will encounter a great variety of environments: mountains in the Golan Heights, green hills in Galilee, stony desert in the Negev and sandy desert in southern Jordan. Then there are the strange lifeless waters of the Dead Sea (see p201) and the astonishing abundance of life on the reefs of the Red Sea (see pp244–5).
The Jordan River, which flows from the Golan Heights to the Dead Sea
The Desert Much of the Holy Land is desert. South of the Dead Sea, the landscape changes from scrubby steppe to rocky desert with spectacular craters such as Makhtesh Ramon (see p208). The one common tree is the hardy acacia. Animals such as gazelles, ibexes and hyraxes are found at wadis and oases, but the predators that hunted them, the striped hyena and the wolf, are now extremely rare. A more common sight is that of a wheeling vulture or eagle. Acacia trees growing in the Negev Desert
The fleet-footed Dorcas gazelle is found in the southern part of Israel and the Sinai peninsula, but in dwindling numbers. A rock hyrax basks in the hot sun. Hyraxes are hard to spot as they remain hidden among the rocks if it is overcast or cold.
Ice plants are succulents that thrive in desert conditions, surviving drought by storing water in their fleshy leaves.
Oases are rare in the deserts of this region. Those with plentiful water, like this one in Azraq, Jordan, are exploited to the full. Others act as magnets for the wildlife of the region.
Wadis are riverbeds, dry for much of the year. After spring rains, they can fill rapidly with torrents of water, causing a brief explosion of flowers and grasses. Trees that manage to survive in these unpredictable conditions include the acacia and terebinth.
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Mountains, Hills and Cliffs The highest mountains in the region are those on the Sinai peninsula and Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. Trees on the lower slopes in the Golan include Aleppo pine and Syrian juniper. Vegetation in Sinai is very sparse, as it is in the spectacular rocky cliffs and gorges in the Judaean Hills and around the Dead Sea.
Egyptian vultures are found in many of the wilder areas, such as the Negev and the mountains of northern Israel and northwestern Jordan. Ibexes live high in the mountains, descending, in the cool of the morning and late afternoon, to wadis and oases to graze and drink. The Madonna lily’s beautiful white flowers symbolize purity. A number of Holy Land plants have names inspired by the Bible.
The Golan Heights Prickly pears thrive in the hot dry climate. Introduced originally from the Americas, they are much appreciated for their sweet refreshing fruit. Oranges are one of many fruits grown in the fertile areas; they constitute a major export for Israel.
The laughing dove, so called for its rising and falling, laughing cry, has spread dramatically since the 1930s in the cultivated regions of Israel and western Jordan.
Cultivated Areas Israel makes maximum use of the land available for agriculture, even using irrigation to create artificial oases in the desert. There are extensive plantations of oranges and other citrus fruits, avocados, bananas and dates. Jordan is less fortunate, its only fertile area being along the eastern side of the Jordan Valley. In Sinai there are only rare oases such as Feiran (see p253).
Neatly cultivated fields at Migdal on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee
Birdwatching in the Holy Land
White pelicans with the distinctive yellow underside of their beaks
Israel lies on one of the most important routes for migratory birds that winter in Africa then return to Europe and Asia to nest in the Migrating stork spring. Larger species include both black and white storks and many birds of prey. In terms of the number of species that can be seen, the area around Eilat (see p209) on the Gulf of Aqaba is reckoned the best place for watching migrating birds in the world. Another popular destination for birdwatchers is the Hula Reserve, an area of protected wetlands north of the Sea of Galilee.
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THE HOLY LAND THROUGH THE YEAR Shared as it is by Jews, Christians and Muslims, Jerusalem has an overabundance of religious holidays. Add to these secular holidays, commemorations and cultural festivals, and rarely a week passes in which some significant event is not taking place. While visitors may want to time their visit to coincide with some of these events, they may equally want to avoid others. During religious holidays such as Passover (and
Spring Spring in Jerusalem usually arrives in the latter part of March. This coincides with the Christian Easter and Jewish Passover celebrations, when the city is filled to bursting with pilgrims. The religious festivities are accompanied by cultural events, which increase in frequency as summer approaches. The weather is mild, and this is the best time for trips to Israel’s many parks, even though around the Dead Sea the thermometer is already regularly above 30° C (86° F).
Ramadan in Israel’s Arab areas and in Jordan) many shops, restaurants and museums close for the duration or open only for limited hours, and lodging is hard to find and pricey. The dates of religious and other holidays vary each year so you should check these when planning holidays. The Holy Land has year-round warm weather, but the heat in July and August can be extreme.
and Armenian churches celebrate a week later. Jerusalem’s Easter week begins with a Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives to St Anne’s (see p71). The most striking ceremony is the Holy Fire (see p97), held on the Saturday of the Orthodox Easter.
April Passover, or Pesach, falls sometime from late March to late April. It Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem moving along the celebrates the liberation Via Dolorosa from slavery under the pharaohs. During the St James’s Cathedral in March week of the festival, restaurants memory of the Turkish generally remain open. massacres (see p110). Jerusalem Marathon. One of the major sports events in Boombamela Festival Mimouna is celebrated the Israel, with routes around the (1st week), Ashkelon, Israel. day after Passover ends by city and hundreds of Israelis An alternative arts festival North African Jews, with and foreigners participating. held on the beach. festivities throughout Israel. Easter falls from late March Armenian Holocaust Day Holocaust Day. In the morning, to April for Catholics and (24 Apr), Jerusalem. Marked with sirens signal for two minutes’ Protestants; the Orthodox a procession, then a service at silence in remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust. Remembrance Day. In the same fashion as Holocaust Day, this day honours the Israeli dead from past wars. Sirens signal twice, at sunset and the next morning. Independence Day. Israeli statehood is commemorated with parades and concerts. South Sinai Camel Festival (Apr/May), Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The Bedouin tribes of Sinai bring their camels to this huge desert race meeting. May Israel Festival (May/Jun). The most important cultural event in Israel: three weeks of music, Spring in Israel, the perfect time for exploring the countryside
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Average daily hours of sunshine in Jerusalem Hours 15 12 9 6 3 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
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Sunshine Chart Even during the winter, most days have some sunshine. The summer sun can be very fierce and adequate precautions against sunburn and sunstroke should be taken. Sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses are recommended. Drinking plenty of water reduces the risk of dehydration.
dance, theatre and visual arts in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa and the Roman theatres at Caesarea (see p180) and Beth Shean (see p189). Music Festival (Passover), Jaffa (see pp178–9). This classical music festival takes place from May to July.
Summer With fewer religious festivals, the attention over summer shifts to the coast, where the soaring temperatures are tempered by sea breezes, and to the towns of Galilee, where the altitude partially counteracts the heat. June Ascension falls 40 days after Easter. It celebrates Christ’s ascent to Heaven and in Jerusalem it is marked by prayers on the Mount of Olives (see pp114–15). White Night (late Jun), Tel Aviv (see pp172–7). A celebration with free concerts, street theatre, candle-lit tours and parties. Many shops and attractions stay open all night.
Crowds watch an Independence Day fireworks display in Jerusalem
July Film Festival (early Jul), Jerusalem. Held at the Cinematheque (see p154–5), this features the work of Israeli and foreign directors. Jazz Festival (Jul–Aug), Eilat. Held on the shores of the Red Sea, this festival draws international musicians. Jordan Festival (late Jul and Aug), Jerash. Jordan’s most important festival is held in the spectacular setting of the Roman ruins (see pp214–15). It includes folk dance, ballet, opera, poetry competitions, theatre, classical music and displays of local handicrafts.
Performance by the dance troupe Enana at the Jordan Festival
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August Jaffa Nights, Tel Aviv. Two weeks of open-air concerts and shows in the setting of Old Jaffa (see pp178–9). Puppet Festival, Jerusalem. This is a festival aimed at the young, with shows in various venues, notably the Train Theatre in the Liberty Bell Gardens. Klezmer Festival, Safed (see p185). A festival devoted to traditional Eastern European Jewish music.
Jewish Holidays The Jewish calendar is lunar, meaning that each month begins and ends at the new moon. Jewish holidays therefore fall on a different date each year compared to the Western calendar; however, they do remain roughly fixed about a certain time of the year. Jewish girl dressed for Mimouna
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Average monthly temperature in Jerusalem ºC 30
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Temperature Summers in Jerusalem are hot, temperatures frequently climbing to over 30° C (86° F). In winter, the thermometer can drop to near freezing, with even the occasional snowfall. The chart (left) shows average daily maximum and average daily minimum temperatures for each month.
Autumn In terms of the weather, autumn is the ideal time to visit Jerusalem. However, several major Jewish holidays occur in September and October, seriously disrupting public transport and reducing opening hours for shops and restaurants. It is also necessary to make hotel reservations well in advance. September Rosh ha-Shanah. The Jewish New Year. It marks the start of ten days of prayer that end with Yom Kippur. On the penultimate day, Jews used to perform Kaparot, a ceremony in which a live fowl is waved over the head to absorb sins; today this practice is confined to the ultra-Orthodox community. The shofar, ram’s horn, is sounded at services. Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, which Jews observe by fasting for 25 hours and
Sukkoth booths, in which meals are taken for the feast’s duration
spending most of the day in intensive prayer at their synagogue. The whole country comes to a virtual standstill. Sukkoth. Commemoration of the Israelites’ 40 years in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. Makeshift “booths” are built outside where meals are eaten for seven days. Orthodox Jews even sleep in them. Haifa International Film Festival, Haifa, Israel. Held
Muslim Festivals Eid el-Fitr and Eid el-Adha are the major feasts, both lasting two or three days and celebrated by the slaughter of sheep. Eid el-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month of fasting, observed by all devout Muslims. Eid el-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice) commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah. Other significant days include the Muslim at prayer Prophet’s Birthday (Moulid en-Nabi) and Islamic New Year (Ras el-Sana). The Islamic year is lunar and 11 days shorter than the Western year. This means that in terms of the Western calendar, Islamic festivals fall 11 days earlier each year.
annually during the holiday of Sukkoth (see above), the biggest and most important film event in Israel hosts more than 200 screenings over eight days. October Fringe Theatre Festival, Akko (see pp182–3). This festival in the ancient city of Akko involves local and international avantgarde groups performing in various venues. November Jerusalem International Oud Festival (mid-Nov). This important festival of ethnic music attracts artists from all over Israel and abroad.
Winter Christmas is obviously a good time to visit Bethlehem and Nazareth, especially if you can attend one of the special church services. It does occasionally snow in Jerusalem, and snow on the Golan Heights sees the ski-lifts operating.
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December Hanukkah. The Jewish Festival of Lights, this commemorates the reconsecration of the Temple in 164 BC (see p46). It lasts eight days and is celebrated by the lighting of candles in a special eight-branched menorah. Christmas (24–25 Dec). A Christmas Eve procession from Jerusalem arrives in Bethlehem for midnight mass at the Church of the Nativity (see pp198–9). To attend this service you must book in advance at the Christian Information Centre in Jerusalem (see p259). The mass is also projected on a huge screen in Manger Square. The service at Abu Ghosh (see p143) is also impressive. In Nazareth a Hanukkah procession is held candles on the afternoon of Christmas Eve, which ends with services held in the town’s six churches.
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Rainfall There is virtually no rainfall in Jerusalem from April to October. Showers begin to occur in autumn and winter, and during January and February skies are often filled with threatening grey clouds. Visitors at this time would be wise to go armed with an umbrella.
Midnight Mass during Christmas at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem International Choir Festival (26 Dec), Nazareth. In the days following the choir festival, the town plays host to sacred music concerts. Tiberias Marathon (Dec–Feb). Less well-known than the Jerusalem Marathon, this attracts many runners because of the scenery along the route (see pp186–7).
Jewish children dressed up as part of Purim festivities
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January Orthodox Christmas (7 Jan), Jerusalem. This is celebrated on Christmas Eve with a service at the Holy Trinity Church in the Russian Compound (see p128). Armenian Christmas (19 Jan), Jerusalem. This is celebrated with a Christmas Eve mass at St James’s Cathedral in the Old City (see pp110–11). February Purim. Celebrating the salvation of the Jews in Persia from threatened genocide (related in the Book of Esther). The Scroll of Esther is read publicly in the morning and on the evening of Purim. Adults give gifts to the poor and to friends, while children wear fancydress costumes. International Book Fair, Jerusalem. This biennial event culminates with the awarding of the Jerusalem Prize.
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THE HISTORY OF THE HOLY LAND Since prehistoric times the fertile plains and scattered oases between the Nile and the rivers of Mesopotamia have been colonized by countless different peoples. The ebb and flow of nations continues to this day; as independent countries, both Israel and Jordan are barely half a century old, with the Jewish state composed of a great many nationalities, all united by their shared faith. Much of our knowledge of the early prehistory of the Holy Land comes from the site of Jericho, just north of the Dead Sea. Excavations have uncovered a series of settlements dating back to about 10,000 BC, when Stone Age hunters first abandoned their nomadic way of life. In settling, these people took the all-important step which led to cultivating crops and domesticating animals – a process known as the “Neolithic revolution”. During the following 3,000 years small farming villages sprang up all over the region. In the 3rd millennium BC the coastal plains witnessed the rise of a fairly uniform culture, known as the Canaanite civilization. There may never have been a single Canaanite nation; rather the Canaanites were probably organized in a series of city-states. A Canaanite army was defeated at Megiddo by the pharaoh Thutmose (1468 BC) and all the city-states were then subject to Egypt. The Canaanites nevertheless survived for two millennia – during which time they developed the world’s first alphabet – until their culture was brought to an end by the rise of two new peoples. The first were invaders who came from the sea around 10,000–8000 BC First
7000 BC Walled
permanent settlements in the region
settlement exists at Jericho
1200 BC; these were the Philistines, after whom the area was called Palestine (“land of the Philistines”). The second were the Hebrew tribes, who, between about 1200 and 1000 BC, coalesced into a political entity known as Israel. There are several theories as to how the Hebrews came to control Palestine: through hard-won battles, or possibly by peaceful infiltration. There are no historical sources to verify events, but the Old Testament tells how these tribes formed a confederation that eventually led to the birth of a united kingdom whose first sovereign was Saul. His successors, David (whose rule is traditionally given as from around 1010 to 970 BC) and Solomon (c.970–930 BC), laid the foundations for the Jewish nation. It was David, according to the Bible, who captured Jerusalem and made it the Israelite capital, and Solomon who built the Jews’ First Temple there. Babylonian Captivity According to the Bible, after Solomon died, conflicts led to the division of the Jewish nation into two separate parts: the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the Kingdom of
c.1200 BC
Arrival of the Philistines and Hebrew tribes
Copper crown from Ein Gedi, c.4000 BC 9000 BC Skull with cowrie shell eyes from Jericho, c.7000 BC
7000 BC
5000 BC
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1000 BC
3200 BC Emergence of
c.1010–970 BC
Canaanite civilization
Reign of David
c.7000–4000 BC Growth of agricultural communities
Medieval European map, showing the Holy City of Jerusalem as the centre of the world
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c.970–930 BC
Reign of Solomon
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Judaea in the south. Two centuries later, the Assyrians conquered the north, and many of the Jews of Israel were deported. When Judaea withheld tribute, it too was invaded and defeated at the battle of Lachish. The Assyrians, in turn, were defeated by the Babylonians who, in 587 BC, captured Jerusalem and destroyed Solomon’s Temple, forcing the Jews of Judaea into exile. During the brief period of Babylonian captivity, the Jews maintained and even strengthened their cultural and religious identity. Defeated by the Persians under Cyrus the Great in 538 BC, the Babylonians disappeared from history and the Jews were allowed to return to their land. The Second Temple
in Greek), a loose grouping of Hellenistic city-states in an otherwise Semitic landscape, which included Philadelphia (Amman), Gerasa (Jerash) and Scythopolis (Beth Shean). But Jerusalem resisted. The response of the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 BC) was to rededicate the Jews’ temple in Jerusalem to Zeus and make observance of Hebrew law punishable by death. Led by Judas Maccabeus, a priest of the Hasmonean family, the Jews rebelled in 164 BC. They defeated the Seleucids, took complete control of Jerusalem and reconsecrated their Temple. Rule of Judaea was assumed by the Hasmoneans. However, independence for the Jews did not ensure peace. There was bitter conflict between the Hasmoneans and the Pharisees, a religious sect that demanded that the Hasmonean kings relinquish the High Priesthood. In the ensuing struggle for influence, both factions asked for help from the new political and military power of the period – Rome.
Returning to Jerusalem, in the 6th century BC the Jews built a new temple on the same site as the first. This event in the history of Jerusalem marks the beginning of what is referred to as the “Second Temple” period. The Persians remained dominant in the region until their empire was torn apart by the armies of Alexander the Great. Judaea was swallowed up in the wake of the Macedonian’s triumphant progress into Egypt. On the death of Alexander, his empire was split between three generals; the dynasties they founded proceeded to fight over the spoils, with Palestine eventually going to the Syria-based Seleucids. The culture of the Greeks spread throughout the region. This era saw The recapture of the Temple by Judas Maccabeus in his successful revolt against the rise of the Decapolis (“ten cities” the Seleucids, 164 BC
722 BC Assyria conquers
the Kingdom of Israel and sends the Israelites into exile 800 BC
587 BC The Babylonians
conquer Jerusalem and destroy the First Temple 700 BC
515 BC The founding of the Second Temple
600 BC
Alexander the Great, whose successors Hellenized Palestine 500 BC
400 BC
538 BC Cyrus
The seal of Jeroboam, a 9th-century Jewish king
the Great frees the Jews in exile in Babylon
332 BC Alexander the Great conquers Palestine
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The Romans and Jewish Uprisings The Romans lost no time in taking advantage of this opportunity: in 63 BC their legions took Jerusalem. The Hasmoneans were superseded by a series of Roman governors, known as procurators. Anxious not to offend local religious sensibilities, the Romans had the Jewish Herod (the Great) rule as a client king in Palestine (37–4 BC). Allowed a relatively free hand in domestic affairs, the ambitious Herod expanded his frontiers and promoted architectural projects Jerash, a former Decapolis city which flourished under the Romans such as the Masada and Herodion fortress complexes, the port-city of Caesarea and the grand reconstruction of the Jews’ they destroyed the city and demolished Second Temple in Jerusalem. the Temple (see pp48–9). The final On Herod’s death his kingdom was ruled subjugation of the Jews occurred three for a brief period by his three sons, before years later at Masada. Judaea once again being governed directly by the Romans. became a Roman province, but the Jews refused to be subdued and before long, A heavy tax burden, insensitive administration and the imposition a second major revolt broke out. of Roman culture were responsible The Exile of the Jews for growing discontent among the Jews. Large numbers of Messianic claimants, After the Second Jewish War (AD 132–5), revolutionary prophets and Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as Aelia apocalyptic preachers only served Capitolina, a Roman city, which to inflame the situation further. This Jews were forbidden to enter. was the political climate into which Their communities were broken up Jesus Christ was born, as and great numbers were sold described in the biblical into slavery and sent to Rome. New Testament. Jewish Others fled, south into Egypt clashes with Rome broke and across North Africa, out repeatedly, culminating or east to join the existing in a full-scale revolt in AD 66. Jewish community in Babylon, It took the Romans four years who had settled there after the to gain victory in this First destruction of the First Temple. Jewish War. When in AD 70 This great scattering of the Jews Hadrian, builder of is known as the Diaspora. they finally captured Jerusalem, Aelia Capitolina
AD 66–70 First Jewish
Alexander the Great, whose successors Hellenized Palestine 400 BC
164 BC The Maccabean
37–4 BC Herod
Revolt results in Jewish independence
the Great reigns in Judaea
300 BC
200 BC
100 BC
War and the destruction of the Second Temple AD 1
132–5 Second
Jewish War led by Simon Bar-Kokhba AD 100
3rd century BC
Growth of the Decapolis 1st century BC Petra-
based Nabataean empire at its height
63 BC Roman legions under Pompey conquer Jerusalem
AD 73 Fall of
Masada Coin minted by the Jewish rebels at Masada
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AD 200
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The Destruction of the Second Temple During the Jewish Revolt of AD 66, the Romans suffered early defeats until the emperor Vespasian sent his son Titus to Jerusalem with four legions. The siege of the city was bitterly fought. Eventually, after five months, on 29 August AD 70, the city’s defenders were forced to surrender. In The Jewish War, historian Flavius Josephus describes how the Temple was set ablaze in the heat of battle. “When the flames rose up,” he writes, “the Jews let out a terrific cry and, heedless of mortal danger, ran to put it out.” But it was in vain, and the Second Temple was razed to the ground.
ROME • JERUSALEM
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Roman Empire AD 117 Maximum extent of the Empire
The Antonia Fortress was built by Herod the Great around 37–35 BC to protect the Temple, and named for his patron, Mark Antony. It was the last stronghold of the Jewish rebels in AD 70.
Arch of Titus The Romans built the triumphal Arch of Titus in the Forum in Rome, with friezes showing the victorious troops with their booty from the destroyed Temple. Portico The Court of the Gentiles was as far into the Temple complex as non-Jews could venture. The Causeway linked the Temple with the main city gate to the west. Evidence of it remains today in Wilson’s Arch (see p89).
Ossuary of Caiaphas Carved from limestone, ossuaries held the bones of the dead. This particular ossuary bears the name Caiaphas, which was the name of the Temple High Priest at the time of the Crucifixion of Jesus.
The Western Wall Herod’s engineers created the Temple platform by building four walls around a natural hill and filling in. The Western Wall (see p89) is part of one of those retaining walls.
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Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem Painted by Nicolas Poussin in 1625–6, and now in the collection of the Israel Museum (see pp136–41), this shows Roman soldiers, directed by Titus on his white horse, emerging from the Inner Temple carrying the Jewish menorah and other treasures.
The Inner Temple contained the Holy of Holies, an empty chamber meant for the Ark of the Covenant, which was lost when the First Temple was destroyed.
Bronze Helmet Archaeologists’ finds such as this legionary’s helmet (c.AD 100) indicate that Rome maintained a strong military presence after the Jewish Revolt.
The Hulda Gates The Royal Stoa was a covered colonnade, 162 columns in length, used for teaching.
The Lower City Steps led to the area known as the City of David. Evidence of them exists in Robinson’s Arch (see p90).
The Second Temple Built in the 6th century BC on the same site as the First Temple, which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BC, the Second Temple was greatly expanded by Herod the Great (37–4 BC). He nearly doubled the size of the Inner Temple.
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“Judaea Capta” Coin A commemorative coin issued after the defeat of the Jewish rebels depicting, on one side, Vespasian and, on the other, Rome standing triumphant over a subdued Judaea.
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INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman emperor, who unified the Roman Empire under his rule
Palestine Under Roman Rule
churches were built on the sites connected with the life of Christ, and monasticism spread both in the towns and in the deserts of Palestine and Egypt. The first Holy Sepulchre church was dedicated in Jerusalem in 335. During the rule of Theodosius (379–95), Christianity became the official state religion. Not long after, the Roman Empire was divided in 395 between Theodosius’s two sons. The Latin-speaking Western Empire fell to Germanic invaders but the Greek-speaking Eastern Empire, thereafter known as the Byzantine Empire, survived.
Despite the Jews being banned from Jerusalem, during the 2nd and 3rd The Byzantine Era centuries their religion and traditions remained very much alive in Palestine, and Despite a long series of schisms within scholars and religious schools were active the Eastern Church over the nature of throughout Galilee. This was the period in Christ (see p104), the Byzantine period was which the academies wrote down Jewish an age of relative stability and prosperity oral law and the commentaries on it, in the Holy Land. The flow of pilgrims known collectively as the Talmud. continued and monastic life drew ever In the early 4th century, the Christians, more adherents. The construction of who had also suffered Roman persecution, two important religious buildings, were granted freedom St Catherine’s Monastery (see pp250–52) in Sinai and of worship by the emperor the enormous Nea Basilica Constantine (306–37), (see p84) in Jerusalem, himself a convert to the reflected the confidence religion. Constantine moved of the era. The Holy Land his capital from Rome became the land we can to Byzantium, which was see on the early medieval renamed Constantinople. mosaic map at Madaba This turn of events (see pp220–21). However, opened the doors of the Holy upheaval was to arrive Land to pilgrims – first and in 614 in the form of an foremost the devout Helena, invading Persian army. mother of Constantine – and Welcomed and supported Jerusalem regained its former Byzantine icon of the Madonna and by the Jews, who hoped for importance. The first Christian Child, 6th century AD 313 Constantine 527–65 Reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian
grants freedom of worship to Christians in the Edict of Milan AD 300
400 395 The Roman Empire splits into East and West
Coin of Constantine, AD 320
500
661 Omayyad dynasty established in Damascus
600
700
638 Battle of Yarmuk River; beginning of
Arab dominion in the Holy Land 691 Dome of the Rock completed in Jerusalem
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the Jews and Christians. The Arabs also greater religious freedom, the Persians believed that the Prophet Muhammad massacred the Christians and desecrated their holy sites before being driven off in had ascended to Heaven on his Night 628 by the forces of the Byzantine Empire. Journey (see p31) from the same rock in In the same year that the Byzantines Jerusalem on which, according to the reconquered Palestine, in Bible, Abraham had been about neighbouring Arabia an to sacrifice his son, and over which the Jews had built their army led by the Prophet temples. Consequently, the Muhammad conquered rubble in the Temple area was Mecca, marking the cleared and construction of emergence of a new force in two mosques began there: the the Near East which, in a little Dome of the Rock (691) and over ten years, would change the face of the Holy Land. Pilgrimage scroll showing the El-Aqsa (705). Access to this Haram esh-Sharif “sacred precinct” (Haram eshThe Arabs and Islam Sharif ) was forbidden to nonIn AD 638, only six years after Muhammad’s Muslims, but Christians and Jews were death, the troops of his successor, or caliph, permitted to live in the city of Jerusalem Omar defeated the Byzantines at the on payment of an “infidels” tax. Yarmuk River, in modern-day Syria. The Groups of Christian pilgrims regularly Muslims became the new rulers of Palestine. arrived in the Holy Land from Byzantium Islam recognizes many of the prophets and Europe and were given safe passage under the successive Arab dynasties of the of the Old Testament, such as Abraham Omayyads (661–750), Abbasids (750–974) (Ibrahim), and so the Arabs regarded and, initially, the Fatimids (975–1171). This Jerusalem as holy in the same way as happy state of affairs ended in 1009 when the third Fatimid caliph El-Hakim initiated the violent persecution of non-Muslims and destroyed the Holy Sepulchre. The situation became critical in 1071 when Jerusalem fell to the Seljuk Turks, who forbade Christians access to the Holy City. The outraged response of Christian Europe was to take up arms and set off on the first of a series of Crusades spread over almost 200 years to recapture the Holy City and Triumphant group of the feared Muslim cavalry biblical sites of Palestine (see pp52–3). 747 Earthquake drives dwindling populations from Petra and Jerash
1071 Seljuk Turks capture
Jerusalem and bar Christian pilgrims
Fatimid jewellery 700
800
900
1000
1100 1099 The Crusaders
975 North African Fatimid 691 Dome of the Rock completed in Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
dynasty rules the Holy Land from Cairo
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take Jerusalem
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INTRODUCING JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI
The Crusades “God wills it!” With these words, on 27 November 1095 at the Council of Clermont, Pope Urban II launched an appeal to aid the Byzantines in their wars with the Seljuk Turks and so free the Holy Land. His preachings inspired more than 100,000 men and women from all over Europe to join the armies heading east. They succeeded in creating a Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, but a series of further Crusades meant to reinforce the Western Christian presence in the east were ever less successful. Within 200 years the Crusaders were gone, leaving a legacy of fine ecclesiastical and military architecture.
ACRE
• • JERUSALEM
The Holy Land Crusader domains 1186
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Scenes from the life of Christ
The First Crusade Passing through Constantinople, the Crusaders first engaged the Muslim Seljuks in Anatolia (Turkey). They conquered Nicaea and Antioch before marching down through Syria to Palestine.
Stylized Gothic gates of Jerusalem
The Capture of Jerusalem
The Second Crusade Most of the Second Crusaders never made it to the Holy Land. Those that did launched a disastrous attack on Damascus and had to withdraw.
On 7 June 1099, the Crusaders laid siege to Jerusalem. The Muslims held out for five weeks until, on 15 July, the Christian troops breached the walls, unleashing a massive slaughter in the streets. 1148 Second
1119 Founding of
the Knights Templar Templar Knight 1100 1099 Crusaders capture Jerusalem; Godfrey of Bouillon becomes “Protector of the Holy Sepulchre”
1120
1140
Crusade defeated while besieging Damascus 1160
1187 Saladin defeats
the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin and takes Jerusalem 1180
1200 1188–92 Third
Saladin, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (1169–1250)
Crusade; after reconquering much of the coast, Richard I fails to retake Jerusalem
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The Third Crusade The retaking of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187 prompted the Third Crusade. The Crusade failed to regain the Holy City, but Richard I “the Lionheart” negotiated the right of access for pilgrims. Richard I and Saladin The Crucifixion was believed to have taken place on the site occupied by the Holy Sepulchre church.
The burial of Christ
The city walls were finally breached by the Crusaders in the north, near Herod’s Gate, and also on Mount Zion.
The Fall of Akko Following a succession of defeats by the Mamelukes, the Crusaders were forced to leave the Holy Land for good in 1291. The last stronghold to fall was Akko, where this coat of arms was discovered.
Siege warfare was a major element of the Crusades; siege engines were built on-site.
The Templars and Hospitallers Much of the defence of Crusader gains in the Holy Land fell to two elite military orders of monastic knights, the Hospitallers (see p103) and the Templars, so named because they were headquartered in the former Temple area of Jerusalem. The orders occupied and refortified Crusader castles in the Holy Land, as well as building new ones of their own.
The Hospitaller castle of Belvoir in the Jordan Valley
1244 Jerusalem falls to
1270 Last major Crusade,
Muslim mercenaries in the employ of Egypt
led by Louis IX, ends in his death in Tunis Louis IX embarking on the last Crusade
1200
1220
1240
1188–92 Third
Crusade; after reconquering much of the coast, Richard I fails to retake Jerusalem
1260
1280
1300
1260 Mamelukes 1249–50 Louis IX of 1217–21
Fifth Crusade
France leads unsuccessful invasion of Egypt
defeat invading Mongols; Baybars becomes Sultan of Egypt
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1291 Last Latin
strongholds in Holy Land, including Akko, fall to Mamelukes
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given way to the Inquisition and the resultant expulsion of some 100,000 Jews from the country, accused of having too close ties with the vanquished Arabs. The Ottoman Empire Mameluke control of Palestine ended in 1516 with defeat at the hands of the Ottoman army. Originating in northwest Turkey, the Ottoman Turks had captured Constantinople in 1453, renaming it Istanbul. Under the rule of their greatest sultan, Suleyman the Magnificent Mameluke horsemen training for battle, from a 15th-century manuscript (1520–66), vast architectural projects were carried out in Jerusalem, most notably the Palestine Under the Mamelukes construction of the city walls and gates. However, a series of weak sultans meant In the wake of the Crusades, Jerusalem slowly declined to the status of a provincial that by the 18th century the enormous city. The Mamelukes (former slave guards of Ottoman empire was no longer so secure, particularly in the provinces where Saladin’s Ayyubid dynasty) ruled the Holy Land from Egypt, and the Holy City became corruption was often a system of administration. This was the case in a place of banishment for officials who fell Palestine, where the people frequently from court favour in Cairo. suffered heavy taxes and poor government. While the Mamelukes had driven the But the Jews continued to return, largely Christian knights from the Holy Land, they because they were safer under Turkish rule did make allowance for Christian pilgrims. In 1333 the Franciscan Friars were permitted than they were in Europe. Many chose to settle in Galilee, around Tiberias and a presence in Jerusalem, living in the Safed, joining the Sephardic Jewish supposed Hall of the Last Supper. In communities that had fled Spain several 1342 Pope Clement VI ratified this centuries earlier. At the same time, mission, which took on the name of the Europe was making its first real Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land. entry into the region since the The following century saw the Crusades; Napoleon landed in beginning of a flow of Jews into Egypt in 1798 and the following Palestine escaping persecution year he had to be repelled from in Europe, a movement that invading at Akko by the continued through into the Ottoman governor, 20th century. In this case, the Suleyman I, the Magnificent, Ottoman sultan 1520–66 defeat of the Moors in Spain had Ahmed Pasha el-Jazzar.
14th century Development of the area round the Haram eshSharif in Jerusalem
1300
1492 Edict signed by
King Ferdinand expelling all professing Jews from Spain 1400
permitted to settle in Jerusalem
westward advance of Mongol ruler Tamerlane
the Mamelukes and seize control of Palestine and Egypt 1500 1537 Suleyman the
1400 Mamelukes halt 1333 Franciscans
1516 Ottomans defeat
Jaffa Gate, one of seven gates built by Suleyman’s engineers
Magnificent orders the construction of the walls of Jerusalem
T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E H O LY L A N D
Akko in northern Israel, rebuilt by successive Ottoman governors (see 182–3)
Jerusalem and the Colonial Powers in the 19th Century With the continuing decline of the Ottoman Empire, the European nations, newly empowered by their Industrial Revolution, began to follow in Napoleon’s wake – unsuccessful though he had been. When in 1831 the Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali, the supposed vassal of Istanbul, seized Palestine, it was only with British military help that the Turks regained the territory. A British consul arrived in Jerusalem in 1838, followed closely by diplomatic representatives of France and Prussia. One of the causes of the Crimean War (1854) was a dispute between France and Russia over guardianship of the Holy Places. All the while, Jewish immigration continued, propelled by virulent antiSemitism and pogroms in eastern Europe and throughout the Russian Empire. A result of this influx was that in the mid-19th century, Jerusalem overspilled the bounds of its medieval walls with
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the establishment of a series of small Jewish settlements outside the city gates. The city began to emerge from the lethargy that had characterized it in the preceding centuries. Over in Europe there had been a growing, but not yet unified, Jewish national movement. In 1839, the British Jew Sir Moses Montefiore had first called for the creation of a Jewish state. This culminated in 1896 with the publication by an Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist named Theodor Herzl of Der Judenstat (The Jewish State), which proved a rallying cry for Jews worldwide. The following year saw the formation of the World Zionist Organization, with Herzl at its head. Its stated aim was “to create for the Jewish people a home in Palestine”. A Jewish National Fund was set up to purchase land for settlement. However, the Zionist immigrants were laying the foundations for conflict; slogans such as “A land without a people for a people without a land” ignored the large indigenous Arab population of Palestine and the Arab nations’ resistance to any form of autonomous Jewish presence there.
The American Colony, one of a great many Western outposts established in 19th-century Jerusalem 1839 British Jew Sir Moses
Ottoman janissary, soldier of the sultan’s guard
Montefiore first proposes the idea of a Jewish state
1831 Egypt’s
Muhammad Ali takes control of Palestine
Theodor Herzl 1600
1700
1800
1537 Suleyman the
Magnificent orders he construction of he walls of Jerusalem
!
1812 Petra rediscovered
by Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt
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1860 Jerusalem’s
first new Jewish settlements since the Diaspora
1896 Herzl
publishes The Jewish State
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The Collapse of the Ottomans and the British Mandate
the supervision of the British in Jerusalem, the territory became totally independent in 1946, with Abdullah confirmed as its king.
Turkish rule in Palestine ended in 1917, during World War I, when British troops Arab-Jewish Conflict under the command of General Allenby took Jerusalem. The Arabs, under their At the time of World War I, some 500,000 leader Faisal, had fought alongside Palestinian Arabs and about the British and expected Palestine 85,000 Jews were living in the in return. However, with the Holy Land. In the 20 years Balfour Declaration of 1917 the between then and the British had let it be known that “His outbreak of World War II, Majesty’s government favourably about 250,000 more Jews views the creation of a national arrived at the ports of Jaffa Jewish home in Palestine”. In the and Haifa to settle in Palestine. event, peace talks in 1920 put Each new wave of immigrants Palestine under British authority served to increase the tension and this was ratified by the League between the Palestinian and of Nations on 24 July 1922. General Allenby making his entry Jewish communities. In 1929, The following year, in order Palestinian riots culminated through Jaffa Gate to placate Arab discontent, the in a series of pogroms in British recognized Trans-Jordan as an Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. An Arab autonomous Arab emirate, ruled by the “revolt” proclaimed in 1936 led to a sixemir Abdullah, the eldest brother of Faisal, month general strike that brought the with Amman as its capital. Initially under country to a standstill.
The Theodor Herzl about to dock at Haifa, decks crowded with Jewish immigrants, 1947
T E Lawrence “of Arabia” 1900
1905
1916 Faisal and the
24 July 1922 League of
Arabs, encouraged by T E Lawrence, join the British in a desert war against the Turks
Nations ratifies British mandate in Palestine
1910
1915
1920
1904 Second Aliyah,
which continues until 1914, sees the arrival of large numbers of Jewish immigrants
1909 Founding of Tel
Aviv and first kibbutz in Palestine
1914 War breaks out in Europe; the Ottoman Turks side with Germany
1917 General Allenby
captures Jerusalem from the Ottoman Turks General Allenby
1925
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Proposals for Partition By this time, the British were finding rule in Palestine extremely uncomfortable. In 1937, following the deliberations of the Peel Commission, they proposed ending the Mandate and partitioning the country. The Jews accepted but the Arabs refused, claiming that the proposed Jewish homeland occupied the region’s most fertile zones. Elsewhere, the world was much Allenby Street, in the rapidly expanding Jewish Tel Aviv of the 1930s more concerned with developments in Europe, where war seemed inevitable. In 1947 the UN voted for the partition of the a brazen attempt to improve relations with Holy Land into an Arab state and a Jewish its potential allies, the Arabs, in 1939, on the state, with Jerusalem under international eve of war, Britain published a “White Paper” administration. Britain announced its intention to pull out of Palestine on 15 May drastically limiting Jewish immigration to Palestine. However, faced with the dangers 1948 and leave the Arabs and Jews to fight among themselves. of Nazism, tens of thousands of Jews continued to arrive, often sneaking in The Creation of Israel clandestinely by sea. British attempts Skirmishing between the Palestinians and to check the immigration were, for the Jews escalated as both sides manoeuvred most part, in vain. to control as much territory as possible One effect of this new post-war situation before the end of the Mandate. Jewish was to inspire extremists to attacks on the extremists attacked British. On 22 July 1946 the Palestinian villages (most Jewish military organization infamously at Deir Yassin, Irgun – one of whose leaders was the future prime minister on the road between Tel Menachem Begin – bombed Aviv and Jerusalem), while British headquarters at the armed Palestinians made King David Hotel in Jerusalem, similar raids against killing more than 80 and Jewish settlements. wounding hundreds more. As the British prepared The departure of British troops from Haifa port in 1948 Trapped in a no-win to leave, the Jews were ready situation, the British placed to replace them. On 14 May the “Palestine question” before the newly 1948, the eve of departure, David Ben Gurion formed United Nations. On 29 November declared the birth of the State of Israel. 1947 Discovery of
1925
1934 Jews flee central
1936 Arab
1939 Great Britain
Europe and the threat of Hitler’s Germany
Revolt in Palestine
publishes the “White Paper”
1930
1935
1940
1929 Arab attacks
1937 Peel
on Jews in Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed
Commission proposes partition of Palestine
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the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran
1945
1950
14 May 1948 State of Israel declared in Tel Aviv
One of the Dead Sea Scrolls
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Jerusalem, the Jordanians held the Old City and East Jerusalem. The city was to remain divided, along what came to be known as the Green Line, for almost 20 years. The Arab-Israeli Wars after 1949 After the violent birth of Israel, the infant state sought to strengthen its position by passing the Law of Return. This extended to all Jews throughout the world the Refugees crossing the border into Jordan in 1967 during the Six-Day War right to live in Israel. The first to heed the invitation were communities of Jews The 1948 War from the Arab world, followed by displaced Jews from Europe. Those that followed The Arab reaction to the creation of Israel came from everywhere, from the thenwas swift. Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt launched a combined attack with the Soviet Union to South America. Relations with the Arabs remained on avowed aim of casting the new-born state into the sea. Fighting continued until a war footing. In 1956, the Israeli army an armistice was signed in December 1949. swept into Sinai as part At the cease of hostilities, the of the French and British Israelis had made great plan to seize the Suez territorial gains at the Canal, nationalized by expense of the Palestinians. Egypt’s President Nasser. Prior to 1948 the Jews owned On this occasion, under less than seven per cent of pressure from the United Palestine but at the war’s end States and the United they occupied about 80 per Nations, they were forced cent. As a result, some to retreat. Eleven years 500,000 to 750,000 later, in 1967, Israeli tanks Palestinians were made rolled into Sinai once Israeli’s building defences during refugees in neighbouring again. Alarmed by a buildthe war of 1973. Arab countries and in camps in up of Egyptian forces on the the Egyptian-controlled Gaza Strip and in border, Israel launched a pre-emptive the Jordanian-held territories on the west attack. Despite then facing the combined bank of the Jordan River. forces of all its Arab neighbours, One of the main objectives of the in six days Israel’s army opposing sides had been the capture of had taken the Golan Heights from Syria, Jerusalem. Neither side had achieved this; the Gaza Strip and Sinai from Egypt, and the Israelis held the modern quarters of West the West Bank from Jordan. The Israelis also 1951 Assassination of King
6 October 1973 Yom Kippur
Abdullah of Jordan in Jerusalem by Palestinian extremists
War breaks out Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister 1969–74
1956 Suez crisis
1950
1955
1960
1965
1982 Sinai returned
to the Egyptians 1970
1975
5–11 June 1967 Six-Day War 14 May 1948 On
the declaration of the State of Israel, war breaks out with the Arabs
results in reunification of Jerusalem under the Israelis Hussein, crowned king of Jordan in May 1953
1979 Camp David peace
treaty signed between Egypt and Israel
1980
1985
T H E H I S T O R Y O F T H E H O LY L A N D
The contentious Israeli-built security fence, designed to stop Palestinian attacks
captured the whole of Jerusalem. In what amounted to a face-saving exercise, on 6 October 1973, the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israeli positions. Caught off guard, the Israelis suffered initial losses but they counterattacked and reversed early Arab gains. At the cease of hostilities the action had not altered the territorial state of affairs set six years previously. The 1973 war did, however, pave the way for the first talks between Egypt and Israel. In 1979 the two countries formally agreed to peace by signing the Camp David agreement. In 1982 Sinai was returned to Egypt. The Quest for Peace The peace treaty was not welcomed by all parties. The Palestinians saw it as undermining their campaign for self-rule. Groups such as the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) stepped up their antiIsrael guerrilla war. Their tactics won them little sympathy with the international community. That changed in late 1987 with the beginning of the intifada (“shaking off”), a grass-roots Palestinian revolt against Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
Accords lead to Rabin and Arafat shaking hands 1980
1985
1990
prime minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated 1995
Thousands of Israeli Jew and Arab activists unite to demonstrate for peace
1994 Palestinians granted limited Palestinian intifada autonomy against Israeli occupation First issue of Palestinian stamps, 1994
Yasser Arafat, first president of the Palestinian Authority, dies, November 2004
1999 King Hussein
of Jordan dies
2000
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Television screens worldwide were filled with images of the ensuing confrontations. In the wake of 1991’s Gulf War, the Americans brokered a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Madrid. This seemed to achieve little, but in 1993 it was revealed that the two parties had been meeting in Norway where agreement had been reached. The signing of the “Oslo Accords” was capped that year by a handshake between Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO president Yasser Arafat on the lawns of the White House. The following year saw Jordan and Israel formally end the state of war that had existed between the two countries since 1948. Since then, Rabin has been assassinated by a Jewish extremist and Arafat has died. Israel has experienced 60 years of statehood, but the Palestinians remain stateless. The Israelis have built a giant wall between themselves and the Palestinians in an attempt to halt the terror bombings that were a fact of daily life in the 1990s. The cycle of violence continues, but so do the attempts to find a solution that will bring a lasting peace to the region.
1995 Israeli 1993 Oslo
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2005
2010
2015
2011 Jerusalem Light Rail
1987 Eruption of
starts service 2006 Second Lebanon war 2005 Israel withdraws Jewish
settlements from the Gaza Strip
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JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA Jerusalem at a Glance
62–63
The Muslim Quarter
64–79
The Jewish Quarter
80–91
The Christian and Armenian Quarters
92–111
The Mount of Olives and Mount Zion
112–121
Modern Jerusalem
122–131
Further Afield
132–143
Three Guided Walks
144–151
Shops and Markets
152–153
Entertainment
154–155
Jerusalem Street Finder
156–163
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Jerusalem at a Glance The old city of Jerusalem has a history that stretches back more than 3,000 years, although the present street plan dates largely from Byzantine times, and the encircling walls are from the 16th century. Within the walls, the Old City divides into four vaguely defined quarters – one each for the Christians, Jews and Muslims, and the fourth occupied by the Armenians. East and south of the Old City are the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion, both places traditionally linked with the last acts of Jesus Christ. To the north and west is modern Jerusalem, liberally endowed with fine examples of late 19th-century architecture.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre (see pp96–9) is the most important of the Holy Land’s Christian sites. Tradition has it that the church occupies the site of Golgotha, where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried.
The Citadel (see pp106–9) is an impressively restored, fortified complex, which has its origins in the 2nd century BC. It now houses an excellent museum devoted to the history of Jerusalem. There are also splendid views of the city from its ramparts.
The Muslim Quarter (See pp64–79)
Modern Jerusalem (See pp122–31) The Christian and Armenian Quarters (See pp92–111)
The Israel Museum (see pp136–41) was purpose-built in the 1960s to house the country’s most significant archaeological finds, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which are displayed in this uniquely shaped hall. The museum was renovated in 2007–10 and is a short distance west of the city centre. An overview of the Old City of Jerusalem at sunset
Yemin Moshe (see pp124–5) is one of several attractive old quarters in modern Jerusalem, developed in the mid-19th century to ease overcrowding in the Old City. It is distinguished by its windmill and by this communal housing block, known as Mishkenot Shaananim.
The Jewish Quarter (See pp80–91)
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The Haram esh-Sharif (see pp72–7) is the focus of the Muslim faith in Jerusalem. A large plateau on the eastern edge of the Old City, it contains some fine Islamic buildings, including the 8th-century El-Aqsa Mosque and the magnificent Dome of the Rock, with its dazzling interior.
The Western Wall (see p89) is one of Judaism’s holiest sites. It is believed to be part of the great Temple enclosure built by Herod in the 1st century BC. The plaza in front is busy, day and night, with supplicants at prayer.
0 metres
The Muslim Quarter (See pp64–79)
The Christian and Armenian Quarters (See pp92–111)
The Jewish Quarter (See pp80–91)
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The Mount of Olives and Mount Zion (See pp112–21)
The Sephardic Synagogues (see p86) are a group of four synagogues which were at the heart of the 17th-century Sephardic community, once the largest Jewish group in Jerusalem. The Ben Zakkai Synagogue, shown here, was built in 1610.
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The Mount of Olives (see pp112–21) has several fine churches, including the richly decorated Russian Orthodox Church of St Mary Magdalene.
SOUK KHAN EL-ZEIT
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JERUSALEM AREA BY AREA
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THE MUSLIM QUARTER This is the largest and most densely populated quarter of the Old City. It was first developed under Herod the Great and delineated in its present form under the Byzantines. In the 12th century it was taken over by the Crusaders, hence the quarter’s wealth of churches and other Christian institutions, such as the Via Dolorosa
(see pp34–5). In the 14th and 15th centuries the Mamelukes rebuilt extensively, especially in the areas abutting the Haram esh-Sharif. The quarter has been in decay since the 16th century. Today it contains some of the city’s poorest homes. It is also one of the most fascinating and least explored parts of Jerusalem.
Sights at a Glance Historic Streets, Buildings and Gates 2 Ecce Homo Arch 3 Via Dolorosa 4 Lady Tunshuq’s Palace 6 Chain Street 8 Damascus Gate 9 Herod’s Gate q Lions’ Gate
Holy Places 1 Monastery of the Flagellation 0 St Anne’s Church w Haram esh-Sharif pp72–7
Restaurants p270 1 Abu Shukri 2 Viennese Café
Souks and Markets 5 Cotton Merchants’ Market 7 Central Souk
UAZA
EL-M
IH
THANA EL-MA
EL- GHAZALI SQUARE
MA
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IA
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L- SI (TARIQ BA BE C H A I N ST R E ET
See also Jerusalem Street Finder, map 4
BURJ LAQLAQ
I
JA
MIYA
YA
ANTONIA
SAADI BN
A AZ AMIY
Q A D IS IE
EIK SH H LUL U
EL- MU
ZAMIYA
EL-MUA
ID EL- HAD
HARAM ESH-SHARIF
CO TT ONTS ’ M ER CH ANT M AR KE
LS I LA )
A visitor at the Dome of the Rock, centrepiece of the Haram esh-Sharif
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Street-by-Street: The Muslim Quarter The main routes through this busy quarter are along the Via Dolorosa and up and down El-Wad. Both streets are lined with a gaudy array of shops, whose salesmen eagerly press on visitors all manner of ornaments and kitsch, from plastic crucifixes to glass-bowled water pipes. Few people stray from the main thoroughfares, but those who do are richly rewarded. The quiet, winding back alleys contain a wealth of fine medieval Islamic architecture, much of it The Austrian Hospice dating from the Mameluke era (1250–1516). Not all of was built in 1869 it is in good condition, but many of these buildings still to accommodate perform the functions for which they were intended. Christian pilgrims. Damascus Gate
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Crossing the quarter from east to west, this street is revered by Christian pilgrims as the route taken by Christ as he was led to his crucifixion.
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Holy Sepulchre church and the Christian Quarter Abu Shukri restaurant (see p270)
El-Takiya Street A narrow, stepped street at the heart of the quarter, El-Takiya contains some of the city’s finest examples of Mameluke architecture.
Palace The banding of different coloured stone and panels of intricate marble inlay typify the decorative style of the Mamelukes. For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
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1 . Monastery of the Flagellation Built on the site traditionally associated with the flogging of Christ, this Franciscan complex includes two attractive chapels and the Studium Museum.
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MODERN JERUSALEM MUSLIM QUARTER
Haram Esh-Sharif
JEWISH QUARTER
Locator Map See Jerusalem Street Finder, map 4
Lions’ Gate and the Mount of Olives
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Convent of the Sisters of Zion The convent, which runs a pilgrims’ hospice, dates from the 19th-century Christian building boom. 2 . Ecce Homo Arch The arch, which spans the Via Dolorosa, is the main section of a Roman triple arch. One of the smaller, flanking arches (left) is incorporated into the structure of the Convent of the Sisters of Zion.
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Bab el-Hadid Street Though badly neglected, this street has a number of madrasas (see p75) from the 14th and 15th centuries.
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War (see p47), the arch was reconstructed as a monument to victory, with two smaller arches flanking a large central bay. It is the central bay that you see spanning the street. One of the side arches is also still visible, incorporated into the interior of the neighbouring Convent of the Sisters of Zion. Built in the 1860s, the convent also contains the remains of the vast Pool of the Sparrow (Struthion), an ancient reservoir which collected rainwater directed from the rooftops. The pool was originally covered with a stone pavement Monastery of the Flagellation, with the Via Dolorosa behind (lithostrothon) and it was on this 1 Monastery of flagstone plaza, Christian frescoes from the Church of tradition has it, that Gethsemane, precursor of the Flagellation Pilate presented Christ the present-day Church Via Dolorosa. Map 4 D2. Tel (02) to the crowds and of All Nations (see p118), 627 0444. Open 7:30am–5pm daily. uttered the words and a 12th-century Studium Museum: Open 9am–1pm & “Ecce homo” (“Behold crozier from the Church 4–6pm Tue–Sat (phone for appt). the man”). However, of the Nativity archaeology refutes Owned by the Franciscans, this in Bethlehem (see pp198–9). complex embraces the simple Crusader-era angel’s head, this, dating the Studium Museum pavement to the and striking Chapel of the 2nd century AD, Flagellation, designed in the 2 Ecce Homo long after the time of Christ. 1920s by the Italian architect Within a railed section you can Antonio Barluzzi, who was also Arch see marks scratched into the responsible for the Dominus Via Dolorosa. Map 4 D2. Convent of stone. Historians speculate that Flevit Chapel on the Mount of the Sisters of Zion: Tel (02) 627 7292. they may have been carved by Olives (see p117). It is located Open 8am–5pm daily. & 8 bored Roman guards as a kind on the site traditionally held of street game. to be where Christ was flogged This arch that spans the Via by Roman soldiers prior to his Dolorosa was built by the crucifixion (Matthew 27: 27–30; Romans in AD 70 to support 3 Via Dolorosa Mark 15: 16–19). a ramp being laid against the On the other side of the Antonia Fortress, in which Map 3 C3 & 4 D2. courtyard is the Chapel of Jewish rebels were barricaded the Condemnation, which (see p48). When the Romans The identification of the Via also dates from the early 20th rebuilt Jerusalem in AD 135 in Dolorosa (see pp34–5) with the century. It is built over the the wake of the Second Jewish ancient “Way of Sorrows” walked remains of a medieval chapel, by Christ on the way to his on the site popularly identified crucifixion has more to do with with the trial of Christ before religious tradition than historical Pontius Pilate. fact. It nevertheless continues The neighbouring monastery to draw huge numbers of buildings house the Studium pilgrims every day. The streets Biblicum Franciscanum, a through which they walk are prestigious institute of biblical, much like any others in the geographical and archaeoMuslim Quarter, lined with small logical studies. Also part of shops and stalls, but the route the complex, the Studium is marked out by 14 “Stations of the Cross”, linked with events Museum contains objects that occurred on Christ’s found by the Franciscans in last, fateful walk. Some of the excavations at Capernaum, Stations are commemorated Nazareth, Bethlehem and only by wall plaques, which can various other sites. The be difficult to spot among the most interesting exhibits religious souvenir stalls. Others are Byzantine and Crusader The span of the Ecce Homo Arch, bridging are located inside buildings. objects, such as fragments of the Via Dolorosa For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
THE MUSLIM QUARTER
The last five Stations are all within the Holy Sepulchre church (see pp96–9). Friday is the main day for pilgrims, when, at 4pm in summer and 3pm in winter, the Franciscans lead a procession along the route. In fact, the more likely route for the original Via Dolorosa begins at what is now the Citadel (see pp106–9) but was at the time the royal palace. This is where Pontius Pilate resided when in Jerusalem, making it a more likely location for the trial of Christ. From here, the condemned would probably have been led down what is now David Street, through the present-day Central Souk (see p70), out of the then city gate and to the hill of Golgotha, the presumed site of which is now occupied by the Holy Sepulchre church.
Stalactite stone carvings above a window on Lady Tunshuq’s Palace
Lady Tunshuq’s Palace 4
El-Takiya St. Map 4 D3. Closed to public.
Lady Tunshuq, of Mongolian or Turkish origin, was the wife, or mistress, of a Kurdish nobleman. She arrived in Jerusalem some time in the 14th century and had this edifice built for herself. It is one of the loveliest examples of Mameluke architecture in Jerusalem. Unfortunately the narrowness of the street prevents you from standing back and appreciating the building as a whole, but you can admire the three great doorways with their beautiful inlaid-marble decoration. The upper portion of a window
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5 Cotton Merchants’ Market Off El-Wad Rd. Map 4 D3.
An unusually quiet Via Dolorosa, leading down from Ecce Homo Arch to El-Wad Road
recess also displays some fine carved stone, stalactite-like decoration, a form known as muqarnas. The former palace now serves as an orphanage and is not open to the public. When Lady Tunshuq died, she was buried in a small tomb across from the palace. The fine decoration on the tomb includes panels of different coloured marble, intricately shaped and slotted together like a jigsaw – a typical Mameluke feature known as “joggling”. If you head east and across El-Wad Road, you will enter a narrow alley called Ala ed-Din, which contains more fine Mameluke architecture. Most of the façades are composed of bands of different hues of stone, a strikingly beautiful Mameluke decorative technique known as ablaq.
Known in Arabic as the Souk el-Qattanin, this is a covered market with next to no natural light but lots of small softly lit shops. It is possibly the most atmospheric street in all the Old City. Its construction was begun by the Crusaders. They intended the market as a freestanding structure but later, in the first half of the 14th century, the Mamelukes connected it to the Haram esh-Sharif (see pp72–7) via a splendidly ornate gate facing the Dome of the Rock. (But note, non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the Haram eshSharif by this gate, although you can depart this way.) As well as some 50 shop units with living quarters above, the market also has two ornate bathhouses, the Hammam el-Ain, built in the 14th century by the Mamelukes, and the Hammam el-Shifa. Both of these are undergoing restoration with a view to eventually opening them to the public. Between the two bathhouses is a former merchants’ hostel called Khan Tankiz, which has been restored. Less than 50 m (160 ft) south of the Cotton Merchants’ Market on El-Wad Road is a small public drinking fountain, or sabil, one of several such erected during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent.
The tunnel-like interior of the Cotton Merchants’ Market
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Chain Street
Map 4 D4.
The Arabic name for this street is Tariq Bab el-Silsila, which means “Street of the Gate of the Chain”. The name refers to the magnificent entrance gate to the Haram esh-Sharif (see pp72–7) situated at its eastern end. The street is a continuation of David Street, and together the two streets run the width of the Old City from Jaffa Gate Some of the many and varied spices on sale at the Central Souk to the Haram esh-Sharif. along on the same side is the Chain Street has several called the Butchers’ Market tomb of Tartar pilgrim Turkan noteworthy buildings (Souk el-Lakhamin in Arabic), Khatun, easily recognizable by commissioned by Mameluke restored in the 1970s, still offers the splendid arabesques on its all the excitement of an eastern emirs in the 14th century. façade. Opposite the Gate of Heading eastwards from bazaar. It is not for the faintthe Chain is the impressive David Street, the first is the hearted, however, as the entrance to the 14th-century Khan el-Sultan caravanserai, pungent aromas of spices Tankiziyya Madrasa. In the a restored travellers’ inn. and freshly slaughtered inscription, three symbols in Further along on the right meat can be overwhelming. the shape of a cup show is Tashtamuriyya Madrasa, that emir Tankiz, who with its elegant balcony. 8 Damascus Gate built the college, It houses the tomb of held the important the emir Tashtamur Map 3 C1. @ 1, 2. Roman Square office of cupbearer. and is one of many Excavations: Open 9am–5pm (winter: Nearby is a drinking final resting places 4pm) Sat–Thu. & fountain, or sabil, built here in the 14th from the reign and 15th centuries Spotting this gate is easy, not of Suleyman the in order to be close only because it is the most Magnificent, which to the Haram eshmonumental in the Old combines Roman Sharif. On the same City, but also because of the Window on Khalidi Library and Crusader motifs. side of the street is perpetual bustle of activity the tomb of the in the area outside the gate. brutal Tartar emir Barka Khan, Arabs call it Bab el-Amud, the 7 Central Souk father-in-law of the Mameluke Gate of the Column. This could ruler Baybars, who drove refer to a large column topped David St/Chain St. Map 3 C4. the Crusaders out of the Holy with a statue of the emperor Open 8am–7pm Sat–Thu. Land (see pp52–3). This building, Hadrian (see p47) which, in with its intriguing façade Roman times, stood just inside The Central Souk consists of decoration, now houses the gate. For Jews it is Shaar three parallel covered streets at the Khalidi Library. Shkhem, the gate which leads the intersection of David Street Opposite the Khalidi Library to the biblical city of Shechem, and Chain Street. They once are two small mausoleums. better known by its Arabic formed part of the Roman Of the two, that of emir Kilan name – Nablus. Cardo (see p84). Today’s stands out for its austere, wellThe present-day gate was markets sell mostly clothes and proportioned façade. Further built over the remains of the souvenirs, although the section original Roman gate and parts of the Roman city. Outside the gate and to the west of the raised walkway, steps lead down to the excavation area. In the first section are remains of a Crusader chapel with frescoes, part of a medieval roadway and an ancient sign marking the presence of the Roman 10th Legion. Further in, metal steps lead down to the single surviving arch of the Roman gate, which gives access to the Crowds of visitors and market traders outside Damascus Gate For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
THE MUSLIM QUARTER
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Roman Square Excavations. Here, the fascinating remains of the original Roman plaza, the starting point of the Roman Cardo, include a gaming board engraved in the paving stones. A hologram depicts Hadrian’s column in the main plaza. It is possible to explore the upper levels of the gate as part of the ramparts walk (see pp146–7). 9
Herod’s Gate
Map 4 D1.
The Arabic and Hebrew names for this gate, Bab el-Zahra and Shaar ha-Prakhim respectively, both mean “Gate of Flowers”, referring to the rosette above the arch. It came to be known as Herod’s Gate in the 1500s, when Christian pilgrims wrongly thought that the house inside the gate was the palace of Herod the Great’s son. It was via the original, now closed, entrance further east that the Crusaders entered the city and conquered it on 15 July 1099 (see pp52–3).
Visitors outside the Lions’ Gate, in the Old City’s eastern wall
q Lions’ Gate their house are in the crypt, which is also noted for its Map 4 F2. remarkable acoustics. Shortly after the church Suleyman the Magnificent was built, it was made larger built this gate in 1538. Its Arabic by moving the façade forwards name, Bab Sitti Maryam (Gate by several metres. The of the Virgin Mary), refers to the connection with the original Tomb of the Virgin in the nearby church can still be seen in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (see p119). first row of columns. In 1192, The Hebrew name, Shaar Saladin (see pp52–3) turned the ha-Arayot, or Lions’ Gate, refers church into a Muslim theological to the two emblematic lions school. There is an inscription to on either side of the gateway, this effect above the church’s although one school of thought 0 St Anne’s Church entrance. Later abandoned, the insists that they are panthers. church fell into ruins, until the There are many different stories 2 Shaar ha-Arayot St. Map 4 E2. Ottomans donated it to France to explain the significance of Tel (02) 628 3285. Open 8am–noon & in 1856 and it was restored. the lions. One is that Suleyman 2–6pm (winter: 5pm) daily. & Next to the the Magnificent church are two had them carved This beautiful Crusader cisterns that once in honour of the church is a superb example of lay outside the city Mameluke emir Romanesque architecture. It walls. They were Baybars and was constructed between 1131 built in the 8th and his successful and 1138 to replace a previous 3rd centuries BC to campaign to rid Byzantine church, and exists Lion detail from the Holy Land of today in more or less its original collect rainwater. Some Lions’ Gate time later, under Herod Crusaders. Also known form. It is traditionally believed the Great, they were turned into as St Stephen’s Gate, this name that the church stands on the curative baths. Ruins of a Roman was adopted in the Middle Ages spot where Anne and Joachim, temple, thought to have been by Christians who believed that the parents of the Virgin Mary, to the god of medicine, can be the first Christian martyr, lived. The supposed remains of seen here, as can St Stephen, was executed here. those of a later Prior to that, it was thought that Byzantine church St Stephen had been stoned to built over the death outside Damascus Gate. temple. It is also The gate is also significant widely believed that because of its more recent this is the site of the history, for it was through it that Pool of Bethesda, the Arab Legion penetrated the described in Old City in 1948 (see p58) and St John’s account where Israeli paratroopers entered of Christ curing a in 1967 (see p58). It is an excellent paralysed man starting point for the walk along (John 5: 1–15). the Via Dolorosa (see p68). Archaeological site in front of St Anne’s Church
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Haram esh-Sharif
Haram esh-Sharif, the “Noble Sanctuary” or Temple Mount, is a vast rectangular esplanade in the southeastern part of the Old City. Traditionally the site of Solomon’s Temple, it later housed the Second Temple, enlarged by Herod the Great and destroyed by the Romans (see pp48–9). Left in ruins for more than half a century, the site became an Islamic shrine in AD 691 with the building of the Dome of the Rock. Over the centuries other buildings have been added to this, the third most important Islamic religious sanctuary.
. Dome of the Rock This is the crowning glory not just of the Haram esh-Sharif but of all Jerusalem (see pp76–7).
Grammar College Also known as “The Dome of Learning”, this still serves as a Quranic teaching school. The doorway on the north side is flanked by some unusual barley-sugar columns dating from the Ayyubid era (1169–1250).
KEY 1 Moors’ Gate (Bab el-Maghariba) is one of only two gates that nonMuslims may use to enter the Haram. 2 Western Wall (see p89) 3 Chain Gate (Ha-Shalshelet) 4 Sabil of Qaitbey, the public
fountain, was built on the order of the Mameluke sultan Qaitbey (ruled 1468–98). It has a superb carved stone dome, the only one of its kind in the Holy Land. 5 Cotton Merchants’ Gate is a strikingly decorated Mameluke portal giving access to the market of the same name (see p69). 6 Madrasa el-Omariyya is one of several Mameluke-era schools on the Haram. 7 Madrasa el-Isardiyya 8 Dome of the Rock 9 Asbat Minaret 0 Gate of the Tribes (Bab el-Asbat) leads to the Via Dolorosa. q Golden Gate is one of the original city gates (see p75) but was sealed up by the Muslims in the 16th century. The area is out of bounds. w Crusader-built tower e Women’s mosque
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
Museum of Islamic Art This engraved Mameluke vessel is part of a collection of artifacts, largely from the Middle Ages, that includes Qurans, textiles, ceramics and weaponry (see p74).
HARAM ESHSHARIF
. Dome of the Chain This small dome (see p75) stands at the approximate centre of the Haram esh-Sharif, which, according to one theory, equated to the centre of the world. The 13th-century tiling on the interior surpasses even that of the Dome of the Rock.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Entrance via Mugrabi Gate only. Map 4 E3. Open summer: 7:30– 11am & 1:30–2:30pm Sun–Thu; winter: 7:30–10am & 12:30–1:30pm Sun–Thu. Closed Fri, Sat, Muslim hols. & for the Museum of Islamic Art ^ inside Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque. Check security with tourist office before visiting. Currently non-Muslims cannot enter the El-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
Qanatir Each of the eight flights of steps up to the platform of the Dome of the Rock is topped by a qanatir, or freestanding arcade (see p74). Some of the column capitals were recycled from Roman-era buildings.
. El-Aqsa Mosque Originally built in the early years of the 8th century (see p74), El-Aqsa remains the main place of Islamic worship in Jerusalem and draws huge crowds of devout Muslims each Friday for noon prayer. El-Kas Fountain Carved from a single block of stone and dating from 1320, this is the largest of the Haram’s many old but still functioning ablutions fountains.
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Exploring the Haram esh-Sharif Although the undoubted main attraction is the Dome of the Rock, the Haram esh-Sharif has a great many other features that are worthy of attention. The esplanade acts as a virtual museum of Islamic architecture, beginning with the Dome, which dates back to the Omayyad era and is the earliest structure, and running through the Ayyubid (Grammar College), Mameluke (numerous madrasas) and Ottoman periods. Visitors should be aware that certain parts of the Haram esh-Sharif are out of bounds, notably the area south of the Gate of the Tribes and east of El-Aqsa.
The much reconstructed interior of the El-Aqsa Mosque
El-Aqsa Mosque Construction of El-Aqsa was begun less than 20 years after the completion of the Dome of the Rock. However, unlike the Dome, whose structure and interior have remained intact over the centuries, El-Aqsa has undergone great changes. In the first 60 years of its existence the mosque was twice razed to the ground by earthquakes. Its present form dates from the early 11th century. When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, El-Aqsa became the headquarters of the Templars (see p53); their legacy remains in the three central bays of the main façade. As it appears today, the façade has seven bays; in the mid-14th century the Mamelukes added an extra two on either side of the original Crusader porch. The interior is dominated by mid-20th-century additions, notably ranks of marble columns donated by Benito Mussolini, and an elaborately painted ceiling paid for by King Farouk
of Egypt. Older elements include the mihrab, decorated in 1187 under the patronage of Saladin, and the mosaics above the central aisle arch and around the drum of the dome, dating from 1035. Until 1969, the mosque had a fine carved pulpit (minbar), also dating from the time of Saladin, but this was lost in a fire started by a deranged visitor.
Antiquity-strewn area in front of the Museum of Islamic Art
contains objects donated to the Haram esh-Sharif over the centuries, as well as architectural remnants from many of the Haram’s buildings. Worthy of mention are the precious large Qurans, with pages adorned by fine Islamic calligraphy; part of a carved cypress-wood ceiling from El-Aqsa, dating from the 7th century and removed in 1948; and fine 15th-century copper doors from the Dome of the Rock. Admission to the museum is included in the fee for the Dome of the Rock and El-Aqsa Mosque. However, it is currently closed to the public. Visitors with an interest in Islamic art should also visit the LA Mayer Museum in the New City (see p134).
The Qanatirs
Eight short flights of steps lead up to the platform on which the Dome of the Rock sits. All these stairways are of different sizes and lengths, and they all date from different periods. The flight opposite the Sabil of Qaitbey, Museum of Islamic Art leading up to the main entrance of the Dome, is unique in that it Housed in the Crusader-era refectory of the Knights Templar, is carved out of the stone of the platform. Each flight is crowned this sparsely filled museum by a slender arcade known as a qanatir. An alternative name for the arches is mawazin, or scales, because according to a widely accepted Muslim belief, on the day of the Last Judgment the scales used by God to weigh the souls of humankind will be hung from these A qanatir, topping a flight of steps up to the Dome arches on the Haram.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
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Dome of the Chain
Jerusalem and Islam
Beside the Dome of the Rock, the Haram has many other, smaller domes. The most impressive is the Dome of the Chain, immediately to the east of the Dome of the Rock. It is a simple structure of a domed roof supported on 17 columns. It originally had 20 columns but was remodelled to its current form by the Mameluke emir Baybars in the 13th century. The interior tiling is splendid (see p73). Some mystery exists over the purpose of the dome, but it is likely that it was once a treasury. Its name derives from the legend that a chain once hung from the roof, and whoever told a lie while holding it would be struck dead by lightning.
The Dome of the Rock and neighbouring El-Aqsa Mosque represent the first great religious complex in the history of Islam. Although Muslims venerate many of the same prophets as the Jews and Christians, notably Abraham (Ibrahim to the Muslims), Jerusalem itself is never mentioned in the Quran. The choice of this site was more likely a political issue. In locating his mosque on the site of the Temple, the caliph Abd el-Malik meant to reinforce the idea that the new religion of Islam, and its worldly empire, was the successor and continuation of those of the Jews and the Christians. It was only later that Jerusalem came to be tied into Islamic tradition through the story of the Night Journey (see p31). In this, Muhammad visits el-masjid el-aqsa, which means literally “the most distant mosque”, and this name was retroactively applied to the whole Haram esh-Sharif before later being restricted to the The brilliant dome of the El-Aqsa mosque only. Mosque in Jerusalem
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The Madrasas Most of the buildings fringing the Haram are madrasas – Islamic colleges. Of these, the Ashrafiyya on the western side of the Haram, built in 1482 by Sultan Qaitbey, is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. It has an especially ornate doorway exhibiting all the best elements of Mameluke design, including bands of different coloured stone, stalactite carvings above the doorway and, on the benches on either side, intricate, interlocking stones known as “joggling”. Adjoining the Ashrafiyya to the north, close to the
Sabil of Qaitbey, is another madrasa, the Uthmaniyya. Its upper section has beautiful wheel-shaped decorations formed by inlays of yellow and red stone. Along the northern edge of the Haram are two more, the triple-domed Isardiyya and adjacent Malekiyya. Both of them date from the 14th century. West of these two, in the corner, is the Omariyya college, which is held to contain the First Station of the Cross, but can only be entered from the Via Dolorosa (see pp34–5).
Golden Gate Also known as the Gate of Mercy (Bab el-Rahma), the Golden Gate was one of the original Herodian city gates. According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate, which is said to be the reason why the Muslims walled it up in the 16th century. The existing structure dates to the Omayyad period and is best viewed from outside the city walls.
The domed fountain, the Sabil of Qaitbey, with part of the Ashrafiyya Madrasa in the background
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Dome of the Rock One of the first and greatest achievements of Islamic architecture, the Dome of the Rock was built in AD 688–91 by the Omayyad caliph Abd el-Malik. Intended to proclaim the superiority of Islam and provide an Islamic focal point in the Holy City, the majestic structure now dominates Jerusalem and has become a symbol of the city. More a shrine than a mosque, the mathematically harmonious building echoes elements of Classical and Byzantine architecture, including the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre (see pp96–9).
View of the Dome of the Rock with the Muslim Quarter in the background
. Tilework
The multicoloured tiles that adorn the exterior are faithful copies of Persian tiles that Suleyman the Magnificent added in 1545 to replace the badly damaged original mosaics.
KEY 1 The octagonal arcade is adorned with original mosaics (AD 692) and an inscription inviting Christians to recognize the truth of Islam. 2 Marble panel 3 Quranic verses 4 The drum is decorated with tiles and verses from the Quran which tell of Muhammad’s Night Journey. 5 Green and gold mosaics create a scintillating effect on the walls below the dome. 6 Outer ambulatory 7 Stained-glass window 8 Each outer wall is 20.4 m (67 ft)
long. This exactly matches the dome’s diameter and its height from the base of the drum. For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and p270
Inner Ambulatory The space between the inner and outer arcades forms an ambulatory around the Rock. The shrine’s two ambulatories recall the ritual circular movement of pilgrims around the Qaaba in Mecca.
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Dome The dome was originally made of copper but is now covered with gold leaf thanks to the financial support of the late King Hussein of Jordan.
. Interior of Dome The dazzling interior of the cupola has elaborate floral decoration as well as various inscriptions. The large text commemorates Saladin, who sponsored restoration work on the building.
Well of Souls This staircase leads down to a chamber under the Rock known as the Well of Souls. The dead are said to meet here twice a month to pray.
The Rock The Rock is variously believed to be where Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, where Muhammad left the Earth on his Night Journey (see p31), and the site of the Holy of Holies of Herod’s Temple (see pp48–9).
South entrance
Market stalls outside the Damascus Gate during Ramadan
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THE JEWISH QUARTER In Herodian times this area abutted the Temple enclosure (see pp48–9) and was occupied by the priestly elite. In the late Roman period, Jews were forbidden from living in Jerusalem, but under the more tolerant Arab rule a small community was re-established here. The district became predominantly Jewish during Ottoman rule, when it acquired its present name. By the 16th century, pilgrimage to the Western Wall – the only surviving remnant of the Temple – had become a strong tradition.
After the destruction wrought in the 1948 War and the subsequent years of Jordanian occupation, the Jewish quarter was liberated by Israeli troops in 1967, and reconstruction work began soon afterwards. A great many ruins from ancient periods were uncovered below more recent buildings. These remains were made accessible to the public, so that the Jewish Quarter of today stands as a fascinating, living mix of more than 3,000 years of Jerusalem Jewry.
Sights at a Glance Archaeological Sites 1 The Cardo 2 The Broad Wall e St Mary of the Germans t Jerusalem Archaeological Park (pp90–91)
Streets and Squares 3 Hurva Square 5 Tiferet Yisrael Street 7 Batei Makhase Square r Dung Gate
Museums 6 Wohl Archaeological Museum 9 Old Yishuv Court Museum 0 The Temple Institute Museum q Ariel Centre for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period w The Burnt House
See also Jerusalem Street Finder, maps 3 and 4
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Men praying at the Western Wall, a key site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage
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Street-by-Street: Around Hurva Square Extensively reconstructed since 1967 and largely residential, the Jewish Quarter is noticeably more orderly than the rest of the Old City, though it is also frequented by large groups of tourists. The focal point for the local community is Hurva Square. This has a few small shops and cafés with outdoor seating. Most of the interesting sights in the quarter are just a few minutes’ walk from here. Another hub of the district is the Cardo and Jewish Quarter Road area, which is filled with souvenir shops and more places to eat.
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Synagogues Two of these four synagogues date back to the early 17th century. They all contain much ornate decoration.
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Rothschild House
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A small secluded square, this is favoured by local children as a play area. Its most notable feature is the elegant 19th-century Rothschild House, with its arcaded façade.
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Hurva Synagogue (see pp84–5)
4 Ramban Synagogue Founded around 1400, the Ramban was the first major synagogue to be built here after the Romans expelled the Jews from Jerusalem.
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3 . Hurva Square The area’s main square is dominated by Hurva Synagogue, which has been rebuilt to its 19th-century design.
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The Cardo
building next to the exposed wall, a clearly visible line indicates what archaeologists think was the original height of the wall. Also visible are the remains of housing from the same period, demolished to make way for the wall, as described in the Book of Isaiah (22: 10), “And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.”
Map 3 C4.
Now in part an exclusive shopping arcade, the Cardo was Jerusalem’s main thoroughfare in the Byzantine era. It was originally laid by the Romans, then extended in the 4th century as Christian pilgrims began to flock to Jerusalem and the city expanded accordingly. The Byzantine extension, which remains in evidence today, linked the two major places of worship of the time, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (see pp96–9) in the north and the long-since-vanished Nea Basilica (see p86) in the south. The central roadway of the Byzantine Cardo was 12.5 m (41 ft) wide. This was flanked by broad porticoed pavements and lined with shops. You can visit a reconstructed section, which runs for almost 200 m (650 ft) along Jewish Quarter (Ha-Yehudim) Road. The Cardo’s continued importance during the reign of Justinian in the 6th century is attested to by its prominent appearance on the famous Madaba map (see pp220–21). Some 500 years later, in the Crusader era, the Cardo was converted into a covered market; the northern section is now preserved as an arcade of smart galleries and boutiques. An exhibition on Jewish Quarter Road entitled “Alone on the Walls” displays photographs that document the fall of the Jewish Quarter to a regiment of the Arab Legion in 1947–8, in which 68 residents lost their lives.
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Hurva Square
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This is the heart and social centre of the present-day Jewish Quarter. In the maze of Plugat ha-Kotel St. Map 3 C4. narrow, winding streets which, though modern, follow the The Jewish Quarter was largely topography of the quarter before destroyed during the 1948 War its destruction, Hurva Square is and allowed to deteriorate one of the few open spaces in further under Jordanian the area. It has cafés, souvenir occupation. Following shops and a few snack the 1967 Israeli victory, bars that have small tables a vast reconstruction outside when the weather programme resulted is good. Also here is the in many significant archaeological finds. Jewish Students’ One of these was Information Centre, the unearthing of which provides help with the foundations of a accommodation and wall 7 m (22 ft) thick invitations to Shabbat and 65 m (215 ft) long. (Sabbath) dinners for This was possibly part visiting young Jews. of fortifications built On the west side Sidna Omar minaret of the square is the by King Hezekiah in the 8th century BC to minaret of the longenclose a new quarter outside since-vanished, 14th-century the previous city wall. The need Mameluke Mosque of Sidna for expansion was probably Omar, along with the historic brought about by a flood of Hurva and Ramban synagogue refugees after the Assyrian complexes. Hurva means “ruins” invasion of 722 BC. On the and the history of the Hurva Synagogue more than justifies its name. In the 18th century a group of a few hundred Ashkenazi Jews from Poland came to Jerusalem and founded a synagogue on this site. However, it was burned down by creditors angered by the community’s unpaid debts. The synagogue was rebuilt in 1864 in a Neo-Byzantine style. However, during the fighting that took place in 1948 between the Arab and Jewish armies, the synagogue was destroyed. After the Israelis The Cardo, the main street of Byzantine-era Jerusalem 2
The Broad Wall
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popular Quarter Café, which serves kosher food and offers great views of the Haram eshSharif and Dome of the Rock from its terrace. 6 Wohl Archaeological Museum 1 Ha-Karaim St. Map 4 D4. Tel (02) 626 5922. Open 9am–5pm Sun–Thu, 9am–1pm Fri. & ^
In the era of Herod the Great (37–4 BC), the area of the present-day Jewish Quarter Hurva Square, the social and commercial hub of the Jewish Quarter was part of a wealthy “Upper recaptured the Old City in 1967, 5 Tiferet Yisrael City”, occupied for the most part a single arch of the synagogue’s Street by the families of important main façade was reconstructed. Jewish priests. During postMap 4 D4. The structure underwent 1967 redevelopment, the further renovation and has remains of several large This is one of the busiest now been reconstructed in houses were unearthed here. streets in the Jewish Quarter. the same style as the 1864 This rediscovered Herodian It connects Hurva Square with Neo-Byzantine building. the stairs that descend towards quarter now lies from 3 to 7 m (10 to 22 ft) below street level, the Western Wall. Partway underneath a modern building, along is the shell of the ruined 4 Ramban and is preserved as the Wohl Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, Synagogue Archaeological Museum. destroyed in the 1948 War The museum is remarkable and left gutted as a memorial. Hurva Square. Map 3 C4. Open for for its vivid evocation of Sectarian feelings run high morning and evening prayers. 7 around here, and local souvenir everyday life 2,000 years ago. All the houses had an inner shops stock contentious items When the Spanish rabbi and courtyard, ritual baths, and such as Israeli Army T-shirts scholar Moses Ben Nahman cisterns to collect rain, which and postcards of the Haram (Nahmanides) arrived in was the only source of water esh-Sharif with its mosques Jerusalem in 1267, he was at the time. The first part replaced by the “future Third shocked to find only a handful of the museum, called the of Jews in the city. He dedicated Temple”. The street ends in an Western House, has a mosaic attractive tree-shaded square himself to nurturing a Jewish in the vestibule and a wellwhich has several snack bars community and bought land preserved ritual bath (mikveh). and cafés, including the near King David’s Tomb on Beyond this is the Mount Zion in order to build Middle Complex, a synagogue. Some time the remains of two around 1400, the synagogue separate houses was moved to its present site. where archaeologists It was perhaps the first time found a maze-pattern there had been a Jewish mosaic floor covered presence in this quarter of the in burnt wood; this, Old City since the exile of the they surmised, was Jews in AD 135. The synagogue fire damage from had to be rebuilt in 1523 after it the Roman siege of collapsed. It is believed that, at Jerusalem in AD 70. this time, it was probably the The most complete only Jewish place of worship of all the Herodian in what was then Ottomanbuildings is the Palatial controlled Jerusalem. In 1599 Mansion, with more the authorities banned the Jews splendid mosaic from worship in the synagogue floors and ritual baths. and the building became a The entrance fee to workshop. It was not until the the Wohl Museum also Israelis took control of the Old City in 1967 that it was restored Tiferet Yisrael Street, one of the liveliest thoroughfares covers admission to the Burnt House (see p88). as a place of worship. in the Jewish Quarter
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7 Batei Makhase Square Map 4 D5.
This quiet square is named after the so-called Shelter Houses (Batei Makhase), which lie just south of it. They were built in 1862 by Jews from Germany and Holland for destitute immigrants from central Europe. Severe damage in the 1948 and 1967 The 17th-century Ben Zakkai Synagogue wars made restoration necessary. 8 The Sephardic The work brought to light the first remains of the Nea (New) Synagogues Basilica, whose existence had Ha-Tupim St. Map 3 C5. Tel (02) 628 previously been known only 0592. Open 9:15am– 3:45pm from the Madaba map (see Sun–Thu, 9am–12:45pm Fri. Visits pp220–21) and literary sources. must be booked in advance. & Built by Byzantine emperor Justinian in AD 543, it was at the The four synagogues in this time the largest basilica in the group became the spiritual Holy Land. The remains of one centre of the area’s Sephardic of the apses can be seen near community in the 17th century. the square’s southwest corner. The Sephardim were Archaeologists have now descended from the traced the basilica’s full Jews expelled from extent – an enormous Spain in 1492 and 116 m (380 ft) by 52 m Portugal in 1497. (171 ft). More They had first settled impressive remains in the Ottoman Empire can be found in the and then moved to cellar of a house Palestine when the to the north of latter was conquered the square. by the Turks in 1516. The handsome, When the first arcaded building on two synagogues Bimah from the Istambuli Synagogue the western side of were built, the the square was built Sephardim formed for the Rothschild family in the largest Jewish community 1871. In front of it are parts in Jerusalem. The synagogue of Roman columns, whose floors were laid well below original provenance street level to allow sufficient is unknown. height for the buildings, as
Rothschild House and a Roman column base and capital in Batei Makhase Square
Ottoman law stated that synagogues should not rise above the surrounding houses. The Ben Zakkai Synagogue was built in 1610. Its courtyard, with a matroneum, or gallery for women worshippers, was converted into the Central Synagogue, whose present form dates from the 1830s. The Prophet Elijah Synagogue, created from a study hall built in 1625, was consecrated in 1702. Legend has it that during prayers to mark Yom Kippur, Elijah appeared as the tenth adult male worshipper needed for synagogue prayer – hence the building’s name. The Istambuli Synagogue was built in 1857 and, like the other three, contains furnishings salvaged from Italian synagogues damaged in World War II.
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6 Or ha-Khayim St. Map 3 C5. Tel (02) 627 6319. Open 10am–5pm Sun–Thu (winter: 3pm), 10am–1pm Fri. & ^
This small museum, devoted to the history of the city’s Jewish community from the mid-19th century to the end of Ottoman rule in 1917, occupies one of the oldest complexes of rooms in the Jewish Quarter. Of Turkish construction, thought to date from the 15th or 16th centuries, it was once part of a private home. The exhibits, consisting largely of reconstructed interiors, memorabilia and photographs, also include the Ari Synagogue on the ground floor. This was used by a Sephardic congregation during most of the Ottoman period. Badly damaged in the fighting of 1936, it fell into disuse until 1967, when it was restored. On the top floor is the 18th-century Or ha-Khayim Synagogue, used by Ashkenazi Jews in the 19th century. Closed between 1948 and 1967, it is now a functioning synagogue once more.
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Ariel Centre for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period q
Bonei Hahomah St. Map 4 D4. Tel (02) 628 6288. Open 9am–4pm Sun–Thu. Visits must be booked in advance. & ∑ ybz.org.il
Menorah on display at the exhibition in the Temple Institute Museum 0 The Temple Institute Museum 19 Misgav La-Dakh St. Map 4 D4. Tel (02) 626 4545. Open 9am–5pm Sun–Thu, 9am–noon Fri. & 8 compulsory. 11:30am & 3:15pm Sun–Thu (in English); extra charge; must be booked in advance. = ∑ templeinstitute.org/treasuresof-the-temple.htm
Near the steps leading down to the Western Wall Plaza is an enormous golden menorah measuring more than 2 m (6 ft) in height. This is perhaps the best-known creation of the Temple Institute, a small, eccentric organization whose long-term goal is achieving readiness for the day when the Messiah builds a Third
Temple. Until that time, the organization is dedicated to the study and re-creation of ritual items according to biblical specifications, as well as promoting awareness of its work. To this end, it runs an exhibition called “Treasures of the Temple” in a small museum near the Western Wall. The exhibition displays a range of golden and silver vessels, musical instruments, altars and priestly vestments. The collection of kitsch oil paintings depicting the rebuilt Temple is of less interest, but the scale model of the Second Temple, made with real marble and gold, is a sight to behold.
The principal exhibit here is a model of all the archaeological remains of First Temple Period Jerusalem (around the 8th century BC). It illustrates the relationship between remains, which can be difficult to interpret when they are seen on the ground surrounded by other buildings. It also shows the original topography of the area before valleys were filled in and occupation layers built up. An audiovisual show describes the city’s history from 1000 to 586 BC. There is also a display of finds from a secret dig carried out in 1909–11 by English archaeologist Captain Montague Parker. His team of excavators penetrated underneath the Haram esh-Sharif in search of a chamber that reputedly contained King Solomon’s treasure. When news of the dig got out, violent demonstrations by Jews and Muslims, united in their opposition to the desecration of their holy site, forced Parker to flee the city.
Jewish Quarter Architecture Heavily damaged during the 1948 War, the Jewish Quarter has been almost totally reconstructed. While there is no distinct “Jewish style”, the quarter’s modern architecture belongs to a well-defined Jerusalem tradition. First and foremost, everything is constructed of the pale local stone. Use of this stone has been mandatory in Jerusalem since a law to this effect was passed by the British military governor, Ronald Storrs, in 1917. Buildings and street patterns are Modern additions harmonize with traditional styles deliberately asymmetrical to evoke haphazard historical development. Streets are also narrow and cobbled, with many small courtyards and external staircases to upper levels. Buildings make great use of traditional Middle Eastern elements such as arches, domes and oriels (the high bay windows supported on brackets, much favoured by Mameluke builders). A jumble of different heights means that the roof of one building is often the terrace of another. The result is a very contemporary look, which is at the same time firmly rooted in the past.
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The Burnt House
Tiferet Yisrael St. Map 4 D4. Tel (02) 626 5900. Open 9am–5pm Sun–Thu, 9am–1pm Fri. &
In AD 70 the Romans took Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple and Lower City to the south. A month later they rampaged through the wealthy Upper City, setting fire to the houses. The charred walls and a coin dated to AD 69 discovered during excavations show that this was one of those houses. A stone weight found among the debris bears the inscription “son of Kathros”, indicating that the house belonged to a wealthy family of high priests. They are known from a subsequent reference to them in the Babylonian Talmud, written between the 3rd and 6th century AD. The rooms on view, introduced by a moving sound-and-light show with commentary, comprise a kitchen, four rooms that may have been bedrooms and a bathroom with a ritual bath. It is believed that these formed part of a much larger residence, but further excavations cannot be undertaken as the remains lie beneath present-day neighbouring houses. The entrance fee also discounts the Wohl Archaeological Museum (see p85).
Surviving walls of the Crusader-built St Mary of the Germans e St Mary of the Germans Misgav la-Dakh St. Map 4 D4. Open daily.
Byzantine times. Beside the church is a flight of steps down to the Western Wall Plaza. These provide wonderful views of the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Mount of Olives behind.
Immediately below the terrace of Tiferet Yisrael’s Quarter Café are the original walls of St Mary of the Germans. This r Dung Gate early 12th-century Crusader church was part of a complex Map 4 D5. that included a pilgrims’ hospice (no longer in In old photographs the Dung existence) and a hospital. Gate is shown to be hardly any It was built by the larger than a doorKnights Hospitallers way in the average (see p53) and run domestic house. Its by their German name in Hebrew is members. This was Shaar ha-Ashpot, and in response to the it is mentioned in the influx of GermanBook of Nehemiah speaking pilgrims (2: 13) in the Old unfamiliar with Testament. It is French, the lingua probably named franca, or Latin, after the ash that the official language, Dung Gate, leading to the was taken from of the the Temple to be Western Wall new Latin deposited outside Kingdom of Jerusalem. the city walls. The Arab name is Activity ceased when Bab Silwan, because this is the Jerusalem fell to the gate that leads to the Arab Muslims in 1187, village of Silwan. but the church and The gate was enlarged by the hospital were the Jordanians in 1948 to allow again used during vehicles to pass through. It is the brief period when now the main entrance and exit Jerusalem was once for the Jewish Quarter, but it still more under Christian remains the smallest of all the rule (1229–44). Old City gates. It retains its old Today the church Ottoman carved arch with a is roofless. However, stone flower above. the walls survive to a considerable height, t Jerusalem showing clearly the three apses of the Archaeological typical basilica plan Park so widely used in the The outline of rooms and some of the artifacts unearthed See pp90–91. Holy Land from early at the Burnt House
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Western Wall Plaza. Map 4 D4. @ 1, 2, 38. 7 ^ on Sabbath. Chain of the Generations Centre: Tel (02) 627 1333. Open 8am–8pm Sun–Thu, 8am–noon Fri. Visits must be booked in advance. Closed Jewish hols. & 8 compulsory. Western Wall Tunnel: Tel (02) 627 1333. Open 7am–midnight Sun–Thu, 7am– noon Fri. Visits must be booked in advance. Closed Jewish hols. & 8 compulsory. Tickets can also be booked online. ∑ thekotel.org
A massive, blank wall built of huge stone blocks, the Western Wall (Ha-Kotel in Hebrew) is Judaism’s holiest site, and the plaza in front of it is a permanent place of worship. The wall is part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount and was built by Herod the Great during his expansion of the Temple enclosure (see pp48–9). The huge, lower stones are Herodian, while those higher up date from early Islamic times. During the Ottoman period, the wall became where Jews came to lament the destruction of the Second Temple. For this reason it was for centuries known as the Wailing Wall. Houses covered most of what’s now the Western Wall Plaza until relatively recently. When the Israelis gained control of the Old City after the 1967 war, they levelled the neighbouring Arab district.
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Worship at the Western Wall The Western Wall Plaza functions as a large, open-air synagogue where groups gather to recite the daily, Shabbat (Sabbath) and festival services of the Jewish faith. Special events are Prayers inserted into gaps between the stones of also celebrated here, the Western Wall such as the religious coming of age of a boy or girl (bar or bat mitzvah). Some worshippers visit the wall daily to recite the entire Book of Psalms; others, who believe that petitions to God made at the wall are specially effective, insert written prayers into the stones. On Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the month of Av, which falls in either July or August, a fast is held commemorating the destruction of both Temples (see pp46–9). People sit on the ground reciting the Book of Lamentations and liturgical dirges called kinot. Since the plaza is essentially a public space, conflicts arise over such issues as the relative size of the men’s and women’s sections and the wish of non-Orthodox groups to hold Orthodox Jew at prayer services in which men and women beside the Western Wall participate together.
Non-Jews can approach the wall, provided they dress appropriately and cover their heads (see p293). At the left-hand corner of the men’s prayer section is Wilson’s Arch (named after a 19th-century archaeologist). Now contained within a building that functions as a synagogue, it originally carried the Causeway to the Temple. From the arch,
The Western Wall Plaza, with the men’s prayer section to the left and women’s to the right
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archaeologists have dug the Western Wall Tunnel to explore the wall’s foundations. It follows the base of the outside face of the Temple wall along a Herodian street, below today’s street level, and emerges on the Via Dolorosa. The Chain of the Generations Centre tells the story of the Jewish people. Access to this and the Tunnel is by tour only; book well in advance.
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Jerusalem Archaeological Park
The area south of the Western Wall and Haram esh-Sharif is one of the most important archaeological sites in all Jerusalem. Excavations, ongoing here since 1968, have uncovered remains dating back to the First and Second Temple periods (see pp45–7), and through Byzantine times to the Omayyad era. In this one small, L-shaped site, the entire sweep of the history of the ancient city is revealed. The Davidson Center provides a multimedia introduction to the site and contextualizes the archaeologists’ findings.
The Western Wall Plaza (see p89)
Robinson’s Arch A row of stones projecting from the wall is the remains of an arch that once supported a flight of stairs, as shown in this model at the Tower of David Museum (see pp106–9). Ritual Bath (Mikveh) The baths are where worshippers purified themselves before approaching the Temple. The divider, running down the centre of the stairs, ensured the separation of the clean and the unclean.
Herodian Street At the base of the Temple Mount is a flagged street dating from the time of the Second Temple. It would have been lined with shops – four small doorways have been reconstructed.
. Davidson Center This subterranean exhibition centre contains artifacts from the site and screens two informative films, plus a computer-animated re-creation of the Second Temple.
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Early Excavators
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Before the archaeologists, the Temple Mount area drew the attentions of 19thcentury biblical scholars. The American Edward Robinson (1794–1863) was the first to identify the huge arch that is now named after him. The first serious excavations were made by the British officer Captain Charles Warren, who discovered a series of underground tunnels, as well as the nearby water shaft that carries his name (see p119). Charles Warren, 1840–1927
Practical Information Batei Makhase St, Jewish Quarter. Tel (02) 627 7550. Open 8am–5pm Sun–Thu, 8am–2pm Fri. Closed Sat & Jewish holidays. & 8 Guided tours last 1 hr and must be booked in advance. The computeranimated reconstruction of the Second Temple screened in the Davidson Center may be viewed only as part of a guided tour. ∑ archpark.org.il
Temple Mount The great retaining wall of the Temple Mount dates from the reign of Herod (37–4 BC). To see what the complex would have looked like at this time, turn to pages 48–9.
. Hulda Gates At the top of a monumental flight of steps, a Double Gate and Triple Gate (together known as the Hulda Gates) provided access to the precincts of the Second Temple. They were later walled up by the Romans.
KEY 1 Dung Gate 2 The Western Wall is a part of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount, which runs south into the Archaeological Park. 3 El-Aqsa Mosque 4 The Crusader-era tower partially obscures the Double Gate (see right).
Omayyad Palace A canopy covers what was the central courtyard of an Omayyadera palace. The building would have filled the area between the Temple Mount and the city walls.
5 The Old City walls date from the reign of Suleyman the Great.
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THE CHRISTIAN AND ARMENIAN QUARTERS Under Byzantine rule, the Christian community of Jerusalem expanded rapidly. Settlement was concentrated in the northwest corner of the city, in the shadow of the great basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. Bounded by Souk Khan el-Zeit and David Street, the modern
quarter remains filled with the churches, patriarchates and hospices of the city’s many Christian denominations. To the south is the area traditionally inhabited by the Armenians, who have a long history in Jerusalem. It is one of the quietest parts of the Old City.
Sights at a Glance Museums 7 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 9 The Citadel (Tower of David) pp106–9 r Gulbenkian Library
8 Jaffa Gate 0 Omar ibn el-Khattab Square t Zion Gate
Historic Areas, Streets and Gates 4 Muristan 6 Christian Quarter Road
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Ruins at The Citadel, also known as the Tower of David
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Street-by-Street: The Christian Quarter The most visited part of the Old City, the Christian Quarter is a head-on collision between commerce and spirituality. At its heart is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most sacred of all Christian sites. It is surrounded by such a clutter of churches and hospices that all one can see of its exterior are the domes and entrance façade. The nearby streets are filled with shops and stalls that thrive on the pilgrim trade. Respite from the crowds can be found in the cafés of Muristan Road. The Christian Quarter, centred on the Holy Sepulchre 6 Christian Quarter Road
5 Church of St John
Along with David Street, this is the quarter’s main shopping thoroughfare. It specializes in religious items and quality handicrafts.
the Baptist The founding of the Crusader Knights Hospitallers is connected with this small church. A carved stone cross echoes the order’s historic emblem.
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David Street From the Jaffa Gate area, David Street is the main route down through the Old City. This cramped, stepped alley doubles as a busy tourist bazaar.
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1 . Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Stabat Mater Altar is one of numerous chapels and shrines that fill the church, which commemorates the Crucifixion and burial of Christ.
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Omar Mosque (see p103)
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Locator Map See Jerusalem Street Finder, map 3
Khanqa Salahiyya (see p103)
Souk el-Dabbagha With the Holy Sepulchre church at the end of the street, the few shops here have no shortage of customers for their religious souvenirs.
Ethiopian Monastery (see p99) Pillars of original Byzantine Holy Sepulchre church (see p102)
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Zalatimo’s is a famed confectionery shop; its storeroom contains remains of the doorway of the original 4th-century Holy Sepulchre church. 2 Alexander Hospice
Belonging to the Russian Orthodox Church, the hospice is built over ruins of the early Holy Sepulchre church.
Key Suggested route 3 . Lutheran Church of
the Redeemer This church has an attractive medieval cloister, but most people visit for the views from the bell tower.
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Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Built around what is believed to be the site of Christ’s crucifixion, burial and Resurrection, this complex church is the most important in Christendom. The first basilica here was built by Roman emperor Constantine between AD 326 and 335 at the suggestion of his mother, St Helena. It was rebuilt on a smaller scale by Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachus in the 1040s following its destruction by Fatimid sultan Hakim in 1009, but was much enlarged again by the Crusaders between 1114 and 1170. A disastrous fire in 1808 and an earthquake in 1927 necessitated extensive repairs.
. Christ’s Tomb For Christians, this is the most sacred site of all. Inside the 1810 monument, a marble slab covers the rock on which Christ’s body is believed to have been laid.
Stone of Unction This is where the anointing and wrapping of Christ’s body after his death has been commemorated since medieval times. The present stone dates from 1810. Courtyard The main entrance courtyard is flanked by chapels. The disused steps opposite the bell tower once led to the Chapel of the Franks, the Crusaders’ ceremonial entrance to Golgotha. For hotels in this area see p260
The mosaic of roofs and domes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
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The Holy Fire
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
On the Saturday of Orthodox Easter, all the church’s lamps are put out and the faithful stand in the dark, a symbol of the darkness at the Crucifixion. A candle is lit at Christ’s Tomb, then another and another, until the entire basilica and courtyard are ablaze with light to symbolize The Easter ceremony of the the Resurrection. Legend says Holy Fire the fire comes from heaven.
Practical Information Entrance from Souk el-Dabbagha. Map 3 C3. Tel (02) 626 7011. Open summer: 5am–9pm daily; winter: 4am–7pm daily.
Catholikon Dome Rebuilt after the 1927 earthquake and decorated with an image of Christ, this dome covers the central nave of the Crusader church. This part of the building is now used for Greek Orthodox services.
. Golgotha Through the glass around the Greek Orthodox altar can be seen the outcrop of rock venerated as the site of the Crucifixion.
KEY 1 Chapel of the Franks 2 The main entrance is early 12th century. The right-hand door was blocked up late in the same century. 3 The Crusader bell tower was reduced by two storeys in 1719. 4 The Rotunda, heavily rebuilt after the 1808 fire, is the most majestic part of the church. 5 The Seven Arches of the Virgin are the remains of an 11th-century colonnaded courtyard. 6 The Centre of the World, according to ancient map-makers (see p44), is marked here by a stone basin. 7 Rock of Golgotha (see p98) 8 Chapel of Adam (see p98)
Ethiopian Monastery A cluster of small buildings on the roof of the Chapel of St Helena is inhabited by a community of Ethiopian monks.
9 The Chapel of St Helena is now dedicated to St Gregory the Illuminator, patron of the Armenians. 0 Stairs to the Inventio Crucis Chapel (see p99)
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Exploring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre The reconstructions and additions that have shaped this church over the centuries make it a complex building to explore. Its division into chapels and spaces allotted to six different denominations adds a further sense of confusion. The interior is dimly lit, and queues often form at Christ’s Tomb, so that the time each person can spend inside the shrine may be limited to just a few minutes. Nonetheless, the experience of standing on Christianity’s most hallowed ground inspires many visitors with a deep sense of awe.
The Roman Catholic altar on Golgotha
Golgotha Just inside the church’s main entrance, on the right, two staircases lead up to Golgotha, which in Hebrew means “Place of the Skull” and was translated into Latin as Calvary. The space here is divided into two chapels. On the left is the Greek Orthodox chapel, with its altar placed directly over the rocky outcrop on which the cross of Christ’s crucifixion is believed to have stood. The softer surrounding rock was quarried away when the church was built and the remaining, fissured, so-called Rock of Golgotha can now be seen through the protective glass around the altar. It can be touched through a hole in the floor under the altar. The 12th Station of the Cross (see p34) is commemorated here. To the right is the Roman Catholic chapel, containing the 10th and 11th Stations of the Cross. The silver and bronze altar was given by Ferdinand de Medici in 1588. For hotels in this area see p260
The 1937 mosaics encircle a Crusader-era medallion of the Ascension on the ceiling. The window looks into the Chapel of the Franks (see pp96–7). Between these altars is the Altar of the Stabat Mater, commemorating Mary’s sorrow as she stood at the foot of the cross. It marks the 13th Station of the Cross. The wooden bust of the Virgin is 18th century. Archaeological evidence that the church rests on a possible site of the Crucifixion is scant, but positive. Excavations
show that the site lay outside the city walls until new ones encompassed it in AD 43; that in the early 1st century it was a disused quarry in which an area of cracked rock had been left untouched; and that rock-hewn tombs were in use here in the 1st centuries BC and AD. This all tallies with Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion.
Chapel of Adam Immediately beneath the Greek Orthodox chapel on Golgotha, this chapel is built against the Rock of Golgotha. It is the medieval replacement of a previous Chapel of Adam that was part of Constantine’s 4th-century basilica. It was so called because tradition told that Christ was crucified over the burial place of Adam’s skull – a tradition first recorded by the Alexandrian theologian Origen (c.AD 185–245). The crack in the Rock of Golgotha, clearly visible in the apse, is held by believers to have been caused by the earthquake that followed Christ’s death (Matthew 27: 51).
11th-century apse, Chapel of Adam, built against the Rock of Golgotha
The Status Quo Fierce disputes, lasting centuries, between Christian creeds (see p104) over ownership of the church were largely resolved by an Ottoman decree issued in 1852. Still in force and known as the Status Quo, it divides custody among Armenians, Greeks, Copts, Roman Catholics, Ethiopians and Syrians. Some areas are administered communally. Every day, the church is unlocked by a Muslim keyholder acting as a “neutral” intermediary. This ceremonial task has been performed by a member of the same family for several generations. Coptic priest in ceremonial vestments
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Christ’s Tomb
Site of Christ’s Tomb
The present-day shrine around the tomb of Christ was built in 1809–10, after the severe fire of 1808. It replaced one dating from 1555, commissioned by the Franciscan friar Bonifacio da Ragusa. Before that, there had been a succession of shrines replacing the original 4th-century one destroyed by the sultan Hakim in 1009. Constantine’s builders had dug away the hillside to leave the presumed rock-hewn tomb of Christ isolated and with enough room to build a church around it. They had also had to clear the remains of an AD 135 Hadrianic temple from the site, as well as the material with which an old quarry had been filled to provide the temple’s foundations. In so doing, the Rock of Golgotha was also found. Today the shrine, owned by the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian communities, contains two chapels. The outer Chapel of the Angel has a low pilaster incorporating a piece of the stone said to have been rolled from the mouth of Christ’s Tomb by angels. It serves as a Greek Orthodox altar. A low door leads to the tiny inner Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre with the 14th Station of the Cross. A marble slab covers the place where Christ’s body was supposedly laid. The slab was installed in the 1555 reconstruction and purposely cracked to deter Ottoman looters.
In the 1st century AD, this site consisted of a small, rocky rise just outside the city walls and a disused stone quarry into whose rock face tombs had been cut.
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The hillside was dug away in the 4th century to allow a church to be built around the tomb. Burial chambers existed here in the 1st centuries BC and AD.
Present church Rock of Golgotha
In the Coptic chapel behind the shrine, a piece of polished stone is shown as being part of the tomb itself, but it is granite and not limestone, as the tomb here is known to be.
Chapels of St Helena and the Finding of the Cross
From the ambulatory in the Crusader-period apse, now the choir in the Greek Catholikon, steep steps lead down to St Helena’s Chapel. The crosses on the walls were carved by Rotunda and Syrian pilgrims. Although this crypt Chapel was built by the Crusaders, who reused Byzantine columns, The Rotunda is built in classical the side walls are Roman style. The foundations of the outer back wall (now 4th-century basilica. hidden by interior More stairs go down partitions) survives to the Finding of from the 4th-century the Cross (Inventio basilica up to a Crucis) Chapel, a height of 11 m (36 ft). former cistern in The 11th-century which St Helena is Carvings in St Helena’s dome was replaced said to have found Chapel after the 1808 fire the True Cross. The and the two-storey statue of her is 19th century. colonnade built. The first two columns on the right, standing with your back to the nave, are replicas of two that survived the Ethiopian Monastery fire, but were judged unstable. This simple monastery is The originals were made approached either through the in the 11th century Ethiopian chapel in the corner from the two halves of the courtyard, to the right of of a single, gigantic the main entrance, or from Souk Roman column – from Khan el-Zeit (see p95), up steps either the 4th-century beside Zalatimo’s, a famous basilica or the previous pastry shop. Hadrianic temple. In the It occupies a series of Rotunda’s back wall small buildings on the roof is the chapel used by of St Helena’s Chapel, among the Syrians. It contains the ruins of the former Crusader Jewish rock tombs cloister. The Ethiopians were (c.100 BC–AD 100), forced here in the 17th century, marking the limit to when, unable to pay Ottoman which the hillside was taxes, they lost ownership dug away when the of their chapels in the main People queuing to enter the shrine containing Christ’s first church was built. church to other communities. Tomb in the church’s Rotunda View of the Holy Sepulchre church, believed to be the site of Christ’s crucifixion
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2 Alexander Hospice Souk el-Dabbagha. Map 3 C3. Tel (02) 627 4952. Excavations: Open 9am–6pm daily. &
Home to St Alexander’s Church, the central place of worship for Jerusalem’s Russian Orthodox community, the Alexander Hospice also houses some important excavations. When the hospice was founded in 1859, the site was already known to contain ruins of the original church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in AD 335. However, in 1882, excavations revealed Alexander Hospice doorway remains of a Herodian city wall. This finally proved that the site of the Holy Sepulchre church was outside the ancient city walls, which added credence to the claim that it was on the true site of Christ’s crucifixion (see pp96–9). Also preserved here are
remnants of a colonnaded street and, in the church, part of a triumphal arch from Hadrian’s forum, begun in AD 135. The excavations are open to the public, but only parts of the church can be visited.
Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 3
24 Muristan Rd. Map 3 C3. Tel (02) 627 6111. Open 10am–5pm (winter: 4pm) Mon–Sat. & for bell tower only. ∑ elcjhl.org
This Neo-Romanesque church was built for the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, and completed in 1898. Renewed interest in the Holy Land by Europe during the late 19th century had ushered in a period of restoration and church building, with many nations wanting to establish a religious presence in Jerusalem. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer was constructed over the remains of the 11th-century church of St Mary of the Latins, built by wealthy merchants from Amalfi in Italy. An even earlier church is thought to have existed on the site from the 5th century. Many
The dominating tower of the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer For hotels in this area see p260
details from the medieval church have been incorporated into the new building, and the entrance way, decorated with the signs of the zodiac and symbols of the months, is largely original. The attractive cloister, which is inside the adjacent Lutheran hospice, has two tiers of galleries and dates from the 13th–14th centuries. Perhaps the most interesting part of the church, though, is the bell tower. After climbing the 177 steps, visitors are rewarded with some great views over the Old City.
One of the many souvenir shops in the Muristan 4
Muristan
Muristan Rd. Map 3 C3.
The name Muristan derives from the Persian word for a hospital or hospice for travellers. For centuries the area known as the Muristan, south of the Holy Sepulchre, was the site of just such a hospice for pilgrims from Latin-speaking countries. It was built by Charlemagne in the early 9th century, with permission from the caliph Haroun el-Rashid. Partly destroyed in 1009 by the Fatimid caliph El-Hakim, it was restored later in the 11th century by merchants from Amalfi. They also built three churches here: St Mary Minor for women, St Mary of the Latins for men and St John the Baptist for the poor. St John the Baptist still stands today, and was where the Knights of the Hospital of St John (or the Knights Hospitallers) were founded. They were to take over much of the Muristan area as their
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6 Christian Quarter Road Map 3 B3.
Together with David Street, which runs from Jaffa Gate towards the Muristan, Christian Quarter Road is one of the main streets in the Christian Quarter. Marking off the Muristan zone, it passes by the western side of the Holy Sepulchre, and parallel to Souk Khan el-Zeit. This busy road is lined with shops selling antiques, Palestinian handicrafts (embroidery, leather goods and Hebron glass) and religious articles (icons, carved oliveThe fountain square, at the heart of the Muristan wood crucifixes and rosaries). 5 Church of St John Midway up the road on the headquarters, later building right, down an alley signposted their own huge hospital to the the Baptist for the Holy Sepulchre, a short north of the church. During Christian Quarter Rd. Map 3 C4. stairway descends to the the Crusades it was reported Closed to the public. modest Omar Mosque, with that there could often be up to 2,000 people under their its distinctive square minaret. The silvery dome of the Church care here at any one time. Its name commemorates of St John the Baptist is clearly By the 16th century the the caliph Omar, the person visible above the rooftops of Muristan had fallen into ruins generally credited with saving the Muristan, but the entrance and Suleyman the Magnificent the Holy Sepulchre from falling is harder to spot among the had its stones used to rebuild into Muslim control after hordes of people along busy Jerusalem’s city walls. Jerusalem passed under Christian Quarter Road. Today the Muristan is very Muslim dominion in A small doorway leads different from how it once February 638. Asked to into a courtyard, which looked, most traces of the go and pray inside the in turn gives access to original buildings having long church, which would the neighbouring Greek since disappeared. It is now almost certainly have meant Orthodox monastery characterized by its quiet its being converted into a and the church proper. lanes and attractive pink-stone mosque, he instead prayed Founded in the buildings. The lanes converge at 5th century, the on the steps outside, the ornate fountain in the main thus allowing the Church of St John square – site of the original church to remain a the Baptist is one hospice. The surrounding Christian site. The of the most ancient streets are packed with small churches in Jerusalem. Glassware on sale on Omar mosque was shops selling souvenirs, handiAfter falling into ruin, it Christian Quarter Road built later, in 1193, by crafts and antiques. Along the Saladin’s son Aphdal was extensively rebuilt nearby Muristan Road you will Ali, beside the old Hospital of in the 11th century, and aside also find a number of outdoor the Knights of St John. from the two bell towers which cafés where you can sit and The unassuming Khanqa are a later addition, the modern absorb the atmosphere. church is little changed. Salahiyya is at the top of In 1099 many Christian Christian Quarter Road. Built knights who were wounded by Saladin between 1187 and during the siege of Jerusalem 1189 as a monastery for Sufi were taken care of in this mystics, it is on the site of the church. After their recovery old Crusader Patriarchate of they decided to dedicate Jerusalem. Its ornate entrance themselves to helping the way may be as close as you sick and protecting the pilgrims are allowed, however, as it is visiting Jerusalem. Founding not open to non-Muslims. the Knights of the Hospital of Along the north side of the St John, they later developed mosque is El-Khanqa Street. into the military order of the This attractive, old, stepped Hospitallers and played a key street is lined with interesting role in the defence of the Holy shops, and runs up one of the The distinctive dome of the Church of Land (see pp52–3). Old City’s many hills. St John the Baptist
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7 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Rd. Map 3 B3. Tel (02) 627 4941. Closed for restoration. &
Tucked away in the back alleys of the Christian Quarter, this museum houses a collection of ecclesiastical items that includes icons, embroidered vestments, mitres, chalices and filigree objects. It also has a fine array of archaeological finds. Of most interest are two white-stone sarcophagi found at the end of the 19th century in a tomb near the present-day King David Hotel (see p126). They are considered to belong to the family of Herod the Great, and are covered in wonderfully elaborate floral decoration, which represents some of the finest Herodian-era funerary art ever found. The museum also displays Crusader objects, including a 12th-century carved capital from Nazareth, and artifacts found in the tomb of Baldwin I (king of Jerusalem, 1100–18) in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Other treasures include a 12th-century mitre carved from rock crystal, with bands of copper around the base and set with gems, which may once have contained relics of the Holy Cross.
Among a collection of historical firmans (imperial edicts), is one that purports to have been issued by the caliph Omar in AD 638, granting the Greek Orthodox Church custody of Jerusalem’s holy places.
narrow; it is also L-shaped – both measures intended to thwart attackers. It was constructed during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent – an exact date of 1538 is given in a dedication Codex from the Greek within the arch on Patriarchate Museum the outside of the gate. The breach in the wall 8 Jaffa Gate through which cars now pass was made in 1898, in order to Map 3 B4. @ 1, 13, 20. allow the visiting Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany to enter the city This is the busiest of the in his carriage. seven Old City gates. It is Immediately inside the the main gate for traffic gate, set into the wall behind and pedestrians coming some railings on the left, are from modern West Jerusalem two graves. Tour guides like via Mamilla. Despite the gate’s great size, the entrance tunnel is to tell how these belong to Suleyman’s architects, executed because they failed to incorporate Mount Zion within the city walls. An alternative legend has it that they were killed to prevent them ever building such grand walls for anyone else. In fact, they are the graves of a prominent citizen and his wife. Jaffa Gate is one of the places where visitors can access the ramparts to walk along the city walls (see pp146–7). To the Arabs this gate is known as Bab el-Khalil, from the Arabic name for Hebron (El-Khalil). The old Jaffa Gate, the main way into the Old City road to the town started here. from West Jerusalem
Eastern Christianity and the Patriarchates There are no fewer than 17 churches represented in Jerusalem, a result of a great many historical schisms. As Christianity spread in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, patriarchates were established in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome. Their heads, the patriarchs, claimed lineage from the Apostles, which gave them the authority to pronounce on correct doctrine. The first major schism came when the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) proclaimed the dual “divine and human” nature of Christ, and in so doing estranged the Armenian, Ethiopian, Coptic and Syrian churches from the Roman Catholic and mainstream Orthodoxy. Eastern and Western Jerusalem’s Greek Orthodox Christianity split in 1054, when Patriarch the Eastern churches refused to acknowledge the primacy of the Pope and the Roman church. Today there are four patriarchs (a position akin to that of an archbishop) resident in Jerusalem: those of the Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Greek Catholic and Latin (Roman Catholic) churches. The Ethiopians and Copts have a building called a patriarchate, but without the figure of the patriarch. Armenian priest Syrian Orthodox priest For hotels in this area see p260
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Omar ibn el-Khattab Square, just inside Jaffa Gate
The Citadel (Tower of David) 9
See pp106–9.
Omar ibn el-Khattab Square 0
Map 3 B4.
Not so much a square as a widening of the road as it passes around the Citadel, this area just inside Jaffa Gate is a focal point of Old City life. Arab boys selling street food solicit black-garbed Orthodox Jews heading for the Western Wall, and priests in cassocks pose for the cameras of the tourist groups who pick up their tour guides here. The square takes its name from the caliph Omar, who captured Jerusalem for Islam in AD 638. The Muslim name is misleading, as most of the property around the square is owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. In the late 19th century, the Patriarchate built the hotels and shops on the north side, including the NeoClassical Imperial Hotel. These days the hotel suffers badly from neglect and has appeal only for those who value atmosphere over comfort. At a street junction behind the hotel is a Roman column, erected around AD 200 in honour of the prefect of Judaea and commander of the 10th Legion. This was one of the legions that participated in the recapture of
Jerusalem in AD 70 (see p47), and was subsequently quartered in the city. The column now supports a street light. Several cafés with pavement tables fringe the east side of the square. Next to the cafés is the Christian Information Centre, and, opposite the entrance to the Citadel, the Anglican Christ Church compound. Its NeoGothic church (1849) was the first Protestant building in the Holy Land. q A Walk on the Roofs Map 3 C4.
At the corner of St Mark’s Road and Khabad Street, in an area where the Jewish, Christian and Muslim quarters overlap, an iron staircase leads up to the Old City rooftops. From here it is possible to walk above the central souk area, peering down through
Orthodox Jews cross the rooftops of the Old City
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ventilation grilles at the bustling street below. It is possible to walk for some distance, between satellite dishes and dividing walls. There is even a ramshackle children’s playground up here. Locals use the rooftops as a short cut; for visitors, the appeal is in the views the terrace affords of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Dome of the Rock. It is also worth coming up here in the evening to see the rooftop skyline thrown into silhouette by moonlight. A second set of stairs leads down past a yeshiva (Jewish religious school) onto El-Saraya Street in the Muslim Quarter. w
St Mark’s Church
5 Ararat St. Map 3 C4. Tel (02) 628 3304. Open 9am–1pm & 3–5pm (winter: 4pm) Mon–Sat. &
This small church is the centre of the Syrian Orthodox community in Jerusalem. It is a place rich in biblical associations, albeit of suspect authenticity. According to tradition, the church was built on the site of the house of Mary, mother of St Mark the Evangelist. A stone font in the church is supposedly that in which the Virgin Mary was baptized, and the church also has a painting on parchment of the Virgin and Child that is often attributed to St Luke. Of course, historians identify it as dating from a much later period. Some scholars do believe, however, that a small cellar room here was the true site of the Last Supper, not Mount Zion (see p121).
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The Citadel (Tower of David)
The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem (see p108–9) stands in the Citadel, an imposing bastion at the entrance to the walled city. The present-day structure dates mainly from the Middle Ages and includes additions made in 1532 by Suleyman the Magnificent. However, excavations have revealed remains dating back to the 2nd century BC, and indicate that there were fortifications here from Herodian times. Some believe this supports the view that this is the most likely site of Christ’s trial and condemnation.
Tower of David The Citadel is also commonly known as the Tower of David. The misnomer dates back to Byzantine confusion over the geographical layout of the city. Today the name “Tower of David” is also applied to this minaret, added in 1655. For hotels in this area see p260
. Ramparts As with most other fortresses of the Middle Ages, the Citadel is surrounded by an upper walkway. It is possible to walk almost the whole circuit, taking in views of the city in all directions.
Arched Gateway In 1917, General Allenby proclaimed the capture of Jerusalem by British forces (see p57) right in front of this gate built in the 16th century.
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The Night Spectacular This sound-and-light show allows spectators to immerse themselves in the history of Jerusalem as the streets of the Citadel come alive with images and music.
Practical Information Jaffa Gate. Map 3 B4. Tel (02) 626 5333. Open 9am–4pm Sat–Thu (to 2pm Fri); Aug: 9am–5pm Sat–Thu (to 4pm Fri). &8-= ∑ tod.org.il
View of the Citadel and the Dome of the Rock behind, from the New City
. Phasael’s Tower This defensive tower, built by Herod the Great and named after his brother, was decorated in the Greco-Roman style and partly rebuilt in the 1300s. The top offers spectacular views.
KEY 1 The entrance was built with an L-shaped hallway to impede the progress of attackers. 2 Open-air mosque 3 East Tower 4 Southeast Tower 5 Base of an early Islamic tower 6 The mosque was built by the Mamelukes above a Crusader hall. 7 The Hasmonean city wall (2nd century BC) is one of the oldest finds. Part of the same wall can be seen in the Jewish Quarter. 8 An 1873 model of Jerusalem is on display in an underground cistern.
Mameluke Cupola This small cupola and the hexagonal room beneath are part of the Mameluke rebuilding that took place around 1310. The tour of the museum starts on this rooftop.
9 The courtyard was built by the Mamelukes above a Crusader hall. 0 Entrance to café q Traces of the Byzantine city wall can be seen at the base of this section of wall. w Moat
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Exploring the Citadel There is a lot to see in the Citadel’s Tower of David Museum. To help the visitor, there are three well-signposted routes: the Observation Route runs along the ramparts for the best panoramic views of the city, both Old and New; the Excavation Route concentrates on the archaeological remains in the courtyard; and the Exhibition Route takes visitors through a series of rooms tracing the history of the city. This takes the form of displays, dioramas and models, rather than a collection of historical artifacts. Visitors can join a free English tour of the route departing at 11am Sunday to Friday, and lasting one and a half hours.
Phasael’s Tower The Exhibition Route begins in Phasael’s Tower with a short, animated film. From here, exit to the roof of the octagonal entrance chamber, where there is the first in a series of models placed throughout the museum that depict Jerusalem at various stages during its history. This one shows the topography of the site before the founding of the city. If you then ascend Phasael’s Tower, you can see the pattern of hills and valleys for yourself.
exhibits are inside the tower. These include a replica of a 19th-century-BC Egyptian statuette bearing the first written reference to Jerusalem. There is also a model of the 10thcentury City of David, prior to the building of the Temple, a hologram of the Temple itself and an informative animation showing how the ancient city’s water system worked. The latter is very useful for anyone who intends visiting Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam (see p119).
Three-dimensional representation of the Second Temple
interpretative reliefs in Babylonian and Persian style. One room features a three-dimensional portrait of the Second Temple, which is worth studying closely by anyone who intends visiting the Jerusalem Archaeological Park (see pp90–91). There is also an illustration of the three original Herodian towers – one of these forms the base of Phasael’s Tower, visited at the start of this route, which still has The Canaanites and some of the stone the First Temple used to build the lower part Heading clockwise from Verrochio’s statue of the 2nd-centuryPhasael’s Tower, the first two Return to Zion of David BC structure. sections deal with the origins and the Second The destruction of of Jerusalem, covering the Temple the Temple is represented by period from 3150 to 587 BC, a reproduction of a frieze from the year the First Temple was The next series of rooms, in a the Arch of Titus, erected in destroyed. The Canaanite era lower level of the East Tower, Rome in AD 81 to celebrate is explained in three display traces the return of the Jews to the triumph over the Jews 11 boards outside the East Tower, Jerusalem from exile in Babylon years earlier. It shows Roman while the First-Temple-era – illustrated in the form of soldiers carrying off Jewish treasures, including a menorah and trumpets. Between here and the next exhibition room is a bronze copy of Verrochio’s David, a Renaissance sculpture of the young king. David, in fact, had nothing to do with the Citadel or the tower that bears his name (see p106), as the fortress dates from the time of Herod, a thousand years after the time of David. The statue was a gift to Jerusalem from the city of Florence in Italy. Phasael’s Tower (left) seen across the Citadel’s courtyard For hotels in this area see p260
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Late Roman and Byzantine Periods A small room in the Southeast Tower deals with the creation of Aelia Capitolina, the Roman city, built on the ruins of Second-Temple-era Jerusalem. The room has floors based on mosaics from Hadrian’s Villa in Rome and the St Martyrius Monastery near Jerusalem. There is also a splendid model, 1.5 m (5 ft) long, of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as it is thought to have looked when it was first built in the 4th century, on the orders of Helena, mother of the emperor Constantine.
The sabil of Suleyman in a finely detailed model in the Ottoman room
centre of the room shows that by this time the Old City had taken on the form in which it appears today. There is also a diorama of the Crusader Church of St Anne’s and lifesize statues of the Western knights, as well as a brightly coloured diorama depicting the famed conqueror of the Crusaders, Saladin (Salah al-Din in Arabic), in his tent outside the city walls.
The Mamelukes and Ottomans The final exhibition rooms are housed in the large, northwest tower. The Mamelukes (1260– The prayer niche and pulpit in the Citadel’s 1516), a dynasty of former former mosque slaves who ruled from Egypt, endowed Jerusalem with some Early Islam and the of its most distinctive and Crusades beautiful buildings. Their contribution is represented by Appropriately enough, drawings and a scale the early Islamic reconstruction of a exhibits are street of distinctive housed in the striped-stone (ablaq) Citadel’s former architecture. You can mosque. This is the see similar examples most striking room today at Lady in the whole Citadel Tunshuq’s Palace complex, with a in the Old City still intact mihrab (see p69). (niche indicating the Illustrating direction of Mecca) Ottoman and minbar (pulpit). Jerusalem At the centre of is a large-scale the room is a model of a fountain large, detailed, (sabil) erected sectioned model of the Dome of the by Suleyman the Rock. The model Magnificent – the real apparently took two thing survives today years to construct. An on Chain Street in the Members of Saladin’s aluminium model at the Muslim Quarter. retinue
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End of the Ottomans and the British Mandate This last room is a brief race through the city’s more recent history. The story it tells is of the mass influx of Christian pilgrims and Jewish immigrants who began to settle for the first time outside the security of the walls of the Old City and, in doing so, established what is now the modern city of Jerusalem. A video wall with nine screens depicts 30 years of British mandate from 1917 until 1948. There is also some rare 1896 Lumière brothers footage of the Jerusalem–Jaffa railway. In a separate hall is a vast and superb model of late 19th-century Jerusalem, made by a Hungarian artist in 1873. It was exhibited throughout Europe before going into storage and being forgotten for a century until its rediscovery and removal here in the early 1980s.
Detail of the enormous model of Jerusalem constructed in 1873
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Wrought-iron gate framing the ornate main entrance to St James’s Cathedral
St James’s Cathedral e
Armenian Patriarchate Rd. Map 3 B5. Tel (02) 628 2331. Open 6–7:30am & 3–3:30pm daily.
The Armenian Cathedral is one of the most beautiful of all Jerusalem’s sacred buildings. It was originally constructed in the 11th and 12th centuries over the reputed tomb of St James the Great, the Apostle, killed by Herod Agrippa I (AD 37–44). Many alterations and additions have since been made, most notably in the 18th century, when much of the existing decoration was added. Entrance to the cathedral is via a small courtyard with a 19th-century fountain. On the western wall of the courtyard are inscriptions in Armenian, one of which dates from 1151. Hanging in the vaulted porch are wooden bars. Each afternoon a priest strikes these with a wooden mallet known as a nakus, to signal the start of the service. The cathedral interior is enchanting. It is only dimly illuminated by a forest of oil lamps hung from the ceiling. There are no seats; instead the floors are thickly laid with Oriental rugs. Four great square For hotels in this area see p260
piers divide the main space into three aisles. These piers, along with the walls, are covered in blue-and-white tiles with floral and abstract patterns. In the apses at the end of each of the three aisles are altars, separated from the rest of the church by the iconostasis screen. Two thrones stand in the choir; the one nearest the pier is said to be that of St James the Less, traditionally held to have been a step-brother of Christ and the first bishop of Jerusalem. It is used only once a year, in early January, on the occasion of his feast day. The other throne is the one normally used by the patriarch. The cathedral contains many small shrines and chapels. The third on the left as you enter is the most important: it supposedly holds the head of St James the Great. Off to the right, the Etchmiadzin Chapel has some beautiful tiling.
Gulbenkian Library r
Armenian Patriarchate Rd. Map 3 B5. Tel (02) 628 2331. @ Egged bus 38. Open 2–6pm Mon–Fri. & 8 call ahead. ∑ armenian-patriarchate. com/home/gulbenkian-library
Located in the complex of St James’s Cathedral, the Gulbenkian Library is one of the largest and most important resource centres dedicated to the history and culture of the Armenian people. It first opened in 1932 and has a growing collection of more than 100,000 works, both historical and contemporary, a large number of which are in Armenian. The library also contains the third largest collection of Armenian newspapers, along with an extensive stock of periodicals and magazines. A separate room houses rare and early imprints. Significant among these is a copy of the inaugural issue of the official publication of the Armenian Patriarchate. Other interesting objects are examples of the first books printed in the first print
shop in Jerusalem, which has been active since 1833 inside the Armenian monastery. The Patriarchate also curates an extraordinary collection of 4,000 ancient manuscripts, housed in the Church of St Toros, close to the Cathedral.
Battle-scarred Zion Gate, which leads to the Jewish and Armenian quarters t
Zion Gate
Map 3 C5.
Zion Gate was constructed by Suleyman the Magnificent’s engineers (see p54) in 1540. It allowed direct access from the city to the holy sites on Mount Zion. Fighting was particularly fierce here in 1948, when Israeli soldiers were desperate to breach the walls to relieve the Jewish Quarter inside, under siege by the Jordanians. The outside of the gate is terribly pockmarked by bullet holes. A short distance to the west of the gate there is conspicuous damage to the base of the wall where soldiers tried to blast their way through with explosives. In Arabic, the gate is known as Bab el-Nabi Daud (Gate of the Prophet David), because of its proximity to the place traditionally known as King David’s Tomb (see p121).
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The Armenians in Jerusalem The kingdom of Armenia was the first country to make Christianity the state religion, when in AD 301 its king was converted. Armenian pilgrims began to visit the Holy City soon after. In the 12th century they purchased St James’s Cathedral from the Georgians, and this became the focal point of their community in Jerusalem. The Armenian Quarter grew to its current size in the 17th and 18th centuries, during the rule of the Turks. In the early 20th century Armenian numbers were swollen by refugees who had fled from the 1915 persecution in Turkey, a terrible genocide in which some one and a half million Armenians were exterminated. But from a peak of around 16,000 in 1948, the Armenian population of Jerusalem has since dwindled to less than 2,000, largely due to emigration. After the 1967 war, the Jews also started to encroach into the area, and the fear now is that, other than in name, the Armenian Quarter may one day disappear altogether. Tiling adorns the interior of St James’s Cathedral. The tiles were made in the early 18th century in Kütahya, a town around 125 km (75 miles) southeast of Constantinople, and renowned as the foremost Armenian ceramic centre in the Ottoman Empire.
The Armenian Church (above) is one of the three major guardians of the Christian places in the Holy Land. Among the sites they have at least partial jurisdiction over are the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Tomb of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and St James’s Cathedral.
Mosaics represent the finest legacy of ancient Armenian art. This 5th- or 6th-century example was unearthed just outside Damascus Gate.
The Gulbenkian Library preserves a vast array of resources on Armenian history, religion, language and culture (see p110).
Armenian-language manuscripts, such as this 13th-century example, are held in huge numbers at the Gulbenkian Library, next to St James’s Cathedral.
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THE MOUNT OF OLIVES AND MOUNT ZION The Mount of Olives is the hill that rises to the east of the Old City. Its slopes have been used as a place of burial since the 3rd millennium BC. The hill is also dotted with sites connected with the last days of Jesus Christ, but the highlight for many visitors is the superb view of the Old City from the summit. Between the city walls and the hill
is the Valley of Jehoshaphat, with several tombs from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. At the southern end of the valley is the site of the 3,000-year-old settlement that was to become Jerusalem (the City of David). The land rises again to the west to Mount Zion, an area of the city traditionally linked with the Last Supper.
Sights at a Glance Archaeological Sites 0 City of David
Holy Places 1 Russian Church of the Ascension 2 Mosque of the Ascension 3 Church of the Paternoster 5 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary 6 Church of St Mary Magdalene 7 Basilica of the Agony 8 Tomb of the Virgin q St Peter in Gallicantu e Church of the Dormition r Hall of the Last Supper
Historic Areas w Mount Zion Tombs 4 Tombs of the Prophets 9 Valley of Jehoshaphat t King David’s Tomb y Schindler’s Tomb
See also Jerusalem Street Finder, map 2
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The Mount of Olives Rising on the eastern side of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives offers magnificent views of the Dome of the Rock and the Old City. Now best known as the scene of Christ’s Agony and betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane and his Ascension into Heaven, this prominent hill has always been a holy place to the inhabitants of the city. The Jebusites dug tombs here as early as 2400 BC, as later did Jews, Christians and Muslims. To take in all the sights it is wisest to start at the top, near the Mosque of the Ascension, and walk downhill to the Tomb of the Virgin. The Old City views are best in the morning. 8 . Tomb of the Virgin An impressive flight of Crusader steps leads into the cruciform underground church. Tradition says this is where the Virgin Mary was laid to rest.
7 . Basilica of the Agony Mosaics, predominantly in blues and greens, decorate the 12 domes of this church, built in 1924 with donations from many countries.
KEY 1 Jericho Road 2 Garden of Gethsemane 3 The Cave of Gethsemane is the traditional site of Christ’s betrayal by Judas. 4 Benedictine convent 5 This road leads to Bethphage,
the village from which Christ rode in triumph to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. 6 Village of El-Tur 7 Seven Arches Hotel
For hotels in this area see p260
6 Church of St Mary
Magdalene This Russian Orthodox Church, with typically Muscovite gilded onion domes, was built by Tsar Alexander III in memory of his mother, whose patron saint was Mary Magdalene.
5 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary
The west window here frames a stunning view of the Old City.
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2 Mosque of the
Ascension Sacred to Muslims and Christians, this medieval chapel, now part of a mosque, is on the supposed site of Christ’s Ascension.
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MUSLIM QUARTER
MOUNT OF OLIVES AND MOUNT ZION
Locator Map See Jerusalem Street Finder, map 2
3 . Church of the Paternoster
Its name meaning “Our Father”, this church was built above a grotto where Christ is believed to have taught the Lord’s Prayer.
4 Tombs of the Prophets Revered as the burial place of three Old Testament prophets, this catacomb in fact dates from a much later period, the 1st century AD.
Jewish Cemeteries Many Jews wish to be buried on the Mount of Olives so as to be close to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where it is said mankind will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment.
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Russian Church of the Ascension’s bell tower in the quiet convent gardens 1 Russian Church of the Ascension Off Ruba el-Adawiya St, Mount of Olives. Map 2 F3. Tel (02) 628 4373. Open summer: 9am–noon Tue & Thu; winter: 10am–1pm Tue & Thu.
This is the church of a still active Russian Orthodox convent built between 1870 and 1887. The bell tower, a prominent landmark on the Mount of Olives, was built tall enough to allow pilgrims too infirm to walk to the River Jordan to see it from afar. The 8000-kg (8-tonne) bell was hauled from Jaffa by Russian pilgrims. Two Armenian mosaics were found during construction. A small museum was built over the most beautiful, which is fragmentary and dates from the 5th century AD; the other, complete and made slightly later, is in the Chapel of the Head of John the Baptist, inside the church. An iron cage on the floor shows where John’s head was supposedly found.
The Crusaders rebuilt the chapel as an octagon and the column bases of a surrounding Crusader portico are still visible outside. By this time, the footprints, now set in stone, were venerated here, and the right imprint remains to this day. The capitals were carved in the 1140s and the two depicting animals and leaves are particularly beautiful. The chapel became a Muslim shrine after Saladin’s conquest in 1187. In 1200 it was roofed with a dome, the arches were walled in, a mihrab added and a surrounding wall built. The outer wall today is largely rebuilt. The adjacent minaret and mosque are 17th century. The underground tomb near the entrance is venerated by Jews as belonging to the Old Testament prophetess Huldah, by Christians as St Pelagia’s and by Muslims as that of the holy woman Rabia el-Adawiya.
Church of the Paternoster 3
Mount of Olives. Map 2 F4. Tel (02) 626 4904. Open 8:30am–noon & 2:30–5pm Mon–Sat. & 7
This church stands next to the partly restored ruins of one commissioned by the emperor Constantine, who sent his mother, St Helena, to supervise construction in AD 326. Called
Site of Christ’s footprint in the Mosque of the Ascension
Eleona (elaion in Greek meaning “of olives”), it was sited above a grotto where the Ascension was commemorated. By Crusader times, the church had been rebuilt three times and the grotto was known as the place where Christ had taught the Disciples the Paternoster (meaning “Our Father”), or Lord’s Prayer. The present church and a Carmelite monastery were built nearby between 1868 and 1872 by the French Princesse de la Tour d’Auvergne. Excavations of the Byzantine church in 1910–11 unearthed a marble plaque engraved in Latin with the Paternoster. In 1920, the grotto was restored, but plans to reconstruct the Byzantine church were never realized, through lack of funds. Today, the 19th-century church and its cloister are famous for the tiled panels inscribed with the Paternoster in more than 60 languages.
Mosque of the Ascension 2
Off Ruba el-Adawiya St, Mount of Olives. Map 2 F3. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 2:30pm) daily (if closed, ring bell). &
Poemenia, a Christian noblewoman, built the first chapel here around AD 380 to commemorate Christ’s Ascension. It had three concentric porticoes around an uncovered space, where the dust miraculously formed the image of Christ’s footprints. For hotels in this area see p260
Panels inscribed with the Lord’s Prayer, Church of the Paternoster
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Tombs of the Prophets 4
Mount of Olives. Map 2 F4. Open 9am–3:30pm Mon–Fri. &
The southwestern slope of the Mount of Olives, facing the Kidron Valley – also known along this stretch as the Valley of Jehoshaphat (see p119) – is densely occupied by Jewish cemeteries. At the top of the slope, an unusual, fan-shaped catacomb containing kokhim (oven-shaped) graves is held by Christian and Jewish tradition to enclose the tombs of the 5th-century-BC prophets Haggai, Malachi and Zechariah. The graves actually date from the 1st century AD and were reused in the 4th or 5th. 5 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary Mount of Olives. Map 2 F4. Tel (02) 626 6450. Open 8–11:45am & 2:30–5pm daily. 7
Russian Church of St Mary Magdalene, built in Muscovite style
show the types found in the 1950s in a vast cemetery here, in use periodically from 1600 BC to AD 70. Also on show are some carved stone ossuaries.
Its name meaning “The Lord Wept”, this chapel stands where medieval pilgrims identified a rock as the one on which Jesus sat when he wept over the fate of Jerusalem. The chapel was designed in the shape of a teardrop by Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi and built in 1955 over a 7th-century chapel. Part of the original apse is preserved in the new one. The view of the Dome of the Rock from the altar window is justly famous. A mosaic floor preserved in situ outside is from a 5th-century monastery. The graves on view nearby
Church of St Mary Magdalene 6
Mount of Olives. Map 2 E3. Tel (02) 628 4371. @ 99. Open 10am–noon Tue & Thu.
In 1885, Tsar Alexander III had this Russian Orthodox church built in memory of his mother, Maria Alexandrovna. It is pleasantly set among
trees, and the seven gilded onion domes are among the most striking features of Jerusalem’s skyline when viewed from the Old City. The domes and other architectural and decorative features are in 16th- to 17th-century Muscovite style. The church was consecrated in 1888 in the presence of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich (Tsar Alexander III’s brother) and his wife, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. In 1920, after her murder during the Russian Revolution, her remains were buried here.
The Russians in Jerusalem were visiting Jerusalem each year. The Russian Russia’s Christians belong to the Eastern government purchased land on a grand scale, Orthodox Church, the centre of which was once notably on the Mount of Olives and just Constantinople. In the 19th century, when west of the Old City, where they built a the European powers were competing to great cathedral, a consulate, a hospital stake their claims on pieces of the and several hospices, all enclosed in a crumbling Ottoman Empire, walled compound (see p128). In World the Russians thus presented War I Britain captured Jerusalem themselves as the successors to and confiscated all Russian the Byzantine Empire and the true property as “enemy institutions”. “defenders of Christianity and Some White (Tsarist) Russians Russian Orthodox nuns embroidering the Holy Places”. At this time did remain after the war. some 200,000 Russian pilgrims vestments, Church of the Ascension
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Mosaic-decorated, vaulted ceiling in the Basilica of the Agony 7 Basilica of the Agony Jericho Rd. Map 2 E3. Tel (02) 626 6444. @ 99. Open 8am–noon & 2–5pm (summer: 6pm) daily.
The Basilica of the Agony, also known as the Church of All Nations, was named for the rock in the Garden of Gethsemane on which it is believed Christ prayed the night before he was arrested. The 4th-century church built here was destroyed in an earthquake in 747. The Crusaders built a new one, aligned differently to cover three outcrops of rock, recalling Christ’s three prayers during the night. It was consecrated in 1170, but fell into disuse after 1345. After excavation of the site in the early 20th century,
the present church was designed by Antonio Barluzzi and built in 1924 with financial contributions from 12 nations – hence the church’s other name and its 12 domes decorated with national coats of arms. In the centre of the nave is the rock of the Byzantine church, surrounded by a wrought-iron crown of thorns. The mosaic in the apse represents Christ’s agony, while others depicting his arrest and Judas’s kiss are at the sides. The plan of the Byzantine church is traced in black marble on the floor, and sections of Byzantine mosaic pavement can also be seen. Outside, the gilded mosaic scene decorating the pediment also depicts the Agony. Next to the church is the surviving part of the Garden of Gethsemane, with its centuries-old olive trees. 8 Tomb of the Virgin Jericho Rd. Map 2 E3. Tel (02) 628 4054. @ 99. Open 6am–12:30pm & 2:30–6pm daily. Cave of Gethsemane: Open 6am–12:30pm & 2–6pm daily.
Believed to be where the Disciples entombed the Virgin Mary, this underground sanctuary in the Valley of Jehoshaphat is one of the most intimate and mystical holy places in Jerusalem. The façade, the impressive flight of 47 steps
The Basilica of the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane For hotels in this area see p260
The 12th-century entrance to the atmospheric Tomb of the Virgin
and the royal Christian tombs in side niches halfway down, all date from the 12th century. The tomb on the right, going down, was originally the burial place of Queen Melisande of Jerusalem, who died in 1161. Her remains were moved into the crypt in the 14th century and the tomb has been venerated since about that time as that of St Anne and St Joachim, Mary’s parents. The first tomb was cut in the hillside here in the 1st century AD. The cruciform crypt as seen today, much of it cut into solid rock, is Byzantine. By the 5th century, an upper chapel had also been built. This was destroyed by the Persians in 614, rebuilt by the Crusaders, but again destroyed by Saladin in 1187. He left the crypt, however, largely intact. The Tomb of Mary stands in the eastern branch of the crypt, which is decorated with icons and sacred ornaments typical of Orthodox Christian tradition. Today, religious services are held here by Greek, Armenian, Coptic and Syrian Christians. In the southwestern wall beside the Tomb of Mary is a mihrab installed after Saladin’s conquest. The place was sanctified by Muslims because, according to the 15th-century scholar Mujir al-Din, Muhammad saw a light over the tomb of his “sister Mary” during his Night Journey to Jerusalem (see p31). In the opposite wall, a 1st-century tomb is evidence of the site’s earliest use for burials. Outside, to the right of the façade, is the Cave of Gethsemane, or Cave of the Betrayal, the traditional place of Judas’s betrayal. It was once used for oil pressing, but fragments of 4th- to 5th-century
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The Tomb of Bnei Hezir (left) and the pyramid-roofed Tomb of Zechariah in the Valley of Jehoshaphat
mosaics bear witness to its transformation into a place of worship. The stars on the vaults were painted in Crusader times.
Valley of Jehoshaphat 9
Map 2 E3.
The Kidron Valley separates the Old City from the Mount of Olives. Near Gethsemane the valley is also known by its Old Testament name, the Valley of Jehoshaphat (meaning “Yahweh judges”, Yahweh being the Hebrew name for God), where it was believed the dead would be resurrected on the Day of Judgment (Joel 3: 1–17). For this reason, the valley sides are densely covered with Christian, Jewish and Muslim cemeteries. At the southern end are several Jewish rock-hewn tombs of the 1st and 2nd centuries BC. Four are particularly fine. Absalom’s Tomb, like an inverted funnel, was ascribed in medieval times to King David’s rebellious son, Absalom. The so-called Tomb of Jehoshaphat (the 9th-century-BC king of Judah) behind it has a carved frieze above the doorway. The pyramid-topped Tomb of Zechariah is actually the aboveground monument of the adjacent Tomb of Bnei Hezir. The latter has a rectangular opening with two Doric columns and was identified by an inscription referring to the “sons of Hezir”, a Jewish priestly family.
City of David
Maalot Ir David. Map 2 D4. Tel (02) 626 8700. Open winter: 8am–5pm Sun–Thu, 8am–2pm Fri & holiday eves; summer: 8am–7pm Sun–Thu, 8am– 4pm Fri & holiday eves. Last adm: 2 hrs before closing. & 8 phone for times. ∑ cityofdavid.org.il
South of the Temple Mount (Haram esh-Sharif ) a rocky ridge runs beside the Kidron Valley. Its summit was already settled by the Jebusites, a Canaanite (see p45) people, in the 20th century BC, making this the oldest part of Jerusalem. It was from them that David supposedly took the city for his capital in about 1000 BC (2 Samuel 5: 6–17). On the site are remains of buildings up to the city’s capture by the Babylonians in 586 BC. They include 13th-century-BC walls belonging to the Jebusite acropolis, fragments of a palace attributed to David and houses burned in the Babylonian attack. About 100 m (330 ft) from the entrance to the acropolis
The Pool of Siloam, which stored the City of David’s water supply
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excavations is Warren’s Shaft, named after Charles Warren, its 19th-century English discoverer. A sloping tunnel, reached by spiral stairs, leads to the vertical shaft, at the bottom of which is a pool fed by the Gihon Spring. The system was built by the Jebusites to ensure a water supply during sieges. Nearby is their 18th-century-BC city wall, identified by the large, uncut stone blocks used in its construction. It was sited to bring the entrance to Warren’s Shaft within the confines of the city. In the 10th century BC a tunnel, later attributed to Solomon, was dug to take water from the Gihon Spring to fields in the Kidron Valley. In the face of Assyrian invasion in about 700 BC, King Hezekiah had a new tunnel built to bring the spring water right into the city, so concealing the source of the supply. Hezekiah’s Tunnel ran 533 m (1,750 ft) from the spring to a large, new storage pool – the Pool of Siloam – in the south of the city. Not far from the Siloam end an inscription, carved by the engineer, describes the tunnel’s construction. The pool is now smaller than it was originally and was rebuilt after the Romans sacked Jerusalem in AD 70 and burned it “as far as Siloam”, as told by contemporary historian Flavius Josephus. Visitors can wade through the tunnel in thigh-deep water from the Gihon Spring – wear shoes and bring a flashlight.
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Church of the Dormition e
Mount Zion. Map 1 C5. Tel (02) 565 5330. @ 38, 20. Open 8:30am–5pm Mon–Sat, 11:30am–5pm Sun (closed noon–1pm for prayer). 7
The beautifully painted interior of St Peter in Gallicantu q St Peter in Gallicantu Malki Tsedek Rd. Map 2 D5. Tel (02) 673 4812. @ 38. Open 8:30am– 5pm Mon–Sat. 7 &
Standing to the east of Mount Zion, on the slopes overlooking the City of David (see p119) and the Kidron Valley, this church commemorates the traditional site of St Peter’s reported denial of Christ which fulfilled the prophecy, “Before the cock crows twice, thou shalt deny me thrice” (Mark 14: 72). Built in 1931, the church has a modern appearance. In the crypt, however, are ancient caves where, it is said, Christ spent the night before being taken to Pontius Pilate. The remains of some Herodian architecture have been discovered under the church and, in the garden, there still exists part of a Hasmonean stairway, which was in use in Christ’s time and once connected the city with the Kidron Valley. Mosaics from a previous 5th- to 6th-century Byzantine church and monastery have also been unearthed. w
Mount Zion is revered by Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. The hill is bounded to the east by the Kidron Valley, to the south and west by the Hinnom Valley, and to the north by the city walls. This makes it seem like an island outside the confines of the Old City. This was not always the case, however, for on the Madaba mosaic map in Jordan (see pp220–21) it is shown inside the walls. It appears to have been excluded in 1542 when the walls were rebuilt. Legend has it that Suleyman the Magnificent’s architects left it outside by mistake. Christians began assembling here some time after Christ’s death to worship in the Hall of the Last Supper and later at the stone where the Virgin Mary is said to have died. Now the site of the Church of the Dormition, this point marked the ceasefire border from 1949 to 1967 (see p58).
Crowned by a tall bell tower and a dome with four small corner turrets, the Neo-Romanesque Church of the Dormition dominates the Mount Zion hilltop. The large, airy, whitestone church stands on the site where the Virgin Mary is said to have fallen into an “eternal sleep”. After Christ’s death, according to Christian tradition, his mother went to live on Mount Zion until she herself died. The hill soon became a holy site, available information suggesting that there may have been a church here as early as the 4th century AD. It is known with more certainty that around the 6th century a large basilica was built on the site, which later fell into ruins. When the Crusaders came, they too erected a church with chapels devoted to the Dormition of the Virgin and the Last Supper. The present-day church, which includes the Chapel of the Dormition and Dormition Abbey, was built in the early 20th century for Kaiser Wilhelm II and was inspired by the Carolingian cathedral in Aachen, Germany. During the 1948 and 1967 wars the church was used as a strategic outpost by Israeli soldiers and was damaged in the crossfire of several battles. The main part of the church boasts a fine mosaic floor
Mount Zion
Map 1 C5. @ 1, 2.
A short walk from Zion Gate is the hill synonymous with biblical Jerusalem and the Promised Land. Believed by many to be the site of King David’s tomb and associated with the final days of Christ, For hotels in this area see p260
The conical dome and bell tower of the Church of the Dormition
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Jewish holy sites. It was particularly so between 1948 and 1967, when the Old City was under Jordanian control. As the Western Wall was inaccessible to Jews, they came here to pray. Today the entrance hall is still used as a synagogue, where there is separate seating for men and women. From the 4th to the 15th centuries, the tomb was associated with Pentecost and the death of the Virgin, and, according to tradition, it was here that Christ washed his Disciples’ feet after the Last Supper (John 13: 1–17). y
Schindler’s Tomb
Mount Zion. Map 1 C5. @ 1, 2.
The Crusader-built Hall of the Last Supper, with fine Gothic details
featuring zodiac symbols and the names of saints and prophets. In the crypt is a wood and ivory sculpture of the “sleeping” Virgin, while the walls are adorned with images of women from the Old Testament, including Eve, Judith, Ruth and Esther. In the rooms on the mezzanine are some of the remains from the site’s previous churches. r Hall of the Last Supper Mount Zion. Map 1 C5. Open 8am–6pm daily.
On the first floor of a Gothic building – all that remains of the large church constructed by the Crusaders to commemorate Mary’s Dormition and overshadowed slightly by the more recent Church of the Dormition – is the Hall of the Last Supper, or Coenaculum. Christian tradition maintains that it is on the site of Christ’s last meal with his Disciples. The room is unadorned apart from the Gothic arches dividing it.
In the Middle Ages it became part of the adjacent Franciscan monastery, while in the 15th century it was turned into a mosque by the Turks, who added a mihrab and some stained-glass windows. t King David’s Tomb Mount Zion. Map 1 C5. Tel (02) 671 9767. @ 1, 2, 3, 38. Open 8am–9pm Sat–Thu & hols, 8am–2pm (winter: 1pm) Fri. ^ Sat.
Beneath the Hall of the Last Supper, on the lower floor of the Crusader building, are some small chambers venerated as King David’s Tomb. The main chamber is bare apart from a cenotaph covered by a drape. The site was first identified as David’s tomb in the 11th century AD, and in the 15th century was incorporated into a mosque by the Muslims, who consider David one of the true prophets. In spite of doubts about the tomb’s authenticity, it is one of the most revered
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Straight down the hill from Zion Gate, the path forks left past the Chamber of the Holocaust, a small museum commemorating the thousands of Jewish communities wiped out by the Nazis. Across the road at the end of the path is a Christian cemetery. It is here that the grave of German-born Oskar Schindler is located. Schindler was an industrialist who, during World War II, went out of his way to use Jewish prisoners as labourers in his factory. By doing this, he saved over 1,000 people from the death camps. He became a symbol of the fight against the Holocaust and before he died, in 1974, he asked to be buried in Jerusalem. The story of his courageous stand against the Nazis was told in Steven Spielberg’s successful 1993 movie, Schindler’s List.
Schindler’s tomb in the Christian cemetery on Mount Zion
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MODERN JERUSALEM By the 1860s the Old City had become overcrowded, and the need for more space gave rise to a period of unrestricted building activity outside the walls. The earliest developments, such as Yemin Moshe, Nakhalat Shiva and Mea Shearim, were Jewish community projects or, like the Russian Compound, intended to cater
for Holy Land pilgrims. The architecture of the New City became increasingly eclectic as colonial builders imported their own national styles. As a result, exotic features such as Muscovite domes and Florentine towers form the backdrop to the equally multicultural bustle on the streets of the modern city.
Sights at a Glance Museums and Historic Buildings 1 YMCA 2 King David Hotel 3 Jerusalem Time Elevator 6 Ticho House 7 City Hall 0 Italian Hospital u American Colony Hotel i Rockefeller Museum Archaeological Site w Solomon’s Quarries
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Restaurants pp270–71 Adom Arabesque Cavelier Chakra Darna Dolphin Yam The Garden Restaurant Lavan Link Little Jerusalem Mona Philadelphia Rooftop at Mamilla Sakura Te’enim Tmol Shilshom Village Green
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The charming houses in Yemin Moshe in Modern Jerusalem
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Street-by-Street: Yemin Moshe Sir Moses Montefiore, a rich British Jewish philanthropist, was so shocked by the living conditions in the squalid Old City that he decided to improve the Jews’ lot by building new homes outside the walls. The first project was Mishkenot Shaananim (“Dwellings of Tranquillity”), a communal block of 16 apartments, completed in 1860. Initially, people were afraid to move outside the security of the walls because of bandits, but by the end of the century a small community called Yemin Moshe had been established nearby and was thriving. From this core, the vast spread of modern Jerusalem has grown. Yemin Moshe survives as its beautifully renovated historic heart.
Public Sculptures Outdoor sculptures, such as these buried cubes, are found all around Yemin Moshe. Jaffa Road E M I L E B O T TA
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. Yemin Moshe Built on the slope of the valley facing the Old City walls, these early, attractive Oriental-style houses are now some of the most sought-after and exclusive residences in all Jerusalem.
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Locator Map See Jerusalem Street Finder, map 1
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Mishkenot Shaananim In the earliest days, lodging in this block had to be offered rentfree in order to attract tenants. Now the place serves as a guesthouse for artists and writers. Saul Bellow, Marc Chagall and Simone de Beauvoir have all been accommodated here.
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Bloomfield Gardens Grassy parks fringe Yemin Moshe. Attractive in their own right, and dotted with ornament, such as the Lion Fountain (right), the parks also afford great views across the valley to the Old City.
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YMCA
26 King David St. Map 1 A4. Tel (02) 569 2692. @ 7, 8, 30, 38. Tower: Open 8am–8pm daily. &
Built in 1926–33 by Arthur Loomis Harmon, who also created New York’s Empire State Building, Jerusalem’s YMCA is one of the city’s best-known landmarks. It consists of three sections – the central body, dominated by a bell tower offering extraordinary views of the city, and the two side wings. The stone and wroughtiron decorative elements on the outside of the building, including the 5-m (16.5-ft) bas-relief of one of the six-winged seraphim The distinctive high-domed bell tower of described in the Old Testament Jerusalem’s YMCA (Isaiah 6: 2–3), reflect a stylized 2 King David Hotel form of Oriental Byzantine design, combined with elements 23 King David St. Map 1 B4. of Romanesque and Islamic art. Tel (02) 620 8888. @ 7, 8, 30, 38. Yet the exterior, splendid as it is, does not prepare the visitor Eye-catching not least for its for the fabulously elaborate pink stone walls and green decor on the inside. Here design windows, this impressive elements from three different 1930s hotel (see p260) is a cultures are woven through grandiose display of colonial with symbols from the three architecture. It was designed main monotheistic religions. by Swiss architect Emile Vogt In the concert for the Jewishhall, the dome’s Egyptian Mosseri 12 windows family. Inside, the represent the spacious lobbies 12 Tribes of and exotic public Israel, the 12 areas, with their Disciples of period wooden Christ and the furnishings and 12 Followers discreet motifs, of Muhammad, reflect a sense of Inside the elegant lobby of the while depicted splendour from King David Hotel on the chandelier an altogether are the Cross, Crescent and Star different era. The richly ornaof David. The entire decor has a mental style includes Egyptian, kind of Art Deco gloss, while the Phoenician, Assyrian and Greek ethos of its eclectic design is elements, as well as aspects of one of peace and tolerance Islamic art. The hotel boasts an between faiths and cultures. impressive list of former guests,
including Winston Churchill and Haile Selassie, and for a long time, part of the British Mandate administration (see p56) was housed here. In 1946 it was the target of a bomb attack perpetrated by the Zionist paramilitary terrorist group Irgun, led by Menachem Begin (see p57). It was rebuilt and the two top floors were added later. Nearby is the Alrov Mamilla complex, with a number of exclusive shops, cafés and restaurants.
Jerusalem Time Elevator 3
Beit Agron, 37 Hillel St. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624 8381. Open 10am–5pm Sun–Thu, 10am–2pm Fri, noon–6pm Sat. & ∑ time-elevator.co.il
On the southern edge of the neighbourhood of Nakhalat Shiva, this is a theme-park-style ride through 3,000 years of Jerusalem’s often-turbulent history. The audience is belted into their seats and given surround-sound headphones for an audio-visual journey enhanced by computergenerated animation and other special effects. It begins in the times of King David and Solomon, and rattles through dramatic highlights of conquest, destruction, earthquake and fire, ending with the Six-Day War of 1967 and reunification. The special “motion” seats jolt and sway through the experience, which culminates in an “aerial” ride over the Jerusalem of today. The ride lasts about 30 minutes, with shows at 40-minute
The square-set form of the King David Hotel, the choice of many rich and famous visitors to Jerusalem For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and pp270–71
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the Museum of Italian-Jewish Art, which has some fascinating items, such as medieval ritual objects. On the lower floor is the Centre of Studies on Italian Judaism and a library on the same subject. 6
The Italian Synagogue and Museum of Italian-Jewish Art in a quiet square
intervals, and it is a useful introduction to the city’s complicated chronology. The Time Elevator ride is not recommended if you do not enjoy rollercoasters.
One of the popular streetside cafés and restaurants in Ben Yehuda 4 Ben Yehuda and Nakhalat Shiva Map 1 A3. @ 20, 23, 27.
At the heart of modern Jerusalem are the pedestrianized precincts of Ben Yehuda Street and Nakhalat Shiva. They constitute one of the liveliest parts of the city, with shops, restaurants, street vendors and musicians coming together to create a rich and varied atmosphere. In the minds of local people, Ben Yehuda Street and Nakhalat Shiva are the embodiment of secular Jerusalem. The contrast with the Orthodox city, just a short distance to the north in Mea Shearim (see p129), is clear. Ben Yehuda Street was built in the 1920s, and has since been the traditional meeting place for Jewish intellectuals, politicians and journalists. South of Ben Yehuda Street is a series of narrow lanes, with low houses and connecting courtyards. These are collectively known
as Nakhalat Shiva, meaning “the Domain of the Seven”, which refers to the seven families who built them. Dating back to 1869, this area was the third Jewish residential quarter to appear outside the Old City walls. Despite being threatened with demolition on more than one occasion, the area was finally renovated in the 1980s. Today it is filled with shops, workshops, bars, restaurants and cafés, and is invariably busy until the early hours. Other streets in this locality also have much to interest the visitor. Buildings of varied architectural styles reflect the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the city. 5 Italian Synagogue 27 Hillel St. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624 1610. @ 18, 21, 22, 30. Open 10am– 5pm Sun, Tue & Wed, noon–9pm Thu, 10am–1pm Fri. Closed Mon, Sat & Jewish hols. & 7 ∑ ijamuseum.org
Originally a German college constructed in the late 19th century, this building now houses an 18th-century synagogue from Conegliano Veneto, near Venice in Italy. In 1952, with no more Jews living there, the synagogue had fallen into disuse. It was decided to dismantle the interior and bring it here. It is arguably the most beautiful synagogue in Israel, and on Saturdays and Jewish holidays the ItalianJewish community worships here. The building also houses
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Ticho House
9 Ha-Rav Kook St. Map 1 A2. Tel (02) 624 4186. @ 13, 18, 20. Museum: Open 10am–5pm Sun, Mon, Wed & Thu, 10am–10pm Tue, 10am–2pm Fri. Closed Jewish hols. &
Built in the 19th century as the luxurious residence of a wealthy Jerusalem family, this is one of the city’s loveliest examples of an Arab mansion. Its large central drawing room is the focal point of both the architecture and the social life of the building. In the early 20th century the house was bought by Dr Abraham Ticho, a famous Jewish ophthalmologist who used to give the poor free treatment, irrespective of their ethnic origin or religion. Dr Ticho’s wife, Anna, who grew up and studied in Vienna, was an artist. By day the house was a clinic and by night it was the centre of Jerusalem’s social and intellectual life. Nowadays the house is administered by the Israel Museum (see pp136–41), to which Anna Ticho left more than 2,000 watercolours and drawings. Some of these are exhibited here. The house also has a charming restaurant overlooking a lovely garden.
View over the beautiful garden at the back of Ticho House
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City Hall
Jaffa Rd. Map 1 B3. Tel (02) 629 5363. @ 6, 13, 18, 20. Open not generally open for visitors. 8 10am Mon, call ahead for times Sun–Thu (in English).
Completed in 1993, the City Hall complex is sited just outside the Old City walls, where Jewish West Jerusalem meets Arab East Jerusalem. Its architecture displays an appropriate spirit of synthesis – the complex includes ten renovated historical buildings, along with two modern blocks that refer subtly to historical models (for example, the banding of different coloured stone echoes the Mameluke buildings of the Old City). One of the renovated buildings, on Jaffa Road, is the old City Hall. It is still pocked with bullet holes from its days as a frontline Israeli army post when, between 1948 and 1967, the city was divided (see p57).
City Hall, seen through the palms of Safra Square
houses the Underground pilgrims, and erected a cathedral for services. Consecrated in 1864, Prisoners’ Museum 1917–48, the Cathedral of the Holy which is dedicated to Jewish Trinity is fashioned in an underground movements, some unmistakably Muscovite style, members of which were jailed with eight drums topped by here during the British Mandate green domes. Across the plaza, (see pp56–7). under a pavement grille, is what is known as Herod’s Column, a 9 Ha-Neviim Street 12-m (40-ft) stone pillar, which historians believe is from the Map 1 B2. @ 1. Byzantine period or was intended for the Second One of the oldest streets Temple before it cracked outside the Old City, Ha-Neviim 8 Russian and was abandoned. (Street of the Prophets) marks These days the Russians own the dividing line between the Compound only the cathedral, as many of religious and secular halves 1 Mishol Hagevura St. Map 1 B3. the other buildings belonging to of modern Jerusalem (ultra@ 13, 18, 20. Underground Prisoners’ the compound were Orthodox Mea Museum 1917–48: Tel (02) 623 3166. sold off by the Soviet Shearim lies just Open 9am–5pm Sun–Thu. Cathedral Union in exchange to the north; the of the Holy Trinity: Open 9am–1pm for shipments of drinking and dining Tue–Fri, 9am–noon Sat & Sun. & Israeli oranges. scene of the Russian The building with Compound is to The Russians were some of the crenellated the south). Once a the first people to settle tower – the prestigious address, outside the Old City in Royal lion above the door, grandest of Ha-Neviim is lined the 19th century (see Ethiopian Church the former pilgrims’ with some grand p117). The process began hostels – is now home to buildings. At No. 58 is Thabor around 1860 when a few the Agriculture Ministry. The House, the self-designed home acres of land were acquired street on which it stands, of Conrad Schick, a German a short distance outside Heleni ha-Malka, is one who arrived in the Holy Land the city walls. The of the city’s nightlife a Protestant missionary and Russians built a selfcentres, filled with bars became the city’s most contained compound and cafés. The former renowned architect of the to provide lodgings for late 19th century. The house the city’s growing women’s hostel, behind now belongs to the Swedish number of Russian the cathedral, now Theological Institute, but visitors can admire the eccentric fortress-like main gate. Someone will usually answer the bell and admit the curious into the courtyard to admire the building’s façade, complete with embedded archaeological finds. A few steps west at No. 64 is the house once occupied by the Victorian painter William Holman Hunt (see p37). It is The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, in the Russian Compound For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and pp270–71
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now a private residence and closed to the public. A couple of minutes’ walk to the north, along narrow, leafy Etyopya Street, is Ben Yehuda House, named after the man responsible for reviving popular usage of the Hebrew language. This was his residence in the early years of the 20th century. A little further up the lane is the striking, round form of the Ethiopian Church, which sits in beautifully tended gardens. It was built between 1873 and 1911 and is modelled after churches in Ethiopia, with its sanctuary clearly separated from the main body of the church. Just five minutes’ walk away, back on Ha-Neviim Street, the Ethiopians also have their consulate. It is notable for a vivid blue and gold mosaic on the façade depicting the Lion of Judah. 0
Italian Hospital
Corner of Ha-Neviim and Shivtei Yisrael Sts. Map 1 B2. @ 1, 50. Closed to public.
The grandest building of all on Ha-Neviim Street is the Italian Hospital. It was built just before World War I to underscore Italian presence in the Holy City, at a time when the colonial powers were using architecture to assert their influence and status. Designed by prolific architect Antonio Barluzzi, the hospital is clearly inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. The building now houses the Ministry of Education.
The extravagant, Renaissance-style building of the Italian Hospital
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Street are narrow alleyways, which squeeze between long, narrow twostorey dwellings, occasionally opening out into washingstrewn communal courtyards. The area is completely selfcontained, with its own bakeries, markets, synagogues and, although no longer in use, its own huge cistern. Mea Shearim was founded in the late 19th century and built in three stages, to a design by Conrad Schick, for Mea Shearim, heartland of the ultra-Orthodox community Jews from Poland q Mea Shearim and Lithuania. Until well into this century the quarter was Map 1 A1. @ 1, 4, 71, 72. shut off from the rest of the city each night by six gates. Possibly the most unusual The gates are gone but district in all Jerusalem, Mea Shearim is a perfectly preserved, visitors should bear in mind that this is still a very insular living model of 18th-century community. Skirts should reach Jewish Eastern Europe. It is a below the knee, and men must quarter inhabited exclusively not wear shorts or T-shirts. by the insular ultra-Orthodox Discretion is advised when Jews, where the influence of taking photographs. the outside world is kept to Northwest of Mea Shearim is an absolute minimum. Dress is traditional in the extreme; many the Bukharan Quarter, founded in the late 19th century by men wear black stockings and wealthy Central Asian Jews. long black coats, and women keep their hair covered beneath Traces of its former grandeur remain in some elegant, if a snood. The streets either dilapidated, mansions. side of main Mea Shearim
Ultra-Orthodox Jews The life of the ultra-Orthodox (haredim) is grounded in rigorous observance of Judaic law and study of the Torah. Their lifestyle involves an uncompromising rejection of modern life and all its trappings, which means no television, no cars and minimum intrusion by technology. The ultra-Orthodox live and dress strictly according to traditions practised in Eastern Europe several centuries ago. This lifestyle means that they segregate themselves from less observant Jews. More radical factions are opposed to the common use of Hebrew, the “Holy tongue”, and instead speak Yiddish; some do not recognize the State of Israel or its laws, even refusing to pay taxes. They claim that there can be no true Ultra-Orthodox Jews dressed in Jewish state until the coming of the Messiah. everyday attire
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w Solomon’s Quarries (Zedekiah’s Cave) Sultan Suleyman St. Map 4 D1. Tel (02) 627 7550. @ 1. Open 9am– 2pm Sun–Thu. Closed Jewish hols. &
This is an enormous empty cave stretching under the Old City, with its entrance at the foot of the wall between Damascus and Herod’s gates. Despite the popular name, historians are not convinced that the cave has any connection with Solomon, but it is likely that Herod took stone from here for his many building projects, including his modification of the Second Temple. The quarry is also known as Zedekiah’s Cave, after the last king of Judaea who, legend has it, hid here during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BC. e
Garden Tomb
Conrad Schick St. Map 3 C1. Tel (02) 627 2745. @ 1, 3. Open 8:30am–noon & 2–5:30pm Mon–Sat. ∑ gardentomb.org
Towards the end of the 19th century, the British general Charles Gordon, of Khartoum fame, was visiting Jerusalem and started a dispute among archaeologists. He argued that this skull-shaped hill was the Golgotha referred to in the New Testament (Mark 15: 22) and that the real burial site of Jesus Christ was here and not at
The simple Neo-Romanesque chapel at St Etienne Monastery
Tourists visiting the ancient Garden Tomb in its attractive setting
the Holy Sepulchre (see pp96–9). Excavations carried out in 1883 did in fact unearth some ancient tombs, but further study found them to date back to the 9th–7th century BC, with an entirely different configuration from those in use in Christ’s time. However, regardless of its authenticity, this place is well worth a visit, if only for the lovely garden.
St Etienne Monastery r
Nablus Rd. Map 1 C2. Tel (02) 626 4468. @ 23. Open 8am–noon & 12:30–6pm Mon–Sat.
The name of this site relates to the belief that in AD 439 Cyril of Alexandria interred the remains of St Stephen (St Etienne in French), the first Christian martyr, in a basilica built on this spot. The basilica was destroyed by the Persians in AD 614, and a subsequent 7th-century chapel on the same site was also destroyed, this time by the Crusaders holding Jerusalem, who feared Saladin would use it as a base for assaults on the city. The present monastery was built between 1891 and 1901 by the French Dominicans. Its eclectic design includes an Oriental tower, Romanesque walls and Neo-Gothic flying buttresses. Within are remains of the mosaic floor of the original Byzantine church, as well as the Ecole Biblique, the Holy Land’s first school of biblical archaeology.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p260 and pp270–71
t St George’s Cathedral 30 Nablus Rd. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 627 1670. @ 6, 23. Open not generally open for visitors so call first. 7
This Archetypal Middle England church, with its pretty, cloistered courtyard and connotations of vicars, tweeds and cucumber sandwiches, stands in startling contrast to the chaotic Arab streets of its East Jerusalem neighbourhood. The cathedral dates from 1910 and is named for the patron saint of England, who was actually a Palestinian conscript in the Roman army, executed in AD 303 for tearing up a copy of the emperor Diocletian’s decree forbidding Christianity. He is supposedly buried at Lod (ancient Lydda), now better known as the site of Ben Gurion airport. In World War I the cathedral was the local headquarters of the Turkish army, and the 1917 truce sanctioning British presence in Palestine was signed in the bishop’s quarters.
St George’s Cathedral, part of Jerusalem’s colonial heritage
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Kings’ Tombs
Salah al-Din St. Map 1 C1. @ 23. Open 8am–5pm Mon–Sat. &
Despite the name, this single but elaborate tomb is thought to have been that of Queen Helena of Adiabene. In the 1st century AD she converted to Judaism and moved to Jerusalem from her kingdom in Mesopotamia. The tomb was named by early explorers who believed that the magnificent tomb housed members of the dynasty of David. A small entrance, an easily missed, plain door in a wall, leads down into a dimly lit maze of chambers with stone doors. The tomb is currently closed to the public.
The central courtyard of the Rockefeller Museum, designed by Austin Harrison
turned into a beautiful hotel, which it remains today. If you cannot afford to stay here, it is definitely worth coming for lunch, taken out in the treeshaded courtyard.
Rockefeller Museum i
27 Sultan Suleyman St. Map 2 D2. Tel (02) 628 2251. @ 1, 2. Open 10am–3pm Mon, Wed, Thu & Sun, 10am–2pm Sat. 7 ∑ english. imjnet.org.il/page_1684
Well-worn steps leading to the deceptively named Kings’ Tombs
This museum was made possible by a substantial financial gift made in 1927 by the American oil magnate
23 Nablus Rd. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 627 9777. @ 23.
The delightfully secluded courtyard of the American Colony Hotel
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John D Rockefeller. British architect Austin Harrison designed the building along Neo-Gothic lines. It is vaguely reminiscent of the Alhambra in Spain and runs around a central courtyard. Constructed from the white stone typical of Jerusalem buildings, the Rockefeller has Byzantineand Islamic-type decorative motifs. It was once one of the most important museums in the Middle East and the first to make a systematic collection of finds from the Holy Land. These days, it is a branch of the Israel Museum (see pp136–41), but still houses a very impressive collection. Among its many remarkable objects are the stuccowork from Hisham’s Palace in Jericho, beams from the Holy Sepulchre church and wooden panels from El-Aqsa mosque. Other exhibits worth seeing include a fascinating portrait modelled on an 8,000-year-old cranium discovered in Jericho; a lovely Bronze Age bull’s head; a Canaanite vase in the shape of a human head; sculptures from the time of the Crusades; and Hellenistic and Roman objects found in Judaean Desert caves.
u American Colony Hotel
This elegant hotel (see p260), built in 1865–76, has long been a favourite of diplomats and journalists. It started life as the home of a rich Turkish merchant. The name American Colony came about in the late 19th century, when Anna and Horatio Spafford of Chicago bought the building and made it the centre of an American religious community dedicated to good works. When the community broke up in the early 20th century, a Baron Ustinov, related to the actor Peter Ustinov, suggested converting the building to accommodate pilgrims to the Holy Land. Soon after, it was
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FURTHER AFIELD Since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the boundaries of Jerusalem have greatly expanded in all directions. The city has also been endowed with many significant modern buildings. Two stand out as being of particular importance: the Israel Museum, a world-class institution that incorporates several collections of priceless treasures, including the famous Dead Sea Scrolls; and the Knesset, the seat of national government. Another cornerstone in the psyche of Israeli society is Yad Vashem, the moving – and, in parts, harrowing – memorial complex that honours the more than six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis during the
Holocaust. The site of this memorial is Mount Herzl, named after Theodor Herzl, the founding father of Zionism (see p55). The grassy slopes here are also home to an extensive military cemetery, in which many figures of national importance are buried. As Jerusalem has expanded, what, not too long ago, were small, isolated villages are now vir tually suburbs of the city. They have not, however, lost their character. Places such as Ein Kerem, nestled in the valley below Mount Herzl, and Abu Ghosh, further to the northwest, have a great deal of rural charm, as well as several attractive religious buildings linked with biblical events.
Sights at a Glance Districts 7 Mahane Yehuda and Nakhlaot w Hadassah Hospital Synagogue
Museums 1 LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art 3 The Israel Museum, Jerusalem pp136–41 4 Bible Lands Museum 8 Biblical Zoo 0 Mount Herzl and Herzl Museum
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Memorials 9 Yad Vashem Holy Places 2 Monastery of the Cross
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Yad Vashem, established in 1953 as a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust
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The refectory at the 11th-century Monastery of the Cross 1 LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art 2 Ha-Palmakh St, Talbiya. Tel (02) 566 1292. @ 13. Open 10am–3pm Mon, Wed & Sun, 10am–7pm Tue & Thu, 10am–2pm Fri, 10am–4pm Sat. & 8 ∑ islamicart.co.il
While the cream of Islamic artifacts collected in the Holy Land are to be found in the Rockefeller Museum (see p131) and the Museum of Islamic Art on the Haram esh-Sharif (see p74), this modern, purpose-built museum offers a beautifully presented collection of pieces from the greater Islamic world. There are especially attractive examples of Persian tiling and Indian Mughal miniatures, plus an Arabic calligraphy section.
Monastery of the Cross 2
Shalom St, Neve Granot. Tel (052) 221 5144. @ 32. Open 10am–4:30pm Mon–Sat. & 7
Stranded in the middle of a large area of scrubland, ringed at its outer perimeters by main roads and modern buildings, this solitary Byzantine monastery has the look of a place that time forgot and urban planners ignored. Its high, buttressed walls emphasize still more its seclusion and reflect its once precarious position outside the Old City. There was a church here in the 5th century, but it was destroyed by the Persians in 614. Part of its mosaic floor can still be seen on one side of the main altar in the present church. The monastery which exists today was built
of monastic life are the in the 11th century by monks refectory on the upper floor from Mount Athos, with and the kitchen. financial backing from King Bagrat of Georgia. According to tradition, it marks the spot 3 Israel Museum where the tree grew that was used to make Christ’s cross. See pp136–41. In the 13th century the Georgian poet Shota Rustaveli lived here and commissioned the frescoes in the main church. They 4 Bible Lands were repainted in the 17th cen- Museum tury respecting the original style. 25 Avraham Granot St, Givat Ram. By the 14th century the Tel (02) 561 1066. @ 9, 17, 24, 99. monastery had become Open 9:30am–5:30pm Sun–Tue & the centre of Jerusalem’s Thu, 9:30am–9:30pm Wed, 10am– Georgian community and 2pm Fri, Sat & eves of Jewish hols. a major centre of Georgian Closed Jewish hols. & 7 ^ = 8 English-speaking guides culture in the region. Gradually, however, their standing declined available. ∑ blmj.org and, by 1685, the monastery had been taken over by the Opposite the Israel Museum Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. is this rather unremarkable The church is largely in building, which houses an its original,11th-century form, outstanding collection of while many other archaeological finds that parts of the complex reflect the different have been altered or cultures of the added to. The courtHoly Land region yard and the late in biblical times. Baroque bell tower The museum was display clear signs inaugurated in 1992 of 19th-century with the private changes. In the late collection of 1990s large-scale Elie Borowski, a restoration was passionate scholar undertaken. The of ancient Middle simple dome is one Eastern civilizations. of the church’s most Babylonian tablet, Bible The collection Lands Museum beautiful features. features many Also remarkable are finely crafted objects the frescoes, which show from ancient Egypt, Syria, an unusual combination of Anatolia, Mesopotamia and Christian, pagan and worldly Persia. Among these are a great images. Visitors are permitted number of artifacts that shed to wander freely around the light on the culture of the complex. Particularly evocative Mesopotamian region in the
The Bible Lands Museum, covering the early history of the Middle East
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millennia before the Christian era. The many fascinating objects include ancient inscriptions, jewellery, mosaics, seals, ivory carvings and scarabs. The exhibits are displayed in a way that enables the visitor to build a clear and illuminating picture of the cultural context in which the biblical texts were written. The items are arranged according to both chronology and region. The result is a clear illustration of the way in which different cultures influenced each other and new societies evolved.
moments in Jewish history and is accompanied by biblical quotations. Nearby is a monument with an eternal flame, commemorating the dead of the Holocaust and Israel’s wars (see pp57–9). The reception area inside the Knesset was designed and decorated by the RussianJewish artist Marc Chagall (see p37). It is adorned with his mosaics and a triple tapestry which depicts the creation of the world, the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the city of Jerusalem. The main chamber ends in a stone wall that is a very clear reference to the Western Wall (see p89). 6
Supreme Court
Shaarei Mishpat St, Givat Ram. Tel (02) 675 9612. @ 9, 24, 99. Open 8:30am–2:30pm Sun–Thu. 8 noon daily in English (groups must ring in advance to book).
The sculpted menorah near the entrance to the Knesset 5
Knesset
1 Kaplan, Givat Ram. Tel (02) 675 3333. @ 9, 24, 99. Open 8:30am–2pm Sun & Thu. 8 compulsory (ring in advance or contact tours@knesset. gov.il to book; bring passport and dress modestly).
The Knesset (Assembly) is the seat of the Israeli Parliament. It takes its name from the Knesset ha-Gedola (Great Assembly) of 120 men that governed the political and civic life of Jews in the Second Temple period (see p46). The building, inaugurated in 1966, was designed by Joseph Klarwin. His design is inspired by the Parthenon in Athens and various reconstructions of the Temple. Opposite the entrance is a large, seven-branched menorah (candelabrum), symbol of the State of Israel. It is the work of British sculptor Benno Elkan and was a gift from the British parliament. The relief work on its branches depicts crucial
In the absence of a formal constitution, Israel’s Supreme Court plays a pivotal role in the lives of ordinary citizens. Its significance is reflected in the building’s design – by Ram Karmi and Ada Karmi-Melamed – which manages to depict the concept of justice in architectural terms. The two copper pyramids on the roof are powerful symbols of the immutable nature of the principles of law. The long sweeping stairway seems to represent the accessibility of the law to ordinary people, and at the top it offers an allembracing view of Jerusalem.
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The Supreme Court, one of the city’s architectural highlights
Motifs from the past, such as the Islamic elements in the inner courtyard and the Byzantine-era mosaic outside the entrance, recall Israel’s cultural and historical influences. They are given a modern context to link the past with the present and reflect the universality of justice.
Mahane Yehuda and Nakhlaot 7
@ 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 18, 21, 74, 75.
The district of Mahane Yehuda, which means Field of Judah, was built in 1929 to house Jewish immigrant workers. It is famous for its vibrant and very colourful market, selling mainly foodstuffs. During the night from Friday to Sunday, the market becomes a fashionable meeting place, with music and food. The district is also home to a large number of popular local restaurants, which specialize in Middle Eastern salads and kebabs. To the south of Mahane Yehuda is the older district of Nakhlaot. This lively, warren-like jumble of low houses and narrow alleyways is fascinating to explore.
Displays of fruit and vegetables at the market in Mahane Yehuda
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The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Built in 1965 on a ridge overlooking West Jerusalem, the Israel Museum contains some of the country’s finest art and archaeological finds. It was designed by Israeli architects Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad as a modernist reference to traditional Arab hilltop villages. A major renovation was completed in 2010, and the expanded collections include synagogue interiors and the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls.
. Shrine of the Book This innovatively designed underground hall displays some of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It is the most visited part of the museum (see pp140–41).
The Boy from South Tel Aviv (2001) This monumental sculpture of an adolescent Ethiopian boy by the Israeli artist Ohad Meromi draws attention to the harsh reality of refugee life. Suriname Synagogue The Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue was a Neo-Classical wooden structure founded in 1736 by immigrant Jews in Paramaribo, Suriname. After it became disused, the interior was transferred to the Israel Museum.
Ida Crown plaza
To Ruth Youth Wing
. The Nuremberg Mahzor (1331) This massive, illuminated Hebrew prayer book contains the Ashkenazi yearly cycle of prayers, with commentaries. It also includes a rare collection of liturgical poems.
Plan of Museum Key
Gallery entrance
Upper entrance hall
Entrance pavilion
Key to Floorplan
Main museum block Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education Billy Rose Art Garden Shrine of the Book Tour group entrance/ exit pavilion For hotels and restaurants in this area see p261 and p271
Jewish Art and Life Wing Fine Arts Wing
Walkway Model of Ancient Jerusalem
Archaeology Wing Temporary exhibitions gallery Non-exhibition space
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Gold-Glass Bases (4th century AD) These vessel bases were found in Roman catacombs. They were made by encasing gold leaf between two layers of translucent glass. The medallions feature Jewish motifs, including the ark, the menorah and the shofar (ram’s horn).
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information 11 Ruppin Rd, Givat Ram. Tel (02) 670 8811. Open 10am–5pm Sat– Mon, Wed, Thu & hols, 4–9pm Tue, 10am–2pm Fri & hol eves. Closed Yom Kippur. & 7 8 0 - = ∑ imjnet.org.il Transport
Upper entrance hall
@ 7, 9, 14, 35.
Upper level Lower level
Auditorium
St Peter in Prison (The Apostle Peter Kneeling) (1631) Rembrandt’s painting expertly uses light and shadow to portray the apostle in his prison cell in Jerusalem following his arrest.
. Mask, Horvat Duma (Neolithic Period) This forms part of a fascinating exhibition of rare 9,000-year-old stone masks, discovered in the Judaean Desert and Hills. These masks are considered to be the most ancient human portraits.
Gallery entrance
Museum Guide
The Cliff of Aval, Etrétat (1885) Part of a series by Claude Monet, in which he painted the same subject in different lights, at different hours of the day, and through changes of weather and season.
The museum’s sizeable campus has extensive gallery space for archaeology, fine arts and Jewish art and life collections. It also includes a large outdoor sculpture garden, a Youth Wing, which organizes educational programmes and exhibitions, and the Shrine of the Book and a Model of the Second Temple of Jerusalem complex.
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Exploring the Israel Museum Thanks to its wide variety of sources, the collection is extraordinarily eclectic. Its core was inherited from the Bezalel School and Museum (Israel’s first arts academy) and the Israel Antiquities Authority, and this has been supplemented by gifts, loans and acquisitions from around the globe. The biggest draw, though, for most visitors is the Shrine of the Book, which houses some of the Dead Sea Scrolls (see pp140–41). during the ceremony of separation between the Sabbath and the start of The museum’s collection of the week) and the rimonim Judaica and Jewish Ethno(pomegranates that decorate graphy spans the period from Torah scrolls in the synagogue). the Middle Ages to the present, Another highlight is the large and has exhibits from as far collection of Hannukkiot – afield as Spain and China. Five the oil lamps that are lit main sections integrate the for Hanukkah sacred and secular (see p43). There dimensions of are also four Jewish life from beautiful, different cultures. complete Among the most synagogue precious objects interiors, from are the medieval Italy, Germany, illuminated The Rothschild Miscellany India and manuscripts. Suriname. The daily life of These include a 14th-century Jewish communities from German Haggadah (the story read at Passover of the Israelites’ around the world is also represented in textiles, clothing, liberation from Egypt) and jewellery, reconstructions the Rothschild Miscellany, of rooms and ritual articles a 15th-century collection of connected with life events biblical, legal and other pieces. such as birth, circumcision Elaborate silverwork includes and marriage. hadassim (spiceboxes used
Jewish Art and Life Wing
The Rothschild Room, an 18th-century Parisian salon donated by Baron Edmond de Rothschild For hotels and restaurants in this area see p261 and p271
Jeanne Hebuterne, Seated (1918), by Amedeo Modigliani
Fine Arts Wing The museum’s various art collections cover a wide range of periods and artistic disciplines. Visitors can take in Chinese porcelain, African figurines, Impressionist masterpieces and even an entire 18th-century French salon. The modern art collection has international works from the 1890s to the 1960s. These include paintings by figures such as Gauguin, Cézanne, Chagall, Matisse and Modigliani. Twentieth-century sculpture is also represented, both here and outdoors in the Billy Rose Art Garden (see p140).
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Other rooms are devoted to design, architecture and contemporary art. One of the largest collections of Israeli art in the country is also exhibited here on both floors. It begins with paintings and drawings produced in the 19th century, at the beginning of Jewish resettlement (see p55). The 1920s and 30s are represented by figurative pieces by artists such as Reuven Rubin and Yitzhak Danziger. The contemporary Israeli art on display mirrors, and sometimes anticipates, tendencies seen elsewhere in the world. Other rooms are devoted to prints and drawings, Old Master paintings – including a depiction of the sacking of the Second Temple by Poussin (see p49) – Islamic and East Asian art, and the art of Africa, the Americas and Oceania. Pieces from the Levine Photography Collection are incorporated into the other exhibitions in this wing and build on the museum’s long history of collecting photographs.
Anthropoid sarcophagi, a highlight of the archaeology collection
and Israelite figurines, to Byzantine mosaics and Islamic jewellery. The museum’s collection represents most aspects of this cultural spectrum, and visitors will require at least two hours to fully appreciate the range of pieces on display. The artifacts are arranged chronologically within the renovated gallery, as seven “chapters” of an archaeological timeline. Objects to look out for in the first section (Palaeolithic to Chalcolithic periods, 1.5 million–3500 BC) include the jewellery and sculpted figures of the Natufian culture (10th–9th millennium BC), the 6,000-year-old, houseshaped ossuaries at the end of the first gallery and the elegant copperware of the so-called Judaean Desert Treasure (5th millennium BC). Highlights from the Canaanite Period (3500–1200 BC) are the sophisticated gold jewellery and the anthropoid sarcophagi found in a cemetery at Deir el-Balah, in the Gaza Strip. The Israelite Period (1200 –586 BC) starts with the rise of the Israelites in the region and ends with the destruction of Solomon’s Temple. Look out for the beautiful Philistine pottery, the ivory pomegranate inscribed with ancient Hebrew (believed to be the only object ever found relating to worship in Solomon’s Temple) and the priestly benediction written on a tiny silver amulet – the earliest known fragment of biblical text (7th century BC).
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Mosaic from floor of 6th-century-AD synagogue at Gaza, showing King David playing the lyre
Finds from the next 300 years are relatively scarce but the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods (332 BC–AD 636) offer fascinating objects, such as the sarcophagi and ossuaries from various Jewish catacombs, the bronze statue of the emperor Hadrian and the beautiful mosaics from Tsipori (Sepphoris), Kisufim, Gaza and Beth Shean. The last room focuses on “Muslims and Crusaders” and “Neighbouring Cultures”, with artifacts such as Egyptian cult and game objects, Assyrian and Babylonian reliefs, Greek vases and Roman jewellery. This wing also houses exhibitions on glass, early Hebrew writing and coins. Throughout the section are interesting models and reconstructions of some of the most important sites in this part of the world. The permanent exhibitions are flanked by temporary displays based on historical themes or particular archaeological sites.
Archaeology Wing
Jewish Art of the Diaspora
The archaeology collection constitutes the largest section of the museum. Most pieces are on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority and come from excavations carried out all over the country, which has the highest concentration of digs in the world. The digs cover a vast period of history – from as far back as 1.5 million BC – and have revealed artifacts from an impressive number of civilizations, from Palaeolithic flint utensils, through Canaanite
During the many centuries of the Diaspora, Jews around the world directed their artistic talents primarily to ritual objects connected with the life cycle and synagogue liturgy. They produced fine examples of applied art, especially in the fields of gold- and silverware, other metalwork and manuscript decoration. Naturally, the motifs and techniques reflect the place and time in which the objects were produced, but many elements, both functional and iconographic, recur again and again. These recurring themes and local variations can be appreciated among the many exhibits in the museum’s Judaica section. 18th-century silver spicebox from Germany
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Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education This section is devoted to interactive art activities. The idea behind it was to introduce children to art and culture. The largest of its kind in the world, the centre has now extended its reach to adults. With ten classrooms, an auditorium, library, recycling workshop and exhibition space, it provides a stimulating environment in which to learn about creative processes. There are regular “hands on” exhibitions, art courses and summer schemes for all ages, as well as tours for groups with special needs.
Children participating in creative activities in the Ruth Youth Wing
Billy Rose Art Garden The garden was designed by the Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi. It is an extraordinary combination of elements from local history and landscape, motifs from the traditional Zen garden and significant works of modern sculpture. It is laid out as a series of semicircular terraces echoing those made for centuries by farmers in the Judaean Hills. Indigenous plants such as olive trees, cypresses and rosemary bushes are dotted around the garden. The garden offers an overview of sculpture through the 20th century. There are stunning early works by Rodin, Maillol, Picasso and Bourdelle. Henry Moore’s curvaceous pieces stand alongside Roxy Paine’s inverted tree sculpture made of stainless steel, Inversion (2008). Contemporary sculptures include James Turrell’s intriguing installation with a large rectangular opening in the top for observing the sky, and Robert Indiana’s iconic sculpture, Ahava (“love”, 1977).
Shrine of the Book Built to house the Dead Sea Scrolls and other important artifacts, the intriguingly shaped Shrine of the Book has become a symbol of the whole museum. The unusual design, by American architects Frederick Kiesler and Armand Bartos, is inspired by the scrolls themselves. The distinctive dome is intended to imitate the lids of the jars in which the scrolls were found. Near the entrance is a black granite wall. The contrast between the black of the wall and the white of the dome is a reference to the decisive battle between the Children of Darkness and the Children of Light, described in the scroll known as the War Scroll. This final confrontation between good and evil would, the authors believed, herald the coming of the Messiah. Inside, a long, subtly lit passageway, designed to evoke the catacomb-like environment in which the scrolls were found, has a permanent exhibition on life in Qumran at the time the scrolls were written. It leads into the main chamber under the dome. The imposing showcase directly beneath the dome contains a facsimile of the Great Isaiah Scroll, the only biblical book that survived in its entirety. Its 66 chapters were written on several strips of parchment, which were then sewn together, making it more than 7 m (23 ft) long. One of the surrounding display cases contains part of the real scroll. Also on show are the Psalms
Magdalena Abakonowicz’s Negev (1987), Billy Rose Art Garden
Scroll, 28 columns of text consisting of psalms, hymns and a prose passage about the psalms; the War Scroll; the Manual of Discipline; and the Temple Scroll. On the Shrine’s lower level are 2nd-century-AD articles, such as keys and baskets, found in the Cave of Letters, south of Ein Gedi (see p201). Also on display here is the 10th-century Aleppo Codex – not one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but the oldest complete Bible in Hebrew. Adjacent to the Shrine of the Book is a Second Temple-era model of Jerusalem. Originally constructed on the grounds of the Holyland Hotel on the outskirts of the city, this largescale model offers visitors a three-dimensional view of the landscape of Jerusalem during the 1st century. Mainly built from local limestone, the model was constructed at a scale of 1:50, with 2 cm of the model representing 1 m of the city.
Symbolic clash of darkness and light at the Shrine of the Book entrance
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The Dead Sea Scrolls In 1947, a Bedouin shepherd, in search of a lost goat near the Dead Sea, entered a cave and discovered jars containing seven ancient scrolls. Over the next two decades fragments of some 800 more were found in 11 caves. At the same time, archaeologists, looking for signs of habitation, uncovered the nearby settlement of Qumran (see p200). The scrolls had been written in the Late Second Temple period, between the 3rd century BC and AD 68. Some contain the oldest existing versions of biblical scriptures. Others are tracts on history, daily life and the messianic predictions of a Hebrew sect generally identified with the separatist and monastic Essenes. Since the discovery of the scrolls, their interpretation, the identity and mission of their authors and the significance of nearby Qumran have been the subject of passionate academic and theological debate.
The Shrine of the Book is dominated by a dramatic display case, which contains a copy of the Great Isaiah Scroll. It was designed to look like the wooden rods around which the Torah scrolls are rolled for readings at synagogue services.
The reconstruction of thousands of scroll fragments is still being carried out by researchers hoping to unravel the mysteries surrounding the scrolls.
Inkwell found at Qumran
The parchment on which the scrolls were written was made from sheepskin. Inkwells found near a table at Qumran suggest a scriptorium – a room for copying manuscripts. The Great Isaiah Scroll is the largest and best-preserved of the scrolls. Written around 100 BC, it is 1,000 years older than the oldest biblical manuscript known before the finds at Qumran.
Qumran was excavated by Roland de Vaux, a French Dominican friar. He believed that the settlement was a communal retreat used by the Essenes.
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Biblical Zoo
Manahat. Tel (02) 675 0111. @ 26, 33, 99. Open 9am–5pm (to 7pm Jun– Aug) Sun–Thu, 9am–4:30pm Fri, 10am –5pm (to 6pm Jun–Aug) Sat. Last entry: 1 hour before closing. & 7 ∑ jerusalemzoo.org.il
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, also known as the Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, is famous for its collection of wildlife featured in the Bible. This group of animals, many of which are no longer naturally present in the Holy Land, includes bears, lions, Arabian oryx and Nile crocodiles. There are also other endangered species from around the world. The zoo occupies an attractive site in the southwestern suburbs of the city. You can gain an overview of the zoo on a train ride around the grounds. 9
Yad Vashem
Mount Herzl. Tel (02) 644 3400. @ 13, 21, 23, 27. Open 9am–5pm Sun–Wed, 9am–8pm Thu, 9am–2pm Fri & hols. 8 7 ∑ yadvashem.org
Yad Vashem, meaning “a memorial and a name” (from Isaiah 56: 5), is an archive, research institute, museum and, above all, a monument to perpetuate the memory of the more than six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. More than 20 monuments occupy this hillside site. Entrance to Yad Vashem is along the Avenue of the Righteous Among Nations, which is lined with plaques
bearing the names of Gentiles who helped Jews and, in doing so, put their own lives at risk. Some 23,000 people are recognized, including Oskar Schindler (see p121). The avenue leads to the Historical Museum, which was designed by Jewish architect Moshe Safdie. The museum is one long corridor, carved into the mountain, with ten exhibition halls, each dedicated to a different chapter of the Holocaust. Its exhibits include some 2,500 personal items donated by survivors, adding a harrowing first-person dimension to the horrors that Grave of Israel’s fifth prime minister, Yitzhak began with the rise of the Rabin, Mount Herzl Nazis in 1933 and culminated 0 Mount Herzl and in the death camps. The Hall of Remembrance Herzl Museum beside the museum is a stark, Mount Herzl. Tel (02) 632 1515. tomb-like chamber that bears @ 13, 14, 18, 20, 21, 27, 33. the names of 21 of the main Open 8:30am–6pm Sun–Wed camps on flat, black basalt (to 7pm Thu, to 1pm Fri). Last tour: slabs. At the centre of the vast 1 hr before closing. Arrange visits in chamber is a casket of ashes advance. & 8 7 ∑ herzl.org from the cremation ovens; above it is an eternal flame. Mount Herzl (in Hebrew The Hall of Names Har Hertzel) is a high inside the Historical hill north of central Museum records Jerusalem, named after the names Theodor Herzl, the of all those Jews who man considered to be perished, along with the founder of Zionism as much biographical (see p55). The slopes detail as possible. Yad serve as a large Vashem also has a cemetery, and Herzl’s Janusz Korczak Memorial, tomb lies at the top of museum of Jewish Yad Vashem art and a visual the hill. At the entrance centre where films to the site is the Herzl related to the Holocaust Museum, which offers a crash may be viewed. Visitors course in Zionist history, with must dress appropriately – audiovisual presentations and no shorts or miniskirts. re-creations of the founding father’s study and library. Mount Herzl is also the burial place of three of Israel’s prime ministers and the country’s presidents, and is the site of Israel’s main military cemetery. q
Ein Kerem
7 km (4 miles) W of central Jerusalem. @ 17, 184.
Memorial to Holocaust victims at the Yad Vashem museum For hotels and restaurants in this area see p261 and p271
A picturesque village, Ein Kerem (“the vineyard spring”) has strong biblical associations. According to Christian tradition, John the Baptist was born and
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lived here. The village boasts several fine churches and monasteries connected with his life. Recognizable by its tall, thin tower, the Franciscan Church of St John the Baptist dates from the 17th century, but is built over the ruins of earlier Byzantine and Crusader structures. Steps inside the church lead down into a natural cave, known as the Grotto of the Nativity of St John, which tradition connects with the birth of the Baptist. Church of St John the Baptist, Ein Kerem The other church of note is w Hadassah during the 1967 War (see p58) the two-tiered Church of the and had to be repaired by Visitation, completed in 1955 Hospital the artist. However, one of the to a design by Antonio Barluzzi, Synagogue windows (a green one) bears architect of the Dominus Flevit a small symbolic bullet hole Sanctuary (see p117) and the Ein Kerem. Tel (02) 677 6271. @ 19, 27. Open 8am–3pm in the lower half, deliberately Chapel of the Flagellation (see Sun–Thu. Call ahead to check left there as testimony to p68). It commemorates the availability. & 8 ^ the fighting. Virgin Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, who was then pregnant, an episode A splendid cycle of 12 stainede Abu Ghosh depicted in mosaic on the glass windows decorates the church’s façade. Within is a synagogue at the otherwise 13 km (8 miles) W of central natural grotto, in front of which unremarkable Hadassah Jerusalem. @ 185, 189. are the remains of Roman-era Hospital. The windows were houses. According to tradition, created in 1960–61 by the This Arab village just north of the grotto is where Elizabeth Russian-Jewish artist Marc the main Jerusalem–Tel Aviv hid with her infant son to Chagall (see p37), and installed highway was considered by escape from the Massacre of the the following year for the the Crusaders to be Emmaus, Innocents (the killing of all firstinauguration of the building. where Christ appeared to two born sons, ordered by King Each of the windows represents Disciples in the days after his Herod). The courtyard walls are one of the 12 tribes of Resurrection. The beautiful lined with tiled panels inscribed Israel (Genesis 49). Tradition Romanesque Crusader with the Magnificat (Luke 1: associates each of the tribes Church was built in the early 46–55), Mary’s hymn of thanks, with a symbol, a precious stone 12th century by the Knights in 42 languages. and a social role, and these Hospitallers and stands almost At the bottom of the hill elements are all represented complete in its original form. Its below the church is a small, in Chagall’s imagery and 12th-century frescoes are lovely, abandoned mosque. Beside it choice of colour. but in a poor state of repair. The surfaces the spring (popularly Several of the windows adjacent early 20th-century known as the Spring of the were damaged by shrapnel monastery belongs to French Virgin) from which the village Olivetan Benedictine monks, takes its name. who produce pottery. Up on One of the other pleasures the hill above the village stands to savour in Ein Kerem the Church of Notre Dame is its tranquil, wooded, de l’Arche de l’Alliance, built valley setting. This can be in 1924 over the remains of best appreciated on a beautiful a 5th-century church, whose scenic walk that starts beside mosaics are still visible. It is said the sculpture to occupy the site at the of the house of beginning Abinadab, where of the the fabled Ark access of the Covenant road to Yad (see p25) rested Vashem, for 20 years and winds (1 Samuel 7: 1–2) through until David took the trees. it to Jerusalem. The modern Church of Notre Dame de l’Arche de l’Alliance, Abu Ghosh
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THREE GUIDED WALKS Jerusalem is a perfect city to explore on foot: it is small and compact, and there are plenty of sites to see and places to sit and rest. This is particularly true in the Old City, which, with the exception of just one or two roads, doesn’t allow for motor vehicles at all, so dodging traffic is rarely an issue, though pavements may be crowded. Most streets are simply too narrow and meandering for motorized traffic, and there are too many steps. It is a place perfectly described by the overused adjective “labyrinthine”; a place in which getting lost is inevitable. However, this is no bad thing because wandering aimlessly around the Old City is a highly pleasurable activity. For that reason, we have avoided describing any walks within Jerusalem’s ancient fortified
walls. Instead, we suggest you get up on the walls themselves, which is something few visitors do, largely because they remain unaware that the opportunity exists. Similarly, few visitors spend any time exploring the more modern parts of the city and so miss out on some attractive old quarters and some fine architecture. Much of this is non-indigenous, raised at the end of the 19th century, when the great powers of Europe were all vying for political influence in the Holy City. This was expressed through ostentatious examples of their own national architectures. Muscovite churches, English Gothic cathedrals, German hospices and Italian insurance offices all serve as reminders of the central role Jerusalem has always played in the Western consciousness.
CHOOSING A WALK
Three Walks The routes of the three walks are marked on this map, which shows the main areas of Jerusalem.
Damascus Gate (p70–71)
St George’s Cathedral (p130) Herod’s Gate (p71) Rockefeller Museum (p131)
City Hall (p128) Dome of the Rock (pp76–7)
Ben Yehuda and Nakhalat Shiva (p127)
Modern Jerusalem
Christian & Armenian Quarters
Muslim Quarter Mount of Olives & Mount Zion
Jewish Quarter
The Citadel (pp106–9) 0 metres 0 yards
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Walk routes
The ancient stone ramparts in the Old City of Jerusalem
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A 90-Minute Walk around the Old City Walls The Old City of Jerusalem may occupy a relatively small area geographically, but its compactness and uneven topography make it a frequently confusing place to explore. One good way to gain an overview is to take to the ramparts and view the crush of alleys, domes and towers from the top of the walls that enclose them. Visitors can walk along two sections of wall: from Jaffa Gate clockwise to Lions’ Gate, and from Jaffa Gate anti-clockwise to the Dung Gate. The section between Lions’ Gate and the Dung Gate is closed to the public. Many steep flights of steps mean that this is not a walk for the elderly or infirm. 4 E L - MATH
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Starting point: Jaffa Gate. Length: Jaffa Gate to Lions’ Gate 2.4 km (1.5 miles); Jaffa Gate to Dung Gate 1.2 km (0.75 miles). Open: summer: 9am–5pm daily; winter: 9am–4pm Sat–Thu, 9am–2pm Fri (south side open Sat only). Admission fee. Stopping-off points: There are several small cafés on Omar ibn el-Khattab Square, just inside the Jaffa Gate. Otherwise, when you descend at Lions’ Gate, walk west along the Via Dolorosa and then left onto El-Wad Road for Abu Shukri (p270), which serves the best houmous in town.
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Start the walk by climbing the steps that are immediately The city walls wrap around the ULU S H E IK H L inside the Jaffa Gate 1 (see Tower of David p104), to your left as you 3 enter the Old City. After paying SHE IKH admission, you pass through a gate and ascend a steep flight of steps leading to the top of J the gatehouse. Heading north brings you to the first of CHRISTIAN some 35 watchtowers V IA O SA QUARTER that punctuate D O LO R Terra Santa A Q N A EL-KH 2 Monastery the circuit of N C IS ST FR A K I YA E L - TA the walls. This CASA X DO H OAT E Church of the T one has a raised O R CH Holy Sepulchre EEK A R G RPAT R I platform which EL-S ARAYA S OUK EL D ABBAG HA Latin Seminary allows walkers & Patriarchate to step up for a view PA TR LA IA TIN of the Mamilla Mall, a RC H large shopping and office DAV ID STR EET development outside the 1 city walls. Looking into the Old City, you will see the 7 backs of buildings belonging to the Latin Patriarchate, ARMENIAN HURVA the centre of Roman SQUARE QUARTER ARMENIAN Catholicism in Jerusalem. GARDEN ALAKH A short distance on and -M you’ll notice that the third St James’s watchtower along has been Cathedral reinforced with side walls; this was done by the Jordanians when they were in occupation 8 of the Old City between 1948 J and 1967, and Jerusalem was divided between Arabs and Jews. After skirting around Key three sides of a crescent-topped Walk route dome, the ramparts pass over New Gate 2. This was added walls, evidence of the large in 1889 to allow pilgrims number of people who in the compounds outside continue to live in the Old the walls direct access to the City. At a certain point the Christian Quarter. level of the rooftops falls below From here the ramparts drop, that of the ramparts, affording following the slope of the land. a fine view of the golden Notice the profusion of aerials Dome of the Rock. and satellite dishes inside the EL
Clockwise from Jaffa Gate Jerusalem’s walls were built in the first half of the 16th century (in part on the line of earlier walls) on the order of the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. They are pierced by eight gates, of which seven remain in use. Until as recently as 1870, the gates were all closed from sunset to sunrise.
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Damascus Gate to Lions’ Gate The ramparts now climb over Damascus Gate 3 (see p70), the grandest of all the Old City gates. From up here you can survey the vaulted roof over the gate’s defensive dogleg entrance tunnel and the crowds on El-Wad Road. Continuing east, you will encounter a rapid succession of towers, because
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The view from the ramparts between New Gate and Damascus Gate
Anti-clockwise from At Storks’ Tower 5, with its views to the northeast of the Jaffa Gate RI The access to this section of Hebrew University’s Mount OMA I YA SAAD the ramparts is from outside the Scopus campus, the wall MUSLIM I Y A QUARTER city walls, just south of the swings through 90° to run Pool of WLAW A M L E Bethesda due south. From the Citadel 7 (see pp106–9). AD St Anne’s SHAD ramparts here, The initial stretch Church R E IHAN you overlook southwards is like a E L-GHAZ ALI 6 SQ UARE the tombs that trench, with a high A S ORO DOL VIA fill the Kidron stone wall on either Valley below and side of the walkway. Q the slopes of the This arrangement U Q B AR Mount of Olives was fashioned by ALA ED- DIN (pp114–15). As you the Jordanian army approach the final between 1948 and 3 Crenellations on Dome of gate, to your right, 1967. Occasional Damascus Gate the Rock just inside the walls, vantage points allow are the remains of the complex you to look out across the of the biblical Pool of Bethseda Hinnom Valley below to BA B and, beside them, the Crusader- the red rooftops of the early ) RIQ ( TA S I L S I L A ELbuilt St Anne’s Church (see p71). Jewish settlement of Mishkenot ET STRE CHAIN W EST E RN The walk ends at Lions’ Shaananim (see p125) and the WALL P LAZ A El-Aqsa cliff-like bulk of the King David Gate 6 (see p71), built by Mosque Hotel (see p126). At the southSuleyman the Magnificent, JEWISH western corner you have a good where you descend to street QUARTER view of Sultan’s Pool, an ancient level. The beginning of the Via reservoir, now dry and used as an Dolorosa (see pp34–5) is just outdoor concert venue. ahead, which, if followed, leads BATEI back towards the Jaffa Gate As the ramparts run east, they MAKHASE SQUARE 9 area. Energy permitting, you pass close by the Church of the M I 0 metres 200 TE BA can then embark on another Dormition (see p120) before 200 0 yards J short ramparts walk. passing over the Zion Gate 8 (see p110). The gate is riddled with bullet holes from the fighting in attacks on Jerusalem have 1948, although, of course, you traditionally always come from can’t see this from above. the north, where the approach is flattest (the approaches to The final stretch affords the east, south and west are wonderful views of the Arab protected by deep valleys). village of Silwan, before the It was the north wall, just rampart walk ends on Batei east of the next gate, Herod’s Makhase Street, which you can follow down to the Dung Gate 9 Gate 4 (see p71), that the Crusader army breached (see p88). This is the smallest of the on 15 July 1099 to capture city gates, despite being widened Jerusalem from the Muslims. for cars by the Jordanians. The Look outwards from the gate name indicates that what is and you are facing down Salah now the main access to the al-Din Street, the main street Western Wall was probably once 3 The modern amphitheatre outside of Arab East Jerusalem. the site of a refuse tip. Damascus Gate 4
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A 90-Minute Walk around West Jerusalem The heart of West Jerusalem, centred on Jaffa Road, was largely developed during the years of the British Mandate (1917–48). So, while it is nowhere near as ancient as the Old City, it does carry a weight of modern history related to the founding of the Jewish state of Israel. Aside from the scattering of historic buildings and monuments, this is also the heart of the modern city, with pedestrianized streets of cafés, restaurants and shops, cultural centres and busy markets. It is a highly rewarding area to explore.
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Salomon to Zion Square, the traditional gathering point for protests and demonstrations. Running west from here, Ben Yehuda Street 5 (see p127) is one of the city’s main shopping streets. Take the third right into Ben Hillel, cross over main King George V Street and you will be standing in front of Felafel & Shawarma King, which makes supposedly the best falafels in the city.
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Jaffa Road Until Tel Aviv got its own port in the 1930s, Jews arriving in Palestine would disembark at Jaffa, entering Jerusalem on the Jaffa Road. It ran right up to the Old City and the correspondingly named Jaffa Gate. The road now ends just short of the city walls, which is where this walk begins, at the rounded façade of the Former Barclays Bank 1 (look for the “BB” in the iron window grilles). The building was on the line that divided Arabs and Jews between 1948 and 1967 and still bears the scars left by
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bullets. Walk west, and almost immediately you come to palmfilled Safra Square, forecourt to 5 Passing time on the pedestrianized the City Hall complex 2 (see Ben Yehuda Street p128), also home to the main tourist information Mahane office. Cross to the Yehuda D AV I D left-hand side of YELLIN the road at the next junction to HA-NEV IIM pass Feingold PRAG UE 7 8 9 House 3, built Davidka Square JA in 1895, with its FF A series of arched shopfronts and one RO AG AD RIP 6 arched entrance to a PA S passageway containing King George the fine bar-restaurant AGR IPPA S Barood (see p154). Look back to spot the winged lion on top of the Generali Building, trademark of the DA BEN YEHU Italian insurance company 5 that once had its offices here. I SHAMA Continue along Jaffa Road, taking the next left into Rivlin Street and Nakhalat Shiva 4 HILLEL (see p127). This is one of the oldest parts of the modern city 0 metres 250 (founded 1869) but also one of the liveliest. Its attractive two0 yards 250 storey buildings are home to trendy eateries and late-night Key bars. At the bottom of Rivlin Walk route turn right, then head up
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cultural centre hosting art at a major junction marked by exhibitions and regular jazz, a small monument of a mortar on a plinth; this is a Davidka 8, folk and classical recitals; it also has a pleasant a weapon that played a large garden terrace. role in the 1948 War. The Returning to Ha-Neviim, Hebrew inscription is from take the next the Old Testament right and walk Book of Isaiah and straight over reads, “For I will the roundabout; defend this city the end point of to save it”. T HA N A - R AV S H M U E L S A L the walk is visible Fork left at the BR ahead in the form monument to I 0 of the three Muscovitefollow historic Ha-Neviim 0 Decorative panel, styled domes of the M Ethiopian Church Street (see Cathedral of the Holy I 9 I V HA-NE p128), which Trinity w (see p128). q during the Consecrated in 1872, the ET L SE 19th century was AT church was built to cater to AV H K one of Jerusalem’s Russian pilgrims, who at the A A K H AL main avenues. It time far outnumbered pilgrims -M ZION A SQUARE H is lined by some from any other country. From I EN notable buildings, here, it’s just a short step back EL w H N HI including at No. to Jaffa Road and the start of ES H K 64 a fine house the walk. JA 3 FF once occupied A 4 RO AD by the English 2 Tips for Walkers N I L Victorian painter RIV Safra SH Square Starting point: Jaffa Road. William Holman U SH BE A Length: 3 km (2 miles). N K N Hunt and, at No. O SIR RE A 1 SH Best time to walk: Any time, 58, Thabor House, O but avoid Friday afternoon M designed and once LO KH S H- M E L E and Saturday, when everything occupied by the German A H is closed. Conrad Schick, one of the Stopping-off points: In addition city’s foremost early architects. to the places mentioned in the Just past Thabor House, a walk, there are dozens of food pretty, high-walled lane on stalls around Mahane Yehuda the left leads to the Ethiopian Market, including some selling Church 0, a modest basilica “meorav Yerushalmi”, literally with an interior painted in “Jerusalem meats”, a mix of nursery blues and pinks, and chopped livers, kidneys, hearts filled with glittery, golden and beef, fried and served in icons and smoky incense. pockets of bread. At the end Return to Ha-Neviim and of the walk, there are two good cross over to head south cafés at the junction of Heleni down Ha-Rav Kook Street, Ha-Malka and Jaffa Road, and looking for the signs for Ticho many more cafés and restaurants House q (see p127). This is an in Nakhalat Shiva, which is just across Jaffa Road. historic Arab residence that 7 A stall in one of the covered lanes of has been turned into a lively Mahane Yehuda Market BN
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Mahane Yehuda Continue west along Agrippas Street 6, passing on the right a passage that leads to top restaurant Arcadia. This has traditionally been a poor area with cheap rents that have proved attractive to recent immigrants, hence all the signs in Cyrillic. Agrippas is also the southern boundary of Mahane Yehuda Market 7, the city’s colourful prime source of fresh produce, from fruit and vegetables to fish and meat (see p152). Exit the market back onto Jaffa Road, now returning east. Pass by a building on your right that has a doorway flanked by two lions on pillars – the former residence of the British Consul, 1863–90 – before arriving
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A 90-Minute Walk around East Jerusalem East Jerusalem is the Palestinian Arab part of the city. It lies north of the Old City and east of the main north–south road Derekh Ha-Shalom, swelling over the Mount of Olives and down the other side. The main street is Salah al-Din Street, which is visited as part of this walk. High-profile tourist sights are few, but it is a vibrant area with many points of interest, including Christian pilgrimage sights and the Holy Land’s most atmospheric old hotel.
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Nablus Road archaeologists, but that does The walk starts at Damascus not seem to deter the coachGate 1 (see pp70–71), the largest loads of Christian pilgrims who flock here each day to engage and one of the busiest of in open-air prayer sessions the Old City gates. Taking A fruit stall on the corner of the in what is, admittedly, advantage of the perpetual traditional Nablus Road a lovely garden setting. crowds, small traders Stroll on, passing on your spread their wares left the Arab bus station on sheets around for services to West the amphitheatre-like 5 Bank towns and space in front of IS LO U T EN Ramallah. At the the gate so that it VINC next traffic junction, operates as a small ABU IDA 6 UBA marked by the makeshift market. modest little Sadd and Cross the busy road B ALE Said Mosque, continue that runs parallel with U T AB north as Nablus Road the city walls to the 7 becomes a narrow, leafy junction with Nablus Shivtei lane squeezed beside the Road, which is also busy Israel 8 fortified bulk of the local with street traders selling US Consulate. On your breads and fruit. Some of these traders stand An elderly right at No. 14 is 4 in the shadow of Schmidt’s Palestinian Palestinian Pottery AS -A EL N Girls’ College 2, part of 4, founded on IB the St Paul’s Hospice complex, this site back in 1922 designed in fine Germanic by the Balians, one of MA H A - K H OI S H I T style by the same architect three Armenian families HA-SHL responsible for Mount Zion’s brought over by the Church of the Dormition British authorities MUSLIM (see p120). from Kuthaya, Turkey, to CEMETERY 3 Walk north up Nablus Road renovate the ceramic tiles HA and shortly you come to an on the Dome of the Rock. alley enclosed between high Ring the bell to enter and walls off to the right: this visit the showrooms and a 2 leads to the Garden Tomb 3 small museum on the history Damascus of ceramics in Jerusalem. You (see p130). The claims for it Gate can also watch the craftspeople as the burial place of Jesus 1 at work hand-painting designs Christ have been dismissed by onto the ceramic tiles or pottery prior to firing. Further along, on Key the left, are several fine examples of late 19thWalk route and early 20th-century buildings, including a Nablus Road now joins with villa that houses the East Jerusalem offices of Salah al-Din Street, but continue on, taking the second right, the British Council. On the right is the high wall Louis Vincent Street, a short culde-sac leading to the American that rings St George’s Cathedral, which is Colony Hotel 5 (see p131). Originally built (1865–76) as 4 Hand-painting at the Palestinian Pottery workshop visited later in the walk.
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a home by a wealthy Arab merchant, the building was subsequently sold to pilgrims from Chicago, hence the name, before later becoming a hospice and then a hotel. It boasts a beautiful courtyard café and an equally welcoming cellar bar. Opposite the main entrance to the hotel, beside an attractive little giftshop, steps lead up to the excellent Munther's Bookshop at the American Colony Hotel (see p153). Salah al-Din Street Return the way you came, taking a quick detour left down 0 metres
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Abu Ubaida Street to take a look at Orient House 6, an elegant 1897 villa that served as the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem until it was shut down by the Israeli government in 2001. Back on Salah al-Din Street, pass the Kings’ Tombs (see p131) and then cross over the street to the main gate of St George’s Cathedral 7 (see p130) and buzz for admittance. Visitors are usually free to wander the gardens and courts of what is a surprisingly large compound. It is worth finding your way into the cathedral for its admirably restrained interior, which contains the royal arms formerly displayed in Government House during the time of British rule and deposited here when the Mandate came to an end in 1948. Services are still held throughout the week, although the language of mass these days is Arabic. South of the cathedral, Salah al-Din Street 8 becomes a busy high street with a clutter of low-rise shops, moneychangers, pharmacies and snack joints. Although vibrant, the scene is very visibly poorer than the corresponding main streets over in West Jerusalem. At its southern end Salah al-Din Street terminates opposite the city walls and Herod’s Gate 9, which to the Arabs is the far more poetic Bab
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el-Zahra, or “Flower Gate”. At this point you can enter the Old City; or turn left and follow the walls down to the very worthwhile Rockefeller Museum 0 (see p131) and its archaeological finds from the Holy Land; or bear right and follow Sultan Suleyman Street, past rows of small clothes and jewellery shops and eateries, back to the Damascus Gate area.
0 Decorative sarcophagus at the Rockefeller Museum
Tips for Walkers Starting point: Damascus Gate. Length: 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Palestinian Pottery: Open 9am–4pm Mon–Sat. Stopping-off points: The American Colony Hotel serves lunch in the courtyard garden or indoors in Val’s Brasserie Lounge. Café Europe, at 9 El-Zahra Street, just off Salah al-Din, offers goodvalue Western-style cuisine, including ham and eggs, in premises that resemble an English tearoom. For map symbols see back flap
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Shops and Markets When it comes to shopping, the main attractions in Jerusalem are the souks (markets) of the Old City. In comparison with the great bazaars of Istanbul or Cairo, Jerusalem’s souks are perhaps a little small, and the array of goods on offer is largely limited to souvenir items such as T-shirts and religious articles, but they still reward exploration. There is better shopping elsewhere, however, notably in the modern centre of West Jerusalem, where you’ll find high-street shops and malls, and areas of trendy boutiques: see Where to Shop, below. For more information on methods of payment and bargaining, see pp276–7. which runs west from Jaffa Gate, is a pleasant pedestrianized stretch of cafés and smart shops. For the most diverse selection of interesting shops, go to Emek Refa’im Street in the German Colony (it is just five minutes from the King David Hotel/YMCA), which boasts a long stretch of chic boutiques and cafés.
Markets Religious souvenirs are popular throughout the Old City
Opening Hours Shops in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and in East Jerusalem are open daily except for Friday morning. Many shops and stalls in the souks of the Old City are also closed all day Sunday, as many of the shop owners are Christian. Shops in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City and throughout West Jerusalem are open Sunday to Thursday from around 9am to 7pm, Friday from 9am to 3pm, and closed Saturday. Beware of local religious holidays (see pp40–43): during the holy month of Ramadan, Muslim shops close 30 minutes to one hour before sunset. All Jewish-owned businesses close for Jewish holidays.
The streets in the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City form a single large market, or souk. In the traditional Middle Eastern manner, different areas specialise in specific wares. David Street, for example, which runs east from the Jaffa Gate area, is almost entirely devoted to tourist trinkets and is the place to buy Christian-themed kitsch. Christian Quarter Road, off David Street, is more upmarket and, in addition to more religious souvenirs, also sells items such as richly coloured Palestinian rugs, covers and dresses. Many of the shops in the Muristan (see p94) specialize in leather, while the Via Dolorosa is strong on
Sacks of spices at a shop on the Old City’s Souk Khan el-Zeit Street
religious items. Most diverse of all is Souk Khan el-Zeit, where stores sell everything from DVDs and clothes to live chickens and honey-drenched Arabic pastries. West Jerusalem has an excellent covered central market in Mahane Yehuda, which runs between Agrippas Street and Jaffa Road. Many stalls sell fruit and vegetables, but there are also fishmongers, butchers, and sellers of dairy produce, olives, nuts and dried fruits. There are a handful of cafés and cool bars, and even a couple of small jewellery and designer apparel boutiques. The market is open Sunday to Thursday from 9am to 8pm, and Friday 9am to one hour before Shabbat. The First Station complex, in the attractively renovated old station, sells fresh produce and has some excellent restaurants and casual eateries that are open daily, besides holding events for children and adults.
Antiques In Jerusalem (and Israel in general), unlike other parts of the Holy Land, you may buy
Where to Shop Away from the Old City, visit King George V Street around the intersection with Jaffa Road for general high-street shopping. For boutique shopping, visit nearby Ben Hillel and Bezalel streets, while the Mamilla Mall,
A typical antiques shop in the Christian Quarter of the Old City
SHOPS AND MARKETS
at Munther’s Bookshop, in the American Colony Hotel. It also carries a well-chosen selection of English-language literature.
antiques and objects from excavations, but to take them out of the country you must obtain a permit from the Israeli Antiquities Authority (see p277). Only certain shops are authorized to deal in antiques of this kind; buy from a nonaccredited source and there is a chance that you may be buying looted goods. Zadok in West Jerusalem is an authorized specialist that often has items for sale garnered from recent digs. Founded in 1938, Baidun is one of the better-known antique dealers along the Via Dolorosa. It sells pieces from the Chalcolithic era to early Islamic times. There are many antique stores along this street, but it is advisable to check a store is authorized before you commit to buying anything.
Ceramics Distinctive items of pottery are sold in shops throughout the Old City, but for the best quality visit Palestinian Pottery (see p150). Its showrooms are filled with displays of the company’s trademark hand-painted cups, bowls, tiles and vases, with prices starting from a few dollars. In West Jerusalem, the narrow lanes of Nakhalat Shiva are full of potterystocked gift stores, including Gilda Ceramics Gallery Shop, which has different collections of unique pieces by a variety of Israeli artisans.
Books Israel’s oldest and largest bookstore chain is Steimatzky, founded in Jerusalem in 1925. It still has several branches in the city (including on Jaffa Road, Ben Yehuda Street and King George V Street), all of which sell Englishlanguage newspapers and magazines, fiction and nonfiction, and books about Jerusalem and Israel. However, the best selection on the history and politics of the city, and the Middle East in general, is found
Distinctive items of hand-painted ceramics at Palestinian Pottery
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Jewellery Israeli jewellery designer Michal Negrin, whose whimsical designs are sold in her ownbrand boutiques across the world, has several stores in Jerusalem; the most central of these is located in Nakhalat Shiva. Goldtime is another respected local chain store with several branches in Jerusalem. For more one-off and highly decorative designs visit Poenta, which is also in Nakhalat Shiva.
Religious Articles For Christian religious items there is a plethora of shops along the Old City’s David Street and the Muristan area of the Christian Quarter, specializing in crucifixes, rosaries and biblical scenes crafted from olive wood. Shops selling items of Judaica are found all throughout the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, particularly on the ancient Cardo, which is where you’ll find The Cardo Charm, where artist/owner Galit Ben-Yeheskiel produces delicate silver-filigree work. In the New City, Judaica shops cluster on King David Street, near the King David Hotel and YMCA. However, the best place in town for handmade Judaica is Yad LaKashish, which consists of several workshops creating everything from mezuzot to Hanukkah lamps.
DIRECTORY Markets First Station
4 David Ramez Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B5. Tel (02) 653 5239. ∑ firststation.co.il
Mahane Yehuda
120 Jaffa Road, West Jerusalem.
Antiques Baidun
28 Via Dolorosa, Muslim Quarter, Old City. Map 4 D2. Tel (02) 626 1469. ∑ baidun.com
Zadok
18 King David Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B4. Tel (02) 625 8039.
Books Munther’s Bookshop 23 Nablus Road, East Jerusalem. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 627 9731.
Steimatzky 33 Jaffa Road, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 627 0155.
Ceramics Gilda Ceramics Gallery Shop 27 Yoel Salomon Street, Nakhalat Shiva, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624 4065. ∑ gildaceramics.com
Palestinian Pottery
Poenta
14 Nablus Road, East Jerusalem. Map 1 C2. Tel (02) 628 2826. ∑ palestinianpottery. com
21 Yoel Salomon Street, Nakhalat Shiva, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624 0383.
Jewellery Goldtime 8 King George V Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 625 5883.
Michel Negrin Mamilla Mall, 9 King Solomon Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B4. Tel (02) 624 2112. ∑ michalnegrin.com
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Religious Articles The Cardo Charm 23 Cardo, Jewish Quarter, Old City. Map 3 C4. Tel (02) 626 2988. ∑ mysilverart.com
Yad LaKashish 14 Shivtei Yisrael Street. Map 1 B2. Tel (02) 628 7829. ∑ lifeline.org.il
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Entertainment For a relatively small city, Jerusalem offers a wide range of high-quality entertainment, especially in the fields of theatre and classical music. It enjoys several months of dynamic artistic and cultural activity a year, focused on summer and the Christmas season. Every May and June there is the Israel Festival, the country’s most important cultural jamboree, and in April/May there is the Jerusalem Arts Festival. The Jerusalem Film Festival is in July and there is an annual Jewish Film Festival. For information on what’s on, consult the daily Jerusalem Post or the free monthly Time Out, available at hotels and tourist offices.
The Armenian Tavern, a lone drinking spot in the Old City
Bars and Pubs Apart from a small but characterful bar in the corner of the Armenian Tavern restaurant, just south of the Citadel, there is nowhere to drink in the Old City. You need to go to West Jerusalem and, specifically, the district of narrow lanes known as Nakhalat Shiva. This small neighbourhood has become the centre of nightlife in the city, with dozens of bars, whose patrons spill outside in the warmer months. Among them, Barood stands out for its superb selection of spirits and liqueurs, including shelves of absinthes, schnapps and home-made flavoured vodkas. Near the Russian Compound, the super-cool Uganda bar is the place to enjoy Taybeh beer, with live music or DJs every night. Also in West Jerusalem, just off King George V Street, is Link, a bar-restaurant with a pleasant garden terrace. One block north and west in the premises of the Bezalel Art School, Mona is a
bar-restaurant beloved of the city’s secular population for being one of the few places open on Shabbat. The First Station complex, bordering Emek Refaim and Yemin Moshe, is also a popular meeting spot, with dozens of bars and eateries. Predominantly Muslim, East Jerusalem is naturally thin on venues serving alcohol, but getting a drink is possible at the Cellar Bar of the American Colony Hotel, which is the place to meet UN officials, international correspondents and Palestinian entrepreneurs. Otherwise, the Kan Zaman garden restaurant at the Jerusalem Hotel serves Palestinian beers, wine and nargilehs (water pipes).
acquainting children with science via lots of interactive exhibits. It’s fun for adults too. In the Liberty Bell Gardens (Ha-Pa’amon), just south of the Bloomfield Gardens (see p125), is the Train Theater, with a permanent repertoire of puppetry, plays and annual productions. The park itself is also very child friendly, with basketball courts, ping-pong tables and a rollerblade rink.
Cinema Jerusalem’s cinemas screen both local Israeli films plus international and Hollywood hits. NonHebrew films are usually screened in the original language with subtitles. Cinema City, on Sderot Yitschak Rabin, is Jerusalem’s largest cinema complex and has 19 screens that show a range of films for all ages, along with a cinema museum and a surrounding mall. Globus Cinema, in Binyanei Ha’uma, near the Central Bus Station, is also good for mainstream fare. The Jerusalem Cinematheque, on the slopes of the Hinnon Valley just outside the Old City walls, screens seasons of classics and retrospectives, as well as recent world cinema releases. Every July it hosts the Jerusalem Film Festival. Lev Smador in the German Colony is another quality art-house cinema.
Music The Henry Crown Concert Hall at the Jerusalem Theatre is the major venue for classical performances and home to the
Children The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo (see p142) brings together all the animals that the Bible mentions as living in the Holy Land. It is beautifully designed and kids love it. The Bloomfield Science Museum is devoted to
Creative advertising for the Cinematheque Film Festival
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Organ and choral concerts are held regularly at the Church of the Dormition (see p120) on Mount Zion, while the YMCA and Ticho House host regular classical recitals by soloists and ensembles. In East Jerusalem, the Kan Zaman restaurant has Friday night performances of classical Arabic music.
Rock, Pop and Jazz The city’s premier live music venue is Yellow Submarine, which features nightly acts performing blues, jazz, rock and folk. It is in an industrial district south of the centre, but it’s only a short taxi ride from the Jaffa Road area. For world and ethnic music and festivals head to
Confederation House on Emile Botta Street. When the occasional big name plays in town, the venue is the Sultan’s Pool on Hebron Road, a nowdry ancient reservoir, which, when not in use, resembles an abandoned quarry, just outside the city walls.
Theatre and Dance The Jerusalem Theatre is the city’s largest and most active cultural centre. In addition to the main Sherover Theatre, it has three other concert spaces and is a busy venue for both local and foreign productions. Smaller, but housed in a beautifully renovated old Ottoman structure, the Khan Theatre has two
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performance spaces, kept busy with a lively programme of international productions. The Gerard Bahar Performance Centre, just west of King George V Street, hosts regular theatre and dance events (it’s the home of the respected Vertigo and Kombina dance companies), as well as occasional music concerts. The Zappa Club enterprise puts on live gigs featuring new local talent and international acts. Over in East Jerusalem you’ll find El-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre, featuring performances in Arabic that are often of a political nature. Hora Jerusalem, a folk ensemble specializing in traditional Jewish dancing, also performs new pieces by Israeli choreographers at Efron Dance Centre.
DIRECTORY Bars and Pubs
Children
Music
Theatre & Dance
Armenian Tavern
Bloomfield Science Museum
Church of the Dormition
Efron Dance Centre
Hebrew University, Givat Ram, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 654 4888. ∑ mada.org.il
Mount Zion, Old City. Map 1 C5. Tel (02) 565 5330.
79 Armenian Patriarchate Road, Armenian Quarter, Old City. Map 3 B4. Tel (02) 627 3854.
Barood 31 Jaffa Street, Nakhalat Shiva, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 625 9081.
Cellar Bar American Colony Hotel, 2 Louis Vincent Street, off Nablus Road, East Jerusalem. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 627 9777.
Kan Zaman Jerusalem Hotel, Nablus Road, East Jerusalem. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 628 3282.
Link 3 Hama’alot Street, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 625 3446.
Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Manahat, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 675 0111. ∑ jerusalemzoo.org.il
20 David Marcus Street, Talbiye, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 561 1498. ∑ jso.co.il
Train Theater
Kan Zaman
Liberty Bell Park, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B5. Tel (02) 561 8514. ∑ traintheater.co.il
Ticho House
Cinema Globus Cinema 1 Shazar Blvd, Binyanei Ha’uma. Tel (02) 622 3685 or *2235. ∑ globusmax. co.il
Jerusalem Cinematheque
12 Shmuel Ha-Nagid, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 622 2283.
11 Hebron Road, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B5. Tel (02) 565 4333. ∑ jer-cin.org.il
Uganda
Lev Smador
4 Aristobulus Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 623 6087. ∑ ugandajlm.com
4 Lloyd George Street, German Colony, West Jerusalem. Tel *5155. ∑ lev.co.il
Mona
Henry Crown Concert Hall
See Bars and Pubs. 9 Ha-Rav Kook Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A2. Tel (02) 624 4168.
YMCA 26 King David Street, West Jerusalem. Map 1 A4. Tel (02) 569 2692.
Rock, Pop & Jazz Confederation House 12 Emile Botta St, Yemin Moshe. Map 1 B4. Tel (02) 624 5206. ∑ con federationhouse.org
Yellow Submarine 13 Ha-Rechavim Street, Talpiot, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 679 4040. ∑ yellowsubmarine. org.il
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19 Yehosha Yevin, Emek Hamatzleva. Tel (02) 679 6552. ∑ horajerusalem.org
El-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre El-Nuzha Street, East Jerusalem. Map 1 C1. Tel (02) 628 0957. ∑ pnt-pal.org
Gerard Bahar Performance Centre 11 Bezalel Street, Nakhla’ot, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 625 1139.
Jerusalem Theatre 20 David Marcus Street, Talbiye, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 560 5755. ∑ jerusalem-theatre. co.il
Khan Theatre 2 David Remez Square, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 671 8281. ∑ khan.co.il
Zappa Club 28 Hebron Road, West Jerusalem. Map 1 B5. Tel (03) 762 6666 or *9080. ∑ zappa-club. co.il
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JERUSALEM STREET FINDER
JERUSALEM STREET FINDER The map references that are given throughout the Jerusalem chapters of this guide refer to the maps on the following pages only. References are also given in the listings for hotels (see pp260–63) and restaurants (see pp270–75). Some of the many small streets and alleys may not be named on the maps. Many streets and monuments have two or even three names: one in Hebrew, one in Arabic and, occasionally, a commonly used English-
language form, too. What we call Damascus Gate is also known as Shaar Shkhem to Israelis and Bab el-Amud to Arabs. In this guide and on the following maps, where there is a sufficiently well-recognized English name, we have used it; otherwise, we have used the Arabic names for predominantly Arab areas (for example, the Muslim Quarter of the Old City) and Hebrew names for Jewish areas. Spellings in this guide may vary from those you see on street signs.
O RGE
V
D A SI EL-MUQ
IM
KI
NG
GE
HANEVI
J
AF
FA
The Muslim Quarter
R
O AD
Modern Jerusalem
The Christian & Armenian Quarters
The Mount of Olives and Mount Zion
EET KING DAVID STR
The Jewish Quarter JERIC HO ROA
Scale of Map above
Key to Jerusalem Street Finder Major sight
Hospital with casualty unit
0 metres
Other sight
Pedestrian street
0 yards
Other important building
Covered street
Bus station
Street number
Light Rail stop Tourist information
D
1000 1000
Scale of Maps 1 – 2 0 metres
250 250
0 yards
Synagogue Church Mosque
Scale of Maps 3 – 4
Route of Via Dolorosa
0 metres
Station of the Cross
0 yards
100 100
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Eshtori ha-Farkhi Ethiopian Church Etyopya Even Yehoshua Even Yisrael Ezer Yoldot Ezra Ezrat Yisrael
1 A1 1 A2 1 A2 1 A1 1 A2 1 A1 1 A1 1 A2
JERUSALEM STREET FINDER
A Aba Sikra Absalom’s Tomb Abu Hanifa Abu Taleb Abu Ubaida Adler Admon Agron Akhad ha-Am Akhwan el-Safa Ala ed-Din
1 B5 4 F4 2 E2 1 D1 1 C1 1 B2 1 B2 1 A4 1 A5 2 D1 2 D3 & 4 D3 1 C3 & 3 C3 1 A5 1 A1 1 B1
Alexander Hospice Alkalai Alsheikh Amelim American Colony Hotel 1 C1 Antonia 4 E1 Ararat 3 C5 Ariel Centre for Jerusalem 4 D4 Armenian 1 C4 Garden & 3 B5 Armenian 1 C4 Monastery & 3 B5 Armenian Patriarchate 1 C5 Road & 3 B5 Ashkenazi 1 A1 Auerbuch 1 A1 Avigdori 1 A2 Avinoam Yellin 1 A1 Avodat Yisrael 1 A1 Avraham Mi-Slonim 1 B2 Avtimos 3 C4
B Bab el-Hadid Bab el-Jadid Baharan Balfour Barkai Barquq Basilica of the Agony Batei Makhase Batei Makhase Square Batei Varsha Beit David Beit El Beit ha-Kneset Beit ha-Shoeva Beit Yisrael Ben Amram Ben Hillel Ben Maimon Ben Shimon Ben Sira Ben Yehuda Bianchini Birenbaum Blezer Blilius
4 D3 3 A3 1 A2 1 A5 3 C5 4 D2 2 E3 2 D4 & 4 D5 4 D5 1 A1 1 A3 3 C5 1 A3 4 D5 1 B1 1 A1 1 A3 1 A4 1 B4 1 B3 1 A3 1 A3 1 A2 1 A1 1 A2
Bloomfield Gardens 1 B5 Bnai Brith 1 A2 Bonei Yerushalayim 1 C5 Garden & 3 B5 Brenner 1 A5 Broad Wall 3 C4 Burj Laqlaq 4 E1 Burnt House 4 D4
C 1 C4 & 3 C4 Casa Nova 3 B3 Casa Nova Hospice 3 A3 Casa Nova 1 C4 Monastery & 3 B3 Central Souk 3 C3 Chain Gate 4 E3 Chain Street (Tariq Bab 2 D4 el-Silsila) & 4 D4 Christian Quarter 1 C3 Road & 3 B3 Church of St John 1 C4 the Baptist & 3 C3 Church of St Mary Magdalene 2 E3 Church of the Dormition 1 C5 Church of the Holy 1 C3 Sepulchre & 3 B3 Church of the Paternoster 2 F4 Church of the Redeemer 3 C3 Cinematheque 1 B5 Citadel 1 C4 & 3 B4 City Hall Complex 1 B3 City of David 2 D5 & 4 E5 College des Frères 3 A3 Conrad Schick 1 C2 Convent of the Sisters of Zion 4 D2 Coptic Khan 3 B3 Coptic Patriarchate 3 C3 Cotton Merchants’ Gate 4 D3 Cotton Merchants’ Market 4 D3 Cardo
D 1 C3 & 3 C1 Daniel 1 B3 & 3 A1 Darom 1 A3 David Marcus 1 A5 David Street 1 C4 (El-Bazar) & 3 C4 David Yellin 1 A2 Davidson Center 2 D4 Derekh 2 E4 ha-Ofel & 4 E5 Derekh Haim- Barlev 1 B1 Derekh 2 D5 ha-Shiloakh & 4 F5 Damascus Gate
Derekh Yafo see Jaffa Road Derekh Yerikho see Jericho Road Derekh Shkhem see Nablus Road Dhu Nuwas 1 A3 Dimitrios 3 B3 Disraeli 1 A5 Dome of the Ascension 4 E3 Dome of the 2 D4 Chain & 4 E3 Dome of the 2 D4 Rock & 4 E3 Dominus Flevit Chapel 2 F4 Dorot Rishonim 1 A3 Dror Eliel 1 B4 & 3 A5 Dung Gate 2 D4 & 4 D5
E Ecce Homo Arch
2 D3 & 4 D2 1 B1 1 B1 2 D2 4 E4 2 E1 3 C2
Edelman Ein Yakov El-Akhtal El-Aqsa Mosque El-Baladi Khalif El-Battikh El-Bazar see David Street El-Bustami 4 D1 El-Ghawanima Gate 4 D2 El-Hamra 4 D2 El-Hariri 2 D2 El-Hilal 4 D4 El-Isfahani 2 D2 Elisha 1 B3 & 3 A2 El-Jabsha 3 B2 El-Kanayis 3 C2 El-Khalidiya 4 D3 El-Khanqa 1 C3 & 3 C3 El-Mansuriya 2 E3 El-Masudi 2 D2 El-Mathana 2 D3 & 4 D1 El-Mawlawiya 4 D2 El-Muazamiya 4 E1 El-Muqdasi 2 E2 El-Mutanabi 2 E1 El-Qirami’s Tomb 3 C3 El-Rahbat 4 D2 El-Rusul 3 B2 El-Saraya 3 C3 El-Tabari 2 E1 El-Takiya 3 C3 El-Tuta 3 C2 El-Wad 1 C3 & 4 C2 El-Yaqubi 2 D1 Elyashar 1 A3 El-Zahra 2 D2 Emet Le-Yakov 1 A1 Emile Botta 1 B4
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F Freres Friedman Abud
3 A3 1 A1
G 4 D5 1 C2 & 3 C1 Gate of Darkness 4 E2 Gate of the Tribes 4 E2 George Eliot 1 A4 Ghawanima 4 D2 Gimzo 1 B2 Gmul 1 B1 Greek Catholic Patriarchate Road 3 B3 Greek Orthodox Patriarchate Road 3 B3 Gruzenberg 1 B3 Gulbenkian 1 C4 Library & 3 B5 Galed Garden Tomb
H Ha-Atsmaut Garden 1 A4 Ha-Besht 1 B1 Ha-Emek 1 B4 & 3 A4 Ha-Gitit 4 D5 Ha-Histadrut 1 A3 Ha-Kharash 1 A2 Ha-Khavatselet 1 A2 Hakhnasat Yisrael 1 B2 Ha-Khoma ha-Shlishit 1 B2 Ha-Kinor 3 C5 Ha-Leumi 1 B3 Garden & 3 A3 Hall of the Last Supper 1 C5 Ha-Maaravim 1 A4 Ha-Malakh 3 C5 Ha-Masger 1 A2 Ha-Melakha 1 A2 Ha-Metsuda 1 B5 & 3 A5 Ha-Nagar 1 B1 Ha-Neviim 1 A2 & 3 B1 Ha-Omer 4 D4 Ha-Radbaz 1 A1 Haram esh-Sharif 2 D3 & 4 E3 Ha-Rav Adani 1 B1 Ha-Rav Agan 1 A2 Ha-Rav Ashlag 1 A1 Ha-Rav Kook 1 A2 Ha-Rav Shmuel Salant 1 B2 Ha-Rokeakh 1 A2
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JERUSALEM STREET FINDER
1 C5 2 D2 4 D5 1 A3 1 B5 4 D4 1 C1 1 B4 & 3 A5 Ha-Tsankhanim 1 C3 & 3 A2 Ha-Tsankhanim 1 C3 Garden & 3 B1 Ha-Tsayar 1 B5 Ha-Tupim 3 C5 Ha-Ugav 4 D4 Ha-Yehudim see Jewish Quarter Road Ha-Yeshiva 1 A1 Hebron Road 1 B5 & 3 B1 Heil Ha-Handasa 1 C2 Heleni ha-Malka 1 B2 & 3 A1 Herbert Samuel 1 A3 Herod’s Gate 2 D2 & 4 D1 Hess 1 A4 Hillel 1 A3 Horkanos 1 A3 Hoshea 1 A1 Hurva Square 3 C4 Har-Tsiyon Ha-Run el-Rashid Ha-Shminit Ha-Soreg Ha-Takhana Ha-Tamid Hatem el-Tawi Ha-Tikva
I 2 D2 1 C2 3 C1 1 C1 1 C1 2 D2 2 D1 2 B2 2 E1 4 D1 4 D3 4 D3 2 D4 & 4 D4 Italian Hospital 1 B2 Italian Synagogue 1 A3 Ibn Batuta Ibn el-Aas Ibn Jarah Ibn Jubair Ibn Khaldun Ibn Sina Ibn Tulun Ido ha-Navi Imam el-Malaki Indian Hospice Inspector’s Gate Iron Gate Israelite Tower
J Jabotinski Jaffa Gate
1 A5 1 C4 & 3 B4 1 A2 & 3 A3
Jaffa Road (Derekh Yafo) Jehoshaphat’s Tomb 4 F4 Jericho Road (Derekh 2 E4 Yerikho) & 4 F1 Jewish Quarter Road (HaYehudim) 3 C4 Jerusalem Archaeological 2 D4 Park & 4 E4
K
M
1 A1 1 B2 1 A4 1 A1 3 C4 1 A1 1 A1 1 A2 1 B1 2 D1 4 D4 1 B2 1 A2 1 B1 1 C4 & 3 B5 Khativat 1 C5 Yerushalayim & 3 A5 Khavakuk 1 A1 Khawalida 3 A3 Khayei Adam 1 A2 Khayim Ozer 1 B1 Khesed le-Avraham 1 A1 Kheshin 1 A3 Khevrat Mishnayot 1 B2 Khevrat Shas 1 B2 Khoni ha-Meagel 1 B2 Khovevei Tsiyon 1 A5 Khulda ha-Nevia 3 A1 Kidron Valley see Nakhal Kidron Kikar Tzion 1 A2 Kikar Tzahal 1 B3 King David Hotel 1 B4 King David Street (David ha-Melekh) 1 B4 King David’s Tomb see Hall of the Last Supper King Faisal 4 E2 King George V 1 A2 Kings’ Tombs 1 C1 Koresh 1 B3 Kunder 1 C1
2 D5 & 4 D5 Maalot Ir David 2 D5 & 4 E5 Maalot Rabil 4 D4 Maamadot Yisrael 4 D5 Madrasa el-Araghonia 4 D3 Madrasa el-Omariyya 4 D2 Malki Tsedek 2 D5 Mamilla Alrov Quarter 1 B4 Mapu 1 B5 Mea Shearim 1 A1 Mekhoza 1 B2 Mendele Mokher Sfarim 1 A5 Mevo ha-Matmid 1 A3 Mikha 1 A1 Misgav la-Dakh 4 D4 Mishkenot Shaananim 1 B5 Mishmarot 1 C2 & 3 A1 Mishmerot haKehuna 3 C5 Mishol ha-Pninim 1 C3 Garden & 3 B2 Mitchel Garden 1 B5 & 3 A5 Monastery of the 2 D3 Flagellation & 4 D2 Monbaz 1 B2 Montefiore’s Windmill 1 B5 Moors’ Gate 4 E4 Moshe veEster Lezer 1 B1 Mosque of the Ascension 2 F3 Mount of Olives 2 F3 Mount Zion 1 C5 Muhammad el-Salah 1 C1 Muristan 1 C4 & 3 C3 Muristan Road 3 C3 Museum of Islamic Art 4 E4 Museum of the Greek Catholic Patriarchate 3 B3 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 3 B3
Kapakh Katz Keren ha-Yesod Kfar ha-Shiloakh Khabad Khafets Khayim Khagai Khagiz Khakhmei Lublin Khaled ibn el-Walid Khalidi Library Khanan Khasandvits Khasidei Karlin Khativat Etsyoni
L Lady Tunshuq’s 2 D3 Palace & 4 D3 Lapidot 1 A1 Latin Patriarchate Road 3 B3 Latin Sanctuary & Patriarchate 3 A3 Leib Dayan 1 B1 Levi Yitskhak Miberditchev 1 A1 Liberty Bell Gardens 1 B5 Lincoln 1 A4 Lions’ Gate (St Stephen’s Gate) 2 E3 & 4 F2 Louis Vincent 1 C1 Lunz 1 A3 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer 3 C3
Maale ha-Shalom
N Nablus Road (Derekh Shkhem) 1 C2 & 3 C1 Nakhalat Shiva 1 A3 Nakhal Kidron 2 E4 & 4 F4 Nakhman 4 D5 Nakhman mi-Braslav 1 A1
Nakhon Natan ha-Navi Nea Vaults Netsivin New Gate Noomi Kiss Notre Dame de France Hospice Nur el-Din
1 B5 1 B3 & 3 A1 4 D5 1 B2 3 A3 1 C2 3 A2 2 D2
O Old Yishuv Court Museum Olifant Omari Omar Mosque Omar ibn elKhattab Square Oneg Shabat Or ha-Khayim Otsar ha-Sfarim
3 C5 1 A5 4 E1 3 C3 3 B4 1 B2 3 C4 1 B2
P 1 A1 1 B4 & 3 A5 Peres 1 A2 Pikud ha-Merkaz 1 C2 Plugat ha-Kotel 3 C4 Pool of Bethesda 2 D3 & 4 E2 Prague 1 A2 Pri Khadash 1 A1 Peat ha-Shulkhan Pele Yoets
Q Qadisieh
2 D3 & 4 E2
R Rabi Akiva 1 A3 Rabi Shlomo 1 B1 Rachel Ben Zvi Centre 4 D4 Ramban 1 C4 Synagogue & 3 C4 Rapaport 1 B1 Reem 1 B1 Reichman 1 B1 Reshit Khokhma 1 A1 Risas 3 C2 Rivlin 1 A3 Rockefeller Museum 2 D2 Rokakh 1 B1 Rothschild House 2 D4 & 4 D5 Ruba el-Adawiya 2 F3 Rumman 4 E1 Russian Compound 1 B3
S Saadiya Sachs Van Paassen St Anne’s Church
4 D1 1 B1 2 D3 & 4 E2
JERUSALEM STREET FINDER
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St Anne’s St Anne’s Pool ofChurch Pool of Church Bethesda Bethesda
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MUSLIM MUSLIM CEMETERY CEMETERY
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION Israel, Petra and Sinai at a Glance
166–167
The Coast and Galilee
168–189
The Dead Sea and The Negev Desert
190–209
Petra and Western Jordan
210–239
The Red Sea and Sinai
240–253
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!
ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
Israel, Petra & Sinai at a Glance The Holy Land is rich in historical sights far beyond its biblical associations. In Petra it has one of the most unusual and magical ruined cities in the world, and the Roman-era remains at sites such as Jerash in Jordan and Beth Shean in northern Israel are similarly stunning. The scenery that the visitor encounters while travelling can also be dramatic, especially in the region of the Dead Sea (a geographic marvel in itself) and in the Sinai peninsula. Off the coast of Sinai, the Red Sea conceals underwater scenery every bit as spectacular as that on dry land.
Haifa
THE COAST AND GALILEE (see pp168–89)
Netanya
Tel Aviv
Am Jerusalem
Gaza
THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT
PETRA AND WESTERN JORDAN
(see pp210–39
(see pp190–209)
Waterfront at Jaffa, a virtual suburb of Tel Aviv and a favourite place for city-dwellers to dine at weekends
Ma’an
Eilat Aqaba
Beautiful sandstone cloisters at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
THE RED SEA AND SINAI (see pp240–53)
Sharm el-Sheikh
St Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, one of the world’s oldest continuously functioning monasteries A mesmeric view of sunrise at the Dead Sea
I S R A E L , P E T R A & S I N A I AT A G L A N C E
Haifa
!
167
THE COAST AND GALILEE (see pp168–89)
Netanya
Tel Aviv
View from the shore of the Sea of Galilee, rich in associations with the miracles and teachings of Jesus Christ
Amman Jerusalem
THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT
PETRA AND WESTERN JORDAN (see pp210–39)
(see pp190–209)
The ruined main street of Jerash, the best-preserved Roman city in the Holy Land
Ma’an
Eilat Aqaba
The mountaintop fortress of Masada on the Dead Sea, the most visited site in Israel after Jerusalem
0 kilometres
The incredible shaping of the landscape in the carved rock façades of Petra
0 miles
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
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THE COAST AND GALILEE A fertile corridor squeezed between the sea and the desert, this is the Promised Land of the Old Testament. The green hills and fresh waters of Galilee provided the setting for many episodes in the early life and ministry of Christ. Beside all its religious associations this is very much a secular paradise too, the heartland of modern Israel and a sun-drenched scenic magnet for tourists. The wealth of ancient sites along this stretch of coast bears witness to the fact that for centuries this has been an important land corridor connecting Africa, Europe and Asia. The great empires of ancient Egypt to the south and Assyria and Babylon to the east met here in trade and battle. Later, the Romans exploited this coastline with the laying of a great highway, the Via Maris, and Herod built a magnificent port in Caesarea (see p180), one of the grandest and most important in the eastern Mediterranean. Ports such as this formed the nuclei of the Latin Kingdoms when the Crusaders came conquering in the Middle Ages. The Muslim Arabs eventually drove out the Christian knights but their legacy remains in some superb muscular
architecture, especially at Akko, which retains one of the most charming old towns in the whole of the Holy Land. When in the 19th century the first major waves of Jewish immigrants began arriving, it was on the fertile coastal plains and rolling hills of Galilee that they chose to settle. They planted wheat and cotton in the fields, orange groves and vineyards on the slopes, and cities overlooking the sea. The capital they founded, Tel Aviv, has become a vibrant centre of culture and commerce, while Haifa, attractively tumbling down Mount Carmel to the sea, is a thriving economic powerhouse. Inland Galilee remains rural and idyllic, equally pleasing to pilgrims on the trail of Christ and to seekers of relaxation and the picturesque.
Lush green fields next to the sea in Galilee An aerial view of the Tel Aviv cityscape at sunset
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Exploring the Coast and Galilee Northern Israel is arguably the most attractive region in the Holy Land. The coast has long white sandy beaches, while Galilee is a landscape of rolling green hills, forested valleys and clear freshwater lakes. The Golan even has mountains that are capped with snow for part of each year. Places of interest include the hilltop Jewish holy town of Safed, Nazareth, traditionally held to be where Jesus spent his childhood, and many fine archaeological sites, including Crusader castles and Roman towns. With such a concentration of beauty spots and picturesque vistas, this is an area ideally explored by car.
Beirut
Nahariyya
Sasa
Ma'a lotTarshiha
Me H i l ro ls
Shavei Tsiyon
Sights at a Glance 1 Tel Aviv pp172–9
9 Sea of Galilee pp186–7
2 Caesarea
0 Capernaum
3 Haifa and Mount
q Tabgha
Carmel
Even Menakhem
Kfar Rosh ha-Nikra
AKKO Bay of Haifa
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4 Akko pp182–3
e Belvoir Castle
5 Megiddo
r Beth Alpha
6 Nazareth
t Beth Shean
Sajur
Shomrat
Kiryat Yam
HAIFA
Kafr Manda
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Kafr Kana
Kiryat Tiv'on
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8 Golan Heights
Shfar'am
ISRAEL
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Kiryat Ata
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Daliyat el-Carmel
Yokne'am
Tel Adashim
Geva Karmel Nakhsholim
Fureidis
Pardes Khana-Karkur
Kafr Ra'i'
ERR TEL AVIV Old Jaffa
Kur
Shkhem (Nablus
Yarkhiv
Petakh Tikva
Rosh Ha-ayin
Jerusalem
Beit Furik Yanun
Mas'ha
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Qabalan Sinjil
Rantis
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For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
Gid'ona
BETH ALPHA
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Getting Around
Merkhavya
Zububa
Musmus
Binyamina
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are linked by a good motorway. Buses depart roughly every 15 minutes and the journey takes less than an hour. Northbound services along the coastal highway from Tel Aviv to Caesarea and Haifa are only slightly less frequent. Trains link Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and there is a coastal line from Tel Aviv to Nahariya. A fast train connecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, taking less than 30 minutes, is due to be in place by 2018.
'Afula
Bat MEGIDDO Shlomo
Zikhron Ya'akov
Herod the Great’s port of Caesarea, now an impressive set of ruins beside the sea
Dovrat
Mishmar ha-Emek
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THE COAST AND GALILEE
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Major road
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Old Jaffa, where the Gan ha-Pisga Gardens crown a hilltop with splendid views of seafront Tel Aviv
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
Tel Aviv
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churches and mosques; an old olive oil press; a reconstructed flour mill; and a 1925 fire engine given by the city of New York to Tel Aviv’s volunteer fire brigade in 1947.
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For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
Ben Gurion’s House
ES T PIN REE ST
When it opened E Eretz Israel in 1978, this was regarded as one Museum 2 Haim Levanon, Ramat of the world’s Aviv. Tel (03) 641 5244. most innovative Open 10am–4pm Sun– museums. It is still Wed, 10am–8pm Thu, worth setting aside 10am–2pm Fri & Sat. several hours to visit. & ∑ eretzmuseum. Instead of showing org.il historical artifacts, it uses thematically Built around Beit Hatfutsot arranged dioramas, the site of Tel exhibit interactive displays and Qasile, where short videos to illustrate aspects excavations have revealed of life in the Jewish diaspora, layers of human habitation past and present, throughout dating back to 1200 BC, the world, and the influence this museum depicts the of Jewish arts and literature history and culture of the on other cultures. One of land of Israel. It comprises the highlights is a display a number of themed of beautifully made scale pavilions, all containing models of synagogues from permanent exhibitions. One has a very fine collection of ancient and Islamic-era glass; others are devoted to coins, ancient pottery, Judaica, copper mining, postal history and philately, and to ancient crafts. Additionally there’s a square with a collection of beautiful mosaic floors from early Historical Jewish personages, part of a display at Beit Hatfutsot synagogues,
Eretz Israel Museum AR L O Z ORO
Old Port (Namal)
ET
University Campus, Gate 2, Klausner St, Ramat Aviv. Tel (03) 745 7808. Open 10am–4pm Sun–Tue, 10am–7pm Wed & Thu, 9am–1pm Fri. &∑ bh.org.il
various countries. The permanent collection is supplemented by temporary exhibitions. There is also a genealogy centre, where Jews from around the world can trace their lineage.
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Mosaic flooring at the Eretz Israel Museum in northern Tel Aviv
MAN
Tel Aviv represents the modern face of the Jewish state – a brash, confident centre of commerce and contemporary culture. It is also a true Mediterranean resort city, with a long, sandy beach fringed by cafés, bars and shops. Away from the seafront are gracious palm-filled avenues, lined with elegant buildings in the international Bauhaus style (see p175). All this has been created since 1909, when the Jewish National Fund purchased land among the dunes north of the old Arab port of Jaffa (see pp178–9) on which to build a new city, to be called Tel Aviv (“Hill of the Spring”).
KAUF
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TEL AVIV
Sights at a Glance
Practical Information Road map B3. * 404,400. n 46 Herbert Samuel Rd, (03) 516 6188. _ Beach Festival (Jul & Aug). ( daily.
of the Jewish People) 2 Eretz Israel Museum 3 Old Port 4 Beachfront Promenade 5 Dizengoff Street 6 Rabin Square 7 Tel Aviv Museum of Art 8 Bialik Street 9 Yemenite Quarter 0 Shalom Tower q Rothschild Avenue w Manshiye e Neve Tzedek
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Old Cemetery
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AV E N U
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Rubin Museum
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Promenade A white-sand beach stretches right along the seafront of central Tel Aviv, backed by a long promenade, modern hotels and Miami-style condominiums. It is possible to walk all the way from the Old Port in the north down
Central Bus Station, Levinsky St, (03) 639 4444 or *2787.
to Jaffa in the south (see pp178–9) along the promenade. At its northern end this takes the form of a big, rolling wooden deck, which in parts gently undulates like sand dunes. This is a favourite area for fishermen and for wedding couples, who have their photographs taken with the Mediterranean Sea as a backdrop. Further south, in the vicinity of Independence Park (Gan Ha-Atzmaut), there’s a small children’s playground. Beside this, a section of beach is screened off for the use of Orthodox Jews (men and women on different days). The city-centre stretch of beach is dominated by the huge, pink Opera Towers, with shops and restaurants at street level and a distinctive stepped profile. The beach here is crowded all summer with sunseekers and, after dark, with open-air concert- and discogoers. Strong sea currents mean that you should swim only where you see white flags. Red flags mean that it is dangerous; black flags that it is forbidden.
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STREET
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A café on the boardwalk in the fashionable Old Port area
bigger facilities were created in Ashdod to the south, and lay Museum of the neglected for around 30 years Jewish People V STRE until the site was revitalized ET in the 1990s. It is now a lively Railway Station 3 km (2 miles) area of cafés, bars, nightBus Station clubs, restaurants and shops. City Hall 3 km (2 miles) (Check www.namal.co.il for events and other details.) Rabin Square There is even an antiques market on Saturdays. Many STREET Tel Aviv Museum of the businesses are on of Art the boardwalk facing the Dizengoff Square sea; some also have a view AV E EKH Dizengoff HAM of the old power plant HA -N EV I IM L U ' S TREET Centre SH A Helena just across the river. The Rubenstein ET STRE promenade continues past Pavilion AN BOG KAPL RA SH the power station, north OV STR along the beachfront. Habima RE IN ES
AV E F F S T R EET
BEN G URION
Gordon wimming Pool
Transport k Ben Gurion, 22 km (14 miles) SE. £ Arlosoroff Station, Arlosoroff Rd, *5770. @ New
Eretz Israel Museum AR L O Z ORO
Ben Gurion’s House
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
1 Beit Hatfutsot (Museum
Old Port (Namal)
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P Old Port
North of the centre, at the point at which the Yarkon River empties into the Mediterranean, Tel Aviv’s port (known as the Namal) was developed in the late 1930s to lessen Jewish dependence on the Arab port of Jaffa. It was decommissioned in 1965, when
The beachfront parade in central Tel Aviv, part of a promenade that stretches the length of the city
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
Exploring Tel Aviv North central Tel Aviv is where the money is. Visit Basel Street for chic cafés and boutiques. The real heart of the city, however, lies south of Ben Gurion Avenue, which is named for Israel’s first prime minister (see p57); his former home at No. 17 is now a museum. The main streets run north–south and are Ben Yehuda Street and Dizengoff Street (see below), both of which run almost the whole length of the city centre. South again is the Yemenite Quarter and the districts of Manshiye and Neve Tzedek, which are some of the oldest parts of Tel Aviv.
Dizengoff Square with a performing fountain at its centre P Dizengoff Street
The city’s main shopping street is named after Tel Aviv’s first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. It is at its liveliest around the junction with Frishmann Street, where there are plenty of street cafés with pavement seating and a large branch of the Israeli chain bookstore Steimetzky’s. Also here is the Bauhaus Center, which is dedicated to raising awareness of Tel Aviv’s unique architectural heritage (see p175). To this end, the Center runs two-hour English-language tours at 10am each Friday, visiting some of the city’s Bauhaus buildings. One block south of the Bauhaus Center is Dizengoff Square, an irregularly shaped concrete platform raised above a traffic underpass. It sports a drum-like fountain by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam that has water jets programmed to perform hourly light and music shows. On Tuesdays and Fridays, the square is host to a flea market. On the east side are two beautifully renovated Bauhaus buildings, one of which is now the Hotel Cinema Eden;
it’s possible to take the elevator up to the fifth-floor roof terrace to enjoy the city views. E Bauhaus Center
99 Dizengoff St. Tel (03) 522 0249. Open 10am–7:30pm Sun–Thu, 10am–2:30pm Fri, noon–7:30pm Sat. ∑ bauhaus-center.com
different colours. The square is a venue for demonstrations, celebrations and concerts. It was at one such gathering – a peace rally on 4 November 1995 – that the then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. The basalt stones of the Rabin Memorial on Ibn Givrol Street, beside City Hall, occupy the very spot where he was shot. Nearby is a wall covered with graffiti drawn by mourning citizens and now preserved behind glass. At the centre of the square is another memorial, the Monument of Holocaust and Resistance, a huge glass-and-iron structure erected in the 1970s and designed by well-known and often controversial Israeli artist Yigal Tumarkin. An eco pool was added next to it after renovation. There are some good shops on the west side of the square, notably Tola’at Seferim, a bookshop with a pleasant café, and Mayu, a youthful fashion boutique. Across on the east side is Brasserie, an excellent Art Deco, French-style restaurant. E Tel Aviv Museum of Art
27 Ha-Melekh Shaul Ave. Tel (03) 607 7000. Open 10am–4pm Mon & Wed, 10am–8pm Tue & Thu, 10am–2pm Fri, 10am–4pm Sat. & ∑ tamuseum.org.il
Israel’s most important collection of 19th- and 20th-century art includes works representing P Rabin Square the major trends of Modernism: Impressionism (Degas, Renoir, A large, rectangular plaza in the Monet), Post-Impressionism eastern part of central Tel Aviv, (Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne), Rabin Square is overlooked by City Hall, a brutal concrete block Cubism (Braque, Leger, Metzinger) and Surrealism that is only slightly softened by (Miró), as well as key pieces having its windows painted in by Pablo Picasso. Other works range from 17th-century Flemish to modern Israeli. In addition to the permanent collections, there are excellent temporary exhibtions. A ticket also covers entrance to the Helena Rubenstein Pavilion on Habima Square, where additional contemporary art Modern large-scale sculpture outside the Tel Aviv shows are held. Museum of Art
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
TEL AVIV
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Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus Architecture Tel Aviv has the world’s largest assemblage of buildings in the International Modern style, also known as Bauhaus. Altogether there are some 4,000 examples within the city. These buildings, largely erected in the 1930s and 1940s, were designed by immigrant architects trained in Europe, particularly in Germany, home of the modernist Bauhaus School between 1919 and 1933. The simplicity and functionality of the style, which aimed to unify art with technology, was considered highly appropriate to the socialist ideals of Zionism that underpinned the founding of the new city. In 2003, Tel Aviv’s unique and bountiful Bauhaus legacy was recognized by the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO, who declared the “White City” on the Mediterranean a World Heritage Site. Horizontals Characteristics of Bauhaus architecture include asymmetrical façades with “ribbons” of windows running horizontally. Balconies are often curbed and have overhanging ledges to provide shade for the rooms below.
Ships Some of the most striking buildings were inspired by the superstructure of the ships that brought the Jewish immigrants to Palestine. Windows shaped like maritime portholes are a common feature. Where to look The highest concentration of Bauhaus buildings is on Rothschild Boulevard and neighbouring Ahad Ha’am Street. The Bauhaus Centre, on Dizengoff Street, is a source of books and information on the subject, as well as a place to find some unusual souvenirs.
Verticals The sole vertical element in the typical Bauhaus building is provided by the internal stairwell; this appears on the façade as a ladderlike arrangement of windows.
Rounded forms Although initially Bauhaus buildings were completely rectilinear, later architects began to introduce more rounded forms. This was decried by purists who regarded curves as heretical because of their supposed impracticality: “How do you hang a picture on a curved wall?” they asked.
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P Yemenite Quarter junction with Allenby Street, with stalls selling cheap clothing A masterplan for Tel and household items, before Aviv was drawn up by switching to fresh fish, meat, fruit Scottish urban planner and vegetables, spices and herbs, Sir Patrick Geddes at breads and biscuits, and nuts the request of Mayor and seeds. Many of the side Dizengoff in 1925. This streets off Ha-Carmel specialize influenced the growth in different food produce. of the city for decades to come. The Yemenite P Shalom Tower Quarter (Kerem 9 Ahad Ha’am St. Tel (03) 517 7304. Ha-Temanim), however, Open 9am–6pm Sun–Thu, 9am– predates the Geddes 2pm Fri. ∑migdalshalom.co.il plan, and its maze of small streets contrasts One block west of Nakhalat sharply with the orderly Binyamin Street, this austere, layout of the rest of the 1960s office building sits on the city. The architecture former site of Israel’s first secular also predates the arrival Hebrew school. At the time of of the Bauhaus style its construction, the tower Olive stall at Carmel Market on Ha-Carmel Street, Tel Aviv that characterizes much was the tallest structure P Bialik Street of the rest of Tel Aviv. Here, in Israel. There are buildings instead employ impressive mosaics by Bialik is one of the city’s most motifs from Classical, Moorish Nahum Gutman in historic streets. At No. 14 is the and Art Nouveau styles. the lobby area, and Rubin Museum, the former a small museum of residence of one of Israel’s most This is most apparent on the city’s history on famous painters, Reuven Rubin Nakhalat Binyamin the mezzanine. Also (1893–1974). It now contains a Street, which of interest are several permanent collection of 45 of boasts many small exhibitions his works, as well as a historical curious, if that contain models archive of his life. Changing slightly faded, of Tel Aviv and multiexhibits also feature other examples of media presentations, Israeli artists. this eclectic plus an art gallery. A A few doors along, Bialik architecture. Street performer on free elevator ride to The street is House (Beit Bialik) is the former Nakhalat Binyamin the 29th floor affords especially worth home of Haim Nahman Bialik visiting on Tuesdays and Fridays, a fabulous view of the city. (1873–1934), Israel’s national when it hosts a busy craft poet. The house has been kept P Rothschild Avenue market. This is also one of as it was during Bialik’s time, the busiest nightlife streets, and includes a library and This is one of Tel Aviv’s most in particular the area around paintings by some of Israel’s elegant old thoroughfares, the junctions with Rothschild best-known artists. lined with palm trees and some Avenue and Lilienblum Street. A little south of Bialik, Bezalel of the city’s finest examples of Bauhaus buildings (see p175). Street is home to a colourful The other local landmark is and popular street market Carmel Market (open 9am– 6pm Independence Hall (Beit famed for cut-price fashion. Sun–Thu, 9am–3pm Fri), which is Ha-Tanakh) at No. 6 was There are also numerous food on Ha-Carmel Street and is the once the residence of the first stalls that offer traditional local city’s largest and busiest openmayor, Meir Dizengoff. This is cuisine. South again, Sheinkin air market. It begins near the also where Ben Gurion declared Street was a centre of alternative culture in the 1980s. That is no longer the case, but it still boasts many independent shops and some great places to eat. E Rubin Museum
14 Bialik St. Tel (03) 525 5961. Open 10am–3pm Mon, Wed & Thu, 10am–8pm Tue, 10am–3pm Fri, 11am– 2pm Sat. & ∑ rubinmuseum.org.il E Bialik House
22 Bialik St. Tel (03) 525 4530. Open 9am–5pm Mon–Thu, 10am–2pm Fri & Sat. & 8 (book ahead).
Twice-weekly craft market on Nakhalat Binyamin in the Yemenite Quarter
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
TEL AVIV
city’s big open-air events, including the annual Love Parade. E Etzel Museum 1947–1948
15 Goldman St. Tel (03) 528 4001. Open 8am–4pm Sun–Thu. & P Neve Tzedek
The attractive little Hassan Bek Mosque, founded by a local governor
the independence of Israel on 14 May 1948. The museum’s Hall of Declaration remains as it was on that day, with original microphones on the table and a portrait of Herzl, the Zionist leader. Nearby 23 Allenby Street is now the Haganah Museum. The Haganah was the clandestine pre-1948 military organization that later became the Israeli army. E Independence Hall
16 Rothschild Blvd. Tel (03) 517 3942. Open 9am–5pm Sun–Thu, 9am–2pm Fri. 8
Neve Tzedek is where Tel Aviv began. The settlement was founded on empty sandy flats in the late 1880s by a group of Jewish families keen to escape overcrowding in the port of Jaffa. Today, the area retains the feel of a small village, with narrow lanes lined by high walls and a strange mix of architectural styles. Decades of neglect are currently being reversed by an energetic programme of renovation and restoration. At the heart of the district is the Suzanne Dellal Centre for dance and drama. It boasts four performance halls in a building that was once a local school. The main courtyard, with orange trees and tiled murals, is a popular place to meet and relax. Nearby, the Rokach House Museum occupies the former home of Shimon Rokach, one of the founding fathers of Neve Tzedek. Inside, photos
E Suzanne Dellal Centre
6 Yehieli St. Tel (03) 510 5656. 7 E Rokach House Museum 36 Shimon Rockach St. Tel (03) 516 8042. Open 10am–4pm Sun–Thu, 10am–2pm Fri & Sat. ∑ rokach-house.co.il E Nahum Gutman Museum 21 Shimon Rokach St. Tel (03) 516 1970. Open 10am–4pm Mon–Thu (to 2pm Fri, to 3pm Sat). ∑ gutmanmuseum.co.il P HaTachana
Parking entrance on Hamered St. 7∑ hatachana.co.il
23 Rothschild Blvd. Tel (03) 560 8624. Open 8am–4pm Sun–Thu. & P Manshiye
The history of Neve Tzedek in tiled murals at the Suzanne Dellal Centre
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and documents illustrate the daily life of the community at the end of the 19th century. A few doors away, the Nahum Gutman Museum is dedicated to another of Israel’s best-known artists, a Russian-born painter who was also admired for his children’s books. As well as displaying a small collection of Gutman’s work, the galleries are used for temporary exhibitions. A short walk away is HaTachana, an old train station that has been transformed into a modern centre of leisure and culture, to go with attractively restored period buildings, shops and restaurants.
E Haganah Museum
Manshiye is the coastal neighbourhood that acts as a buffer between the twin municipalities of Tel Aviv and Jaffa (see pp178–9). Its most distinguished landmark is the Hassan Bek Mosque on the main seafront road, built in 1916 by a governor of Jaffa of the same name. During the 1948 War, Arab soldiers used the mosque’s minaret as a firing position; this is one of the episodes recorded in the nearby Etzel Museum 1947–1948, which is dedicated to the Israeli defence forces and their role in this particular conflict. Historical documents, photos, newspaper clippings and weapons are exhibited in a purpose-built, black-glass structure in the attractive Charles Clore Park on the seafront. The park is a venue for many of the
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Street-by-Street: Old Jaffa According to the Bible, Jaffa (then called Joppa) was founded in the wake of the great flood by Noah’s son Japheth. Archaeologists have unearthed remains dating back to the 20th century BC, establishing Jaffa as one of the world’s oldest ports. However, with the growth of Tel Aviv, Jaffa, which had flourished under the Ottomans, went into decline. Following Jewish victory in the 1948 War, it was absorbed into the new city to the north. The core of the old town has since been revived as an attractive arts, crafts and dining centre.
The Mahmoudiya Mosque dates from 1812 and remains in use by the local Muslim community.
The seafront of Old Jaffa, with its warehouses reborn as restaurants
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Ha-Pisga open-air amphitheatre is used for concerts during the summer.
To Flea Market
To Clock Tower
A 19th-century sabil (fountain) O MIFR A Z SHLOM
Napoleonic cannons To the Promenade
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Clock Tower Built in 1901 to mark the 25th anniversary of the then Turkish sultan, the clock tower has since been heavily restored and now serves as a symbol of modern Jaffa. 0 metres 0 yards
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The Sea Mosque was the mosque of local fishermen.
Gan Ha-Pisga Ha-Pisga garden lies on top of the ancient “tel” (mound) of Jaffa. An observation area, marked by the curious Statue of Faith, offers good views across to Tel Aviv.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
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. Artists’ Quarter This compact area of old Arab houses and narrow stone-flagged alleys has been transformed into residences, studios and galleries for artists and craftspeople.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information 2 km (1 mile) S of central Tel Aviv. n Kedumim Square, (03) 518 4015. Open summer: 9am–8pm Sun–Thu & Sat, 9am–4pm Fri; winter: 9am–5pm Sun–Thu & Sat, 9am–3pm Fri. ∑ oldjaffa.co.il
Ha-Simta Theatre
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Ilana Goor Museum of Ethnic and Applied Art
The House of Simon the Tanner is traditionally held to be where the apostle Peter once stayed (Acts 9: 43).
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St Michael’s Church This small Greek Orthodox church dates from the 19th century.
The Monastery of St Nicholas, built around 1667, still serves Jaffa’s Armenian community. Monastery of St Peter Built in Latin American Baroque style, this Roman Catholic monastery and church was dedicated in 1891. It stands on a site formerly occupied by a Crusader citadel.
The Wishing Bridge is said to bring true the wish of anyone crossing it if they touch the bronze statue of their zodiac sign while looking at the sea.
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The impressive Roman aqueduct at Caesarea 2
Caesarea
Road map B2. @ 76 and 77 from Khadera. n *6550 (ext. 4). ∑ caesarea.com
At the height of his power, in 29 –22 BC, Herod the Great (see pp47–9) built a splendid city over the site of an ancient Phoenician port and dedicated it to Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor. The splendour of this city is attested to by the lavish description of it by Flavius Josephus in his book The Jewish War. Until it was excavated, this had been seen by many scholars as wild exaggeration. This prosperity lasted in Caesarea until AD 614, after which its history became more unstable. During the early 12th century and the Crusades, Caesarea again became an important city, and was used once more as a port. By the late 13th century, however, it had been destroyed by the Mamelukes and was left to be reclaimed by the sand, with only a small Arab village remaining. The importance of these great hidden ruins was not realized until the 1940s; now Caesarea is one of Israel’s major archaeological sites. Most of the main sights lie in the Caesarea National Park.
If entering from the south, you will first see the huge Roman theatre. With seats for 4,000 spectators, it has been restored, and hosts summer concerts. A short distance to the west, on a small coastal promontory, a group of half-submerged walls indicate the site of Herod’s palace. Further inland are the neglected ruins of one of the largest hippodromes in the Roman Empire. On the coast by the inner harbour is the Crusader citadel, still surrounded by walls which date back to around AD 1250. Enclosing this whole area are the ruins of the much larger
Ruins of Caesarea 1 Roman Theatre 2 Herod’s Palace 3 Hippodrome 4 Byzantine Street 5 Crusader Citadel 6 Crusader Wall 7 Roman Aqueduct 8 Underwater Archaeological Park
Crusader city walls. Within these ruins lies the unique Underwater Archaeological Park. The four diving complexes at this park enable divers to see the techniques used to build the ancient port, as well as remnants of wrecked ships. North of the ancient city is a Roman aqueduct dating from the Herodian period. Extending for 17 km (11 miles), it carried water from the foothills of Mount Carmel to Caesarea. A short way to the south of the site, the Caesarea Museum has interesting artifacts from the Roman city. T Caesarea National Park
Tel (04) 626 7080. Open 8am–4pm (summer: 6pm) daily. Closes 1 hr earlier Fri. & 7 T Underwater Archaeological
Park Caesarea Harbour. Tel (04) 626 5898. Open summer: 9am–5pm Sun–Thu, 7am–5pm Fri & Sat; winter: 10am–4pm Sun–Thu, 7am–4pm Fri & Sat. Visits must be booked in advance. & 7 E Caesarea Museum Kibbutz Sdot Yam. Tel (04) 636 4367. Open 10am–4pm Sun & Tue–Thu, 10am–1pm Fri. & 8 7
Byzantine wall Herodian amphitheatre
Herodian wall To Modern Caesarea Entrance
Outline of Herodian harbour
To Khadera The magnificent ruins of the Roman theatre at Caesarea For map symbols see back flap
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Haifa and Mount Carmel
The city of Haifa lies on the Mediterranean coast at the foot of Mount Carmel. Israel’s third largest city, it is a major industrial centre. Away from the busy port, steep slopes rise up the mountain, providing quiet, attractive suburbs for the wealthy. A small trading port for most of its history, Haifa was conquered by the Crusaders in the early 12th century (see pp52–3), and later fortified under Ottoman rule. In the late 19th century it became an important refuge for Jewish immigrants. Between 1918 and 1948, Haifa was taken over by the British in the occupation of Palestine. Today it is a mixed, non-religious city, and the only one in Israel where buses run on Saturdays.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map B2. * 290,000. n 48 Ben Gurion St, (04) 853 5606. ∑ visit-haifa.org Transport ~£@
wanting more extensive beaches, however, try the attractive Carmel Beach. This is 6 km (4 miles) to the south, away from the busy city. R Carmelite Monastery
Stella Maris St. Tel (04) 833 7758. Open daily. Closed 12:30–3pm daily, Sun am. 7
Tourists enjoying spectacular views at the Baha’i Shrine and Gardens in Haifa E Madatech: The Israeli
National Museum of Science, Technology and Space Old Technion, 12 Balfour St. Tel (04) 861 4444. Open daily. & 7 ∑ mustsee.co.il
The former Technology Institute in the city centre is one of Haifa’s most important buildings. Founded by German immigrants in the early 1900s, it was Israel’s first institute of higher education. Renovated many times, it is now home to Madatech, which has many interesting interactive exhibits, exploring the latest innovations in Israeli science. U Baha’i Shrine and Gardens
Ha-Ziyonut St. Tel (04) 831 3131. Open daily (shrine: am only). Closed One month in summer (shrine); see website for info. 7 8 ∑ ganbahai.org.il
On the edge of the city centre towards Central Carmel is Haifa’s most striking landmark, the impressive golden-domed Baha’i Shrine. Standing imperiously on the hillside, it is surrounded by a splendidly
manicured garden and is the headquarters of the Baha’i faith. Its followers believe that no religion has a monopoly on the truth and aim to reconcile the teachings of all holy men. The ornate shrine houses the tomb of the Bab, the herald of Bahaulla. Bahaulla (1817– 92) is the central figure of the Baha’i faith and is considered by his disciples to have been the most recent of God’s messengers. Central Carmel South of the temple, Central Carmel spreads up the slopes of the mountain. A largely wealthy residential area, it manages to resist the onslaught of traffic and busy modern life. Its many parks, cafés and stylish bars make it a relaxing detour. Bat Galim Northwest of Central Carmel is the popular coastal area of Bat Galim. Close to the city centre, its beach and busy seafront promenade have made it a favourite with tourists. For those
On much of the upper slopes of Mount Carmel are wide stretches of vegetation, the remnants of an ancient forest. On these slopes, to the southwest of Bat Galim, is the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery, which can be reached by cable car or on foot. Built in an area that for centuries was frequented by hermits, this was a place of worship near where the Carmelite order was founded. The beautiful church here dates from the early 1800s. T Elijah’s Cave
201 Allenby St. Tel (04) 852 7430. Open summer: 8am–6pm Sun–Fri (to 1pm Fri); winter: 8am–5pm Sun–Fri (to 1pm Fri).
Located below the monastery, this is where Elijah is said to have lived and meditated before defeating the pagan prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Today it is a synagogue with a Torah Ark and a niche in the ceiling where visitors can place notes.
Dome of the Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery on Mount Carmel
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
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Akko
Outside of Jerusalem, Akko (the historic Acre) has the most complete and charming old town in all of the Holy Land. Its origins date back to the Hellenistic period, but the form in which it survives today was set by the Arabs and their Crusader foes. After the Crusaders took Jerusalem in 1099, they seized Akko as their main port and lifeline back to Europe. Lost at one point to the Muslim armies under Saladin, it was regained by Richard I “the Lionheart”. For most of the 13th century, with Jerusalem in the hands of the Muslims, Akko was the Crusaders’ principal stronghold. As the Christian armies steadily lost ground, it was the last bastion to fall. Akko’s fortunes were revived under a series of Ottoman governors, one of whom, Ahmed Pasha el-Jazzar, successfully defended the city against an invasion by Napoleon in 1799.
destruction in 1291. Its rebirth came with the rule of the emir Dahr el-Amr and his successor, Ahmed Pasha El-Jazzar (“the Butcher”), both of whom governed the city for the Ottomans in the second half of the 18th century. El-Jazzar, in particular, was a prolific builder. Among his legacy is the Turkishstyle mosque (built 1781) that bears his name and continues to dominate the old town skyline. Its courtyard contains recycled columns from the Roman ruins of Caesarea and, at the centre, a small, elegant fountain used for ritual ablutions. By the mosque are the sarcophagi of El-Jazzar and his son, while underneath are the remains of a Crusader church that El-Jazzar had transformed into a cistern to collect rainwater. T Crusader City
The harbour at Akko, in continuous use since Hellenistic times
Exploring Akko Crusader Akko was destroyed by the victorious Arab armies in 1291, and what can be seen today is largely an 18th-century Turkish town built on the site of the old. The defensive walls are rebuildings of the original Crusader walls, fragments of which are still discernible. The warren-like street pattern is interrupted by three great khans, or merchants’ inns: the Khan el-Umdan (Khan of the Columns), with its distinctive clock tower; the Khan el-Faranj (Khan of the Franks or Foreigners); and the Khan a-Shuarda (Khan of the Martyrs). While the khans date from the Ottoman era, they echo the fact that in Crusader times Akko had autonomous quarters given over to the merchants of Italy and Provence. Such was the rivalry between these colonies that at one point open warfare erupted between the Venetians and Genoese, who fought a sea battle off Akko in 1256. The khans are no longer in commercial use, but Akko does have a lively souk selling fruit, vegetables
and household items. You’ll also find plenty of fresh fish, which you can see being brought ashore at the town’s picturesque harbour early each morning. There is also the Ethnographic Museum, which has a beautiful collection that illustrates life in Galilee from the 19th century to the start of the 20th century. U Mosque of El-Jazzar
El-Jazzar St. Tel (04) 991 3039. Open daily. Closed during prayers. &
Akko lay semi-derelict for more than 400 years after its
El-Jazzar St. Tel (04) 995 6707. Open winter: 8:30am–4pm daily; summer: 8:30am–5pm daily. Closes 1 hr earlier Fri. &
When the Ottoman governors rebuilt Akko, they did so on top of the ruins of the Crusader city. The Crusader-era street level lies some 8 m (25 ft) below that of today. Part of it has been excavated, revealing a subterranean wealth of wellpreserved examples of 12thand 13th-century streets and buildings. There are some amazingly grand Gothic knights’ halls, built around a broad courtyard. An extensive network of drainage channels has also been excavated. South of the courtyard is a large refectory
Akko’s dominant landmark, the Turkish-style Mosque of El-Jazzar
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
THE COAST AND GALILEE
sections, it was originally the crypt of St John’s Church.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map B2. * 46,000. n El-Jazzar St, (04) 995 6706. ( daily (until 5pm). _ Fringe Theatre Festival (Sep–Oct). ∑ akko.org.il
E Citadel
Off Ha-Hagannah St. Tel (04) 991 1375. Open 8am–4:30pm Sun–Thu. &
Akko’s Citadel was built by the Turks in the 18th century on top of Crusader foundations. During the British Mandate it served as a prison for Jewish activists and political prisoners, some of whom were executed in the gallows room. These events are commemorated in the Citadel’s Museum of Underground Prisoners.
Gothic-arched halls of the former Crusader City in Akko
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Transport @ Ha-Arbaa St. £ David Remez St, (04) 856 4444.
meaning “Bathhouse of the Governor”). It was in use until the 1940s and remains in an excellent state of repair. The floors and walls are composed of panels E Hammam of different coloured marble, and the el-Pasha Off El-Jazzar St. Tel (04) fountain in the “cold 995 1088. Open summer: room” (where patrons 8:30am–5pm daily; would relax after winter: 8:30am–4pm daily. bathing) retains Closes 1 hr earlier Fri. & most of its beautiful Fountain from the majolica decoration. This is not a museum Hammam el-Pasha A sound-and-light as such, but a Turkish show introduces visitors to the bathhouse dating to 1780 and history of Akko and the life of the rule of El-Jazzar (hence the a typical bathhouse attendant. name of Hammam el-Pasha,
with huge columns; in two corners you can still see carved lilies that may indicate building work done in the period of Louis VII of France, who arrived at Akko in 1148. Another of Akko’s well-known visitors was Marco Polo and it is quite possible that he dined in this very room. Below the refectory is a network of underground passageways that lead to an area known as El-Bosta (from the Arabic for “post office”, which is what the Turks used this space for); divided by columns into six
1 Mosque of El-Jazzar 3 Hammam el-Pasha
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Shazalia Mosque
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Souk Bahai House
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St. George’s Church
Maronite Church
St Andrew’s Church
Mu’allek Mosque
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Acre Bay
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Aerial view of the ruined hilltop city of Megiddo 5
Megiddo
Road map B2. Route 66, 35 km (22 miles) SE of Haifa. Tel (04) 659 0316. @ from Haifa & Tiberias. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. &
This ancient town at the head of the Jezreel Valley was the scene of so many battles that the Book of Revelation in the New Testament says that it is where the final battle between Good and Evil will take place at the end of the world. The biblical name of “Armageddon” derives from “Har Megedon”, or mountain of Megiddo. The settlement controlled the main communication routes between the East and the Mediterranean, and in the 3rd millennium BC it was already a fortified city. In 1468 BC, its Canaanite fortress was destroyed by the troops of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III and it became an Egyptian stronghold. Megiddo was subsequently conquered and again fortified, possibly by Solomon, and in the 8th century BC came under Assyrian rule, after which it fell slowly into decline. Extensive excavation of the spectacular mound (or “tel”) has, over the years, revealed 20 successive settlements, each built over the other. The visible remains include defensive walls, a temple, an enormous grain silo and the foundations of many buildings. On the
eastern side of the “tel” is an old reservoir, at the base of which a tunnel leads to a spring that lies outside the city walls. Visitors can go through the tunnel at the end of their tour of the site. In 2005, the site joined UNESCO’s World Heritage list, reflecting its historical importance and powerful influence on later civilizations. 6
Nazareth
Road map B2. * 75,000. @ n Casa Nova St, (04) 601 1072. ∑ nazarethinfo.org
Lying on the rise between the Jordan Valley and the Jezreel plain, Nazareth consists of two parts. The old town is inhabited by Christian and Muslim Palestinians, and contains all of the major sights. To the north
Mosaic of Joseph, Basilica of the Annunciation, Nazareth
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
is Nazareth Illit, a large Jewish district founded in 1957 by colonists as part of the plan to settle all Galilee. Famous as the site of the Annunciation and the childhood of Jesus, Nazareth has had a colourful history. The village suffered at the hands of the Romans during the Jewish Revolt of AD 66 (see p47), then flourished under the Byzantines and later became an important Christian site with the Crusader conquest of the Holy Land in 1099. After the resurgence of Muslim power in the 12th and 13th centuries, Christians found it increasingly dangerous to visit. Improving relations by the 18th century allowed the Franciscans to acquire the Basilica, and they have maintained a Christian presence here ever since. Today the town is a pilgrimage site, with its many Christian churches attracting large numbers of visitors. Restoration projects and modern hotel developments have helped Nazareth to cope with the crowds. Unfortunately though, such high levels of tourism have done little to preserve the city’s magical atmosphere. The old town is still fascinating however, with much of its traditional architecture remaining. The souk, the heart of local life, is a maze of narrow alleys where you can find a wide range of unusual goods.
THE COAST AND GALILEE
Built in 1969 over the ruins of the original Byzantine church, and the successive Crusader one, the Basilica of the Annunciation is the major focal point in Nazareth. A bold, modern church, its large dome towers over the town. The crypt includes the Cave of the Annunciation, where the angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mary. A peaceful garden leads to St Joseph’s, a small church rebuilt in 1914 on what is thought to be the site of Joseph’s home and workshop. Environs The main attraction of the ruined fortified town of Tsipori (Sepphoris), northwest of Nazareth, is its splendid 3rd-century-AD mosaics. The hilltop site includes a Roman theatre that seated 5,000, the remains of a Crusader citadel and sections of the ancient water supply. Tsipori is also famous as being the supposed birthplace of the Virgin Mary. On Mount Tabor, 10 km (6 miles) east of Nazareth, is a beautiful basilica, built here in 1924 to commemorate the Transfiguration (Mark 9: 9–13). It lies within the ruins of a 12th-century Muslim fortress. T Tsipori
Route 79, 3 km (2 miles) NW of Nazareth. Tel (04) 656 8272. Open 8am–4pm (summer: 5pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. & 7 (must be booked in advance).
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Safed
Road map C2. * 26,000. @ n 100 Ha-Palmach St, (04) 680 1465. ∑ safed.co.il
The highest town in Israel, Safed is also one of the four holy cities of the Talmud, together with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias. In the Middle Ages, Safed became a popular meeting place for many groups of Sephardic Jews who had been driven out of Spain in the course of the Christian Reconquest. Religious schools were founded and many interpreters of the Kabbalah lived in the town. To this day Safed has remained an important centre of Jewish religious studies. Safed covers a number of small hilltops, with its attractive old town centre located around the slopes of Gan ha-Metusda, once the site of a Crusader citadel. The old quarters of the town centre are best explored on foot, via their narrow streets and steep stairways. The Synagogue Quarter has many interesting Kabbalist synagogues, including those of Itzhak Luria, Itzhak Abuhav and Joseph Caro. The former Arab Quarter (which became Jewish in 1948) is now home to a large colony of artists and is known as the Artists’ Quarter. In the narrow streets and alleys between the area’s picturesque houses, artists display their paintings and sculptures.
The majestic waters of the Banias Falls, Golan Heights 8
Golan Heights
Road map C2. @ to Katsrin. n (04) 696 2885. ∑ tour.golan.org.il
This region of long-running historical conflict has nevertheless got much to admire. A high fertile plateau, dominated by Mount Hermon, it borders Israel, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. This unique geography, aside from making it strategically important, also makes it a spectacular place to visit, with incredible vistas all around. A major source of the Jordan River, one of the most popular places to visit is Banias, 15 km (9 miles) east of Kiryat Shmona. Here a large spring cascades downstream to the attractive Banias Falls nearby. Nimrud Castle, a short way to the northeast, originates from biblical times, though it owes its present shape to the rule of the Mameluke sultan Baybars I (1260–77). Nine of the defensive towers remain, along with much of the outer wall, a keep and the moat. In the south of the Golan is the administrative capital of Katsrin. Founded as an Israeli settlement in 1974, the town itself is unremarkable, but is a good base for exploring the beautiful countryside around. This is ideal hiking country, and the spectacular Yehudiya Reserve to the south of Katsrin is well worth a visit. T Nimrud Castle
The city of Nazareth with Mount Tabor in the background
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26 km (16 miles) E of Kiryat Shmona. Tel (04) 694 9277. Open daily. &
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Sea of Galilee
Israel’s chief source of water, the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias/Kinneret) lies 212 m (696 ft) below sea level and is fed and drained by the Jordan River. It is 21 km (13 miles) long and 9 km (6 miles) wide, and since biblical times has been famous for its abundance of fish. Many of Jesus’s disciples were fishermen here, and he did much of his preaching by its shores. Today, this beautiful area is one of Israel’s most popular tourist centres, with a mix of fascinating historical and religious sites and a varied selection of hotels and outdoor activities.
Speedboating on the Sea of Galilee, one of many water sports available To Safed
Capernaum
Tabkha
Kibbutz Ginosar Migdal
Tiberias The largest town on the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias is a popular resort, with many hotels, bars and restaurants. The busy lakeside offers beaches and water sports.
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with great views of the sea, is resting place to many spiritual leaders of the Zionist movement. 2 The Hammat Tiberias Hot
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Springs have long been renowned for their curative properties and are said to date from the time of Solomon.
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fishing boat from Jesus’s time, found here in 1986 (see p33). of the Loaves and the Fishes (see p188) 5 Church of the Primacy of
St Peter (see p188)
Kibbutz Degania
6 Mount of the Beatitudes
(see p188) 7 Kibbutz Ein Gev is renowned for
its fish restaurants, good beaches and its annual international music festival.
Yardenit Baptism Site The Jordan River has always been an important Christian site since Christ was supposedly baptized here. At Yardenit, large crowds of pilgrims gather to be baptized in the river themselves.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
To Beth Shean
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A View of the Sea of Galilee This view is taken from the hills above the northeastern shore.
VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map C2. n 19 Habanim St, Tiberias, (04) 672 5666. _ Kibbutz Ein Gev Music Festival (Apr), Galilee Song Festival (May).
To Katsrin
Transport @ from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. g for groups only from Tiberias to Kibbutz Ein Gev, phone for times, (04) 665 8008. 4 Jesus Boats, Tiberias (all year round), (04) 672 3006, ∑ jesusboats.com; Lido Kinneret Sailing Co, Tiberias (all year round), (04) 672 1538.
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Capernaum
The First Kibbutz – Degania Ramot
Kursi
Conceived by Eastern European Jews, the first kibbutz was founded at Degania in 1909. The guiding ideals behind Israel’s kibbutzim are self-sufficiency and equality, with everyone working for the common good. Rural farming communities, they are highly productive, and hold their own plenary meetings to decide on community matters. There are now two kibbutzim here, with the original called Degania Alef (A). By the main gate to the kibbutz is a Syrian tank, stopped here by the kibbutzniks when they famously defeated an entire armoured column during the 1948 War.
Kibbutz Ein Gev
Typical kibbutz house at Degania
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Kibbutz Degania
To Beth Shean
Hammat Gader Alligator Farm The large alligator farm at Hammat Gader is open to the public. The town is also famous for its ancient Roman hot springs, which have now been largely restored. You can still bathe in their relaxing waters.
Hammat Gader
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Capernaum
two fish. Nearby to the east, on the lakeside, is the Church of Road map C2. Route 87, 12 km the Primacy of St Peter. A (7.5 miles) N of Tiberias. @ from black basalt Franciscan chapel, Tiberias. Tel (04) 672 1059. it is built on the site where Open 8am–4:30pm daily. & Jesus Christ is said to have appeared to the apostles after Capernaum, on the northern his Resurrection. The area has shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, various other ruins, including was an important Roman town a 4th-century chapel. and one of the focal On top of the hill points of Christ’s behind, known as teachings in Galilee. the Mount of the It was also home Beatitudes, is the to a number of his modern Church Disciples, including Simon Peter. of the Beatitudes. In Capernaum’s The hill is so-called Carved relief, Church of because it is thought fascinating archaethe Multiplication ological precinct that here, overthere are surviving looking the lake, houses from the period, as well Christ gave his Sermon on the as a church, built over the ruins Mount. This famously began of what is said to have been with his blessings or “beatitudes”. Simon Peter’s house. There are also the remains of a synagogue w Tiberias that has been dated to the 4th century AD. Road map C2. * 39,500. @ q
Tabgha
Road map C2. Route 87, 10 km (6 miles) N of Tiberias. @ from Tiberias to junction of routes 90 and 87.
Just to the southwest of Capernaum, Tabgha (Ein Sheva) is one of the most important sites of Christ’s ministry in Galilee, where he did much of his preaching. Heading from the bus stop, a short way along Route 87, you will come to the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. Built in the 1980s, it boasts the remains of a 5th-century Byzantine basilica and fragments of splendid mosaics. This original church was built over the supposed spot from which Christ fed 5,000 followers with five loaves and
especially along the busy lakeside promenade. Just off the promenade is St Peter’s Church, built originally by the Crusaders. The current church has a boatshaped nave, reflecting St Peter’s life as a fisherman. Tiberias is also known for its curative hot springs, of which there are several to visit in the town. There are also some public beaches to the north of town, and the popular Luna Gal Beach Water Park is 1 km (half a mile) to the south of Tiberias. S Luna Gal Beach Water Park
Sederot Eliezer Kaplan. Tel (04) 670 0700. Open daily. Closed Nov–Mar. &
n Archaeological Garden, Rehov ha-Banim, (04) 672 5666.
The busy town of Tiberias (Tverya) is the largest on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It was founded during Roman times by Herod Antipas, who dedicated it to the emperor Tiberius and moved the regional capital here from Tsipori. The town has been home to many notable scholars and rabbis, and became one of Israel’s holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed. The Tomb of Maimonides, the great medieval Jewish philosopher, can be found on Ben Zakai Street. Today, Tiberias is a popular tourist centre, with an attractive lakeside setting, and in an ideal location for exploring Galilee. The town has a lively atmosphere,
The modern Church of the Beatitudes near Tabgha For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp261–2 and pp271–3
Ruined arches at Belvoir Castle, from the 12th century e
Belvoir Castle
Road map C2. Off Route 90, 27 km (17 miles) S of Tiberias. @ to Beth Shean, then taxi. Tel (04) 658 1766. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. &
The ruined Crusader fortress of Belvoir offers incomparable views of the Jordan Valley. The impressive fortress is surrounded by two huge walls, the outer one pentagonal and the inner one square. Built by the Knights Hospitallers in 1168, Belvoir was besieged many times by Saladin. It capitulated only in 1189 after a siege of more than a year, with the Muslim leader sparing both the fortress and its defenders’ lives, in recognition of their great courage. Belvoir was finally destroyed by troops from Damascus in the 13th century. The area around the fortress is dotted with modern sculpture.
THE COAST AND GALILEE
Detail from 6th-century mosaic at Beth Alpha, showing signs of the zodiac r
Beth Alpha
Road map C2. Off Route 71, 11 km (7 miles) W of Beth Shean. Tel (04) 653 2004. @ Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. & 7
The remnants of this 6thcentury synagogue were found by chance in 1928 by colonists from the nearby Hefzi-Bah kibbutz. The ruined walls give an idea of the original basilicashaped building, but the main interest is the magnificent mosaic floor, which has survived largely intact. The upper part of the floor depicts the Ark of the Covenant, with cherubs, lions and religious symbols. The large central patterns represent the zodiac and symbols of the seasons. These show the continuing importance of pagan beliefs at the time, and the need for Judaism to try to accommodate them. The lower part relates the story of Abraham and the sacrifice of his son Isaac. t
became part of Solomon’s kingdom. After the conquest of Alexander the Great, it was renamed Scythopolis and became a flourishing Hellenistic city. The Roman conquest in the 1st century BC saw Scythopolis further prosper as one of the ten city-states of the Decapolis. It later retained its economic importance under the Byzantines, also becoming a major centre of Christianity. An economic collapse, then an earthquake in AD 749, eventually left only a small remaining Jewish community. The archaeological sites
T Beth Shean National Park
Tel (04) 658 7189. Open 8am–5pm (to 6pm Jul–Aug, winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. &
Road map C2. * 18,000. @ from Tiberias.
Ruined colonnade along an old Byzantine street, Beth Shean
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at Beth Shean are in two areas. The main site comprises the Roman-Byzantine city and the archaeological mound, or “tel”. These are both within the Beth Shean National Park, 1 km (half a mile) north of the town. The jewel of this site is the Roman theatre, one of the best preserved in Israel, and once capable of seating 7,000. The old Byzantine baths have surviving mosaic and marble decoration, and tall columns from the ruined temples are equally impressive. The “tel” offers a good overview of the site, and consists of 16 or more superimposed towns. It is difficult, however, to understand the details of its complex archaeology. The other site focuses on the ruined Roman amphitheatre, a short way to the south. Used for gladiatorial contests, it was connected to the main town by a paved street. Some of this street survives today, paved with huge blocks of basalt.
Beth Shean
The best-preserved RomanByzantine town in Israel, Beth Shean lay on the old trade routes between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean. First inhabited 5,000 years ago during the Canaanite era, it later became the main city in the region during the period of Egyptian occupation (see p45). Falling to the Philistines in the 11th century BC, it then
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THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT In this, the most arid and inhospitable region of the Holy Land, even the waters of its great lake are incapable of supporting life, hence the name “Dead Sea”. But in times past, the harsh remoteness of the hills and desert was prized by reclusive communities and rebels, and so the area is dotted with ancient ruins charged with biblical significance. Today, the Dead Sea is no longer so remote – just a 20-minute ride from Jerusalem on an air-conditioned bus. Tourists flock to its shores to test its incredibly buoyant waters. The lowest body of water in the world, it has such a high salt content it is impossible to sink. Its mineral-rich mud is also claimed to have therapeutic qualities, and a string of lakeside spas do good business out of the black, sticky silt. Away from the water, high up on the rocky hillsides, are the caves in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, while on a mountaintop to the south is Herod the Great’s fortress of Masada, one of the most stunning attractions in all Israel. Where the Dead Sea ends, the Negev Desert begins. Here, the only signs of life, apart from the odd convoy of tourists exploring canyons and craters, are a few
groups of Bedouin (see p253) tenaciously clinging to traditional nomadic ways. Over the centuries, there have been many attempts to cultivate the desert. More than 2,000 years ago, the Negev was the final stage for caravans on the spice and incense route from India and southern Arabia to the Mediterranean; the Nabataeans, who controlled the route, perfected irrigation and cultivation techniques and established flourishing cities, such as Ovdat (see p206). More recently, Israel has initiated programmes for the economic development of the region in the form of desert kibbutzim. In spite of this desire to tame the desert, more and more people these days come in search of all that remains wild and undeveloped. In this respect, the Negev still has much to offer.
The secluded retreat of St George’s Monastery, hidden in a desert canyon near Jericho A dead tree lying covered with visible flakes of salt in the shallow waters of the Dead Sea
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Exploring the Dead Sea and the Negev Desert
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All the sites as far south as Masada can be visited in a series of day trips from Jerusalem. Heading south beyond Masada or Beersheva and into the Negev Desert is more of an undertaking. There are only two main routes through this vast wedge of sun-baked wilderness: along the border with Jordan on Route 90; or straight down the centre of the country via Ein Ovdat and Mitspe Ramon. This latter route is by far the more interesting.
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For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
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Getting Around The easiest way of getting from Jerusalem to Jericho, Bethlehem and Hebron is a shared taxi from Damascus Gate (see p309). You can also take bus No. 163 from Jaffa Road in Jerusalem to Bethlehem. From Bethlehem you can take a taxi on to the Herodion or Mar Saba. For longer trips, the Israeli bus company Egged serves all Dead Sea and Negev locations (see pp304–5). For those who only want to visit the Negev Desert, there are direct flights to Eilat with Arkia (see p303).
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The volcano-like mound of the Herodion, a 1st-century-BC hilltop fortress
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The waters of the Dead Sea, the most saline on earth and at their saltiest at the southern end, where crystalline pools are formed
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St George’s Monastery 1
Road map C3. Route 1, 27 km (17 miles) E of Jerusalem. Tel (054) 730 6557. @ from Jerusalem. Open 7am–4pm daily.
One of the finest hikes in the region is rewarded by the spectacle of St George’s Monastery, an ancient retreat hollowed out of the sheer rock wall of a deep and narrow gorge. The monastery was founded in AD 480 around a cluster of caves where, according to tradition, St Joachim learned from an angel that Anne, his sterile wife and mother-to-be of the Virgin Mary, had conceived. In AD 614 invading Persians massacred the monks and destroyed the monastery. It was partially reoccupied by the Crusaders in the Middle Ages, but only fully restored at the end of the 19th century. Some attractive 6th-century mosaics remain, and there is a Crusader-era church with a shrine containing the skulls of the martyred monks. The monastery can be reached in 20 minutes on foot via a signposted track off the old Jerusalem–Jericho road. From a starting point on the modern road, hikers can take a more scenic path to the monastery, which follows along the full length of the Wadi Qelt gorge.
St George’s Monastery, built into the cliff face of Wadi Qelt
Jericho, regarded as perhaps the world’s oldest city 2
Jericho
The Bible’s New Testament mentions several visits to Jericho Road map C3. * 17,000. @ or taxi by Jesus, who healed two blind from Jerusalem. ( daily. _ Jericho men and lodged at the home of Festival (Feb). the tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1–10). Near the centre of It is best to check with the town there is still the centuriesauthorities first before visiting old sycamore tree up which the city to make sure it is safe Zacchaeus was said to have for tourists as unrest has climbed in order to see Jesus. returned to the region. Repeated Bedouin raids Claimed to be the world’s led to the decline of Jericho oldest city and with rich around the 12th century, and biblical associations, Jericho it wasn’t until the 1920s that lies just a few kilometres north the town’s former irrigation of the Dead Sea, 258 m (846 ft) network was restored and the below sea level, in the middle area was brought to bloom of the Judaean Desert. again. In 1948, the It owes its existence town took in to the Ain es-Sultan more than Spring (the biblical 70,000 Palestinian Elisha’s Spring), refugees. The the same one camps have since that, 10,000 years gone, and Jericho ago in the late is now administered Mesolithic period, by the Palestinian attracted a Islamic-era mosaic from Hisham’s Palace National Authority. semi-nomadic Other attractions population of include Tel Jericho (also known hunter-gatherers to first settle here. as Tell es-Sultan), the sun-baked According to the Bible, earthen mound that represents Jericho was the first town something like 10,000 years of captured by the Israelites continuous settlement. Most under the leadership of Joshua. striking of all is a large stone The Book of Joshua tells how, tower with great thick walls that in order to possess the land dates back as far as 7,000 BC. promised to them by God, the A cable car service connects Israelites brought down the Tell es-Sultan with the Greek city walls with a tremendous Orthodox Monastery of the shout and a trumpet blast Temptation, 2 km (1 mile) to (Joshua 6). During Roman the north. Like St George’s in times, Mark Antony made a gift Wadi Qelt, this holy retreat has of the oasis town to Cleopatra a spectacular location, perched of Egypt, who, inturn, leased high up on a cliff face. The the place to Herod the Great. views from its terraces are Being at a lower altitude than breathtaking. The monastery Jerusalem, Jericho is notably dates back to the 12th century warmer, and Herod wintered and is supposedly built around in a palace here, as had the the grotto where the Devil Hasmonean rulers before him. appeared to tempt Jesus
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away from his 40-day fast (Matthew 4: 1–11). Hisham’s Palace (Qasr Hisham) is an early Islamic hunting lodge built in AD 724 for the Omayyad caliph Hisham. It lies in ruins, destroyed centuries ago by an earthquake, but it is worth a visit if only to see a gorgeous floor mosaic depicting a lion hunting gazelles grazing under a broad leafy tree. Environs The baptismal site on the banks of the Jordan River, Qasr el-Yehud (see p32) is visited by fervent pilgrims keen to immerse themselves in the water and commemorate the event. T Tel Jericho Open daily. & 8 R Monastery of the Temptation
Tel (02) 232 2827. Open 8am–4pm Mon–Sat. 7 T Hisham’s Palace
Tel (02) 232 2522. Open 8am–5pm daily. & R Qasr el-Yehud 10 km (6 miles) E of Jericho. Tel (02) 650 4844. 7 8 ∑ parks.org.il
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Nebi Musa
Road map C4. Route 1, 10 km (6 miles) S of Jericho. @ to Jericho, then taxi. 7
Although the claim is heavily disputed, Muslims revere the desert monastery of Nebi Musa as the burial place of Moses. There has been a mosque on the site since 1269, built under the patronage of the Mameluke
Nebi Musa, regarded by Muslims as the burial place of Moses
emir Baybars. In 1470–80 a twostorey hospice was added to accommodate visiting pilgrims. However, the attractive whitewashed structures of the present day date from around 1820 and the days of Ottoman rule. The disputed cenotaph of Moses, covered with a traditional Islamic green drape, occupies the spartan, domed tomb chamber of the mosque. Although the five-day festival of feasting and prayer that used to occur here each year now no longer happens, many Muslims still desire to be laid to rest in the large cemetery that covers the hills around the complex.
Mar Saba Monastery 4
Road map C4. Off Route 398, 17 km (11 miles) E of Bethlehem. Tel (02) 276 2915. @ Bethlehem, then taxi. Open 8am–5pm daily. Ring bell. No women allowed.
Located out in the wilds of the Judaean Desert, Mar Saba is one
The distinctive blue domes of the gorge-top monastery of Mar Saba
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of the dozens of retreats built in this area from the 5th century on by hermits seeking an austere life of solitude and prayer. This particular monastery was founded in AD 482 by St Saba, a monk born in Cappadocia, Turkey, whose preachings were said to have impressed the Byzantine emperor Justinian. Despite a massacre of the monks by the Persians in the 7th century (the skulls are preserved in a chapel), the monastery survived to bloom in the 8th and 9th centuries, when its thick defensive walls housed up to 200 devotees. Although only around 20 monks now live in Mar Saba, it remains a functioning desert monastery. As seen today, topped by bright blue domes, the complex largely dates to 1834, when it was rebuilt following a major earthquake. An ornate canopy in the monastery’s main church supposedly shelters the remains of St Saba, which were returned to the Holy Land only in 1965, having being carried off by the Crusaders and kept in Venice for seven centuries. The church walls are hung with icons and a lurid fresco depicting Judgment Day. Unfortunately, women are not allowed to enter the monastery, but the views of Mar Saba from a neighbouring tower (which women are permitted to climb) are alone worth the trouble of a visit.
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Bethlehem
Perched on a hill at the edge of the Judaean Desert, Bethlehem is in biblical tradition the childhood home of David, who was named king here as he tended his father’s sheep. It is also the birthplace of Jesus Christ and a major site of pilgrimage since the construction of the Church of the Nativity in the 4th century AD. The town flourished until Crusader times, but the following centuries witnessed a great reduction in population, reversed only after the 1948 War with the arrival of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
The hilltop Herodion, with sweeping views of the landscape 5
Herodion
Road map B4. Route 356, 12 km (7 miles) SE of Bethlehem. Tel (057) 776 1143. @ Bethlehem, then taxi. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. & 8 on Sat, but call ahead. 7
Dominating the desert landscape south of Bethlehem is the volcano-like mound of the Herodion, named for Herod the Great. He had this circular fortified palace built in 24–15 BC for entertaining, and to mark the defeat of his rival, Antigonus. It was long thought this might also have been his mausoleum and, after extensive excavations, a tomb believed to be Herod’s was discovered in 2007, though this has been disputed. During the Second Revolt in AD 132–5, the Herodion became the headquarters of the Jewish leader Bar-Kokhba. In expectation of a Roman attack, the rebels turned its cisterns into a network of escape tunnels. Around the 5th century, the site became a monastery with cells and a chapel, where you can still see carved Christian symbols. Also identifiable are a massive round tower and three semicircular ones, ruins of the palace baths, the triclinium (dining room) and fragments of mosaics, all dating from Herod’s time. At the foot of the mound are the remains of the Lower Herodion, with the dry imprint of a large pool that, in Herod’s day, served as a reservoir and centrepiece for ornamental gardens.
Getting to Bethlehem The best way to reach Bethlehem is via Rachel’s Crossing. To get to this checkpoint from Jerusalem, either catch bus No. 163 from Jaffa Road outside the Central Bus Station, or take a shared taxi (see p309) from Damascus Gate, or take a taxi. You will then have to walk through the checkpoint and take another taxi on the other side. Hire cars may be driven from Israel into Bethlehem, but check that your insurance policy includes the Palestinian Territories before setting out. Exploring Bethlehem Since 1995 Bethlehem has been under the control of the Palestinian National Authority, which has initiated a programme of economic recovery and tourism. Despite the huge number of pilgrims and chaotic urban growth, Bethlehem has retained a certain fascination, especially in the central area around Manger Square and in the souk just to the west. The souvenir shops are filled with kitsch religious objects, but also sell fine carved olive-wood crib scenes that local craftsmen have produced for centuries. No visitor should miss the Church of the Nativity
(see pp198–9) on Manger Square. Built in the 4th century over the supposed site where Jesus Christ was born, the church is one of the holiest Christian sites. The prominent Mosque of Omar was built in 1860 and is the only Islamic place of worship in the town centre, despite the fact that Muslim residents now outnumber Christians in Bethlehem. R St Catherine’s Church
Manger Square. Tel (02) 274 2425. Open summer: 6:30am–7:30pm daily; winter: 5am–5pm daily. Closed Sun am for services. 7
Connected to the Church of the Nativity, St Catherine’s faces a Crusader-period cloister (see p198). The church was built by Franciscans in the 1880s on the site of a 12th-century Augustinian monastery, which had replaced a 5th-century monastery associated with St Jerome. On the right side of the nave, stairs descend to the grottoes of the Holy Innocents, St Joseph and St Jerome, which connect to the Grotto of the Nativity. These were used as burial places by Christians as early as the 1st century AD and contain the tombs of St Jerome and St Paula.
The church spires and towers of Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus Christ
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map B3. * 40,000. n Manger Sq, (02) 275 4235, 8am–4pm Tue–Sat. ( daily. _ Almond Blossom Festival (Feb), Olive Harvest (Oct), Midnight Mass (24 Dec). ∑ vic bethlehem.wordpress.com Transport @ Hebron Road.
The Virgin Mary and Child, a relationship celebrated at The Milk Grotto
u Rachel’s Tomb Hebron Rd. @ 163; there is also a special
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Milk Grotto St. Tel (02) 274 3867. Open 8am–noon & 2–5pm daily.
Paul VI St. Tel (02) 274 2589. Open 8am–1pm & 2–5pm daily. &
bus from Jerusalem (see website). Closed 10:30pm–12:30am Sun–Thu, Shabbat & festivals. ∑ keverrachel.com
This grotto is considered sacred because tradition has it that the Holy Family took refuge here during the Massacre of the Innocents, before their eventual flight into Egypt. While Mary was suckling Jesus, so the story goes, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white. Both Christians and Muslims believe that scrapings from the stones in the grotto help to boost the quantity of a mother’s milk and also to enhance fertility. The present building was put up by the Franciscans in 1872 on the site of a 4th-century church.
In an old Palestinian house on the town’s main street, the Arab Women’s Union has created this small but interesting craft museum. One room is given over to the embroidery typical of Palestinian women’s dress, and to silver jewellery, which normally represented a family’s fortune. The diwan (living room) is furnished with rugs, musical instruments and oil lamps. The kitchen contains old copper utensils and an oven. Examples of traditional hand-stitched embroidery are usually available to buy.
On the road to Jerusalem is the tomb of Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of two of his 12 sons. The tomb can be accessed only from the Israeli side. It is the third most holy site in Judaism and is also sacred to Muslims. The actual “tomb” consists of a rock covered by a velvet drape with 11 stones on it, one for each of Jacob’s sons who were alive when Rachel died in childbirth. The structure around the tomb was built in the 1100s by the Crusaders and later altered many times, including in 1860 by Moses Montefiore (see p55). The site is visited by Jewish women who hope to conceive.
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Church of the Nativity The first evidence of a cave here being venerated as Christ’s birthplace is in the writings of St Justin Martyr around AD 160. In 326, the Roman emperor Constantine ordered a church to be built, and in about 530 it was rebuilt by Justinian. The Crusaders later redecorated the interior, but much of the marble was looted in Ottoman times. In 1852, shared custody of the church was granted to the Roman Plaza in front of the Church of the Nativity, with the plain Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches, façade in the distance the Greeks caring for the Grotto of the Nativity.
. Grotto of the Nativity The grotto is the church’s focal point. A silver star is set in the floor over the spot where Christ is said to have been born.
Nave The wide nave survives intact from Justinian’s time, although the roof is 15th-century, with 19th-century restorations. Fragments of highquality mosaics decorate the walls. Cloister of St Catherine’s Church Incorporating columns and capitals from the 12th-century Augustinian monastery that previously stood here, this attractive, peaceful cloister was rebuilt in Crusader style in 1948. For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
BETHLEHEM
Painted Columns Thirty of the nave’s 44 columns carry Crusader paintings of saints and the Virgin and Child, although age and lighting conditions make them hard to see. The columns are of polished pink limestone, most of them reused from the original 4th-century basilica.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Manger Square. Tel (02) 274 2440. Open summer: 6:30am– 7:30pm daily; winter: 5am–5pm daily. Grottoes closed Sun am. 7 ∑ travelpalestine.ps
. Mosaic Floor
Trap doors in the present floor, here and to the left of the altar, reveal sections of mosaic floor surviving from the 4th-century basilica.
. Door of Humility
The Crusader doorway, marked by a pointed arch, was reduced to the present tiny size in the Ottoman period to prevent carts being driven in by looters. A massive lintel above the arch indicates the door’s even larger original size.
KEY
St Jerome Born at Stribo (not far from Venice), St Jerome (c.342– 420) was one of the most learned scholars of the early Christian Church. He travelled widely and in 384 settled St Jerome Writing (c.1604) by Caravaggio in Bethlehem, where he founded a monastery. Here, he completed a new version of the Bible (see p28), inspired by the pope’s suggestion that a single book should replace the many differing texts in circulation. His great work later became known as the Vulgate. Tradition places the saint’s study and tomb next to the Grotto of the Nativity.
1 Statue of St Jerome 2 Other grottoes, reached by
these steps, contain the supposed tomb and study of St Jerome (see p196). 3 Altar of the Adoration
of the Magi (Manger Altar) 4 St Catherine’s Church (see p196) 5 Stairs to main church 6 Wall mosaics, made in the 1160s, once decorated the entire church. 7 The narthex was originally
a single, long porch, with three large doors leading into the church and three onto the street.
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Caves at Qumran, where the hot, dry, desert climate helped to preserve the Dead Sea Scrolls 7
Qumran
Road map C4. Route 90, 20 km (12 miles) S of Jericho. Tel (02) 994 2235. @ from Jerusalem. Open 8am– 5pm (winter: 4pm) Sat–Thu, 8am–4pm (winter: 3pm) Fri. & 7
Qumran is known chiefly as the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. From 150 BC to AD 68, this remote site was the home of a radically ascetic and reclusive community, often identified with the Essenes. According to their school of thought, the arrival of the Jewish Messiah was imminent, and they prepared for this event with fasting and purification through ritual ablutions. These activities were rudely brought to a halt through conflict with the Romans. The Essenes largely vanished from history until 1947, when a Bedouin shepherd boy looking for a lost goat happened upon a cave full of jars. These jars were found to contain a precious hoard of 190 linen-wrapped scrolls that had been preserved for 2,000 years. Following much study by academics, some of the scrolls are now on view in a purpose-built hall at the Israel Museum (see pp140–41). Visitors to Qumran watch a short film on the Essenes, with audio in eight languages, and view a small exhibition on the community before being directed to the archaeological site at the foot of the cliffs. Signs indicate the probable uses of different areas of the vaguely defined remains. The trail through
the site is wheelchair accessible and has special signage for the visually impaired. From the site you can see the caves above where the scrolls were found. 8
Ein Gedi
Road map C4. Route 90, 56 km (35 miles) S of Jericho. @ from Jerusalem.
Ein Gedi is famous as a lush oasis in an otherwise barren landscape. Several springs provide plentiful water to support a luxuriant mix of tropical and desert vegetation. The site is mentioned in the Bible for its beauty (Song of Songs: 1–14) and as a refuge of David who was fleeing from King Saul (I Samuel: 24). Protected as Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, the oasis is a haven for desert wildlife such as ibexes and rock hyraxes, which look like large rodents, while the more remote areas are the abode of the desert leopard. Two gorges, belonging to the Nakhal David and Nakhal Arugot rivers, are at the core of the reserve; these
are crossed by a network of paths. The shortest walking tour takes about an hour and ends at the spectacular Shulamit Falls. A short way from the reserve’s entrance are the ruins of a 5th-century-BC synagogue with mosaics and inscriptions in Hebrew and Aramaic. Ein Gedi is also a popular spot with Dead Sea bathers. For a more luxurious experience, the Ein Gedi Sea of Spa, a further 3 km (2 miles) to the south, has hot sulphur baths and private access to the Dead Sea. The Synergy Spa at the Ein Gedi Hotel offers various treatments against a spectacular backdrop. O Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
Highway 90, Dead Sea. Tel (08) 658 4285 Open daily. & L Ein Gedi Sea of Spa Highway 90, Dead Sea. Tel (08) 659 4813. Open daily. & 7 ∑ eingediseaofspa.com L Synergy Spa
Kibbutz Ein Gedi. Tel (08) 659 4222. Open daily. & 7 ∑ ein-gedi.co.il
Trail sign for one of the gorges in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT
9
The Dead Sea
To Amman To Jericho and Jerusalem
J
Jordan
Masada Herod’s mountaintop fortress, overlooking the Dead Sea (see pp204–5).
Practical Information 30 km (18 miles) E of Jerusalem. Dead Sea Panorama Tel (05) 349 1133. Museum: Open 9am–5pm daily. & Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve Tel (06) 463 3589. & 8 compulsory. ∑ rscn.org.jo Bethany Beyond the Jordan Tel (05) 359 0360. & (includes audio guide). 7 8 call ahead. ∑ baptismsite.com Transport @ from Jerusalem for Qumran, Ein Gedi, Masada and Neve Zohar; from Amman for Amman Beach, Dead Sea Panorama and Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve.
Bethany Beyond the Jordan Believed to be where Jesus was baptized by John (see p32), this site, with its various churches, is a popular stop for pilgrims. At the nearby Elijah’s Hill, archaeological finds include the remains of a 5th-century monastery. Amman beach A public beach with showers. There are also several resort hotels a little to the north, where you pay for access to their private beaches.
Israel
Ein Gedi A popular spot with sun-seekers, who flock to the beach, and nature-lovers alike, who trek through the lush vegetation of the nearby Nature Reserve (above).
Dead Sea Panorama A lookout, restaurant and museum complex with breathtaking views.
J
0 kilometres 0 miles
Ein Bokek
To Sodom and Eilat
For map symbols see back flap
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Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve A wildlife sanctuary that also has several guided trails, some of which involve wading through partially submerged canyons. Bookings for the trails must be made in advance through the Wild Jordan Centre in Amman (see p218).
A waterside spa resort with hotels, a beach and sanatoriums that make good use of the Dead Sea mud.
Neve Zohar is a small hot-springs spa resort.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
The Dead Sea (which is actually a lake, not a sea) lies half in Israel, half in Jordan. It is 76 km (47 miles) from north to south and less than 16 km (10 miles) across. At 411 m (1,348 ft) below sea level, it is also the lowest point on earth. The water is so mineral-laden that it is around 26 per cent solid. The therapeutic qualities of the water and its mud have been touted since ancient times, and spas are dotted along its shores. However, the Dead Sea is endangered. Its water level has gone down 12 m (40 ft) since the beginning of the 20th century because its main source, the Jordan River, has been overexploited for irrigation purposes.
Qumran is where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
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Key To Petra
Major road International border
The anci\ent city of Masada, the most visited archaeological site in Israel
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Masada
This isolated mountaintop fortress about 440 m (1,300 ft) above the banks of the Dead Sea was fortified as early as the 1st or 2nd century BC and then enlarged and reinforced by Herod the Great, who added two luxurious palace complexes. On Herod’s death the fortress passed into Roman hands, but it was captured in AD 66 during the First Revolt by Jews of the Zealot sect. After the Romans had crushed the rebels in Jerusalem, Masada remained the last Jewish stronghold. Held by less than 1,000 defenders, it was under Roman siege for over two years before the walls were breached in AD 73.
Cable Car The cable car operates daily between 8am and 4pm; otherwise it is a strenuous 45- to 60-minute climb up the twisting Snake Path.
. Hanging Palace Part of the large Northern Palace complex, the Hanging Palace was Herod’s private residence. It was built on three levels; the middle terrace had a circular hall used for entertaining, the lower had a bathhouse.
KEY 1 Lower terrace 2 Middle terrace 3 Upper terrace 4 Snake Path 5 Storerooms 6 The Water Gate is at the head of a narrow, winding path to the reservoirs below. 7 Southern Citadel 8 Western Wall 9 West Gate 0 The Roman ramp is now the western entrance to the site.
Calidarium Masada’s hot baths are one of the best-preserved parts of the fortress. The columns, on which the original floor was raised to allow hot air to circulate underneath and heat the room, still remain. Synagogue Possibly built by Herod, this synagogue is thought to be the oldest in the world. The stone seats were added by the Zealots.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT
Cistern At the foot of the mountain, Herod built dams and canals that collected the seasonal rainwater to fill cisterns on the northeast side of the fortress. This water was then carried by donkey to the cisterns on top of the rock, such as this one in the southern part of the plateau.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map C4. Off Route 90, 18 km (11 miles) S of Ein Gedi. Tel (08) 658 4207. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) Sat–Thu; sites close 1 hr earlier Fri & hols. & 7 Sound-and-Light Show: Mar–Oct. Tel (08) 995 9333 for reservations. Transport @ from Jerusalem or Eilat.
Columbarium This is a small building with niches for funerary urns; it is thought the urns held the ashes of non-Jewish members of Herod’s court.
. Western Palace Used for receptions and the accommodation of Herod’s guests, the Western Palace was richly decorated with mosaic floors and frescoes adorning the walls.
The Roman Siege of Masada (AD 72–73 or AD 73–74) According to a 1st-century account by historian Flavius Josephus, the Roman legions laying siege to Masada numbered about 10,000 men. To prevent the Jewish rebels from escaping, the Romans surrounded the mountain with a ring of eight camps, linked by walls; an arrangement that can still be seen today. To make their attack, the Romans built a huge earthen ramp up the mountainside. Once this Roman catapult missiles was finished, a tower was constructed against the walls. From the shelter of this tower the Romans set to work with a battering ram. The defenders hastily erected an inner defensive wall, but this proved little obstacle and Masada fell when it was breached. Rather than submit to the Romans, the Jews inside chose to commit mass suicide. Josephus relates how each man was responsible for Remains of one of the Roman base camps viewed from killing his own family. “Masada shall not fall again” is a swearing-in oath of the modern Israeli army. the fortress top
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Sodom
Road map C4. Route 90, 50 km (31 miles) S of Ein Gedi. @ from Jerusalem.
Biblical tradition holds that the city of Sodom lay on the southern shore of the Dead Sea (Genesis 19). Its sinful inhabitants, along with those of neighbouring Gomorrah, angered God, and he destroyed the cities with “brimstone and fire”. Archaeologists now favour Bab ed-Dhra in Jordan as the likely site, but the name Sodom remains attached to a spot on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea. There is nothing to visit, but nearby are the two spas of Ein Bokek and Neve Zohar, famous for their therapeutic centres, and a public beach with freshwater showers (see p201). Inland and 9 km (6 miles) south of Neve Zohar is Mount Sodom, a mountain composed largely of rock salt. A wellmarked path goes up to the top, from where you can enjoy incomparable views of the Dead Sea and the Moab mountains in Jordan. You can also go up by car: take the dirt road that heads west off route 90 just north of the unattractive Dead Sea Works plant. Another signposted scenic hiking route leads to what is known as the Flour Cave. The cave gets its name from the white crumbly chalk coating that covers the interior and the clothing of all who visit.
Spring-fed pool at Ein Ovdat in the shade of canyon walls w
Ein Ovdat
Road map B5. Route 40, 52 km (32 miles) S of Beersheva. Tel (08) 655 5684. @ from Jerusalem. Open daily. Summer: 8am–5pm (to 4pm Fri & hols); winter: 8am–4pm (to 3pm Fri & hols); last entry 1 hr before closing. &
At Ein Ovdat a white-walled gorge gouged 200 m (656 ft) deep into the desert floor shades two icy-cold pools. The larger of the pools is fed by a waterfall with its source in the rock face high above. Archaeologists have found traces of human presence in this area that date back perhaps 35,000 years, suggesting that the springs were known in antiquity. A well-marked trail through the gorge begins at a roadside viewpoint 2 km (1 mile) south of the turn-off for Kibbutz Sde Boker. The trail ends with a set of rough rock-cut steps ascending the cliffs; the views from these down the gorge are spectacular. A path leads to a roadside car park 7 km (4 miles) south of the viewpoint. e
Ovdat
Road map B5. Route 40, 60 km (37 miles) S of Beersheva. Tel (08) 655 1511. @ from Jerusalem. Open daily. Summer: 8am–5pm (to 4pm Fri & hols); winter: 8am–4pm (to 3pm Fri & hols); last entry 1 hr before closing. &
A typically barren Dead Sea landscape near Sodom
Located on a flat hilltop, the ancient town of Ovdat was built by the Nabataeans in the 2nd
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
century BC as a stopover on the trade route between Egypt and Asia Minor. It continued to prosper under the Byzantines, and most of what you see today dates from the 4th or 5th century, including the remains of houses, baths and two churches. The smaller of these has its original apse and bishop’s throne; a white line divides the original and reconstructed parts. The views across the desert are excellent. Below the hill you can make out evidence of the network of dams built by the Nabataeans to channel rainwater towards the dry land, enabling them to plant vineyards and fruit orchards. Ovdat was abandoned after the Persian invasion of 620. The Visitors’ Centre has an exhibition of archaeological finds from the ancient site.
Partially reconstructed Byzantine-era ruins at Ovdat r
Hebron
Road map B4. * 120,000. @ ( daily.
Nestled among hills 40 km (25 miles) south of Jerusalem, Hebron is one of the most densely populated towns in the West Bank. Its fame rests on its glassmaking, which began in the Middle Ages and has always been managed by one single family. This coloured glassware can be found for sale in another of Hebron’s major attractions, its medieval Arab souk, which has some imposing Crusader-era vaulted passageways.
THE DEAD SEA AND THE NEGEV DESERT
The Tomb of the Patriarchs, mosque and burial site of Sarah, Isaac and Jacob
However, Hebron is a town undermined by troublesome political tensions. It is divided into two zones: the greater area is governed by the Palestinian Authority, but the town centre is occupied by Jewish settlers. Large numbers of Israeli soldiers maintain a constant peacekeeping presence. Friction between the two communities dates back to a 1929 pogrom in which the Arabs massacred Hebron’s centuries-old Jewish community. After the Six-Day War of 1967, the centre of town was resettled by militant Jewish colonists. Tension continues to erupt into occasional violence. For your personal safety, ask about the situation before making a trip to Hebron. Hebron is regarded as a sacred place by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions alike; it was here they believe that Abraham buried his wife Sarah, in the Cave of Machpelah, purchased from the Hittite Ephron. The cave then became his own tomb and later that of his descendants Isaac and Jacob. Around 20 BC, Herod the Great sealed the cave and built a great hall over it. Under Byzantine rule the structure was turned into a church and then, after the Arab conquest of 638, a mosque. The invading
Crusaders attempted to reclaim the site for Christianity and built much of the presentday construction, but it was completed by Saladin as a mosque. In the 13th century the Mameluke ruler Baybars forbade non-Muslims from entering the building. After the 1967 War the mosque remained Muslim, but access was granted to Jews as well. Today, the complex, known as the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Haram al-Khalil in Arabic), is divided into a Jewish synagogue and a Muslim mosque, each with its own entrance. It remains a bone of contention between the faiths; in 1994 Jewish colonist Baruch Goldstein entered the mosque and killed 29 Muslim worshippers. U u Tomb of the Patriarchs
Tel (02) 996 5333. Open 4am–10pm daily (except some religious holidays and during prayer times).
t
Beersheva
Road map B4. * 200,000. @ n 1 Hebron Rd, Beer Abraham, (08) 623 4613. ( Bedouin market Thu.
The so-called capital of the Negev is a city that has grown rapidly and chaotically. In the Old Testament it is famous as the place where Abraham made a pact with Abimelech for the use of a well for his animals (Genesis 21: 25–33). Beersheva means “well of the covenant”.
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For centuries it remained little more than a Bedouin well until the Turks transformed the site into an administrative centre (which was the object of a valiant cavalry charge by the Australians in World War I). Since the Israelis captured Beersheva in 1948, it has attracted many immigrants to become the country’s fourth largest city. There is an attractive grouping of an Ottoman-era mosque and Governor’s House in the town centre, but the most interesting thing about Beersheva is the Bedouin market. This is held on the edge of town every Thursday from dawn and attracts hundreds of nomads. Besides the livestock and everyday objects bought by the locals, visitors can also buy traditional Bedouin handicrafts such as jewellery and copperwork. Just outside town is Tel Beersheva, a city founded at the end of the 11th century BC and fortified around the time of Solomon. It was destroyed in the 9th century by the Egyptians but was rebuilt, remaining a bulwark of the southern frontier of Judaea until it was razed to the ground by the Assyrians. Remains include a 10th-century-BC city gate and a Roman fortress. There is also a museum of Bedouin life. T Tel Beersheva
6 km (4 miles) NE of Beersheva. Tel (08) 646 7286. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) daily. Closes 1 hour earlier Fri. & 7
Bedouin selling sheep at Beersheva’s Thursday market
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Makhtesh Ramon
Road map B5. Route 40, 80 km (50 miles) S of Beersheva. @ from Beersheba. Visitors’ Centre: Tel (08) 658 8691. Open 8am–5pm (winter: 4pm) Sun–Thu, 8am–4pm (winter: 3pm) Fri (last entry 1 hour before closing). & 7
Makhtesh Ramon is Israel’s most dramatic natural phenomenon: a crater some 40 km (25 miles) long, 9 km (5 miles) wide, with a depth of 300 m (1,300 ft). It is the largest of three craters in the Negev Desert, which scientists believe were formed more than half a million years ago by a combination of tectonic Spectacular geological scenery at Timna National Park movement and erosion. u Khai Bar Yotvata Traffic between Beersheva biblical mention) include and Eilat has to cross Makhtesh scimitar-horned oryxes, wild Wildlife Reserve Ramon, negotiating switchback Somali donkeys, ostriches and Road map B6. Route 90, 35 km roads that wind down to the the addax antelope with their (22 miles) N of Eilat. Tel (08) 637 6018. crater floor and back up again. curved horns. A Predator Centre @ from Eilat. Open daily. Summer: Nabataean caravans also houses wildcats, caracals (desert 8am–5pm; winter: 8am–4pm. Closes travelled this way between lynxes), foxes, leopards and 1 hour earlier Fri. 8 Obligatory, Petra and Ovdat, and the ruins hyenas in spacious enclosures. with departures every hour. & 7 of an ancient caravanserai stand at the centre of the depression. Khai Bar was i Timna National On the crater’s rim founded with is the town of Park the aim of Mitspe Ramon, reintroducing Road map B6. Route 90, 28 km the main base some of the (18 miles) N of Eilat. Tel (08) 631 6756. for exploring this creatures named @ from Eilat. Open 8am–4pm Sat– part of the desert. in the Bible, which Thu, 8am–3pm Fri (to 1pm Jul & Aug). The town’s Visitors’ have since & ∑ parktimna.co.il Centre has exhibits vanished from on the geology of A caracal, one of the biblical the Negev. Most of Ancient remains indicate the great crater and the animals roam working mines at Timna as species at Khai Bar its flora and fauna. freely, safari-park far back as 3000 BC, and the It also has hiking maps – but style, in a 40-sq-km (15-sq-mile) Egyptians were mining copper make sure to take plenty of territory in the Arava Valley. here around 1500 BC. They left water if you go trekking here. Visits can be made only by two temples dedicated to the In Mitspe Ramon you can also jeep in the company of a ranger goddess Hathor, protectress arrange to tour the crater by guide. Native species in the of mines. A hieroglyphic camel or jeep. reserve (not all of which receive inscription in one of the temples mentions pharaoh Rameses III offering a sacrifice to Hathor. The mines continued to be worked under the Nabataeans and Romans before being abandoned. With the added attraction of some curious mushroom-shaped rock formations created by wind erosion, the area has been preserved as a national park. An underground passage gives access to the ancient mines, and you can see Egyptian graffiti representing ibexes and hunters armed with bows and arrows. Visitors at Makhtesh Ramon, the largest crater of its kind in the world For hotels and restaurants in this region see p262 and p274
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Eilat
Road map B7. * 50,000. k @ n 8 Beit ha-Gesher St, (08) 630 9111. Open 8:30am–5pm Sun–Thu, 8am–1pm Fri.
Lying at the end of the Gulf of Aqaba, on a stretch of Israel’s 12-km- (7-mile-) long southern coast, Eilat is the only Israeli town on the Red Sea. The town is filled with hotels and tourist villages, and is a centre for diving and trips into the desert. Eilat is similar in many ways to Aqaba, which faces it from 6 km (4 miles) away on the other side of the Gulf. Along with an equally stunning location, Eilat also shares a similar history to Aqaba. Now separated by political boundaries, however, it is Eilat that has prospered the most. With the United Nations partition of Palestine in 1947, Israel was ceded this small stretch of coastline, and Eilat has since developed rapidly, both as a port and as a popular holiday resort with excellent tourist facilities. The bottom of the Red Sea is the main attraction here. If you don’t want to dive to admire this multicoloured ecosystem,
Coral Island, south of Eilat in the Gulf of Aqaba
there are glass-bottomed boats as well as the “Yellow Submarine”. This large 23-m(75-ft-) long submersible leaves from Coral World and cruises out over the reef, descending to a depth of around 60 m (200 ft). The large Coral World Underwater Observatory is an oceanographic complex where you can get a close-up view of the marvellous marine life here. It contains 25 tanks with more than 500 species of fish, sponges, corals and invertebrates. The most interesting displays are those with the larger creatures such as sharks and sea turtles. The main spectacle, though, is at the underwater observatory
itself, which is 6 m (20 ft) under water and gives a spectacular live view of the local marine life through its large glass windows. Divers and expert swimmers will be delighted at Dolphin Reef, where small groups led by an instructor can actually swim with the dolphins and observe their behaviour as they play, swim and hunt. The salt marshes just north of Eilat are the feeding grounds of many species of migratory birds travelling between Africa and Eurasia every spring and autumn. The International Birdwatching Centre has an interpretation centre and organizes guided birdwatching tours. In season, the skies are filled with thousands of storks, flamingos and herons, as well as eagles, hawks and buzzards. By boat you can go to the fabulous reefs off Coral Island (or Pharaoh’s Island), which lies just across the Egyptian border. Regular trips are run for divers, but those wishing to land and visit the 12th-century Crusader fortress that dominates the island will need to find a tour that can arrange a group visa. O Coral World Underwater Observatory Coral Beach. Tel (08) 636 4200. Open 8:30am–4pm daily. & 7 ∑ coralworld.co.il O Dolphin Reef
Southern Beach. Tel (08) 630 0100. Open 9am–5pm daily. & ∑ dolphinreef.co.il
Swimming in the perfectly clear waters off the beach at Eilat
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O International Birdwatching Centre Kibbutz Eilot, 2 km (1 mile) N of Eilat. Tel (050) 767 1290. Open Oct–Jun: Sun–Thu (am only). 7 8
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PETRA AND WESTERN JORDAN While most visitors to Jordan come for the sole purpose of seeing the magnificent rock-cut city of Petra, many depart greatly impressed by the gracious and hospitable locals. Besides these attractions, Western Jordan has many fascinating archaeological sites from prehistoric, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader times. Only partitioned off from Palestine in 1923 and made fully independent in 1946, the nation of Jordan has a maturity that belies its youth. That the kingdom is viewed as an anchor in the often turbulent sea of Middle Eastern politics is due, in large part, to the efforts of the late King Hussein (1953–99), who worked solidly to establish and maintain peace in the region. The extreme warmth and friendliness of the population is an expression of the stability Hussein secured for his country. Day-to-day patterns of life in Jordan are also shaped by a relaxed and tolerant interpretation of Islam. Tourists who have just visited neighbouring Israel may well appreciate the laissez-faire nature of the Jordanian people. Although Jordan has an area of about 92,000 sq km (36,000 sq miles), around
nine-tenths of this is made up of desert. Consequently, the population of approximately 5.5 million is concentrated in the northwest on a plateau above the Jordan Valley. Watered by the Jordan River and surrounded by mountains, this little pocket enjoys a lush greenhouse-like climate and is entirely devoted to agriculture. But south of Amman, the fertile plains abruptly end and give way to the vast stony desert that extends all the way down to the Red Sea. Largely shunned by the local populace, this is the region that visitors come to see. This is where you find the craggy sandstone landscapes out of which Petra was carved. Further south is Wadi Rum with its wide sandy oceans that provided a dramatic backdrop for the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia.
Ruins of the ancient Graeco-Roman city of Gadara at Umm Qais (see p214) The treasury at Petra, arguably the single most spectacular site in the whole Middle East
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ISRAEL, PETRA & SINAI REGION BY REGION
UMM QAIS
Exploring Petra and Western Jordan
Ma’ad
Though possessing few sites itself, Jordan’s modern capital, Amman, makes a very comfortable base from which to explore the northwest of the country. The Arab fortress at Ajlun, the Roman ruins at Jerash, the Byzantine mosaics of Madaba, and further mosaics along with splendid views at Mount Nebo are all within an hour’s drive. If you can spare the time and secure the use of a car (self-drive or a taxi hired by the day), then Amman is certainly worth a couple of days. The Crusader castles of Kerak and Shobak are perhaps best visited while heading south, en route to the site that truly epitomizes the magic of the region, Petra. While it is possible to see the major attractions in just one day, Petra more than repays repeated visits: multiple-day passes are available. Accommodation is easy to find in the neighbouring town of Wadi Musa. Be sure also to leave enough time for the surreal rockscapes of Wadi Rum.
Pella
AJ Kurayyimah
Damiya
A Al Karamah
Jerusalem
MOUNT NEB
Mukawi
The impressive stone sweep of the colonnaded Oval Plaza at Jerash
Dead Sea
Getting Around
1 Umm Qais
Most major tourist destinations can be reached by good, modern roads. There are two main routes south – take the King’s Highway (Route 49) for Mount Nebo, Madaba, Kerak and Shobak, and the Desert Highway (Routes 15 and 53) to head directly to Petra and Wadi Rum. It is possible to fly between Amman and Aqaba and an inexpensive bus service connects all areas of the country. For many people, however, coach tours are the most comfortable way to get about.
2 Ajlun 3 Jerash 4 Amman 5 Mount Nebo 6 Madaba pp220–21 7 Kerak 8 Shobak 9 Petra pp224–35
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Wadi Rum, where sandstone mountains rise sheer from the desert floor For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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Al Hashimiyah
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The Roman theatre in the shadow of modern central Amman
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Al Quwayrah
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The Royal Tombs at Petra, a site that ranks with the Pyramids as a surviving wonder of the ancient world
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For map symbols see back flap
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Umm Qais
Road map C2. 100 km (62 miles) NW of Amman. Open 7am–sunset daily. &
Umm Qais is the site of the ancient Graeco-Roman city of Gadara. The ruins lie in lush hill country overlooking the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. The city is well known from the Bible for Jesus’s miracle of the Gadarene Swine, when he cast out demons into pigs (Matthew 8: 28–34). Since 1974, archaeologists have uncovered many impressive Roman remains, including a colonnaded street, a theatre and a mausoleum. 2
Ajlun
Road map C3. 50 km (31 miles) W of Amman. n (02) 642 0115. Fortress: Open 8am–5pm daily (winter: 4pm). &
The market town of Ajlun is dominated by the fortress of Qalat ar-Rabad, a superb example of Arab military engineering. Built in 1184–5, partly in response to Crusader incursions in the region, it was later used by the Ottomans up until the 18th century. At a height of more than 1,200 m (4,000 ft), it offers fantastic views over the Jordan Valley. Environs About 30 km (19 miles) northwest of Ajlun is Pella. Water, fertile land and, later, its location on two major trade routes were drawing settlers here well before 3000 BC. Its Roman-Byzantine ruins are today’s attraction.
The Arab fortress at Ajlun, built to stem the Crusaders’ advance
View of Jerash’s Cardo, Agora (market place) and unusual Oval Plaza 3
Jerash
Gerasa was at its zenith. Having become a favourite city of Hadrian (see p47), it flourished both economically and socially. After a period of decline in the 3rd century, it enjoyed a renaissance as a Christian city under the Byzantines, notably in the reign of Justinian (AD 527–65). The Muslims took over the city in 635, and it was badly Excavations of Jerash, known as damaged by a series of earthGerasa in classical times, began quakes in the 8th century. The in the 1920s, bringing to light final blow to the city was dealt one of the best-preserved and by Baldwin II of Jerusalem most original Roman cities in 1112 during the in the Middle East. Crusades (see pp52–3). It was during the The city is Hellenistic period reached through of the 3rd century BC that Jerash Hadrian’s Arch, became an urban built in honour of centre and a member the Roman emperor. of the loose federation Alongside is the of Greek cities known Detail of floor mosaic in Hippodrome, where as the Decapolis Gerasa’s chariot races St George’s Church (see p46). From the and other sporting 1st century BC Jerash drew events were held. Today, considerable prestige from the re-enactment shows of these semi-independent status it was events take place every day given within the Roman province (except Tue). A little way down of Syria. It prospered greatly the track is the South Gate, part from its position on the incense of the 4th-century-AD city wall. and spice trade route from the To its left, and on a prominent Arabian Peninsula to Syria and rise, is first the Temple of Zeus, the Mediterranean. Jerash lost and then the South Theatre, its autonomy under Trajan, but which nowadays is used as a his annexation of the Nabataean venue for the Jordan Festival capital Petra (see pp224–35) in (see p41). The most unusual AD 106 brought the city even feature of the Roman city is more wealth. By AD 130 ancient the Oval Plaza (1st century AD)
Road map C3. 50 km (31 miles) N of Amman. @ from Amman. Tel (02) 634 2471. Open Oct–Apr: 8am–4pm Mon–Thu, 9am–4pm Fri– Sun; May–Sep: 8am–7pm Mon– Thu, 9am–4pm Fri–Sun. _ Jordan Festival (late Jul–early Aug). Tel (06) 566 0156.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
PETRA AND WESTERN JORDAN
which, with its asymmetrical shape, is a unique monument from the Roman world. The plaza, 80 m by 90 m (262 ft by 295 ft), is enclosed by 160 Ionic columns. Beneath its stone paving runs a complex drainage system. From here, going north, is the Cardo, a spectacular paved street about 600 m (2000 ft) long, which was lined with the city’s major buildings, shops and residences.
Chariot tracks are visible in the stones. To the left lies the Agora, the city’s main food market, which had a central fountain. At the Tetrapylon (crossroads) the Cardo meets a second major street, the South Decumanus, which runs east– west. Further along on the Irbid left side of the Cardo is the
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Temple of Zeus, which dates back to the 2nd century AD
2nd-century Nymphaeum, a lavish public fountain. One of its basins has a design of four fish kissing. Nearby is the impressive Temple of Artemis, the patron goddess of the city in Greek and Roman times. Close to the Temple are the remains of several Byzantine churches. The largest is usually referred to as the Cathedral. There is also a complex of three churches, dedicated to SS Cosmas and Damian, St John the Baptist and St George, which dates back to AD 526– 33 and has fine mosaic floors. Further along the Cardo, to the right, is the Propylaeum Church with the remains of an ornate plaza in front, while next to it are the ruins of an Omayyad Mosque. Beyond lie the unexcavated West Baths, which preserve a splendid domed ceiling. At the North Tetrapylon, once marked by a dome resting on four arches, the road to the left leads to the small North Theatre. Allow at least half a day to see the ruins, and finish off with the Museum, displaying sarcophagi, statuary and coins.
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The reconstructed South Gate, the 4th-century AD entrance to Jerash For map symbols see back flap
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Amman
Like Jordan itself, Amman is a modern creation, but one whose roots run deep into history. The hills of Downtown hosted the biblical capital of the Ammonites and the Roman city of Philadelphia, before the Omayyad Arabs built a palace on the same well-defended hilltop. In the modern age, Amman only began to prosper in the early 1920s when Emir Abdullah made it the capital of Trans-Jordan. Today, it is a bustling, modern and forward-looking Arab city of over two million people. King Hussein Mosque, built on the site of a 7th-century mosque SALT
Luzmila Hospital
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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was an Omayyad Palace, completed around AD 750 and destined to last for only 30 years. The large complex includes an impressive audience hall, a colonnaded street, a Byzantine basilica, a large cistern and the residence of Amman’s local governor. The southern Roman Temple of Hercules, with its towering columns and ornately carved stonework, was built at the same time as the city’s Roman Theatre and offers fine views over the city.
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Downtown The backstreet souks (markets) around Quraysh, El-Malek Faisal and El-Hashemi streets form the commercial hub of Amman. Shops here stock everything from marinated olives to gold jewellery, while pastry stalls, falafel stands and aromatic coffee and spice grinders also compete for the attention of passers-by. There are also several interesting souvenir stalls on El-Hashemi Street. The central King Hussein Mosque, built in 1924 on the site of a mosque erected in AD 640 by the caliph Omar, is the best attended in the city. Also nearby is the Roman Nymphaeum, built in AD 191 as a complex of pool and fountain, and
dedicated to the nymphs. Jordan’s Department of Antiquities is excavating the Nymphaeum as part of an ongoing programme of restoration. There is no timescale for completion. In the Ras Al-Ayn area, the excellent Jordan Museum gives a detailed insight into Jordanian history and culture, going back several millennia. Among over 2,000 artifacts on display in this stylish building are the very modern-looking bug-eyed plaster statues from Ain Gazal, which are over 8,500 years old. The main attraction is a collection of copper-plated Dead Sea Scrolls (see p141). Check the website (www. jordanmuseum.jo) for opening times and other details.
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Exploring Central Amman Amman’s most interesting district for the visitor is the Downtown area, with its bustling markets, interesting museums and fascinating Roman ruins. More than anything, Amman is a town of hills (jebels) and, of these, the most historically important is Jebel el-Qalaa, which rises north of Downtown. This is the site of the Citadel, a Roman temple and one of the city’s main museums.
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This small museum at the Citadel records over 8,000 years of Middle Eastern history. Finds include Neolithic skulls and elephant bones from the Jordan Valley and several Nabataean artifacts from Petra (see pp224–35). Look out also for the impressive doorway transported here from the Arab castle of Qasr el-Tuba in the Eastern Desert. Local finds include the graceful statue of Athena, from the nearby Roman Theatre, and the head of Tyche, the town god.
back rows of the theatre were added later and carved out of an existing necropolis. At the foot of the theatre are a Corinthian colonnade and the old Odeon (a small theatre or meeting hall). The nearby Hashemite Square is a popular hang-out for local families. E Folklore Museum &
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Practical Information Road map C3. * 2,125,000. n Jordan Tourism Board, El-Mutanabbi St, Jebel Amman (Third Circle), (06) 567 8444.
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Amman’s most obvious remnant from the past is its impressive Roman Theatre, dating from around AD 170 and with a seating capacity of about 6,000. It’s a fine place to sit, meet the locals and take in the city. The
El-Hashemi St. Tel (06) 465 1742. Open summer: 8am–6pm Sat–Thu, 9am–6pm Fri; winter: 8am–4pm Sat–Thu, 9am–4pm Fri. & 7
The vaults below the Roman Theatre house these two modest but interesting museums. The Folklore Museum has some traditional costumes, a Bedouin tent, fine examples of the rababa (a one-stringed musical instrument) and traditional coffee grinders. The second museum displays Circassian and Armenian silver jewellery, traditionally given to the bride on her wedding day, plus amulets made from Turkish coins and symbols representing the hands of Fatima. There are some fine mosaics from Jerash (see p214–15) and the baptism site of Wadi el-Kharrar.
The Roman Theatre, built during the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius
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Exploring Amman Although the majority of Amman’s places of interest are concentrated in the neighbouring Downtown and Jebel el-Qalaa districts, it is well worth exploring further afield. Just west of the centre, Jebel Amman is the city’s main hill, and is home to the Wild Jordan Centre and the landmark King Abdullah Mosque. West again, the upscale districts of Abdoun and, stretching to the north, Shmeisani boast the majority of Amman’s shops and restaurants. The city is quite spread out, so taxi is the best way to get around.
The hilly landscape of the modern city of Amman
Darat el-Funun Nimer bin Adwan St, Jebel el-Webdeh. Tel (06) 464 3251. Open 10am–7pm Sat–Thu. ∑ daratalfunun.org
This art gallery, pleasant café and small garden dotted with archaeological remains offer a tranquil escape from the nearby Downtown bustle. The rotating exhibits of contemporary art, regular lectures and occasional music concerts make this the best place to tap into Amman’s thriving arts scene. The main gallery is housed in a 1920s villa, next to the charming remains of a 6th-century Byzantine church, itself built on the site of a Roman temple. Above the church is the house in which TE Lawrence is said to have written sections of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. U King Abdullah Mosque
Suleyman el-Nabulsi St, Jebel el-Webdeh. Open 8am–11am & 12:30– 2pm Sat–Thu, 9am–10am Fri. &
Amman’s most impressive Islamic monument is the striking King (El-Malek) Abdullah Mosque,
completed in 1990 and dedicated by King Hussein to his grandfather. The soaring central blue dome covers the largest religious space in the city – the prayer hall can hold up to 7,000 worshippers. The cavernous, octagonal interior is decorated with fine Quranic calligraphy and several huge chandeliers. Remove your shoes when you enter the mosque. Women should wear a headscarf (provided). The attached small Islamic museum contains coins and examples of Islamic decorative arts.
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motorcycles from his own personal collection. These range from a 1916 Cadillac to an array of more modern Lotus, Ferrari and Porsche sporting models, all driven by the king. Also on display is the Mercedes-Benz jeep that carried the casket in his funeral procession in 1999. O Wild Jordan Centre
Othman bin Affan St, Jebel Amman. Tel (06) 463 3589. ∑ rscn.org.jo
Jordan’s innovative Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) runs this cuttingedge centre, which focuses on Jordan’s natural heritage. The Wild Jordan Nature shop stocks products made by RSCNoperated development initiatives throughout Jordan, including natural handmade olive oil soaps from Ajlun, worked silver from Dana and Mujib, Bedouin-made candles from Feynan and hand-painted ostrich eggs from the Eastern Desert. The excellent café serves tasty and healthy lunches, and the terrace, in particular, affords fantastic views over Downtown. This is also the place for information on ecotourism excursions to Jordan’s many nature reserves; possibilities include hiking and canyoning in Wadi Mujib (see p201), and the chance to see Arabian oryx in the wild at the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve.
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Museum King Hussein Park. Tel (06) 541 1392. Open 10am–7pm Wed, Thu & Sat–Mon, 11am–7pm Fri. & ∑ royalautomuseum.jo
The former King Hussein was passionate about automobiles. This museum, 5 km (3 miles) northwest of the city centre, exhibits around 70 classic cars and
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
The distinctive dome that caps the King Abdullah Mosque
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courtyard, containing a much-damaged Crusader chapel, provides an exceptional viewpoint. Steps lead down to vast, dimly lit, vaulted rooms and corridors below ground. The lower courtyard gives access to a small Archaeological Museum displaying locally excavated artifacts. T Castle
El-Mujamma St. Open daily.
Detail of a mosaic from the Memorial Church of Moses on Mount Nebo 5
Mount Nebo
Road map C3. 10 km (6 miles) NW of Madaba. @ from Madaba, then a 4-km (2.5-mile) walk, or taxi. Open 7am–7pm daily (Oct–Apr: 5pm).
This mountain rises at the end of the long chain skirting the Dead Sea, and offers spectacular views of the Jordan River and Dead Sea 1,000 m (3,300 ft) below. It was from here that Moses saw the Promised Land just before he died (Deuteronomy 34: 1–5). In the early 4th century a sanctuary, mentioned by the pilgrim nun Egeria (see p36), was built on Mount Nebo (Fasaliyyeh in Arabic) to honour Moses, probably over the remains of a more ancient construction. During the Byzantine period, the church was transformed into a fine basilica with a sacristy and new baptistry. Monastic buildings were added later. Since 1933, reconstruction work has been carried out on the church, now known as the Memorial Church of Moses. Mosaics inside include a remarkable example in the Old Baptistry depicting farmers, hunters and an assortment of animals surrounded by geometric decoration. A Greek inscription dates it to AD 531. Next to the New Baptistry, a mosaic cross from the original church stands on a modern altar. Outside, the foundations of the monastery can be seen. 6
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Kerak
Road map C4. * 19,000. @ n El-Mujamma St, (03) 235 4263.
The town of Kerak, on top of a hill with a sheer drop on three sides, is dominated by a magnificent Crusader citadel. Kerak was an important city (and for a time the capital) of the biblical kingdom of Moab. For this reason, the castle is also sometimes known as Krak des Moabites. It was built in 1142 by the Frankish lord of Oultrejourdain, Payen le Bouteiller, to whom the territory had been ceded by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem in 1126. It was the pearl in the chain of fortifications that ran between Jerusalem and Aqaba, and replaced Shobak as the centre of Oultrejourdain. Under Reynald de Châtillon it resisted assaults by Saladin’s troops in 1183 and 1184, but finally fell after a siege in 1188. Arab repairs and additions in white limestone contrast with the Crusader parts built in dark, volcanic tufa. The upper
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Road map C5. 60 km (37 miles) S of Tafila. Tel (03) 213 2138. @ to Shobak village, then taxi. Open daily.
Shobak, isolated on a rocky, conical hill in rough, barren surroundings at 1,300 m (4,265 ft) above sea level, is perhaps the most impressively sited castle in Jordan. It was called Krak de Montréal, or Mons Regalis, and was the first outpost (1115) built beyond the Jordan River by King Baldwin I of Jerusalem to guard the road from Egypt to Damascus. It resisted many sieges until 1189, when it fell to Saladin’s troops. The towers and walls are well preserved and decorated with carved inscriptions dating from 14th-century Mameluke renovations, but the inside is ruinous. Near the gatehouse, a well with more than 350 dangerously slippery, spiral, rockcut steps descends to a spring.
Madaba
See pp220–21.
The impressive and well-preserved Crusader fortress at Kerak
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Madaba
Road map C4. * 75,000. @ from Amman. n Hussein bin Ali St, (05) 325 3563.
According to the Old Testament, the Moabite city of Madaba was one of those conquered by the tribes of Israel. After changing hands several times, it flourished under Roman dominion and by the 4th century AD it had become an important centre of Christianity, with its own bishop. The town weathered invasions by the Persians and Muslims but declined under the Mamelukes, and was abandoned during the 16th century. It was not reoccupied until the late 19th century. The main attraction is the fabulous mosaic map housed in St George’s Church in the town centre. An icon of the Virgin Mary in the church is believed by Christians to incorporate a miraculous blue “helping hand”. An Archaeological Park encompasses the remains of several more 6th-century churches, all with impressive mosaics, including one depicting scenes from the legend of Adonis and Aphrodite. The Church of the Apostles on the southern edge of town has a mosaic depicting the sea goddess Thetis surrounded by fish and sea monsters.
The Madaba Mosaic Map In the late 19th century, clashes with the Muslim community led to a group of Christians from Kerak voluntarily moving to the long-uninhabited site of ancient Madaba. They were permitted to build new churches only on the sites of old ones. In 1884, while clearing such a site, the mosaic map was uncovered. It was incorporated into the new St George’s Church but was badly damaged in the process. It wasn’t until ten years later that scholars recognized the great historic value of the mosaic, which was probably made during the reign of the emperor Justinian (AD 527–65).
The Jordan River is shown crossed by a ferry and filled with fish, which stop at the heavily-salted waters of the Dead Sea.
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Neapolis (modern Nablus) is badly damaged, but can be identified by its name, spelled out in Greek letters.
Gethsemane Jerusalem is depicted in great detail
St George’s Church, also known as the Church of the Map
Jericho appears on the map as a walled town with towers, matching the evidence found at the site of Tel Jericho.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
Bethlehem, famous as the birthplace of Jesus, is shown as a small village dominated by the Church of the Nativity.
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Jerusalem as Depicted on the Map
The Madaba map, visited by up to a thousand visitors a day
In the 6th century, Jerusalem was still essentially the Roman city of Aelia Capitolina with its walls and gates, and the main streets of the Cardo Maximus and the Decumanus. Identifiable landmarks include Damascus Gate and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as the long-vanished Nea Basilica and Damascus Gate column. Nea Basilica Golden Plaza in front of St Stephen’s Gate Damascus Gate Gate with column Gate leading to Mount Zion
Kerak sits on top of a high mountain.
Damascus Gate The Cardo Maximus was the colonnaded main street.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is shown topped by a golden rotunda, which was destroyed by the Fatimids in 1009.
Mamshit was a Nabataean city in the Negev Desert.
Basilica on Mount Zion Citadel (Tower of David) Decumanus
The Mountains of Sinai separate the desert to the north from the Nile Delta.
The Dead Sea is shown with two boats carrying salt and grain. The sailors have been hacked out, probably by iconoclasts who objected to the representation of living beings in art.
Ashdod, an ancient port on the Mediterranean, remains an important deepwater harbour.
Beersheva, although existing only in part, can be identified by the text – and by its accurate location in the western Negev Desert.
Pelusium was an important Byzantine-era city; it has long since disappeared. The Nile is depicted as flowing east–west rather than the reality, which is from south to north.
What the Map Shows The map is oriented east–west rather than north–south, with Palestine on the left and Egypt’s Nile Delta on the extreme right. The cities and villages are located remarkably accurately for the time, and they are represented in plan form, corresponding to a large degree with modern cartography.
Gaza was a major port in ancient times, with trade links to Egypt and Africa and, by its comparatively large size, the map accords it great importance.
Corinthian columns of the Temple of Artemis in Jerash, the Roman city of Gerasa
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Petra
Petra is one of the world’s most impressive and atmospheric archaeological sites. Its marvellously preserved rock-hewn tombs and temples once encircled a thriving metropolis. There has been human settlement here since prehistoric times, but before the Nabataeans (see p231) came, Petra was just another desert watering hole. Between the 3rd century BC and the 1st century AD, they built a superb city and made it the centre of a vast trading empire. In AD 106 Petra was annexed by Rome. Christianity arrived in the 4th century, the Muslims in the 7th and the Crusaders briefly in the 12th. Thereafter Petra lay forgotten until 1812, when rediscovered by JL Burckhardt (see p227).
The City of Petra The city’s main street leads to the Temenos Gate, entrance to the sacred precinct of Qasr el-Bint, Petra’s most important temple (see pp232–3).
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The Theatre Carved into the mountainside by the Nabataeans, probably in the 1st century AD, this theatre follows the standard Roman design of the time. It was large enough to seat up to 7,000 people (see pp228–9).
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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Visiting Petra • It is worth spending more than a day here. There are passes for one to three days. • Cars allowed up to ticket gate but not beyond. • Horses may be hired to take you the 900 m (half a mile) to the Siq entrance. • Two-seater horse-drawn carts go from the ticket office to the Treasury. From there Petra can be covered on foot or camel. • Basic food and drinking water available in Petra. • Wear sunhat and highfactor sunscreen. • Avoid wandering off main walk routes without guide and water supply. • The visitors’ centre near the Siq can arrange for guides.
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Practical Information Road map C5. Wadi Musa, 260 km (160 miles) S of Amman. Open 6am–6pm (winter: 4pm) daily. & passes sold for 1, 2 or 3 days. 8 ask at the Visitors’ Centre. Candle-lit tours: 8:30pm Mon, Wed & Thu. n Petra Visitors’ Centre, (03) 215 6044 or 215 6060 (6:30am– 5pm daily). Do not photograph Bedouin without their permission. Museum: Open 9am–4:30pm (summer: 5:30pm) daily. 0 -
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KEY 1 High Place of Sacrifice
9 Tomb of Sextius Florentinus
(see pp234–5)
(see p235)
2 Qasr el-Bint (see p232)
0 House of Dorotheos
3 El-Habis Crusader fortress (see p232)
(see p235) q Petra Forum Hotel
4 Old Museum (see p232)
w Visitors’ Centre
5 Lion Triclinium (see p234)
e Ticket gate
6 Modern Museum (see p232)
r Petra Forum Resthouse
7 Outer Siq
t Bab el-Siq
8 Mughar el-Nasara (see p235)
y Siq entrance
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. The Treasury The best-known of all of Petra’s magnificent temples, deliberately positioned at the end of the Siq for maximum impact, the 1st-century-BC Treasury takes its name from Bedouin folklore. They believed that the Khasneh el-Faroun (Treasury of the Pharaoh) was the magical creation of a great wizard who had deposited treasure in its urn (see pp228–9). For map symbols see back flap
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The Siq: the Ancient Entrance to Petra To reach the Siq, the narrow gorge that leads into Petra, you must first walk 900 m (half a mile) along the wide valley known as the Bab el-Siq. This prelude to Petra has many tantalizing examples of the Nabataeans’ appetite for sculpting monuments out of mountainsides. The entrance to the Siq is marked by the remains of a monumental arch. It is the start of a gallery of intriguing insights into the Nabataeans’ past. These include water channels cut into the rock, Nabataean graffiti, carved niches with worn outlines of ancient deities, Nabataean paving stones and eerie flights of steps leading nowhere. As the Siq descends, it closes in and at its deepest, darkest point unexpectedly opens out on Petra’s most thrilling monument – the Treasury (see pp228–9).
Djinn Blocks In Arab folklore these carved blocks, of which Petra has 26, house djinn (spirits). They may have been tower tombs.
Obelisk Tomb and Bab el-Siq Triclinium Two rock-cut tombs on the way to the Siq stand one above the other. They seem to be one complex but are, in fact, separate. The upper, probably earlier, Obelisk Tomb shows Egyptian inspiration. The lower structure, known as the Bab el-Siq Triclinium (funerary dining chamber), is a superb illustration of the Nabataean Classical style (see p229).
A votive niche, to one side of the remains of the monumental arch supports, was reached by steps.
From the Ticket Gate, through the Siq, to the Treasury It is about 1.5 km (nearly 1 mile) from the ticket gate to the end of the Siq. The route follows the course of a wadi which runs through the Siq and into the city. As the Siq descends, almost imperceptibly, it becomes deeper and narrower. At its narrowest point, the walls are only 1 m (3 ft) apart. Treasury
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Nabataean Pavements The Siq was probably paved by the Nabataeans in the 1st century AD. Substantial stretches of this paving can still be seen. Next to the most extensive stretch is the Niche Monument Water Channels (see below). The water channels were part of a sophisticated system of water conservation and flood prevention devised by the Nabataeans.
The Niche Monument Carved into a freestanding rock, a quarter of the way along the Siq, is a small Classical shrine. Within the niche are two Djinn blocks, one of which has eyes and a nose.
The remains of the supports of the monumental arch consist of a carved niche flanked by pilasters.
Johann Ludwig Burckhardt
Entrance to the Siq In ancient times, the Siq was entered via a monumental arch. It fell in 1896, leaving only traces of its supporting structures.
View of the Treasury The first breathtaking glimpse of the Treasury is when its pink-hued, finely chiselled façade suddenly appears through a chink in the dark, narrow walls of the Siq. It is a moment filled with powerful contrasts.
In 1812, after lying hidden for more than 500 years to all except local Arabs, Petra was rediscovered by an explorer called Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. The son of a Swiss colonel in the French army, he was an outstanding student with a thirst for adventure. In 1809 he was contracted Burckhardt in the disguise he by a London-based assumed to enter Petra association to explore the “interior parts of Africa”. Three years later, after intense study of Islam and Arabic, he disguised himself as a Muslim scholar, took the name Ibrahim ibn Abdullah and set out for Egypt. On his way through Jordan, however, he was lured by tales of a lost city in the mountains. To get there, he had to persuade a guide to take him. Using the pretence that he wanted to offer a sacrifice to the Prophet Aaron, he became the first modern Westerner to enter Petra. For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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From the Treasury to the Theatre Set deep in the rock and protected by the valley walls, the magnificent 1st-century-BC Treasury creates a formidable first impression of Petra. As its design had no precedent in the city, it is thought that architects from the Hellenistic Near East were brought in to create it. From the Treasury the path leads into the Outer Siq, lined on both sides with tombs of all sizes, some half buried by risen ground levels. At the end of the Outer Siq, in the midst of this great necropolis, is the Classical Theatre. Started by the Nabataeans and possibly added to by the Romans, it was a project requiring advanced engineering skills. Treasury Tholos The central figure may be the Petran fertility goddess El-Uzza. Bullet marks in the tholos and urn have been made over the years by Bedouin attempting to release hidden treasure.
The Outer Siq From the Treasury to the Theatre, tombs display a range of intermediate design styles. One, freestanding, uniquely combines Classical features with a crowstep used as a battlement.
The Outer Siq The artwork above shows some of the major constructions on the left-hand side of the Outer Siq as you walk from the Treasury to the Theatre. In reality, of course, the route bends and twists and on both the left and right sides are a great number of other tombs and features of architectural interest that could not be included. For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
Treasury Interior A colossal doorway dominates the outer court (left) and leads to an inner chamber of 12 sq m (130 sq ft). At the back of the chamber is a sanctuary with an ablution basin, suggesting that the Treasury was in fact a temple.
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The Architecture of Petra
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Multiple crowstep
The Nabataeans were adventurous architects, inspired by other cultures but always creating a distinctive look. The multiple crowstep can be seen as a design of the first settlers, whereas complex Nabataean Classical buildings reflect a later, cosmopolitan Petra. However, the dating of façades is very difficult, as many examples of the simple “early” style appear to have been built during the Classical period or even later. Nabataean concave “horned” capitals, resting on “cushions”
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Single-divide crowstep, lending height
This early design, seen in the Streets of Façades, was probably Assyrian-inspired. Fragments of the once brightly painted plaster pediments have been found. Slot for primitive plaster pediment
Hellenistic broken pediment
Stacked look, favoured by Nabataeans
This intermediate style, seen frequently in Petra, replaced multiple crowsteps with a huge single-divide crowstep, adding Classical cornices and pillars and Hellenistic doorways. This style continued well into the 1st century AD.
Nabataean Classical designs, such as the Bab el-Siq Triclinium (above), are complex, possibly experimental fusions of Classical and native styles. Theatre Vaults For access, there were tunnels either side of the stage. Inside (right) these were dressed with painted plaster or marble.
KEY 1 The vertical footholds may have been to aid the sculptors. 2 Mounted figures of Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus, flank the portico. 3 The eagle was the symbol of the Nabataean male deity. 4 “Attic” burial chambers were a device to protect the dead from animals and tomb robbers. 5 The single-divide crowstep was a design devised by the Nabataeans to complement the Classical cornice. 6 Stairway to High Place of Sacrifice (see pp234–5) 7 To the Streets of Façades
Streets of Façades Carved on four levels, these tightly packed tombs may include some of Petra’s oldest façades. Most are crowned with multiple crowsteps.
8 Tomb façades were cut away when the rear wall of the Theatre was being made, leaving just the interiors. 9 The stage wall would have hidden the auditorium from the Outer Siq.
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The Royal Tombs Carved into the base of El-Khubtha mountain, a short detour to the right at the point where the Outer Siq opens out on to Petra’s central plain, are the Urn, Corinthian and Palace Tombs. They are collectively known as the Royal Tombs, their monumental size suggesting they were built for wealthy or important people, possibly Petran kings or queens. These tombs and their neighbours are also remarkable for the vivid striations of colour rippling through their sandstone walls, an effect heightened in the warm glow of the late afternoon sun. Particularly striking are the Silk Tomb and the ceiling inside the Urn Tomb.
Palace Tomb The largest of all the Royal Tombs, the Palace Tomb had a grandiose façade on five levels, which was taller than the rock into which it was carved. The upper levels, since collapsed, had to be built up using large blocks of stone.
The Royal Tombs First in the sequence of Royal Tombs is the towering Urn Tomb (far right), reached by a stairway. Its name refers to a relatively tiny urn on top. Further along is the badly eroded Corinthian Tomb, which seems to be modelled largely on the Treasury, and beyond that the Palace Tomb, thought to be based on Nero’s Golden House in Rome.
KEY 1 Of the four inner chambers, only the middle two connect. 2 The Silk Tomb gets its name from the beautiful streaks of yellow, grey, pink and brown, caused by wind and water erosion, which ripple across the walls and give them the appearance of shot silk. 3 The central aperture contains a badly worn statue of a man wearing a toga. 4 Three burial chambers are carved high in the façade.
Panoramic view of the Royal Tombs from the direction of the ruined city
Corinthian Tomb There is no doubt that this was an important tomb in its day, but its design has baffled archaeologists because of its lack of symmetry. The doorways, each in a different style, are a clear illustration of this.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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The Nabataeans The Nabataeans were a people whose original homeland lay in northeastern Arabia and who migrated westward in the 6th century BC, settling eventually in Petra. As merchants and entrepreneurs, they grasped the lucrative potential of Petra’s position on the spice and incense trade routes from East Asia and Arabia to the Mediterranean. By the 1st century BC they had made Petra the centre of a rich and powerful kingdom, extending from Damascus in the north to Leuke Kome in the south, and had built a city large enough to support 20–30,000 people. Key to their success was their ability to control and conserve water. Conduits and the Sculpted head, remains of terracotta piping can be seen along the walls of the Outer Siq – part of an elaborate possibly of a priest system for channelling water around the city. The Romans felt threatened by their achievements and took over the city in AD 106. Although the Nabataeans ceased to be an identifiable political group, Petra continued to thrive culturally for a time. In the end the Greek (left) and Nabataean pottery transfer of trade from land to sea and two devastating earthquakes vessels found at Petra in the 4th and 8th centuries AD brought about the city’s demise.
Urn Tomb Interior In AD 447 the Urn Tomb was turned into a church and two of the four recesses in the back wall were combined to make an apse. A Greek inscription records the consecration.
Urn Tomb Arches Two levels of arches support the large terrace in front of the Urn Tomb. Their appearance earned them a place in Bedouin folklore as sinister dungeons underneath a law court.
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The City of Petra Just past the Theatre, the Outer Siq opens out into a wide plain. The ruins of the city of Petra are in the middle of this vast basin, and the path alongside the Wadi Musa leads down to the site. Today, fragmented remains of the main street and a few nearby buildings are almost all that is left of the great city that once filled the valley. The grand Roman-style Cardo would have been Petra’s main artery, fringed with markets and leading to the city’s most sacred temple, the Masr el-Bint. This building, like all the important buildings around the Cardo, would have been lavishly decorated. Traces of ornate plasterwork and marble veneer can still be seen on its walls and steps.
View of the ancient city of Petra from a point just past the Theatre
The Monastery (see p234)
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Modern Museum Among the exhibits are a marble basin with lioness handles found in Petra Church and a small carved plaque of the Nabataean goddess al-Uzza (left) found in the Great Temple.
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Qasr el-Bint el-Faroun The name “Palace of the Pharaoh’s Daughter” was a colourful invention of Bedouin mythology. The 1st-century-BC building was probably Petra’s main temple, the huge slab of stone at the foot of the steps being an altar to the sun god Dushara, chief deity of the Nabataean pantheon.
KEY 1 The small El-Habis Crusader Fortress, as its name suggests, was built by the Crusaders. While they were here, they also used the Qasr el-Bint as a stable. 2 The Old Museum is in a rockcut tomb built, unusually for Petra, with windows. It houses a collection of statuary. 3 Altar
b om ’s T 5) n ro Aa e p23 (se
4 Small temple 5 Lower market 6 Royal Palace 7 The Ridge Church 8 Northern city walls 9 Byzantine tower 0 The Nymphaeum was a grand public drinking fountain built where the Wadi Musa and the Wadi Mataha converge. q Shrine w Upper market e Roman house r Southern city walls
Temenos Gate The imposing entrance to the sacred precinct of Qasr el-Bint had freestanding columns in front of its three massive, possibly metal-clad wooden doors. It probably dates from after the Roman annexation. The carvings of animal deities on its capitals are a Nabataean slant on an otherwise Classical design.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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Temple of the Winged Lions The name refers to the winged lions on the column capitals. It is also known as the Temple of al-Uzza as it may have been dedicated to this deity. The temple’s monumental entrance was reached by a bridge across the Wadi Musa. Fragments of plaster painted with dolphins and floral garlands suggest rich interior decoration. Petra Church Superbly detailed 6th-century-AD mosaics adorn the aisles of this once large Byzantine basilica. A cache of 152 scrolls found here revealed details of daily life in Byzantine Petra.
Royal Tombs (see p230); Tomb of Sextius Florentinus (see p235)
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Theatre and Treasury (see pp228–9)
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Great Temple The grand entrance to this 1st-century-BC site led into a colonnaded lower precinct laid with hexagonal paving stones. Under the floor were extensive water ducts. Great stairways swept up to a 600-seat auditorium, of uncertain function. The decor was red-and-white stucco.
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The Roman Cardo The colonnades give the city’s main street a Roman feel. They are thought to have been added after the Romans annexed Petra in AD 106. The street has been partly restored by Jordan’s Department of Antiquities.
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Other Sites Around Petra Many of Petra’s most famous sights can be visited in half a day. However, having come so far, it would be a pity not to explore more of this unique capital of a vanished civilization. A full day is enough to do the basic route from the ticket gate to the ancient city (see pp232–3), taking in the Royal Tombs (see pp230–31), and to include a walk to either the Monastery or the High Place of Sacrifice. Two days will enable you to do the basic route and both excursions and leave you with time to explore the area around the Tomb of Sextius Florentinus. Of the more distant sights, Little Petra can be visited in a day, while two days should be allowed for Aaron’s Tomb.
The Classical-style façade of the Lion Triclinium, located in a narrow side canyon
Walk to the Monastery Just beyond the Qasr el-Bint (see p232) a path crosses the Wadi Musa. It leads past the Forum Restaurant to the start of an arduous but thoroughly worthwhile climb to one of Petra’s most awe-inspiring and best-preserved monuments – the Monastery. The path, which cuts through the wadi, is paved in parts and features more than 800 rock-cut steps. The afternoon, when the sun is not directly in front, is the best time to do this walk. A short detour off the main route, indicated by a Department of Antiquities signpost, leads to the Lion Triclinium. This monument, with the peculiar keyhole effect in the façade, caused by erosion, has blurred leonine representations of the goddess al-Uzza guarding its entrance. Its largely Classical façade has unusually ornate Nabataean features, such as “horned” capitals with floral scrollwork. After this, the path to the Monastery rises steeply. There
are occasional flights of steps through the winding and narrowing gorge, and several interesting carved monuments along the way. Finally, the path slips between two boulders and drops on to a wide, oncecolonnaded, rock-cut terrace. Immediately to the right is the Monastery, Petra’s most colossal temple, dedicated to the deified king, Obodas I, who died in 86 BC. Although it resembles the Treasury (see pp228–9), it was never as ornate, even when statues adorned its niches. Its simple, powerful architecture, thought to date from the 1st century AD, is seen by many as the quintessential Nabataean Classical design (see p229). The interior has one large chamber with an arch-topped niche where the altar stood. It came to be known as the Monastery because of the many Christian crosses carved on its walls.
High Place of Sacrifice: the round altar with the main altar behind
Walk to the High Place of Sacrifice Midway between the Treasury and the Theatre, a rock-cut stairway, marked at the start by several djinn blocks (see p226), leads to the top of Jebel Attuf mountain. It is here, at 1,035 m (3,000 ft), that one of the bestpreserved of Petra’s many places of sacrifice is located. The ascent, while gradual, requires stamina and a good head for heights, and is best attempted in the early morning. The first part of the summit is a large terrace with two 6-m (20-ft) stone obelisks, possibly fertility symbols. The second, reached by a northwards scramble past the ruins of a small Nabataean building, is another plateau. Here, just beyond a rock-cut cistern, is the High Place of Sacrifice. In the centre of a large courtyard is a low offering table. Steps at the far end lead up to the main altar, which has a rectangular indentation in the top. The adjacent round altar has a basin with a carved channel, quite possibly for draining the blood of animal and human sacrifices. The nearby cisterns may have been used for ritual ablutions. The path winding down the other side of Jebel Attuf into the Wadi Farasa valley is a spectacular stepped The Monastery’s massive tholos, crowned with an urn
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
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Beautifully carved interior of the Triclinium, unusual for Petra
descent, sometimes with sheer drops. The first thing you see, carved into the rock face, is the Lion Monument, representing the goddess al-Uzza. It was originally a fountain, perhaps for pilgrims to the High Place, with water pouring from the lion’s mouth. Water channels and the shape of the lion’s head and legs can still be seen. Thereafter, the path becomes a series of steps leading to the delightfully secluded Garden Triclinium. The tomb takes its name from the surrounding greenery. On top of the tomb is a large cistern. Further along, to the left, is the Tomb of the Roman Soldier, so called because of the remains in one of the façade niches of a figure wearing the uniform of a high-ranking Roman officer. Although Classical, the façade has Nabataean “horned” capitals on top of the pillars. Opposite is the façadeless Triclinium, thought have been part of the Roman Soldier Tomb complex. It has the only carved interior in Petra and its niches, fluted half columns and cornice are superbly enhanced by the amazing bands of colour running through the walls and ceiling. Further down the track is the relatively plain Broken Pediment Tomb, named after its most striking feature. Nearby is the elegant Renaissance Tomb, with the three urns above its arched entrance. Similar in style to the Tomb of Sextius Florentinus, it may date from the same period. Past this point the Wadi Farasa widens and the descent ends in the main valley, not far from the Qasr el-Bint (see p232).
Aaron’s Tomb This site is venerated by Muslims, Christians and Jews as the place where Moses’s brother Aaron was buried. The white dome of the shrine can be seen from the High Place of Sacrifice, which may be a close enough viewing for most people. The journey there involves a threehour ride on horseback and a hard three-hour climb to the top of Petra’s highest peak – Jebel Haroun. For those determined to go, a guide and adequate supplies are essential.
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The lonely mountaintop shrine of Aaron’s Tomb, Petra’s holiest place Tomb with Armour. Local Christians were probably responsible for the many crosses etched into the walls.
Little Petra Tomb of Sextius Florentinus This northern suburb of Petra, Beyond the Palace Tomb Siq el-Berid, has come to be (see p230), along a track skirting known as Little Petra because the cliff, stands the Tomb of it is like a miniature version of the main city. Situated 8 km Sextius Florentinus. Despite (5 miles) north of Wadi Musa its badly eroded north-facing town, it is most easily reached façade, the beautiful and by taxi. The journey unusual details of its on foot, north design are clearly along the Wadi Abu visible. Above its Ullayqa, which starts entrance is a Latin just past the Qasr inscription listing el-Bint, is hard, but the positions held by rewarding. A guide Florentinus up to his is essential. last post as Governor Little Petra seems of Arabia in AD 127. to have been a Further north is the largely residential Carmine Façade with its vivid striations of Detail from ceiling of the settlement, as relatively few red, blue and grey. Painted House tombs have Continuing alongside the Wadi Mataha brings you to a been discovered here. It may well have been where Petra’s rock-cut complex known as the wealthy merchants had their House of Dorotheos because homes. Just outside its Siqof two Greek inscriptions found like entrance, which was once here. On the other side of the controlled by a gate, are a large wadi is a cluster of homes cistern and a Classical temple. and tombs known as Mughar The gorge, shorter than el-Nasara, including the fine the one leading into Petra, contains a simple temple. As you emerge from the quiet of the gorge into the town, the incredible profusion of façades is overwhelming, with houses, temples and cisterns carved into every exposed rock face. Flights of steps shoot off in all directions, evoking images of a bustling urban centre. One of Little Petra’s main attractions is the Painted House, with its plaster ceiling and walls delightfully decorated with flowers, vines, bunches of grapes, Eros with his bow Tomb of Sextius Florentinus, Roman and Pan playing his pipes. governor of the province of Arabia
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Wadi Rum
The desert landscape of Wadi Rum is one of the most awe-inspiring sights in the entire Middle East. Huge ochre-coloured rock pinnacles, weathered into bulbous, outlandish shapes, rise up 600 m (2,000 ft) from the flat valley floors, like islands in a sea of red sand. Hundreds of hiking and climbing routes wind their way up and around the many peaks. This area was once on a major trade route, and evidence of settlement here includes ruins of a temple built by the Nabataeans (see p231) and carvings and inscriptions left later by the Thamuds. Today the region, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is still inhabited by semi-nomadic Bedouin tribes.
Aqaba Petra
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. Lawrence’s Spring Not far from Rum village, this tranquil spring was described by TE Lawrence as “a paradise just 5 feet square”. A Nabataean-built water channel can be seen nearby.
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Rum Village The main settlement is a rapidly growing Bedouin village. The Rest House on the outskirts offers spartan accommodation and simple meals.
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Khazali Canyon This steep defile is dotted with Thamudic inscriptions. It is possible to scramble 200 m (656 ft) into the canyon, starting on a ledge to the right.
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KEY 1 Nabataean Temple 2 Abu Aina camp site 3 Jebel Burdah rock bridge is spectacularly situated and can be reached via a moderately difficult climb.
Key Road Walk Hike/scramble Four-wheel-drive/camel track
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
PETRA AND WESTERN JORDAN
Rock Map at Jebel Amud In a cave 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Rum is a rock marked with indentations and lines. It is thought by some to be a topographical map of the area, dating from around 3000 BC.
Diseh Jebel Amud
Practical Information Road map C7. 30 km (19 miles) SE of the Desert Highway (Route 53). Turn off 45 km (28 miles) N of Aqaba. & 8 advisable for visiting the desert. Jeeps, camels and guides available at the Rest House or in Rum village. Rest House: Tel (03) 201 8867. -
Seven Pillars of Wisdom This spectacular peak, also known as Jebel Makhras, is named after TE Lawrence’s famous book, not, as is often suggested, vice versa. Wadi Siq Makhras, just to the south, provides hiking access to Wadi Umm Ishrin and beyond.
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Jebel Barrah This large outcrop, seen here at its northern end, flanks beautiful Barrah Canyon, which is a stunning hike best negotiated from the south.
Jebel Burdah
Lawrence of Arabia, the most famous British hero of World War I, earned his nickname for his exploits fighting alongside the Arab tribes that revolted against Turkish rule in 1915. Sent to Mecca in 1916 to liaise with leaders of the revolt, he then led many Arab guerrilla operations in the desert, including attacks on the Hejaz Railway, some launched from Wadi Rum. He also took part in the capture of Aqaba and the advance on Damascus. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, his account of the Arab Revolt, contains lyrical descriptions of the dramatic scenery around Wadi Rum.
.Jebel Umm Fruth Rock Bridge This dramatic natural phenomenon is one of several rock bridges in the area. It rises straight from the desert floor and can be climbed and crossed without difficulty.
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Exploring Wadi Rum There are essentially two main ways to explore the desert of Wadi Rum: through a combination of jeep and hiking, or by camel trekking. Jeeps allow you to travel further and faster, but the more traditional means of transport will bring you much closer to the stillness of the desert. Either way, make sure you carry lots of water and avoid travelling during the midday heat, especially in summer. For contact details of companies organizing Wadi Rum expeditions, see page 289. the small oasis known as “Lawrence’s Spring” and the narrow siq (gorge) of Khazali Canyon. Other noteworthy attractions include the Nabataean inscriptions and petroglyphs of Anfaishiyya, the natural rock bridge of Jebel Umm Fruth and the various “sunset sites”, which are all ideal places to witness the changing afternoon colours of the desert rocks. Jeeps, the best way to cover large distances quickly in Wadi Rum
Jeep Tours A wide range of jeep tour options is posted at the main reception gate, 7 km (4.5 miles) before Rum village. If you have not pre-arranged a trip, you will be allocated a driver here. It is possible to join up with other travellers to share the cost of a jeep. There are two main areas to explore: the main southern section of Wadi Rum and the less-visited northern scenery closer to the village of Diseh. The most popular destinations include the striking red sand dunes of Jebel Umm Ulaydiyya,
Hiking Many of the best trips offer a combination of jeep travel and hiking. The 5-km (3-mile) stroll through the towering walls of Barrah Canyon is a favourite option. Some hikes require a guide, such as the excellent hourlong scramble up to the Jebel Burdah rock bridge and the exciting half-day hike through labyrinthine Rakhabat Canyon. Most trips require jeep transport to get you to the start of the hike. The only walk you can really do by yourself is from the visitor centre east to Makharas Canyon and back; take a guide if you are unsure of your route-finding skills.
Hikers taking a break with their Bedouin guides For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp262–3 and pp274–5
Tourists on a camel-trek through the canyons of the Wadi
Adventure Activities An excellent alternative to making arrangements on the spot is to arrange a more active itinerary in advance with one of Wadi Rum’s excellent Bedouin guides. Most can arrange jeep and overnight trips but you’ll need a specialist for climbing or canyoning. Overnight trips that combine a jeep excursion, camel ride and some rock scrambling are very popular. Camel trekking is fun but the pace is slow and can be highly uncomfortable after a couple of hours. Still, it is undeniably the best way to get a feel of the desert in classic “Lawrence” fashion. The three-day ride from Wadi Rum south to Aqaba is a challenging adventure. Horse riding is possible on the periphery of the park, as is mountain biking over the desert flats. It is well worth fitting in an overnight at a Bedouin camp during your visit. The larger fixed camps can be touristy but are fun nonetheless. The smaller ones shift location regularly and offer a more authentic, but also more basic, experience. The food is generally excellent; you may get to try mensaf (a Bedouin dish of lamb and rice) or, if you are lucky, a “Bedouin barbecue” – meat slow-cooked in a desert oven called a zerb. Reclining by an open fire, gazing at the stars and sipping a mint tea in the stillness of the desert is perhaps the quintessential Wadi Rum experience.
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Aqaba
Road map B7. * 62,000. k @ n El-Koornish St (next to the Fort), (03) 201 3363.
The only Jordanian outlet to the sea, Aqaba is a very important commercial port town. The relentless stream of heavy trucks going to and coming from Amman along the Desert Highway is clear evidence of this. South of the town however, away from the busy port, the crystal clear waters are home to fabulous coral reefs. These are the main reason for Aqaba’s popularity with visitors, as they offer some of the best scuba diving in the world. Closer to the shore, many other types of water sports also help to provide escape from the extreme summer heat. Large sandy beaches stretch out along the coast, bounded by modern hotels, and the steep mountains behind form a spectacular natural backdrop. Aqaba’s long and glorious past also provides it with some notable archaeological sites to visit. It is thought to be close to the site of biblical EzionGeber, the large port which is said to have been built by King Solomon. Its existence has, however, yet to be proved. The town’s deep freshwater springs ensured that Aqaba became a popular caravan stop for merchants travelling between Egypt, the Mediterranean coast and Arabia. By the 2nd century BC, the now prosperous town had fallen under the control of the
Ruins of the old fortified Islamic town of Ayla, in modern Aqaba
Nabataeans (see p231). Such features material from the digs, prosperity saw it conquered as well as illustrating the history by the Romans in AD 106, and of Aqaba. later the Muslims in AD 630. The other main archaeological Under Muslim control, Aqaba site in Aqaba is the Mameluke became an important stage Fort, set between the palm on the pilgrimage to Mecca, trees on La Côte Verte. Built and the Muslims built the in the 16th century, its portal fortified town of Ayla nearby now bears the coat-of-arms of the Hashemites, to the north. After placed there suffering a major after Lawrence earthquake in of Arabia’s troops 748, the town conquered the was rebuilt, and port during thrived with an World War I. increasing sea The fort also trade. Following Sign to Aqaba Aquarium served as a another earthquake caravanserai for hundreds in 1068 however, and then of years, and some restored the Crusader conquests of rooms pay testament to this the 12th century, the city was more peaceful role. finally abandoned. You can visit the ruins at the Ayla digs, next By going west past the industrial to the coastal Corniche road. port and just beyond the ferry Much of the foundations of passenger terminal you will walls, towers and a series come to the small Aqaba Marine of buildings still remain. The Science Station Aquarium. This contains a collection of the most Archaeological Museum, important species of the varied next to the tourist office, flora and fauna in the Gulf of Aqaba, including moray eels and deadly stonefish. It also displays information on the campaign to protect the Red Sea. E Archaeological Museum
El-Koornish St (next to Fort). Tel (03) 201 9063. Open 8am–4pm daily. & 7 + Mameluke Fort
La Côte Verte. Tel (03) 201 9063. Closed for renovation. & 7 O Aquarium
South Coast (near ferry terminal). Tel (03) 201 5145. Open 7:30am– 3:30pm daily. & 7
Sailing boats anchored in the Gulf of Aqaba
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THE RED SEA AND SINAI Once coveted by Egypt’s pharaohs for its reserves of turquoise, copper and gold, Sinai is now equally prized by tourists for its white, palm-fringed sands and the limpid waters of the Red Sea, rich with marine life. Its close association with key episodes from the Old Testament also makes the Sinai’s mountainous interior an area of deep religious significance for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. The Sinai peninsula forms a triangle between the gulfs of Aqaba and Suez, two finger-like extremities of the Red Sea. Although the whole of Sinai is Egyptian territory, Israel and Jordan also have small stretches of Red Sea coast at Eilat and Aqaba respectively. The word “Sinai” probably derives from “Sin”, the moon god worshipped in Egypt under the pharaohs. But the region is better known through the Bible as the “great and terrible wilderness” negotiated by Moses and his people in their epic 40-year journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It’s here that God supposedly first spoke to Moses through the medium of a burning bush and here, on Mount Sinai, that Moses received the Ten Commandments. The peninsula has
been crossed by countless armies, including that of the Israelis, who held the region from 1967 to 1982, when it was returned to Egypt under the terms of the Camp David peace treaty. In the years since then, tourism has boomed as southern Sinai and the peninsula’s eastern coast have been developed with all-inclusive resorts, such as Sharm el-Sheikh. But the wilderness is far from tamed. Inland Sinai remains virtually uninhabited, with barren mountains sheltering hidden oases such as Feiran, with its thousands of date palms. More dramatic still are the underwater landscapes of the Red Sea, where vast coral reefs provide a home for more than 1,000 species of marine life, making for one of the world’s richest dive sites.
Divers filming at Eilat’s Dolphin Reef The incredible Coloured Canyon in Sinai
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Exploring the Red Sea and Sinai Most visitors head for where the mountains and desert meet the clear cool waters of the Red Sea; specifically, Eilat, Aqaba and, most picturesque of all, the Sinai peninsula’s east coast. Its string of modern resorts, while uninteresting in themselves, are set against a backdrop of extraordinary natural beauty. Nuweiba, Dahab, Naama Bay and Sharm el-Sheikh are the largest and most well-developed tourism centres, but there are many smaller, more private beach retreats. St Catherine’s Monastery can be visited as a day trip.
Aqaba, with a typical Red Sea scene of beach, palms and looming mountains
Sights at a Glance 1 Taba
Wadi el Biyar
2 Nuweiba
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3 Dahab 4 Sharm el-Sheikh
Ain Khudra Oasis
5 Ras Muhammad
National Park Monastery pp250–52 7 Mount Sinai 8 Feiran Oasis
Suez
Ras Sharatib
EGYPT
Feiran di Wa
Gebel Banat 1511m
Gebel Umm Ri' 1312m
Gebel Serbal 2073m
Blue Desert
ST CATHERINE’S MONASTERY Gebel Katarina 2642m
Mir di Wa
Gebel Giddat el 'Ila 2207m
El Tur iI
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Ras Abu Suweira
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Gibeil
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MOUNT SINAI
ha la Gebel el Thabt 2438m Gebel Sabbagh 2266m
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The coastal roads are good and the main resorts can be reached by car. Travelling in the Sinai interior is trickier, especially as foreigners are not permitted to stray off the main roads. Organized hikes or camel trips are perhaps the best options for those wanting to explore the desert. Buses serve coastal locations, as well as some places in the interior such as St Catherine’s Monastery. Israeli and Jordanian visas and Sinai passes can be obtained at the borders (see pp292–3).
Gebel Feirani 1685m
Sinai
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Getting Around
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
Ab Natu
i el Sheikh Wad
FEIRAN OASIS
St Catherine’s Monastery, an ancient walled retreat in the Sinai Desert
harba iG ad W
N a b q N a t i o n a l Pa r k
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Nabq Gebel Sahara 1459m
Ras Garra
Ras Kanisa
Naama Bay
SHARM EL-SHEIKH RAS MUHAMMAD NATIONAL PARK Ras Muhammad
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Ras el Naqb Eilat
TABA
Coloured Canyon
W ad
Wadi el Biyar
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The Sinai Desert, where only the hardiest forms of life survive, such as camels and acacia trees
Ain Khudra Oasis
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Abu Galum Nature Reserve
Key Major road
Gebel Umm Ri' 1312m
Minor road Four-wheel-drive track Ras Abu Galum
Blue Desert
MOUNT SINAI
Scenic route International border Summit
Gebel Feirani 1685m
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Gulf
l Sabbagh 2266m
N a b q N a t i o n a l Pa r k
el Thabt 2438m
Aqab
Sinai
Nabq Gebel Sahara 1459m
Naama Bay
SHARM EL-SHEIKH
MUHAMMAD ATIONAL PARK Ras Muhammad
The underwater scenery and marine life of the Red Sea, which is every bit as stunning as the desert and mountain landscapes above
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The Coral Reefs of the Red Sea The Coral Reef is one of the richest ecosystems on earth. Visitors to the Red Sea cannot but marvel at the contrast between the barren, almost lifeless desert and the explosion of marine life on the coastal reefs. The waters are so clear that View of lagoon and the shallow waters even from the surface you can appreciate the huge diversity covering the reef-top of species inhabiting the reefs. Scuba divers can use the The edge of the reef is the best facilities of the many diving centres along the coast (see place for snorkellers to appreciate pp286–9). Remember that a reef is an extremely fragile and its wealth of marine life. threatened environment and divers should look but not touch.
The lagoon teems with small colourful fish, including the fry of species found on the reef beyond.
Moray eel, emerging from its reef-wall lair
The clown fish protects itself from the sea anemone’s stinging tentacles with a layer of mucus, using its host as a refuge from predators and for laying its eggs.
School of flag basslets, a very common species in the Red Sea
Manta rays are harmless plankton-eaters. Growing up to 6 m (20 ft) across, they are most common in open water or where there are strong currents. Alcyonarians, brightly coloured soft corals
Corals, the Architects of the Reef Corals are animals, colonies of polyps, which require very precise conditions of water temperature and sunlight to grow. They take many forms – from hard rock-like corals, such as Acropora species, to the horny gorgonians which project from the reef into the current to feed on microorganisms, to various soft corals. Most reefs are built over many thousands of years from the skeletons of hard corals. The sea fan is a horny coral, whose polyps emerge at nights to feed.
Gorgonians filtering the water for plankton
An Acropora growing in still, shallow water
Feathery red plume of Klunzinger’s soft coral
Jacks are usually seen in large schools in open water, but large solitary individuals will visit the reef.
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The reef wall,
which plunges down to depths of 80 m (260 ft) or more, is home to an immense variety of corals, fish, crustaceans, sponges and many other forms of marine life.
Shortnose blacktail shark
Sea turtles are quite easy to spot in spring and autumn, especially between the Strait of Tiran and Ras Muhammad. They avoid the noisier, more developed stretches of the coast. Coiled-wire coral
Despite their huge size, humphead wrasses (or Napoleon fish) feed on snails, crustaceans and small fish. Divers should resist the temptation to give them unsuitable food. Black coral, so called for the colour of its skeleton
The jewel grouper, in common with the many other species of the family found in the Red Sea, prefers relatively shaded parts of the reef, where it preys on smaller fish.
An adult royal angel fish searches for sponges and other food on the reef. The young are more yellow with a large eyespot on the dorsal fin.
Spotted sweetlips are usually found swimming in groups close to the reef wall. The name comes from their large blubbery lips. They make a noise that is clearly audible to divers, hence their other name – grunters.
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Carvings on the Haggar Maktub, in the desert near Nuweiba 1
Taba
oasis, which for centuries was a port for pilgrims going to Mecca. It now has many hotels Since Israel returned ownership and tourist villages. To the north is Nuweiba el-Tarabin, named of the Sinai peninsula to Egypt after the Bedouin in 1982, the small tribe that lives here. coastal town of You can visit the Taba has served ruins of the large as a border post between the two Tarabin fortress, countries. A pleasing built in the 16th stretch of beach century by the is overlooked by Mameluke sultan a five-star hotel. Ashraf el-Ghouri. Just under 20 km The Nuweiba area (12 miles) to the is rich in beaches south is the resort and diving and Bedouin with his camel, of Taba Heights, snorkelling sites. outside Nuweiba which boasts some of Environs the most luxurious hotels in Nuweiba makes a convenient Sinai, as well as an 18-hole starting point for trips to the golf course and a marina. Sinai interior. One of the most There are views from the fascinating is to the Coloured resort across the Red Sea to the Israeli, Jordanian and Canyon, a narrow sculpted Saudi Arabian coastlines. gorge created by water erosion. Between Taba and Taba Its sandstone walls have taken Heights, just offshore is on many hues of yellow, red and ochre due to the slow process of Pharaoh’s Island (or Coral oxidation of the ferrous minerals Island), which is dominated in the rocks. The canyon opening by an impressive Crusader can be reached by car from the fortress. Tickets for the boat across to the island are available Ain Furtaga oasis, about 15 km (9 miles) from Nuweiba on the from the Salah al-Din Hotel road west, and thence by on the coastal road. following the Wadi Nekheil track. Another fascinating trip uses 2 Nuweiba a jeep track from Ain Furtaga through the immense Wadi Road map F6. @ g from Aqaba Ghazala to Wadi Khudra. (Jordan). Midway along the track you Nuweiba lies midway along the will come to the Ain Khudra oasis, a lovely patch of palms Gulf of Aqaba at the side of a promontory and consists of two and tamarisks seemingly wedged between the high, distinct districts. To the south is near vertical, red walls of the the luxuriant Nuweiba Muzeina Road map F5. @
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
canyon. If you continue a little further along the trail you will come to the solitary Haggar Maktub (Rock of Inscriptions). Since the Nabataean period, pilgrims going to Sinai have left graffiti carved on the rock. Heading south from Nuweiba Muzeina along the coast leads you to the Abu Galum Nature Reserve. A maze of narrow wadis penetrates the interior, with an abundance of plants and wildlife, such as foxes, ibexes and hyraxes. The beach at Ras Abu Galum is usually deserted except for a few Bedouin fishermen. 3
Dahab
Road map F6. @
In Arabic the word dahab means “gold”, and the name derives from the sand on the beautiful beaches. The crown of palm trees, the beaches and the light blue sea make this one of the most popular localities in Sinai. It has grown up around the old Bedouin village of Assalah, which still survives today. The many camping sites, simple hotels and beachside restaurants attract an array of mainly independent travellers who lend a raffish air to the town. Many also visit for the worldclass diving sites around Dahab. Among the most famous and dangerous are the “Canyon” and the “Blue Hole”.
Raccoon butterfly fish with diver, off the coast of Dahab in the Gulf of Aqaba
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the desert boasts crystal-clear lagoons and the most northerly mangrove forest in the world, which extends for 4 km (2.5 miles) along the shoreline. The hardy mangroves are able to live in salt water, making this is an extremely important environment, linking land to sea. It is used as a feeding ground by migratory birds, including storks, herons and many species of birds of prey.
Ras Muhammad National Park 5
Four Seasons Resort, one of numerous luxury hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh
Almost entirely surrounded by reef, the Blue Hole drops to a depth of 80 m (260 ft) only a few metres off the shore. Although many sites are for expert scuba divers only, there are still plenty of others suitable for beginners or snorkellers. 4
Sharm el-Sheikh
Road map E7. k @ n Tourist Office, Sharm el-Sheikh, (069) 366 4721.
Until the latter half of the 20th century, the most famous resort in Sinai was only a military airport. Situated on the western side of the Strait of Tiran, Sharm became famous when Egyptian president Nasser decided to block Israeli access to the Red Sea, thus provoking the 1967 War. Under Israeli occupation of Sinai, the first hotels were built and began to attract tourists, especially expert scuba divers. The Sharm el-Sheikh bay is still a military port, but the neighbouring Sharm el-Maiya bay has hotels, shops and small restaurants. Most of the tourist development, however, has focused on Naama Bay, a few kilometres to the north. This is the place that most people actually mean when they talk about Sharm el-Sheikh. It has a long beach with a host of luxury hotels and diving centres. Boats take snorkellers as well as scuba divers out to the open sea. Here, in the Strait of Tiran, you can
Road map E7. 20 km (12.5 miles) S of Sharm el-Sheikh. k @ to Sharm el-Sheikh, then taxi. Open daily. & 8
observe manta rays, sharks, dolphins and, occasionally, On the southern tip of the sea turtles. For those wanting Sinai peninsula, where the to stay above water, tourists are waters of the Gulf of Suez and taken in glass-bottomed boats the Gulf of Aqaba converge, to observe the coral reef from is a park instituted in 1983 above. Other attractions include to protect the incredibly all manner of water sports, plus varied coastal and marine camel treks, quad biking and environment. It includes excursions inland. extensive coral Another spectacular reefs, a lagoon, sight is the long reef mangroves and under the cliffs to the a rugged desert west of the Ras Umm coastline, and there is a series Sidd lighthouse. of well-marked trails Reachable from leading to the most land, here you interesting spots. can admire Gazelle at Ras Muhammad Among the most a forest of National Park beautiful of these is gorgonians, the Ras Muhammad huge Napoleon headland, the southernmost fish and, sometimes, barracuda. point in Sinai. Formed from fossilized corals, the headland Environs is surrounded by beautiful A 29-km (18-mile) journey by jeep along the coast road north reefs. The diving sites are very varied, with both reefs and of Sharm el-Sheikh brings you wrecks to explore. There are to the 600-sq-km (232-sq-mile) also long, sandy beaches and Nabq National Park. This a clifftop “Shark Observatory”. coastal park on the edge of
Entrance to Ras Muhammad National Park
School of anthias fish, likely to be seen during a dive at the isolated Brother Islands in the Red Sea
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St Catherine’s Monastery
A community of Greek Orthodox monks has lived here, in the shadow of Mount Sinai, almost uninterruptedly since the monastery was founded in AD 527 by Byzantine emperor Justinian. It replaced a chapel built in 337 by St Helena, mother of emperor Constantine, at the place where tradition says that Moses saw the Burning Bush. The monastery was named after St Catherine only in the 9th or 10th century, after monks claimed to have found her body on nearby Mount Catherine.
Library The collection of priceless early Christian manuscripts is second only to that in the Vatican Library in Rome.
. Icon Collection Most of the monastery’s 2,000 icons, such as this one of St Theodosia, are kept here. A selection is always on public view in the Basilica, while the most important icons are on display in the Treasury. KEY 1 Round Tower 2 The Walls of Justinian, built in the first half of the 6th century, are part of the complex’s original structure. 3 The Chapel of the Burning Bush stands where it is claimed the miraculous bush seen by Moses originally grew.
The Burning Bush This spiny evergreen is said to be from the same stock as the bush from which Moses heard God’s voice, instructing him to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land.
4 St Stephen’s Well 5 Dispensary 6 The Mosque was created in 1106 by converting a chapel originally dedicated to St Basil. 7 Monks’ quarters 8 The underground cistern was dug to store fresh water from the monastery’s springs. 9 The elevated entrance, reached
by a pulley system, used to be the only access. 0 The Treasury has on display important icons, manuscripts, vestments and works in silver.
. Basilica of the Transfiguration
This magnificently decorated church owes its name to the 6th-century Mosaic of the Transfiguration in the apse. It can be glimpsed behind the gilded iconostasis that dates from the early 17th century.
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
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Bell Tower This was built in 1871. The nine bells were donated by Tsar Alexander II of Russia and are nowadays rung only on major religious festivals.
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VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Practical Information Road map E6. Sinai, 90 km (56 miles) W of Dahab and Nuweiba. Open 9am–noon Mon–Thu & Sat. Closed Greek Orthodox hols. Offerings welcome. Guesthouse: Tel (069) 347 0353. Treasury: & ∑ sinai monastery.com ∑ saint catherinefoundation.org Transport k10 km (6 miles) NE of monastery. @ from Taba, Dahab or Nuweiba to St Catherine’s Village (El-Milga), then taxi. Petrol available at monastery.
To Charnel House & Guesthouse
Monastery Gardens In the orchard lies the cemetery, from which the monks’ bones are periodically exhumed and transferred to the nearby Charnel House.
Visitors’ entrance
St Catherine of Alexandria
Well of Moses One of the monastery’s main water sources, this is also known as the Well of Jethro, as Moses is said to have met his future wife, Jethro’s daughter, here.
St Catherine is one of the most popular of early Christian female saints. Her legend, not recorded before the 10th century, recounts that she was a virgin of noble birth, martyred in Alexandria in the early 4th century. After being tortured on a spiked wheel (hence the Catherine wheel), she was beheaded. Her body was then transported by angels to Sinai, where it was found, uncorrupted, some six A 14th-century painting of centuries later by the St Catherine holding a wheel local monks.
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Exploring St Catherine’s Monastery Fortified by massive curtain walls, the monastery lies at the head of Wadi el-Deir (Valley of the Monastery), surrounded by high, red granite mountains. It is inhabited by about 20 Greek Orthodox monks, who follow the rule of St Basil, and the only buildings normally open to visitors are the Basilica and the Charnel House. Despite this and the constant crowds of pilgrims and tourists, the remote location in the heart of Sinai and spectacular, rugged scenery are awe-inspiring. For the reasonably fit, there are well-marked paths to the top of Mount Sinai and other nearby peaks.
6th-century Mosaic of the Transfiguration decorating the roof of the apse. It shows Christ surrounded by Elijah, Moses and the Disciples John, Peter and James. In the apse, (often closed), on the right, is a marble coffin containing the remains of St Catherine. The Chapel of the Burning Bush, behind the apse and also usually closed to the public, is the holiest part of the monastery. It was built on the site where God is thought to have appeared to Moses for the first time (Exodus 3: 2–4). Tradition says that the bush itself (see p250) was moved outside when the chapel was built. The library has over 3,000 manuscripts in Greek, Coptic, Syriac, Arabic, Georgian, Armenian and Old Slavonic. The oldest is the 5th-century Codex Syriacus, one of the earliest existing copies of the Gospels. St Catherine’s has, uniquely for a Christian monastery, a mosque within its walls. It was built for the Bedouin who worked in the monastery and also as a way of avoiding attacks by the Muslims.
painting to have survived the Iconoclast era (726–843). Among them are a St Peter (5th–6th century), a Christ in Majesty (7th century), both in encaustic painting, and the Ladder of Paradise (7th century). Carved cedar doors, made in the 6th century, lead into the central nave, which contains 12 columns topped by grey granite capitals and hung with icons showing the saints of the months of the year. The marble floor and coffered ceiling are Outside the walls 18th century. The In the gardens (see p251) Rock steps leading to the Gate of Confession on Mount Sinai iconostasis, dating are the monks’ cemetery and from 1612, is by the Chapel of St Triphonius. The a Cretan monk, Jeremiah Inside the monastery the Sinaite. The large figures Entry to the monastery latter’s crypt holds the Charnel represent Christ, the Virgin Mary House containing the bones nowadays is through a small and Saints Michael, Nicholas, postern in the curtain wall, of deceased monks. The robed Catherine and John the Baptist. whose impressive thickness skeleton is that of Stephanos, Behind it can be glimpsed the varies from 1.8–2.7 m (6–9 ft). a 6th-century guardian of exceptionally beautiful Some sections of wall survive the path to Mount Sinai. from the monastery’s origins in the 6th century, but largescale rebuilding took place in the 14th century, after an earthquake, and in 1800, on Napoleon’s orders. The monastery’s Basilica was built in AD 527 with three aisles in typical Byzantine style. Eleventh-century, carved wooden doors open into the narthex (porch), where some of the monastery’s splendid icons, all painted on wood, are displayed. The collection is exceptional for its size and quality, and because it contains the only examples of Byzantine Moses receiving the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, 6th-century wall painting For hotels and restaurants in this region see p263 and p275
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Feiran Oasis
Road map E6. Sinai, 60 km (37 miles) W of St Catherine’s Monastery.
Chapel of the Holy Trinity on the summit of Mount Sinai 7
Mount Sinai
Road map E6. Sinai, 90 km (56 miles) W of Dahab and Nuweiba.
According to tradition, Mount Sinai (Gebel Musa, the Mountain of Moses) is the biblical Mount Horeb, where Moses spent 40 days and received the Ten Commandments (Exodus 24). Two paths climb to the 2,286-m (7,500-ft) summit from behind the monastery, both requiring three hours’ walking. The route said to have been taken by Moses is the most tiring as it consists of 3,700 rock steps called the Steps of Repentance. There are several votive sites along the way. A cypress-shaded plain, 700 steps below the summit, is the so-called Amphitheatre of the Seventy Elders of Israel, where those who accompanied Moses stopped, leaving him to go to the top alone. It is also called Elijah’s Hollow, as Elijah is said to have heard the voice of God here. It contains St Stephen’s Chapel and is where people spending the night on the mountain are asked to sleep. This is also where the second, longer but easier, path joins the first. Camels can be hired to this point, but the final 700 steps have to be done on foot. On the summit is the small Chapel of the Holy Trinity (often closed). It was built in 1934 on the ruins of a 4th- to 5th-century church and is said to be where God spoke to Moses from a fiery cloud. Nearby is a small, 12th-century mosque and the cave where
Moses spent the 40 days. The summit offers grandiose views, but is often crowded. If you join the many who go up to see the sunrise or sunset, take a flashlight and warm clothes. The mountain lies at the heart of the St Catherine Protectorate, a conservation area recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is ideal for trekking. One of the longer hikes is to the top of Mount Catherine (Gebel Katarina), Egypt’s highest peak. Angels supposedly transported St Catherine of Alexandria’s body here, away from her torturers’ wheel. Hikers can pick up informative booklets to trails in the area at the Protectorate Office in the nearby village of El-Milga, 3.5 km (2 miles) from St Catherine’s Monastery. All treks must be done with a Bedouin guide, which is also arranged through the office.
This is the largest and most fertile oasis in Sinai, verdant with date palms, tamarisks and cereal fields. Just south of the Bedouin village of adobe houses is a small, modern convent built with stone from the Byzantine bishop’s palace which formerly stood here. The oasis was the earliest Christian site in Sinai. Many chapels already existed here when, in 451, it became the seat of a bishopric. This governed St Catherine’s Monastery until the 7th century, when Feiran’s bishop was deposed for heresy and the city fell into ruin. Excavations have revealed its fortified walls, several churches and many other buildings. Feiran is said to be the place where Joshua defeated the Amalekites (Exodus 17).
Shaded gardens surrounding the convent in the Feiran Oasis
The Bedouin of the Sinai Peninsula In Arabic the word bedu means “desert dwellers” and refers specifically to the nomadic tribes that live in Saudi Arabia, the Negev and Sinai. For centuries the Bedouin have lived in close contact with nature, depending for their livelihood on the breeding of sheep, goats and camels. Those in Sinai descend from the peoples who arrived from the Arabian Peninsula from the 14th to the 17th century. The last 20 years of the 20th century have seen a drastic change in their customs and traditions. Today, about 25,000 Bedouin live in Sinai. Many are still nomadic livestock breeders, while others live in permanent camps in wood and corrugated-iron dwellings, making their living as guides or desert tour operators or by working in large hotels on the coast.
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TRAVELLERS’ NEEDS Where to Stay
256–263
Where to Eat and Drink
264–275
Shops and Markets
276–281
Entertainment in the Holy Land
282–285
Sporting and Specialist Holidays in the Holy Land 286–289
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WHERE TO STAY Jerusalem offers an impressive range of accommodation: from the luxury of the King David and the American Colony hotels, to the plain but welcoming hospices of the various Christian communities, which cater to pilgrims and tourists alike. You will find even more varied options throughout the rest of the region. Across Israel, kibbutz hotels are moderately priced with good facilities and attractive country settings.
Those who want to cater for themselves will find many choices at a range of prices, from rented apartments to excellent youth hostels and camp sites. On both sides of the Dead Sea there are many hotels and health resorts, while along the Red Sea and Sinai coast, large tourist villages offer water sports at surprisingly reasonable rates. The listings on pages 260–63 give details on a selection of accommodation to suit every budget.
one room. In Jewish areas, many hotels are classed as kosher, and they observe the main Jewish religious laws. These have synagogues, kosher restaurants and automatic lifts which can be used during the Shabbat rest. Larger hotels and tourist villages by the Red Sea offer private beaches, scuba diving and a range of water sports, while small beach camps in Sinai are basic but extremely cheap. Dead Sea hotels, often more akin to health resorts, are ideal for those in need of pampering, with their therapeutic hot spas. The grand exterior of the 19th-century Austrian Hospice (see p260), Jerusalem
Grading and Facilities There is no official hotel grading system in Israel, although hotels in Jordan do have their own rating system, with the best (four to five stars) being comparable to a standard international hotel. Most Israeli hotels lie within the medium to high price range, with excellent levels of service and amenities. Rooms are normally equipped with air conditioning, televisions and minibars, with other facilities often including fitness centres, pools and business suites. Most hotels also have bars and restaurants, and a large buffet-style breakfast is almost always included in the price of a room. Quite common, especially in Tel Aviv and more rural lodgings, are suites that include a kitchenette. For disabled travellers, most midand high-range hotels have wheelchair access and specially adapted facilities in at least
Prices Compared to Western standards, hotel prices in Israel are usually rather high, although the same level of accommodation and service will cost you significantly less in Jordan and, especially, in Sinai. Hotel rates fluctuate widely, depending on the season and the various Christian, Muslim and Jewish holidays, so make sure to verify the price before booking. The price of a room almost always includes breakfast, but not other extras. In Israel the room price also includes local taxes, although you can avoid the 17 per cent VAT by paying in foreign currency or by credit card. US dollars, especially, are taken almost everywhere, and all major credit cards are accepted. In Jordan and Sinai the situation is slightly different. In the large hotels and tourist villages in Sinai, all costs over and above the basic room price are subject to double taxation if
Diners at a restaurant overlooking the harbour at Old Jaffa
paid together with the final bill, or on credit card. You can avoid this by paying in cash at the time. Also, listed room rates in Sinai and Jordan often exclude tax, which can be as much as 26 per cent, so make sure that you know the final cost. Credit cards are accepted in both Sinai and Jordan, but when using cash, note that while most major currency is taken in Sinai, you can only use dinars in Jordan.
Booking a Hotel During certain periods of the year, such as Christmas and Easter, or during Jewish holidays – Passover, Rosh ha-Shanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth and Hannukah (see pp40– 43) – finding accommodation can be a real problem, especially in Jerusalem. In Israel as a whole, you may also have difficulty finding a room during the hottest months of July and August, as this is the busiest time of year, with many Israelis also taking their own holidays. It is, therefore, always wise to book well in advance, through centralized booking services or directly through hotel websites. The Israel Hotel Association, Kibbutz Hotels Chain, youth hostels and some local bedand-breakfast associations have centralized booking services. The same also applies to many independent hotels and guesthouses. If you do need to make arrangements yourself over the phone, most hotel staff speak good English. Airbnb (www. airbnb.com) is also popular through the entire region, with locals offering rooms for rent.
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Self-Catering
A reception room at the luxurious American Colony hotel (see p260), Jerusalem
Kibbutz Hotels These hotels were first established as a source of supplementary income for the largely agricultural kibbutzim, and are completely separate from the very basic type of accommodation offered to those on kibbutz working holidays (see p288). Located mostly in the country, they are ideally placed for visitors wanting a relaxing rural break or a base near some of the region’s archaeological attractions. Accommodation ranges from plain lodgings offering bed and breakfast, to very comfortable (albeit informal) hotel complexes with restaurants, swimming pools and other facilities. Most of the hotels are members of the Kibbutz Hotel Chain (KHC), which also offers some interesting package tours. Owing to their often remote locations, many kibbutz hotels are not served by public transport and are only convenient if travelling by car. Kibbutz hotels are very popular among Israelis for their own vacations, especially during the Jewish holidays and in July and August. During these times, it is essential to book well in advance. Prices usually range between NIS 350–800 for a double room and breakfast, depending on the type of kibbutz and the season.
to Israel. Always located in rural areas, usually inside kibbutz or moshav communities, zimmers are found close to nature and often near historical attractions. Family-run and on a small scale, they come in many different forms, from simple guest rooms in somebody’s garden to rustic romantic chalets. As they are hugely popular with Israelis for weekend breaks, they usually encompass a jacuzzi and satellite TV, and might have play areas and swimming pools. Kitchenettes come as standard, and breakfasts are optional but tend to be enormous and well worth the price. Rooms cost from around NIS 450 for a simple zimmer mid week, up to NIS 1500 for a luxurious chalet at weekends. The Galilee and the Golan have the highest density of zimmerim, but there is a growing number in the Negev as well. Several websites provide centralized booking for zimmer rooms.
In Jerusalem and throughout the rest of Israel you can find a wide selection of properties to rent, from smart city apartments to luxury country villas. The cost can vary considerably, depending on the type of property you require, but if you are a large family or party, then it is usually much better value when compared to the same length of stay in a hotel. Two of the biggest agents dealing with rented holiday homes in Israel are Isralet and Good Morning Jerusalem.
Christian Hospices and Guesthouses This type of accommodation, mainly in Jerusalem and near the holy sites, is a popular and less expensive alternative to hotels. Clean and simple, they are often centrally located and always include breakfast, with other meals optional. You don’t have to be a practising Christian to lodge at the hospices, but at times the house rules can be quite strict (for example, the doors might be locked at 10 or 11pm). For unmarried couples it may also be difficult to find a double room. Many hospice guesthouses have over the years become bona fide hotels, with their own special charm and character. In these cases prices are slightly higher, although they are still good value when compared to the large hotels.
Zimmers From the Yiddish meaning “room”, zimmers are popular bed-andbreakfast guesthouses peculiar
The terrace of the luxurious King David Hotel overlooking Jerusalem’s Old City (see p260)
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Holiday-makers relaxing on one of the beautiful beaches at Eilat, on the Red Sea coast
Youth Hostels For those on a budget, youth hostels are ideal and often the cheapest places to stay in Israel. They are open to all over 18 years, so you will find a mixture of people staying at them, from young backpackers to older travellers. There are 19 Israel Youth Hostel Association (IYHA) hostels, affiliated to Hostelling International, to choose from. In addition, the independently run ILH – Israel Hostels group offers a high standard of accommodation in interesting villages, big cities and the main sites of tourist interest. ILH – Israel Hostels are often family-run, and members have been selected for their friendliness as well as their excellent facilities. Hostels offer single, double and family rooms as well as the more usual dormitories, with prices starting between NIS 60 and NIS 250 per person. Israeli hostels are generally modern, with decent facilities and clean, simple accommodation. The price includes linen, and in the IYHA hostels it also includes breakfast and free Wi-Fi. In independent hostels you can pay for the room only and be entirely self-catering. If you plan to stay at IYHA hostels for any length of time, you may want to pay for membership. While this is not compulsory, it does entitle you
to preferential rates and gives discounts at some tourist sites. The IYHA can also provide full dinner at most of their hostels, and offers a good fly-drive package and an eight-day Taste of Israel tour.
Field Schools There are ten Field Schools, run by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), that provide accommodation. These are located near some of Israel’s major natural reserves and were established as a way of promoting a better understanding of the country’s natural environment and history through organized educational holidays and summer schools. This is still their main focus, and so they usually host school groups during the week, which can make them noisy places to be, and some in fact only accept independent visitors at the weekend (eg Golan Field School). Even so, they can be a good option for families. The rooms are simple but clean, and all include a private bathroom and air conditioning. Most bedrooms sleep between four and six people, although some doubles and a few dorm rooms are also available. If you are paying on a room-only basis, the cost is generally less than NIS 190 per person. Booking in advance is obligatory.
Camping There are camp sites across Israel for those wanting to spend time under canvas and visit more remote places. A few, run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, are located next to national parks and allow easy access to the sites. Many rural lodgings also provide tented accommodation, often huge structures that can sleep big groups. Prices start from NIS 40 per person, increasing at sites with better facilities. Some places will also hire out tents. In Israel, camping rough is also quite common, particularly in the Galilee and the Golan. Choose a secluded area and leave the site tidy if you want to avoid problems. In the Negev Desert, south of Beersheva, there are designated night camping spots for trekkers. Patrols are made by park rangers to enforce this rule, in order to protect the local wildlife and environment. Places in the West Bank are no-go areas, as are all military and border zones. If in doubt, check first. Also be very aware of your possessions and personal safety, especially if in a remote area and alone. Make sure that you have protection against mosquitoes, and check thoroughly for other unwanted guests, such as scorpions. Camp sites in Jordan and Sinai are much less common, with fewer facilities. They are found
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many with prime beachfront locations, some boasting beautiful architecture, and all offering a full range of facilities, from multiple restaurants and bars to dive and watersports centres. Such is the abundance of accommodation, and with the decrease in tourism since the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, that a little Internet research can throw up some bargain room rates. Peak seasons are during the Muslim feasts of Eid el-Fitr and Eid el-Adha (see p42), around Christmas and especially New Year, and during July and August; at such times you should book ahead. There are hostels in Jordan and Sharm el-Sheikh affiliated to Hostelling International, as well as many cheap hotels that serve the same purpose. Dahab has a huge number of mid-range and budget options that all enjoy a seaside location. Nuweiba and other smaller Sinai
only in some of the more popular national parks and at some Red Sea beaches.
Jordan and Sinai Parts of Sinai and Jordan offer the full spectrum of accommodation. Amman, in particular, has many international fivestar chain hotels, including a Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, Kempinski and Marriott, plus a healthy budget scene in the Downtown district. The choice is less wide at Wadi Musa (for Petra), and given the large number of visitors, it is wise to book in advance, especially in March/April and September/ October (peak times). Elsewhere in Jordan the choice is greatly diminished, although the country is small enough that most sights can be visited from either Amman or Petra. In Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba offer top-class resort hotels,
The rich interior of a room at the Auberge Shulamit (see p261), Israel
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resorts often have simple bamboo-constructed huts for rent on the beach – these are popular with budget travellers.
Recommended Hotels The hotels in this book have been carefully selected and are among the best in the region in their respective categories: luxury, boutique, family-friendly, pilgrim hospice and good-value lodgings. These categories highlight the available options that are unique to Israel, such as rural kibbutz hotels, and accommodation within historic buildings next to the holy sites. The choices reflect the wave of small boutique hotels opening up throughout the region, which provide an alternative to the established luxury of the large five-star chains. Given the generally high price of hotels in Israel, the list emphasizes places offering good value for money, including attractive hostels which provide comfortable private rooms, as well as dormitories. At the Dead Sea and along the Red Sea coast, the full spectrum of accommodation is presented, from self-contained all-inclusive resorts to small locally managed lodges and camps. The DK Choice category draws attention to establishments that are exceptional, perhaps for their outstanding location, their emphasis on sustainability, or their community spirit.
DIRECTORY Booking a Hotel
Zimmers
Israel Hotel Association
∑ israel-tours-
Tel (03) 517 0131. ∑ iha.org.il
∑ zimmeril.com
Tourist Israel ∑ touristisrael.com
Travel In Israel ∑ israel-tours-
hotel.com
Kibbutz Hotels Kibbutz Hotels Chain (KHC) Tel (03) 560 8118. ∑ kibbutz.co.il
hotel.com
Self-Catering Good Morning Jerusalem 17 Ezrat Israel St, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 623 3459. ∑ accommodation. co.il
Isralet ∑ isralet.com
Christian Hospices and Guesthouses Christian Information Centre Jaffa Gate, Old City, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 627 2692. ∑ cicts.org
Youth Hostels
ILH – Israel Hostels ∑ hostels-israel.com
Field Schools Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) Tel (03) 638 8688 or (057) 200 3030. ∑ teva.org.il
Israeli Youth Hostel Association (IYHA)
Camping
Jerusalem International Convention Centre, Jerusalem. Tel 1 599 510 511. ∑ iyha.org.il
Tel *3639. ∑ parks.org.il
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Israel Nature and Parks Authority
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Where to Stay The Mount of Olives and Mount Zion
Jerusalem The Muslim Quarter Austrian Hospice Pilgrim hospice 37 Via Dolorosa, 97626 Tel (02) 626 5800
$$ Map 3 C2
$$$
Map 1 B5
∑ mountzion.co.il
∑ austrianhospice.com
Spacious rooms in a beautiful historic building. Garden café and rooftop with Old City views. Ecce Homo Convent Pilgrim hospice 41 Via Dolorosa, 97626 Tel (02) 627 7292
Mount Zion Boutique 17 Hebron Rd, 93546 Tel (02) 568 9555
Price Guide
$$
Map 4 D2
∑ eccehomoconvent.org
Great-value modest rooms and dormitory cubicles. Roman-era ruins beneath and rooftop views.
The Christian and Armenian Quarters Foyer Mar Maroun $ Pilgrim hospice Map 3 B4 25 Maronite Convent St, 97111 Tel (02) 628 2158 ∑ maronitejerusalem.org
Spotless rooms in an ancient building. Welcoming staff and dazzling rooftop views. Christ Church Guesthouse $$ Pilgrim hospice Map 3 B4 Omar Ibn el-Khattab Sq, by Jaffa Gate, 97604 Tel (02) 627 7727 ∑ cmj-israel.org
Constructed over Roman-era foundations with a garden café and church on site. Knights Palace $$ Pilgrim hospice Map 3 A3 Freres St, Nr New Gate, 14152 Tel (02) 628 2537 ∑ knightspalace.com
Spacious, well-furnished rooms, plus bar and courtyard on site. Close to the Old City markets.
Characterful rooms with views of Mount Zion. The building dates from 1882.
Modern Jerusalem Abraham Hostel $ Good value 67 HaNevi’im St, Davidka Sq, 94702 Tel (02) 650 2200 ∑ abrahamhostels.com
Great amenities and excellent tours at this modern hostel. Close to Mahane Yehuda market. Agron Guest House Family-friendly 6 Agron St, 94265 Tel (02) 594 5522
$$ Map 1 A4
∑ iyha.org.il
Large hostel with kosher facilities and comfortable rooms in a convenient location. Jerusalem Hotel Boutique Nablus Rd, 97200 Tel (02) 628 3282 ∑ jrshotel.com
Quaint rooms with Oriental decor in a 19th-century Arab mansion. Lively restaurant too. Notre Dame of Jerusalem Centre $$ Pilgrim hospice Map 1 B3 3 HaTsankhanim St, 91204 Tel (02) 627 9111 ∑ notredamecenter.org
Modern rooms in an imposing historic building run by the Vatican. Rooftop bar-restaurant.
$ $$ $$$
under $100 $100 to $250 over $250
St George Landmark $$ Botique Map 1 C2 6 Amr Ibn al-A'as St, 91692 Tel (02) 627 7232 ∑ stgeorgehoteljerusalem.com
This hotel boasts east Jerusalem’s only rooftop pool, and is close to Damascus Gate. YMCA Three Arches Family-friendly 26 King David St, 94101 Tel (02) 569 2692
$$
Map 1 A4
∑ ymca3arches.com
Designed by the architect of the Empire State Building; has good sports facilities and restaurant. American Colony $$$ Luxury Map 1 C1 1 Louis Vincent St, Sheikh Jarrah, 97200 Tel (02) 627 9777 ∑ americancolony.com
A 1902 hotel favoured by diplomats. Indulgent rooms, lush gardens and a Turkish courtyard. David Citadel Hotel Luxury 7 King David St, 94101 Tel (02) 621 2121
$$$
Map 1 B4
∑ thedavidcitadel.com
Splendid modern hotel overlooking the Old City, offering all conveniences and fine dining. King David Hotel Luxury 23 King David St, 94101 Tel (02) 620 8888
$$$
Map 1 B4
∑ danhotels.com
Historic hotel with classic rooms, some with Old City views. Mamilla Hotel $$$ Luxury Map 1 B3 11 King Solomon St, 94182 Tel (02) 548 2200
DK Choice Lutheran Guesthouse $$ Pilgrim hospice Map 3 C4 St Mark's Rd, 91140 Tel (02) 626 6888
∑ mamillahotel.com
High-tech facilities, top-class dining, a fine pool and spa.
∑ guesthouse-jerusalem.com
Nestled in an alleyway near colourful markets, with all the unique atmosphere of a pilgrim hospice but without the restrictions. There is a roof terrace, garden patio and a bar. Rooms have distinct stone walls and simple furnishings.
$$
Map 1 C2
Prices are based on one night’s stay in high season for a standard double room, inclusive of breakfast, service charges and taxes.
The Waldorf Astoria $$$ Luxury Map 1 B4 26–28 Gershon Agron St, 9419008 Tel (02) 563 3333 ∑ waldorfastoria3.hilton.com
Elegant, well-lit interiors at Austrian Hospice, Jerusalem
Beautiful hotel with historical origins, rebuilt to include luxurious facilities. Overlooks the Old City.
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Further Afield Notre Dame de Sion Guest House Pilgrim hospice 23 Haoren St, Ein Kerem, 95744 Tel (02) 641 5738
$$
∑ notredamedesion.org
Beautiful gardens, valley views and spacious, simple rooms. Includes a health spa. Ramat Rachel Family-friendly Kibbutz Ramat Rachel, 90900 Tel (02) 670 2555
$$
∑ ramatrachel.co.il
Rooms are encircled by gardens. Pool, tennis and spa facilities.
DK Choice Hotel Alegra $$$ Boutique 13 Ha'achayot St, Ein Kerem, 95744 Tel (02) 650 0506 ∑ hotelalegra.co.il
Stay in lavish designer suites with arched windows and Jerusalem-stone walls. There is a splash pool, sauna and a fine restaurant on site. The roof terrace has loungers.
Gracefully decorated rooms at Colony Hotel, Haifa KFAR PEKI’IN: Peki’in Youth Hostel and Family Guesthouse $ Family-friendly Map C2 Kfar Peki’in, 24914 Tel (02) 594 5677
SEA OF GALILEE: Vered HaGalil Guest Farm $$ Family-friendly Map C2 Off Highway 90, 12385 Tel (04) 693 5785
∑ iyha.org.il
∑ veredhagalil.co.il
Well-appointed hostel in a Druze village. Walking tours and interaction with locals.
DK Choice NAZARETH: Fauzi Azar Inn $$ Good value Map C2 Old City, 16125 Tel (04) 602 0469 ∑ fauziazarinn.com
The Coast and Galilee AKKO: Akkotel $$ Boutique Map B2 Salah al-Din St, Old City, 24112 Tel (04) 987 7100 ∑ akkotel.com
Family-run hotel in a historic building. Serves tasty food. CARMEL FOREST: Carmel Forest Resort Spa $$$ Luxury Map B2 Near Kibbutz Beit Oren, 39100 Tel (04) 830 7888 ∑ isrotelexclusivecollection.co.il
Peaceful escape south of Haifa. Health treatments, tennis, yoga and gourmet food. Full board. HAIFA: Colony Hotel Boutique 28 Ben Gurion Blvd, 35023 Tel (04) 851 3344
$$
Map B2
∑ colonyhaifa.com
Enviable location near Baha’i Gardens and tastefully furnished rooms. HAIFA: Dan Panorama Family-friendly 107 HaNassi Ave, 34632 Tel (04) 835 2222 ∑ danhotels.com
$$$ Map B2
High up on Mount Carmel with stunning views. Great amenities.
This 200-year-old converted mansion is at the heart of Nazareth’s ancient souk (marketplace). Some of the rooms have hand-painted ceilings. Relax in the vaulted stone courtyard or on the sunny terrace.
Family-run ranch with wood-andstone cabins and cottages with verandas. Restaurant plus spa. SEA OF GALILEE: Scots Hotel $$$ Luxury Map C2 1 Gedud Barak St, Tiberias, 14100 Tel (04) 671 0711 ∑ scotshotels.co.il
Historic hotel with five-star facilities. Terraced gardens, spa and seasonal pool. TEL AVIV: Beit Immanuel Guest House and Youth Hostel $ Pilgrim hospice Map B3 8 Auerbach St, American-German Colony, 61027 Tel (03) 682 1459 ∑ beitimmanuel.org
ROSH PINA: Auberge Shulamit Boutique 34 David Shuv St, 12000 Tel (04) 693 1485
$$ Map C2
∑ shulamit.co.il
Exquisite 1930s basalt stone house with a highly recommended French restaurant.
TEL AVIV: HaYarkon 48 Hostel $ Good value Map B3 48 HaYarkon St, 63305 Tel (03) 516 8989 ∑ hayarkon48.com
SAFED: Artists’ Colony Inn $$$ Boutique Map C2 9 Simtat Yud Zayin St, 13231 Tel (04) 604 1101 ∑ artcol.co.il
Vaulted stone rooms in a pretty house down a cobbled lane. Jacuzzis and massages available. SEA OF GALILEE: Pilgerhaus Tabgha Pilgrim hospice Migdal Tabgha Tel (04) 670 0100
Austere rooms with high ceilings and a pleasant garden café.
$$
Map C2
∑ heilig-land-verein.de
Historic building with wellappointed rooms, bar and direct access to the Sea of Galilee.
Popular hostel two blocks from the beach with great facilities. TEL AVIV: Center Chic $$ Family-friendly Map B3 Kikar Dizengoff, 2 Zamenhoff St, 64373 Tel (03) 526 6100 ∑ atlas.co.il
Hip, designer rooms in a Bauhaus building. Roof garden with loungers plus free bikes. TEL AVIV: Port Hotel Good value 4 Yirmeyahu St, 63507 Tel (03) 544 5544
$$
Map B3
∑ porthoteltelaviv.com
A mini-hotel with chic decor in its rooms. Nightlife, cafés and shopping are nearby.
For more information on types of hotels see page 259
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TEL AVIV: Alma Hotel & Lounge Boutique 23 Yavne St, 6579201 Tel (03) 630 8777
$$$
Map B3
∑ almahotel.co.il
Eclectic, vivid rooms in a 1920s building. Top-class restaurant. TEL AVIV: Dan Tel Aviv Luxury 99 HaYarkon St, 63432 Tel (03) 520 2525
$$$
Map B3
∑ danhotels.com
Smart, with beachside location, attentive service and fine dining. TEL AVIV: Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel $$$ Boutique Map B3 56 Mazeh St, 65789 Tel (03) 545 3131 ∑ diaghilev.co.il
Chic hotel with individually furnished suites. Works of art decorate the premises.
∑ iyha.org.il
Decent accommodation close to the seafront and city centre. $$$ Map B7
∑ herodshotels.com
High-class resort with attentive service and superb dining. $$$
Map B7
Modern hotel on the outskirts of the city, with classic rooms, a fitness centre, spa and pool. KIBBUTZ LOTAN: Kibbutz Lotan Guesthouse $$ Family-friendly Map B6 Kibbutz Lotan, 88855 Tel (08) 635 6935 ∑ kibbutzlotan.com
Set in idyllic surrounds, 20 minutes from the Khai Bar Reserve, with a seasonal pool and bird-watching. MASADA: Masada Youth Hostel Good value Masada, 86935 Tel (08) 995 3222
$$
Map C4
∑ iyha.org.il
TVs and minibars in comfortable modern rooms, plus a seasonal pool, cafeteria and sun terrace.
∑ orchidhotel.co.il
Thai-inspired chalets and stunning villas on a tropical hillside. Free bikes and an on-site spa. EIN GEDI: Ein Gedi Country Guest House $$$ Family-friendly Map C4 Kibbutz Ein Gedi, 86980 Tel (08) 659 4222 ∑ ein-gedi.co.il
Rooms with creative furnishings. Pool plus hiking nearby. NEVE ZOHAR: Leonardo Club Dead Sea All-Inclusive $$$ Luxury Map C4 Neve Zohar, 86910 Tel (08) 668 9444 ∑ fattal-hotels.com Key to Price Guide see page 260
MITSPE RAMON: Beresheet Hotel Luxury 1 Beresheet Rd, 80600 Tel (08) 659 8000
$$$
Map B5
∑ isrotelexclusivecollection.co.il
Ultimate indulgence on the edge of the crater with fine dining and sublime pools.
∑ ichotelsgroup.com
EILAT: Eilat Youth Hostel and Guest House $$ Good value Map B7 7 Arava Rd, 88101 Tel (02) 594 5611
EILAT: Orchid Luxury South Beach, 88000 Tel (08) 636 0360
All-inclusive spa-hotel set among palm trees. Private beach and kids’ activities. JERICHO: InterContinental Jericho $$ Good value Map C3 Jericho-Jerusalem Rd Tel (02) 231 1200
The Dead Sea and the Negev Desert
EILAT: Herod’s Palace Luxury North Beach, 18800 Tel (08) 638 0000
Plush seating at Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel, Tel Aviv
DK Choice MITSPE RAMON: ibike $$ Family-friendly Map B5 4 Har Ardon, Spice Routes Quarter, 80600 Tel (052) 436 7878 ∑ ibike.co.il
This super-friendly guesthouse has an inspiring approach to healthy living. Rent bikes or take guided tours into the Ramon crater. The atmosphere draws outdoor enthusiasts as well as families. The rooms are cheerful and there is a relaxing outdoor area. Superb vegetarian fare in the café.
Petra and Western Jordan AJLUN: Qalet Al Jabal Hotel $ Good value Map C3 Al Qala’ St, Halawa Crossing, Ad Dayr, 26810 Tel (02) 642 0202 ∑ jabal-hotel.com
Beautiful location on a hillside with old-fashioned rooms and delicious food. AMMAN: The Boutique Hotel $ Good value Map C3 32 Prince Mohammed St, Downtown, 11101 Tel (07) 9797 0611 ∑ the-boutique-hotel-amman.com
Freshly renovated rooms and friendly service. Near historical sites and lively markets.
AMMAN: Hisham $$ Good value Map C3 Mithqal al-Fayez St, Jebel Amman, 11183 Tel (06) 464 4028 ∑ hishamhotel.com.jo
Peaceful, family-run hotel with a long history, plenty of character and boutique touches. AMMAN: Marriott $$ Luxury Map C3 Isam el-Ajlouni St, Shmeisani, 11190 Tel (06) 560 7607 ∑ marriott.com
First-class establishment in a smart area, with elegant rooms and personal service to match.
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AQABA: Kempinski Hotel $$ Luxury Map B7 King Hussein St, 77110 Tel (03) 209 0888
PETRA: Petra Moon Good value Wadi Musa Tel (03) 215 6220
∑ kempinski.com
∑ petramoonhotel.com
A stark exterior belies the sleek luxury inside. Rooms with sea views and a multi-layered pool.
DK Choice DANA: Feynan Ecolodge $$ Boutique Map C5 Wadi Feynan Tel 079 748 7900 ∑ feynan.com
Staffed by local Bedouin, the Feynan holds true to its environmental credentials. The rooms feature candles and calm desert tones, and there is a charming library on site. Hammocks on terraces offer views of the Dana Biosphere Reserve, the entry fee for which is included in the room rates. DEAD SEA: Kempinski Hotel Ishtar $$$ Luxury Map C4 Dead Sea Rd, Sweimeh, 11194 Tel (05) 356 8888 ∑ kempinski.com
Rooms, chalets and villas with world-class facilities, including an infinity pool and refined dining. PETRA: Cleopetra $ Good value Map C5 Queen Rania St, Wadi Musa, 71810 Tel (03) 215 7090 ∑ cleopetrahotel.com
Nice budget hotel with helpful staff and an excellent buffet dinner. Free shuttle bus to Petra. PETRA: Movenpick Resort Petra $$ Luxury Map C5 Tourism St, Wadi Musa, 71810 Tel (03) 215 7111 ∑ moevenpick-hotels.com
Unbeatable location by Petra’s entrance. Arabesque designs in the interior, and a soaring atrium.
$$
Map C5
An excellent option with bright rooms, good bar and rooftop pool. Awesome buffet breakfast.
The Red Sea and Sinai DAHAB: Bishbishi Garden Village $ Good value Map F6 Mashraba St, Mashraba Tel (069) 364 0727 ∑ bishbishi.com
Rooms and chalets set in a garden in a quiet part of Dahab. Bikes for rent plus tours and diving. DAHAB: Blue Beach Club $ Good value Map F6 Lighthouse, Asilah, 46617 Tel (069) 364 0411 ∑ bluebeachclub.com
Rooms with Arabesque touches and sun terraces. Lively bar. DAHAB: Nesima Resort Family-friendly Mashraba Tel (069) 364 0320
$
Map F6
∑ nesima-resort.com
Well-presented rooms, many with domed ceilings. Dive centre and fantastic restaurant.
DK Choice NUWEIBA: Basata $ Good value Map F5 Sherif El Ghamrawy, Basata village, 23 Nuweiba Rd Tel (069) 350 0480/1 ∑ basata.com
Arabic for simplicity, Basata is a rustic resort with stylish chalets and huts, plus camping space. Dinners are communal and there is a kitchen for guests’ use. Snorkelling can be done nearby.
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NUWEIBA: Swisscare Nuweiba Resort Hotel $ Family-friendly Map F5 Corniche, Near Nuweiba City Tel (069) 352 0640 ∑ swisscare-hotels.com
A low-key resort with a peaceful vibe. A huge pool and a private beach, plus great diving nearby. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Oonas Dive Club Hotel Good value Naama Bay Tel (069) 360 0581
$
Map F7
∑ oonasdiveclub.com
Friendly hotel with spotless, simple rooms and a rooftop bar. Snorkelling possibilities close by. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Sharks Bay Umbi Diving Village $ Good value Map F7 Shark’s Bay Tel (069) 360 0942 ∑ sharksbay.com
Chalets and budget huts, plus diving and safari activities at this resort with its own reef. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Four Seasons Hotel $$$ Luxury Map F7 1 Four Seasons Blvd, 41632 Tel (069) 360 5555 ∑ fourseasons.com
Oozing luxury, this cliff-side hotel set in lush gardens has four pools, diving facilities and entertainment for kids. ST CATHERINE: Bedouin Camp Good value El-Milga Tel (069) 347 0457
$
Map E6
∑ sheikmousa.com
Well-maintained lodging and excellent local food. Hiking trips are their speciality. Breakfast not included. ST CATHERINE: St Catherine’s Monastery Guesthouse $ Pilgrim Hostel Map E6 St Catherine Tel (069) 347 0353 ∑ sinaimonastery.com
Magical location adjacent to the walled monastery and orchards, with Mount Sinai looming nearby. Simple rooms; half-board. TABA: Sofitel Taba Heights $$$ Luxury Map F5 KM 42, Taba–Nuweiba Rd, 46621 Tel (069) 358 0800 ∑ sofitel.com
All-inclusive resort occupying a prime location in the Taba Heights complex. It has a kids’ club, private beach, golf and spa.
One of the many beautiful pools at Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, Dead Sea
For more information on types of hotels see page 259
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WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Middle Eastern food is often overshadowed by more glamorous world cuisines, but its reputation and popularity is growing. Often simple and unpretentious, local food is tasty and always substantial. Israel, in particular Tel Aviv, is becoming known as a gastronomic destination. The constantly evolving restaurant culture reflects the huge interest in food, and many restaurants are of a very high standard, offering a wide range of innovative dishes sure to excite even the
most sceptical palate. Aside from the native cuisine, reflecting the broad ethnic mix of people, there are many restaurants offering international food. You can find Thai, South American, Japanese, Italian and French food, along with the ever popular American fast food. There are also many busy and informal cafés offering a cheaper, lighter menu. For a quick snack, street food revolves around the shawarma, houmous and falafel stalls, which can be found almost everywhere.
Arabesque, the restaurant in the American Colony Hotel (see p270)
Practicalities In Israeli cities you will see people eating at all hours of the day, seated at restaurants and cafés or walking along with a falafel pitta. In the evening, people tend to eat late and spend a long time over their meals. Eating is a big social event, with children accepted in most restaurants. Dining, when possible, is alfresco, and restaurants often stay open until after midnight, especially during summer. However, most Jewish restaurants close for Shabbat (sundown on Friday until after sundown on Saturday), as well as for Yom Kippur, Shavuot, Holocaust Day, Remembrance Day and the first and last day of Sukkoth and Passover (see p40). The business lunch menu, offered in many restaurants from Sunday to Thursday (usually 12-4pm), is a great way of saving money and getting to enjoy top-notch dining in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with prices often half what they would be
on the à la carte menu. Service is not generally included in the bill; expect to tip around 10–15 per cent, depending on the type of establishment. Major credit cards are accepted in most restaurants throughout Israel.
Types of Restaurant Food is a major part of Middle Eastern life, and there is a huge range of places to eat. Israeli food is a melting pot of flavours, reflecting the cultural mix of the nation and adopting influences from the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe. The main Israeli food is that of the Jews, largely the Oriental (Middle Eastern) and Ashkenazi (Eastern European) communities. Their food is as different as their origins. Oriental dishes revolve mainly around grilled meats and fish, stuffed vegetables and a range of meze. The Ashkenazi specialities are spicy stews, fish balls and stuffed pancakes, known as blintzes.
Other major ethnic groups have also brought their own unique dishes. Armenian favourites include spicy meat stews and sausages, while the Yemenites are famous for their malawach – large, flaky-pastry pancakes with various fillings. A more recent development is contemporary Israeli cuisine, which takes inspiration from the ethnic cuisines of the Diaspora and Arab regions and emphasizes locally grown ingredients, such as aubergine (eggplant), tomato, fish, dairy and tahina. Aside from Israeli fare, you can also find restaurants serving international food and the usual fast-food chains. Café culture is huge, and if you are after something cheaper and less substantial, then cafés offer salads, pizzas, sandwiches and pasta dishes. They are also great places to sit and soak up the local atmosphere, and join in with Israeli life. The selection of restaurants is far more limited if travelling in Jordan or Sinai, however, where most are located in the hotels.
Dining outside in the spectacular setting of Petra (see pp224–35)
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also have a large number of vegetarian options. Much of the cuisine is based around pulses, which are found in anything from houmous to hearty bean stews. Roasted and stuffed vegetables also feature, along with a variety of savoury pastries. For a quick vegetarian snack, the falafel is hard to beat. Bourj al-Haman Intercontinental restaurant, Jordan (see p274)
Kosher Restaurants The Jewish dietary laws of Kashrut (literally, “fitness”) determine many of the eating habits in Israel. To the outsider these can prove confusing, especially as you will find that not all Jewish restaurants adhere to these strict rules. What these laws mean in practice is that meat considered impure (for example, pork and rabbit), as well as certain types of seafood (anything without scales and fins), cannot be eaten. Animals that are permitted for consumption have to be slaughtered according to Jewish religious practice and cleansed of all traces of blood before cooking. Furthermore, during Passover, a kosher restaurant cannot serve any leavened food, such as bread or pastries. The major complications of these laws revolve around the fact that meat and dairy produce can never be eaten together in the same meal. Dishes are consequently based on either one or the other, with many of the resulting problems deftly overcome through the use of dairy substitutes. Dairy-based restaurants are naturally a good option for non-meat eaters, as no meat is kept on the premises.
Jordan and Sinai Jordanian food is a mix of the Lebanese-Syrian-Egyptian fare common throughout the Middle East, mixed in with local Bedouin cuisine. Expect lots of good, fresh meze, salads and grilled meats, plus traditional specialities such as mansaf: lamb on a bed of rice sprinkled with pine nuts. You may also be offered maqlubbeh, which is steamed rice pressed into a small bowl then turned out and topped with slices of grilled aubergine (eggplant). Otherwise, places like Amman have plenty of international restaurants and cafés. Food in the Sinai resorts tends to cater to the tastes of package holiday-makers. Most restaurants are attached to hotels and favour Italian and other international dishes. Genuine Egyptian cuisine is rare, although the fish and seafood is excellent.
Smoking There has been a smoking ban in public places within Israel for many years. However, restaurants are allowed to have a completely separate smoking area, and smoking is allowed on terraces.
Recommended Restaurants The restaurants on the following pages have been carefully selected to give a cross-section of options from across the region: you’ll find everything from international cuisine and home-cooking, to contemporary Israeli cuisine that offers a twist on traditional dishes, and street food staples. Also included are traditional Jewish and Middle Eastern eateries, with their strong emphasis on classic ingredients and timeless recipes, as well as many modern Mediterranean fusion restaurants, which might be influenced by North African, Levantine or other cuisines. Restaurants that have specialist meat, fish or vegetarian menus have been highlighted, as have those that carry a kosher certificate or do a business lunch deal. The contemporary Israeli cuisine options include some of the best restaurants in the region, and are mostly found in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, with a few located in scenic countryside locations. The DK Choice category draws attention to the exceptional establishments, be it for their unique menu, long-standing reputation, or particularly stunning venues and views.
Fattoush (see p272), popular for Middle Eastern cuisine in Haifa
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In Jordan and Egypt, tourists are allowed to smoke in restaurants, cafés and bars, except during Ramadan, when smoking is prohibited during daylight hours. Some restaurants do provide no-smoking areas.
Vegetarian Food As a vegetarian visiting the region, your dining options are wonderfully varied. Kosher restaurants serve all types of dairy-only food, such as creamy pasta and yogurt-based dishes, as well as many potato dishes and salads. Secular restaurants
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The Flavours of Jerusalem and the Holy Land The cuisines of the Holy Land are as varied as its people. Over the centuries, the region has embraced rich culinary traditions from around the Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Dishes brought by Jewish immigrants from Ethiopia have also appeared, and a growth in travel to East Asia has resulted in the food from this region becoming hugely popular. The local dining scene has come a long way since the spartan communal dining halls of the early kibbutzim, and an increasingly sophisticated gastronomic culture has transformed the restaurant scene. that consists of potato chunks, fried aubergine (eggplant), a hard-boiled egg, salad, tahina (sesame paste), hot sauce and chopped parsley, served in a pitta. A carnivore favourite is shawarma, the local, often turkey-based, version of gyros or doner kebab. Griddled meats such as me’urav yerushalmi (a mixed grill of chicken livers, hearts and other offal) are served in, or with, a pitta. Fish seller’s stall at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market
Street Food Stalls and storefront eateries offer a varied array of cheap, nutritious and relatively healthy “fast food”. Falafel is an excellent option for vegetarians, as are houmous and bourekas, a filo pastry from the Balkans filled with salty kashkaval cheese, potatoes, spinach or mushrooms. Somewhat less well known is sabih, an Iraqi speciality
Babaghanoush
Olives
Pomegranates
Meze or Salatim A meal typically begins with a large selection of starters (meze in Arabic, salatim in Hebrew). Middle Eastern restaurants serve meze either as a starter or as a full meal. Dishes you are likely to encounter include houmous (chickpea/garbanzo paste with olive oil, lemon and garlic), tabouleh (cracked wheat with masses of chopped mint and parsley, tomato, Israeli salad Kibbe
Pickled vegetables
Pitta breads Houmous
Tabouleh Some of the small dishes that make up a meze or salatim
Dishes and Specialities of the Holy Land The traditional dishes you’ll find served throughout the Holy Land range from stuffed grape leaves and mansaf (rice and lamb with a sour yogurt sauce), sometimes called the national dish of Jordan, to gefilte fish and chicken soup with matzo balls, favoured by Jews with roots in Eastern Europe. Popular Palestinian Arab specialities include meze salads and sumac-flavoured meat dishes Selection of sweets such as mussakhan. About half of Israeli Jews have family roots in Asia and Africa, which is why the menus of ethnic restaurants often feature Moroccan couscous, fiery fish dishes from Libya, doughy malawah (pan-fried bread) and jahnoun (a heavy, slow-baked bread roll) from Yemen, and kubbe (or kibbe) from Iraq – also a Palestinian speciality.
Shashlik and kebab are, respectively, pieces of meat and spiced ground meat grilled on a skewer.
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Local Produce
Outdoor markets offers superb fresh produce of the Holy Land
cucumber, oil and lemon), and babaghanoush (aubergine baked for a smoky flavour and then puréed), along with pickled vegetables and olives. Kibbe (cracked wheat and minced meat croquettes with onions and pine nuts) are among the few nonvegetarian dishes.
volleyball and is a speciality of the Jericho area. The fragrant Galia melon was developed in Israel. Watermelon is often eaten with chunks of salty Bulgarian cheese, similar to feta. Widely available exotic fruits include persimmon, kiwi and passion fruit.
Israel has long been known for its excellent selection of cheeses, and a growing number of so-called “boutique” dairies has been setting ever-higher standards with their goats’ and sheep’s milk products. These go extremely well with classic Mediterranean specialities such as olives and extra virgin olive oil, produced with great pride by both Jews and Arabs. In both the Galilee and the Negev, travellers will often come across family-run roadside eateries where local farmers sell their own produce, such as delicious honey.
ON THE MENU Baklava Honey-soaked chopped nut and filo pastries. Cholent Sabbath lunch stew of beef, potatoes, carrots, barley, onions and beans.
Fresh Fruit The Bible is filled with references to the produce of the land, and today the Holy Land grows not only ancient favourites such as grapes, pomegranates, figs and dates, but also citrus fruits, which have been exported to Europe under the Jaffa labels since the 19th century. The largest type of citrus is the pomelo, a thick-skinned fruit that can grow to the size of a
Falafel are deep-fried balls of mashed chickpeas (garbanzos) served stuffed into a pitta bread with salad.
Knafeh Palestinian pastry of cheese, crunchy wheat threads and very sweet syrup. Kugel Egg noodle casserole, either sweet or savoury. Labane Sharp, spreadable white “yogurt” cheese, often preserved in olive oil. Za’atar Seasoning mix of hyssop, sesame seeds and salt. Zchug Fiery red or green Yemenite condiment.
Dried red peppers in the market at Shuk Levinsky, Tel Aviv
Tilapia, or St Peter’s Fish, is popular around the Sea of Galilee, simply grilled and served with lemon slices.
Jerusalem salad is a meal in itself, with olives, feta and sometimes pomegranate and za’atar sprinkled over.
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What to Drink in Jerusalem and the Holy Land Jews and Arabs alike adore coffee but have different ways of making it. It will be offered to you at any hour of the day or night. Teas of many kinds and herbal infusions are also popular. However, the hot, very dry climate makes water of the utmost importance. It is advisable to carry a bottle of it with you at all times and drink some before you feel thirsty to avoid dehydration. Israel now produces a lot of affordable medium- to high-quality wine. Beer is available in all the areas covered in this guide, but neither the Israelis nor the Arabs consume large quantities, preferring to go to cafés or coffee shops for socializing.
Enjoying outdoor café life on traffic-free Lunz Street in Jerusalem
Water and Soft Drinks
Beers and Spirits
In the entire area described in this guide, bottled mineral water is readily available everywhere. Although tap water throughout Israel is safe to drink, it is more advisable to drink bottled water because it tastes better, especially in the Red Sea area, where tap water is so heavily chlorinated that it is unpalatable. Always make sure that the bottle is sealed when you buy water. Bottled fruit juice is also popular, but remember that even juices that are sold as “natural” are really long-life Bottled juices produced on an industrial water scale. Fruit juices freshly squeezed in front of you, especially citrus and pomegranate, are very good. All non-alcoholic beverages except for freshly squeezed juice are almost always served very cold and with a lot of ice (which may be made of heavily chlorinated water), so if you don’t want your drinks this way, remember to say so when ordering.
Many restaurants and cafés have draught beer, most of which is locally produced. The main Israeli beers are Maccabee, a slightly bitter, light lager, and Goldstar, which is reminiscent of British ale with a dash of malt. Taybeeh, similar to light, south German beer, is found in the Palestinian regions, East Jerusalem and some Israeli bars. Carlsberg is produced in Israel and Heineken in Jordan, both under licence, while most other major European brands are imported, especially into Israel. Spirits are less widely available, but are always sold in hotel bars throughout the region. The commonest is arak, the typical Mediterranean distillate of anise. Goldstar beer Arak
Coffee and Tea In Jewish areas, coffee and tea are drunk in and aromatic because of the spices, in particular European- or American-style cafés. The most the cardamom, added to it. It is served in tiny cups widely available type of coffee is filter coffee, holding only a few sips. If you do not specify little which is always served for breakfast in hotels. or no sugar, it always arrives heavily sweetened. Many places also offer espresso coffee, but it is To avoid a gritty texture, allow the sediment almost always rather weak. For a real espresso, to settle in the cup first. Arabic tea (shai) is you must ask for a katzar (strong coffee). What more aromatic is called cappuccino sometimes has a huge and stronger than amount of whipped cream added to it. Western-style tea Tea is almost invariably served in teaand is also drunk without bag form, and caffeine-free herbal milk and with a lot of sugar. In tea (zmachim) is becoming restaurants it is often served increasingly popular. after a meal with fresh Tea and coffee in Arab mint leaves (naana). areas are drunk in coffeeIn Arab coffeehouses, houses (qahwa), which serve if you want Western-style nothing else – except sometimes tea, ask for shai-Libton; in traditional water pipes (nargileh) Arab or Jewish establishments, to accompany the drink. Arabic for Western-style coffee ask for coffee (also called qahwa) is strong nes (short for Nescafé). Elaborate Arabic coffee set
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Israeli white wines, especially the Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs, are generally very enjoyable: often aromatic, sometimes fruity, smooth and full-bodied. Many of the reasonably priced whites are produced by the Golan Heights Winery.
Yarden white
Gamla Chardonnay
Tishbi Muscat
Wine-Growing Regions of Israel Key Golan, Galilee and the Jezreel Valley
Dalton Meron Katsrin
Mt Carmel and Sharon
Haifa
Samson Judaean Hills
Zikhron Yaakov
Negev Experimental Areas
Sea Of Galilee
Lavi
Tanakh Binyamina Ayil Caesarea Bakhan
Tel Aviv Rishon le-Zion Gedera
Latrun
Jerusalem
Tsora
Tkoa
Hebron
Sea
Although the Middle East was the home of grape cultivation and winemaking, the first modern wineries in the Holy Land were founded in the mid-19th century. These included the Salesian estate (at Cremisan, near Bethlehem), which still operates today. For years it was the only producer of good, dry white wine, but its standards were later matched by the Latrun Trappist monks’ winery, which uses French An Israeli Chardonnay vines and wine-making techniques. Today, there are over 300 wineries in Israel, providing a range of varieties and flavours, which reflect the range of climates across the country’s small stretch of land. The number of vineyards then increased steadily and wine quality has improved dramatically since the early 1980s. The main wine areas are now: Golan and Upper Galilee at around 500 m (1,640 ft) above sea level, with ideal volcanic soil; Lower Galilee, the Jezreel Valley, the Mount Carmel region and Sharon, which are lower and more humid; Samson, the coastal plain south of Tel Aviv; and the hills of Judaea, which have poorer terrain and are very dry. A number of experimental vineyards in the Negev Desert are now in production. The largest producers are the Carmel Winery, based in Zikhron Yaakov, whose Mizrachi “Private” series is especially good, and the Golan Heights Winery, based in Katsrin, whose main labels are Golan, Yarden, Gamla and Tishbi. Wines from small producers such as Kibbutz Tsora can be excellent. Jordanian and Egyptian wines are very poor value for their price and, in both countries, imported wine is prohibitively expensive.
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Israeli red wines are also good, but, with some notable exceptions, tend either to lack body or to be slightly heavy. The grapes most commonly used are Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with many wines being a blend of the last two. Among the wines now produced by a growing number of small-scale, specialist wine makers are the fine Cabernets produced by Castel, and the Margalit reds.
Carmel Mizrachi
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Kibbutz Tsora
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Where to Eat and Drink Jerusalem The Muslim Quarter Abu Shukri $ Houmous Map 4 D2 63 El-Wad St, cnr Via Dolorosa, 97500 Tel (02) 627 1538 Simple sit-down restaurant on the main alley between the Western Wall and Damascus Gate. Famous for the light and sour houmous plates, but serves other Arabic snacks as well. Viennese Café $$ International Map 3 C3 Austrian Hospice, Via Dolorosa, 97626 Tel (02) 626 5800 Delightful little oasis of calm amid the bustle of the Muslim Quarter; it has a pleasant indoor area and a flowery garden where guests can relax with a beer or coffee and cake.
Modern Jerusalem The Garden Restaurant $$ International Map 1 C2 Jerusalem Hotel, Nablus Rd, 97200 Tel (02) 628 3282 Also known as Kan Zaman, this covered terrace restaurant is a great place to soak up some East Jerusalem atmosphere. Oriental decor, narghila pipes, alcohol and a mix of Palestinian and international dishes.
DK Choice Lavan $$ Mediterranean Map 1 B5 Cinematheque, 11 Hebron Rd, 93546 Tel (02) 6673 7393 Not only do the light meals served at Lavan appeal to all, but there are also fantastic views onto Mount Zion and the Old City walls to be enjoyed. A well-stocked bar accompanies pastas and pizzas, salads, fish and meat dishes, and fresh sandwiches. The Scandinavian-style interior perfectly fits the name of the place, which means white. Link $$ Mediterranean 3 HaMa’alot St, 94263 Tel (02) 625 3446 Café-bistro in an old Jerusalemstyle building with a sun-dappled courtyard. Known for its chicken wings, juicy steaks and salads.
Little Jerusalem $$ Mediterranean Map 1 A2 9 Ha-Rav Kook St, 94226 Tel (02) 624 4186 Closed Shabbat A garden retreat, this restaurantcum-museum was artist Anna Ticho’s house. Expansive and reliable menu, and regular concerts to accompany dining. Philadelphia $$ Middle Eastern Map 2 D2 9 El-Zahra St, 97200 Tel (02) 532 2626 An East Jerusalem institution famed for its Palestinian-style stuffed vegetables, roasted meats and fish, and a warm welcome. Te’enim $$ Vegetarian Map 1 B4 Confederate House, 12 Emile Botta St, Yemin Moshe, 94109 Tel (02) 625 1967 Closed Shabbat Charming old stone building with arched windows that offer great views of the Old City and Mount Zion. Creative dishes include Tom Yam soup. Tmol Shilshom $$ Mediterranean Map 1 A3 3 Yoel Moshe Salomon St, Nakhalat Shiva, 91316 Tel (02) 623 2758 Closed Shabbat Tucked away in a stone-built 1870s house, this mellow caférestaurant-bookshop attracts book lovers. Serves comforting mains and mouthwatering desserts. Village Green $$ Vegetarian Map 1 A3 33 Jaffa Rd, 94221 Tel (02) 625 3065 Closed Shabbat A canteen-style place with everything from miso soup and quiche to ratatouille and tofu dishes. Mix-and-match salad plates and pay by weight.
Table setting at Viennese Café, Jerusalem
Price Guide Prices are based on a three-course meal for one, including half a bottle of wine, tax and service. $ $$ $$$
under $40 $40 to $80 over $80
Adom $$$ Fusion Map 1 A3 The First Station, 4 David Remez St, 9354102 Tel (02) 624 6242 Set in Jerusalem’s renovated train station, Adom stands out for its stylish wine-bar feel. The FrenchIsraeli menu has something for everyone. Business lunch deals. Arabesque $$$ International Map 1 C1 American Colony Hotel, 23 Nablus Rd, 97200 Tel (02) 627 9777 This elegant restaurant at the American Colony Hotel offers great food. Try to get a table in the Turkish-style courtyard. The drinks list includes a number regional wine varieties. Cavelier $$$ Fusion Map 1 A3 1 Ben Sira St, Nakhalat Shiva, 94181 Tel (02) 624 2945 Elegant, romantic bistro offering meat and seafood classics from France embellished with Mediterranean touches. Chakra $$$ Mediterranean 41 King George St, 94261 Tel (02) 625 2733 Fashionable choice with airy and modern circular interiors. Meat and fish dishes are Italian-based with local flavours. Reserve ahead. Or, try the café on the upper level which offers a great
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breakfast and lunch menu. The drinks menu features boutique Israeli beers. Darna $$$ Moroccan Map 1 A3 3 Horkanos St, 94235 Tel (02) 624 5406 Closed Shabbat Moorish-inspired decor with Moroccan ceramics and cushions. Specialities include mechoui (roast lamb with almonds) and harira marrakshia (veal and lentil soup). Dolphin Yam $$$ Seafood Map 1 A3 9 Shimon Ben Shatakh St, 94147 Tel (02) 623 2272 A Jerusalem favourite for fresh seafood, but serves meat and pasta too. Understated decor, seating on the sidewalk. Mona $$$ Mediterranean 12 Shmuel Ha-Nagid St, 94592 Tel (02) 622 2283 Housed in the historic Bezalel Art School, now a beautiful gallery. A fusion of Mediterranean flavours can be enjoyed indoors or alfresco. Rooftop at Mamilla $$$ Italian Map 1 B3 Mamilla Hotel, 11 King Solomon St, 94182 Tel (02) 548 2230 Fresh pasta, grilled meat and fish, and delicious desserts to wrap up a great meal. Superb views over the Old City. Sakura $$$ Japanese Map 1 A3 Feingold Courtyard, 31 Jaffa Rd, 94221 Tel (02) 623 5464 The city’s best Japanese restaurant with authentic Asian furnishings. Japanese beers or saki to accompany little wooden platters of sushi and sashimi.
Further Afield Abu Shukri $ Houmous 4 Mahmoud Rashid St, Abu Ghosh, 90845 Tel (02) 534 2429 Popular spot renowned for its fabulous houmous. Offers sweeping views of the valley. Azura $ Traditional Jewish (Sephardi) 4 HaEshkol St, Mahane Yehuda, 94322 Tel (02) 623 5204 Closed dinner daily; Shabbat Located in the Iraqi market, tiny Azura has been delighting
Outdoor seating at Rooftop at Mamilla, Jerusalem customers since the 1950s. Kurdish and Turkish influences in dishes such as Sephardi chicken stew, shakshuka (eggs in a spiced tomato sauce), houmous or kubbe soup. Burgers Bar $ International 31 Emek Refaim St, German Colony, 93105 Tel (02) 561 2333 Closed Shabbat Part of a burger chain, this branch is in the atmospheric German Colony and is widely acclaimed locally as serving the city’s best burgers. Also offers other good-value meat dishes. Rachmo $ Traditional Jewish (Sephardi) 5 HaEshkol St, Mahane Yehuda, 94322 Tel (02) 623 4595 Closed Shabbat A Jerusalem institution tucked away in one of Mahane Yehuda’s colourful alleyways. Serves Jewish and Aleppo-style cuisine as well as houmous made with the owner’s mother’s secret recipe. Karma $$$ Italian 73 Ein Kerem St, Ein Kerem, 95744 Tel (02) 643 6643 Set in the pastoral village of Ein Kerem, this arched stone split-level restaurant has a lively yet relaxed vibe. Serves a number of meat and other dishes in very generous portions. Machne Yuda $$$ Contemporary Israeli 10 Beit Ya’akov St, Mahane Yehuda, 94322 Tel (02) 533 3442 Closed Shabbat Hip spot with an open kitchen and country-style decor. Fresh ingredients sourced from the adjacent market are used in menus that change each week. Book ahead.
Majda $$$ Fusion The Blue House up the Hill, Ein Rafa, off Route 1, opp Abu Ghosh Tel (02) 579 7108 This little restaurant in an Arab village is run by a Muslim-Jewish couple. The food is a fusion of Arab and Israeli traditions. Choose between shabby-chic interiors or tables in the herb garden.
The Coast and Galilee DK Choice AKKO: Humous Sa’eid $ Houmous Map B2 Benjamin of Tuleda St, Old City Tel (04) 991 3945 Closed Sat This no-frills Arab eatery, hidden in the heart of Akko’s Old City, is reckoned as one of the best places for houmous. Bowls generously slicked with houmous are accompanied by piles of pickles, pitta and falafel. Note that queues can stretch down the street, and they often run out by 2pm.
Earthy, artistic decor at the Mona restaurant, Jerusalem
For more information on types of restaurants see pages 264–5
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A long-standing eatery hailed by many as the best shawarma place in Israel. Freshly made on the spot, lamb kebabs are stuffed into a pitta with parsley, onion, tahina and amba sauce. HAIFA: Fattoush $$$ Middle Eastern Map B2 38 Ben Gurion Ave, German Colony, 35023 Tel (04) 852 4930 The signature fattoush salad is a must. Sit under the trees on the terrace or lounge on silk couches in the Oriental-style chamber.
Colourfully decorated interiors at Fattoush, Haifa AKKO: Uri Buri $$$ Seafood Map B2 Lighthouse Square, HaHagana St, Old City, 24713 Tel (04) 955 2212 Located in an Ottoman mansion with shabby-chic decor and attentive service. Famous for their seafood dishes. Try the chef’s tasting menu. CAESAREA: Helena $$$ Mediterranean Map B2 Old Harbour, Caesarea National Park, 30889 Tel (057) 944 3013 This romantic spot, overlooking Caesarea’s ancient harbour, has charming interiors and a diverse menu. Groups of four or more can go for the good-value tasting menu. GOLAN HEIGHTS: Yaeli Café and Restaurant $$ Fusion Map C1 Kfar Omanim, Aniam, off Rd 808, 12495 Tel (04) 682 1855 In the artists’ village at Aniam, this typically Golani restaurant is welcoming and down-toearth. Offers a range of European light meals with an Israeli twist. Great breakfasts. HAIFA: Felafel HaZekenim $ Falafel Map B2 18 HaWadi St, Wadi Nisnas, 33044 Tel (04) 851 4959 Enjoy legendary falafel in the lively lanes of the Arab area of Wadi Nisnas. Made with a secret recipe, the fried green chickpea balls are crispy and fresh. HAIFA: Shawarma Hazan $$ Middle Eastern Map B2 140 Jaffa Rd, 35252 Tel (04) 855 8075 Key to Price Guide see page 270
LOWER GALILEE: Dag Dagan $$ Seafood Map C2 Kibbutz Hefzibah, near Beth Shean Tel (04) 653 4359 Shaded picnic tables close to the Beit Alpha synagogue. Fish is the mainstay, but there are vegetarian and meat options too. LOWER GALILEE: The Herb Farm $$$ Fusion Map C2 Road 667, Mt Gilboa, Lower Galilee, 19122 Tel (04) 653 1093 Closed Sun Country-style restaurant on the Gilboa range with awesome views from the wooden terrace surrounded by herbs. The fresh, flavoursome dishes are mostly meat-based. NAZARETH: Diana $$ Traditional Arabic Map B2 51 Paul VI St, 16224; Grand New Hotel, 5050 St Tel (04) 657 2919 With two branches, and over 30 years of expertise, Diana offers the best of Galilean cuisine. Delectable lamb dishes, an array of meze, Arab-style kebabs and shishlik, plus seafood. NAZARETH: Tishreen $$$ Mediterranean Map B2 56 El-Bishara St, 16000 Tel (04) 608 4666 An attractive, old mansion house with tiled floors, friendly staff and a warm atmosphere. Buzzing mix of locals and visitors. The unpretentious menu has plenty of choice for both carnivores and vegetarians. ROSH PINA: Pina BaRosh $$$ Fusion Map C2 8 HeChalutzim St, 12000 Tel (04) 693 6582 A short walk from Rosh Pina’s galleries. Panoramic views of the Hula Valley and the Golan Heights from the terrace and the wine bar match the superb French-inspired food.
SEA OF GALILEE: Ein Camonim $$ Vegetarian Map C2 Hwy 85, 10 km W of Amiad Jct, 20109 Tel (04) 698 9680 Rustic eatery on a family-run dairy farm that uses fresh homegrown products, including the cheese. All-you-can-eat menu! SEA OF GALILEE: Israel’s Kitchen $$$ Israeli Map C2 Shavit Guesthouse, Moshav Arbel, off Rd 7717, Tiberias, 15282 Tel (04) 679 4919 The intimate home-cooked dinner and breakfast, handmade chocolates and excellent wines are worth the uphill drive from Tiberias. A hidden gem. SEA OF GALILEE: Marinado Banamal $$$ Kosher Meat Map C2 Kibbutz Ein Gev, 14940 Tel (04) 665 8555 Premium-quality steaks, kebabs, salads and vegetarian options. Kids’ menu, too. Seating on the boardwalk by the Sea of Galilee. TEL AVIV: Abulafia Bakery $ Arab Map B3 7 Yefet St, Jaffa, 68028 Tel (03) 682 8544 A classic Jaffa experience since 1878. Queue on the pavement for hot pitta topped with zaatar (mix of herbs) and olives, or a grilled sambusac stuffed with egg, potato and cheese. Open 24/7. TEL AVIV: Ashkara $ Houmous Map B3 45 Yermiyahu St, 62594 Tel (03) 546 4547 One of the best places in Tel Aviv for houmous. Indulge in a delicious lunch and then work it off by a walk in the riverside HaYarkon Park, one block away.
Al fresco breakfast at Pina BaRosh, Rosh Pina
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TEL AVIV: Lehem Erez $ Sandwiches Map B3 52 Ibn Givrol St, 64361 Tel (03) 726 0077 The original branch of the chain offering gourmet sandwiches that fuse unexpected flavours and fresh salads. Perfect for breakfast or a casual snack. TEL AVIV: Chadar Ochel (The Dining Hall) $$ Israeli Map B3 23 Shaul Ha-Melech Blvd Tel (03) 696 6188 Bustling informal restaurant with muted decor in a courtyard by the Museum of Art. Serves traditional kibbutz-style food with a modern twist. TEL AVIV: Elimelech $$ Jewish (Ashkenazi) Map B3 35 Wolfson St, Florentine, 66528 Tel (03) 681 4545 A quaint restaurant that has been serving Eastern-European Jewish food since 1936. Try chopped liver, chicken soup with matzo balls, schnitzel or the traditional Shabbat meal of cholent (a slowcooked stew). TEL AVIV: Il Pastaio $$ Italian Map B3 27 Ibn Givrol, 64078 Tel (03) 525 1166 Closed Sat; Sun dinner Home-made pastas, lasagne and gnocchi, and a range of meaty mains. The risotto with porcini mushrooms and the tiramisu are delicious. TEL AVIV: Moon $$ Japanese Map B3 58 Bograshov St Tel (05) 7942 6861 Sit at the black lacquer bar by the sushi conveyor belt, or at a table, for a selection of mini seafood and vegetarian delights. TEL AVIV: Nanouchka $$ Eastern European Map B3 30 Lilienblum St, 65133 Tel (03) 516 2254 Fun, unconventional restaurantbar with vibrant decor in its various rooms. Serves excellent Georgian cuisine which features lots of meat and pastry. Turns into a party place later on. TEL AVIV: Orna & Ella $$ Mediterranean Map B3 33 Sheinkin St, 65232 Tel (03) 620 4753 Creative menu of light dishes with an Italian slant. Try the pumpkin kubbe and famed sweet potato pancakes. Simple decor and a lovely terrace.
Tables awaiting diners at Mul Yam, Tel Aviv TEL AVIV: Thai House $$ Thai Map B3 8 Bograshov St, 63808 Tel (03) 517 8568 Sample authentic spicy Thai dishes, many hailing from the Isan region, made with home-grown vegetables. Relaxed atmospere and bamboo decor. TEL AVIV: Brasserie $$$ French Map B3 70 Ibn Givrol, 64952 Tel (03) 696 7111 A 24-hour café-bistro with an Art Deco interior, serving unfussy French cuisine. The Friday brunch, served between 7am and 5pm, is hugely popular. TEL AVIV: Herbert Samuel $$$ Contemporary Israeli Map B3 6 Kaufman St Tel (03) 516 6516 Top-notch etablishment using the freshest ingredients. The seafood, salads and meat dishes can be ordered in tapas-sized portions. Stunning location on the promenade. TEL AVIV: Margaret Tayar $$$ Fusion Map B3 HaAliya HaShniya Quay, Nr Jaffa, 68128 Tel (03) 682 4741 Closed Sun Try authentic Tunisian, Libyan and Mediterranean food at this long-standing beachfront restaurant with a retro vibe. Expect slow service. TEL AVIV: Mul Yam $$$ Seafood Map B3 Hangar 24, Tel Aviv Port, 63501 Tel (03) 546 9920 One of Israel’s most exclusive restaurants, “Across the Sea” is located in the Port area, near many fashionable nightspots. Uses imported ingredients and has an incredible wine list. Business lunch available.
TEL AVIV: Raphael $$$ Contemporary Israeli Map B3 King David’s Tower, 63143 87 HaYarkon St Tel (03) 522 6464 Chef Rafi Cohen is renowned for his inventive flavoursome dishes, influenced by his Moroccan roots. Seaside views add to the experience.
DK Choice TEL AVIV: Toto Restaurant $$$ Contemporary Israeli Map B3 4 Berkowitz St Tel (03) 693 5151 This contemporary restaurant is known for its sharp flavours and unusual twist to Italian fare by chef Yaron Shalev. The chestnut gnocchi is delicious, but the fish and steaks are superb too. The restaurant boasts one of the best wine lists in the country. Reserve a muchcoveted bar seat to best soak up the lively atmosphere. UPPER GALILEE: HaTachana $$$ Steakhouse Map C1 1 HaRishonim St, Metula, 10292 Tel (02) 694 4810 Consistently cited as one of the best restaurants in the north, HaTachana specializes in succulent steaks. The cluttered cow-themed decor is strangely appealing. Great service. UPPER GALILEE: Nechalim $$$ French & Italian Map C1 Gan HaTzafon shopping area, Road 99, near Kibbutz HaGoshrim Tel (04) 690 4875 Romantic venue on the banks of a stream with a lush garden terrace. The speciality is fresh fish, but there are also seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes. Guaranteed to deliver a first-class dining experience.
For more information on types of restaurants see pages 264–5
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AMMAN: Reem al-Bawadi $$ Middle Eastern Map C3 Near Waha Circle, Tlaa al-Ali, West Amman Tel (06) 551 5419 Excellent Arab cuisine in the informal setting favoured by Jordanian families. Seating inside or in a spacious Bedouin-style tent in the garden. AMMAN: Romero $$ Italian Map C3 Near 3rd Circle, 11181, Jebel Amman, 11181 Tel (06) 464 4227 Tucked away down a leafy side street, with a warm atmosphere and authentic food made with fresh ingredients. The loungestyle Living Room is upstairs.
Diners seated outside at Blue Fig, Amman
The Dead Sea and the Negev Desert BETHLEHEM: The Tent Restaurant $$ Middle Eastern Map B3 Shepherds’ Field St, Beit Sahour Tel (02) 277 3875 Inside a large Bedouin-style tent. Palestinian dishes are made with local ingredients. Try the dajaj mahshi (roast chicken stuffed with rice and pine nuts). EILAT: Eddie’s Hide-Away $$ International Map B7 68 Almogim St, off Eliot St, 88000 Tel (08) 637 1137 Old-style restaurant that has been an Eilat institution since 1979. Popular among locals. Steak, fish, shrimp, and pasta on the menu. EILAT: Pastory $$ Italian Map B7 7 Tarshish St, 88000 Tel (08) 634 5111 Just north of the main beach with rustic Italian decor and an open kitchen. Home-made pasta, Tuscan-style sauces and desserts. EILAT: The Last Refuge $$$ Seafood Map B7 Coral Beach, 88000 Tel (08) 637 2437 Gets the Israeli vote for the best seafood in town. Quaint nautical equipment reminiscent of New England embellishes the interior. Alfresco seating in summer. EILAT: Marina Grill $$$ Mediterranean Map B7 Kings Wharf, North Beach, 88000 Tel (08) 636 3439 Closed Shabbat Stylish place with a range of high-quality fish and meat dishes and excellent service. Try the chraime, a spicy fish dish traditional to Sephardi Jews. Key to Price Guide see page 270
MITSPE RAMON: Chez Eugene $$$ Contemporary Israeli Map B5 8 Har Ardon, Spice Routes Quarter Tel (08) 653 9595 Closed lunch daily Mediterranean dishes, made with local Negev ingredients, served in a modern warehousestyle space with cool lighting. Be sure to leave room for the exquisite desserts.
Petra and Western Jordan AMMAN: Hashem $ Houmous Map C3 Opposite Cliff Hotel, Downtown Tel (06) 463 6440 Founded in the 1920s, this budget eatery is an Amman institution. Serves only two dishes: houmous and fuul (hot beans) with flatbread. Packed with locals 24 hours a day. AMMAN: Blue Fig $$ International Map C3 Prince Hashem bin al-Hussein St, Abdoun, 11844 Tel (06) 592 8800 Hip, laid-back place to hang out on the city’s fringes. Subtle lighting and modern design attracts chic Ammanis. Light bites, wraps and salads, and alcohol on the menu. AMMAN: Fakhr el-Din $$ Middle Eastern Map C3 40 Taha Hussein St, between 1st and 2nd Circles, Jebel Amman Tel (06) 465 2399 One of Jordan’s best eateries, in a converted 1920s town house. Impeccable meze and grills. Reservations essential; book a terrace table in summer.
AMMAN: Tannoureen $$ Lebanese Map C3 Shatt al-Arab St, Umm Uthaina, West Amman Tel (06) 551 5987 Among Jordan’s best restaurants with elegant design and formal service. Exceptional meze, grills, fish and divine desserts. Alcohol and narghila (water pipe). AMMAN: Wild Jordan $$ Organic Map C3 Othman bin Affan St, below 1st Circle, Jebel Amman, 11941 Tel (06) 463 3542 Café-restaurant perched on a hillside overlooking downtown Amman, with spectacular views from the terrace. Organic and locally sourced salads, wraps, soups and smoothies. AQABA: Ali Baba $$ Lebanese Map B7 Princess Haya Circle Tel (03) 201 3901 Located on a bustling corner, this long-established eatery is a favourite with locals and tourists. Fish and seafood, mixed grills and salads feature on the menu, along with beer. AQABA: Bourj al-Hamam $$ Lebanese Map B7 Intercontinental Hotel, King Hussein St, North Beach Tel (03) 209 2222 Exceptional Lebanese specialities, particularly the fish dishes. A poolside terrace under palm trees looks out to the Red Sea. AQABA: Romero, at the Royal Yacht Club $$ Mediterranean Map B7 Off the main corniche Tel (03) 202 2464 A gated side road off Princess Haya Circle leads to the marina
W H E R E TO E AT A N D D R I N K
and this lovely restaurant with waterfront views. The range of cuisines includes wood-fired pizza, pasta and Arabic meze. DEAD SEA: Kempinski Hotel Ishtar $$ International Map C4 Dead Sea Rd, Sweimeh, 11194 Tel (05) 356 8888 At the Dead Sea, dining out is a case of picking a hotel. With beautiful natural surroundings and excellent Asian, Italian and Middle Eastern restaurants, the Kempinski is a top choice.
DK Choice MADABA: Haret Jdoudna $$ Middle Eastern Map C4 King Talal St, 11181 Tel (05) 324 8650 Serving top-quality authentic Jordanian cuisine, this is the place to indulge in grills and meze. Set in a historic building in Madaba’s old quarter, with tables dotted around a foliagefilled courtyard. The decor is rustic and the ambience warm. PETRA: Movenpick Resort Petra $$$ International Map C5 Movenpick Hotel, Wadi Musa Tel (03) 215 7111 Top off the day at Movenpick, where Saraya offers extensive buffets and the formal Al Iwan has high-priced Mediterranean dishes. The roof garden is ideal for a sundowner. UMM QAIS: Umm Qais Resthouse $$ Middle Eastern & Italian Map C2 Umm Qais Tel (02) 750 0555 In an Ottoman school within the ruins of the Roman city of
Gadara, overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights. Salads, meze, grills and pasta.
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International food with a distinctly Italian slant is served buffet-style at this eatery overlooking beachside gardens and pools.
The Red Sea and Sinai
DK Choice
DAHAB: Blue House $ Thai Map F6 Above Seven Heaven Hotel, Masbat Tel (106) 717 7846 An unpretentious place with wooden tables and whitewashed walls. Authentic dishes by the Thai chef. Vegetarians are also well catered for. DAHAB: Nirvana $ Indian Map F6 Near the Lighthouse, Asilah Tel (06) 104 6061 Mouthwatering selection of fresh Indian food with beachside or patio seating. A popular spot for a drink. DAHAB: Eel Garden Stars $$ International Map F6 Asilah Tel (102) 039 0412 In a quiet spot on the northern end of the beach with a wideranging menu of delectable local and Western dishes. The portions are very generous DAHAB: Eldorado $$ Italian Map F6 El Melel St, Asilah, 46611 Tel (069) 364 102 Home-made pasta and gnocchi with a host of delicious sauces, wood-oven pizza, breads and desserts. Good wine and stunning sea views. NUWEIBA: Blue Blue International Hilton Coral Resort, 46625 Tel (069) 352 0320
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NUWEIBA: Castle Zaman $$$ Slow-cooking Map F5 2 km (1 mile) north of Basata Tel (0128) 214 0591 Castle Zaman is not just about the amazing food. Relaxing by the turquoise pool and exploring the miniature castle hand-crafted by the owner is a one-of-a-kind experience. Raised on a cliffside, the castle affords extraordinary views of the Gulf of Aqaba. The slowcooked meat and seafood spreads are fit for royalty. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Abou El-Sid $$ Egyptian Map F7 Naama Bay Tel (069) 360 3910 This quirky, dimly lit restaurant serves up traditional Egyptian fare such as quail, stuffed pigeon and molukhiya (soup). SHARM EL-SHEIKH: El-Fanar $$ Italian Map F7 Ras Umm Sidd Tel (069) 366 2218 Beautiful location right by the beach, next to a lighthouse Serves some of the best pizzas in Egypt. Good wine list. SHARM EL-SHEIKH: Sala Thai $$ Thai Map F7 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Gardens Bay Tel (069) 360 1234 Overlooking the Red Sea, this restaurant has terraces with hand-carved teak decor. Authentic and delicate dishes.
Warm interiors at Kempinski Hotel Ishtar, Dead Sea For more information on types of restaurants see pages 264–5
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SHOPS AND MARKETS When it comes to shopping, the main attraction in Jerusalem is undoubtedly the souks, or bazaars, of the Old City. In comparison with the great bazaars of Istanbul or Cairo, Jerusalem’s souks can seem small and overly touristy, but they still deserve exploration (see pp152–3). The streets of the Old City away from the souks are also dotted with interesting small shops, handicraft centres, workshops and boutiques. Most other towns and cities throughout the Holy Land also have souks, with particularly good ones in Akko, Amman, Hebron and
Nazareth. Anybody intending shopping in the souks must become acquainted with the art of bargaining. In contrast to the traditional nature of the souk, bigger centres such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Amman all possess modern shopping districts, as well as large American-style malls, filled with familiar brand names from the West. In Jordan, the major tourist sites such as Petra and Jerash have small clusters of tourist-oriented shops where, sometimes, you can find local handicrafts and products of interest. possible to get a discount by paying in US dollars. This is because transactions made in a foreign currency are not subject to Israeli VAT.
VAT Exemptions
A typical fruit and vegetable stall
Opening Hours Throughout the Holy Land there are often no strictly defined opening hours; it depends on the individual proprietor. In general, however, except for food shops, which open quite early, business activity begins at roughly 9am. Some shops close from 1 to 4pm, but most remain open all day until around 7pm. In Jerusalem’s Old City and elsewhere, the souks don’t really get going until perhaps 10am and they close around sunset. Many shops and stalls in the souks are closed all day Sunday, as many of the shop owners are Christian, although others are Muslim and they stay closed on Friday instead. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslimowned shops throughout the Holy Land close 30 minutes to one hour before sunset.
All Jewish-owned businesses in Jerusalem and throughout Israel close from Friday afternoon to sunset on Saturday for Shabbat (Sabbath). These shops are also closed during Jewish holidays (see pp40–43).
How to Pay Major credit cards, such as American Express, Visa and MasterCard, are accepted in almost all shops throughout Israel; travellers’ cheques are not. In Jordan and Sinai, credit cards are less widely accepted. Only in top-end and mid-range hotels and international restaurants are cards usually accepted; in most places, you will have to pay in cash. It is usual to pay in the local currency (in Jordan and Sinai use of any other currency is illegal), but in Israel, if you are making a large purchase, it is
A wide range of goods in Israel are subject to a Value Added Tax (Ma’am in Hebrew) of 18 per cent. Tourists are entitled to a refund on this for any purchases amounting to over 400 shekels (about US$100). Make sure the shop you buy from has a VAT (or tax) refund sign displayed. You need to ask the sales assistant for a special invoice showing the VAT paid in both dollars and shekels. This is then presented at the VAT counter at the airport at the time of your departure. You must have the purchases with you to cross-check against the invoice. Queues at this counter can be very long, so get there with time to spare.
Examining the wares at an Old City souvenir shop
SHOPS AND MARKETS
Kenyon Malcha Mall in Malcha, Jerusalem
Department Stores and Shopping Malls Israel has a rapidly growing number of large shopping centres and US-style out-oftown malls. Both are filled with standard mall-type outlets that sell everything from greetings cards to electronics items, most of which are imported from Europe and the United States. Jerusalem has several large malls, including one of the biggest in the country, the Kenyon Malcha Mall, out in the Malcha suburb of West Jerusalem. In
the centre of the city, Mamilla Alrov Quarter is a highend shopping strip with international and local stores as well as many attractive restaurants and cafés. Tel Aviv’s biggest mall is the Azrieli Centre, in the base of three modern towers on the northeastern edge of town. More centrally located malls in Tel Aviv include the Dizengoff Centre on Dizengoff Street and the Gan ha-Ir Shopping Centre just north of Rabin Square. As well as the shopping opportunities, Israel’s malls are typically full of good, moderately priced restaurants, snack bars and cafés. Given that they are air-conditioned, they can be great places for pedestrians to escape from the often stifling heat outside. Jordan’s capital, Amman, has also succumbed to the mall craze. The city’s biggest is Mecca Mall, out in the northwestern suburbs, which also contains a food court, cinema
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and bowling alley. There’s also the smaller but more centrally located Abdoun Mall.
Markets In addition to the souks of Jerusalem’s Old City, there are lots of good buys at the Mahane Yehuda market in modern West Jerusalem (see p135). Tel Aviv has Carmel Market (see p176), which operates every day except Saturday, and, also in the same neighbourhood, the Nakhalat Binyamin craft market (see p176), held every Tuesday and Friday. In Jordan, downtown Amman has several streets filled with colourful market shopping (see p216).
Buying Antiques In Jordan and Sinai it is forbidden to export any antique or archaeological find unless you have obtained special permission in advance. The border authorities are extremely thorough in their checks in this regard. On the other hand, in Jerusalem and Israel you may buy objects from excavations. For more details and for the addresses of some reputable dealers, see pages 152–3.
How to Bargain Buying and selling in the Middle East is traditionally a highly ritualized affair, in which bargaining is far more than just haggling for a cheap price. The aim of the exercise is to establish a fair price that both vendor and buyer are happy with. As part of the process, a shop owner may well invite you to have a cup of tea or coffee and may literally turn the place upside down to show you something. You should not feel obliged to buy because of this. It is common sales practice and all part of the ritual. Bargaining, by the way, is not socially acceptable in city-centre shops, but it is unavoidable when in the souks if you don’t wish to pay greatly over the odds. The way to go about it is that once you identify an article that interests you, especially an expensive one, be brave enough to offer half the price quoted by the shop owner. Don’t be put off by any feigned indignation on the part of the shopkeeper and only raise your next offer by a small amount. Through offer and counter-offer you should arrive at a mutually agreeable price.
Haggling over the price – time-consuming but essential to avoid paying over the odds If you don’t reach a price you think is fair then simply say thank you and leave. Making to walk away often has the effect of bringing the price plummeting down. In theory, no one gets cheated because you, the buyer, have set the price yourself; it follows that you are happy with what you have agreed to pay, and the shopkeeper will certainly never sell at a loss.
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Where to Shop in Jerusalem, Israel, Petra and Sinai Jerusalem’s souks are the first place to look for many of the items produced in this region (for shopping in Jerusalem, see pages 152–3), but there is also plenty of other good shopping in the Holy Land. Tel Aviv is probably Israel’s finest shopping city, with several malls and markets, and lots of great boutique stores on and off Dizengoff Street. Amman, in Jordan, has a range of great arts and crafts items, many of which can also be found at stores in the more popular tourist destinations such as Madaba, Petra and Jerash.
St George’s Church. Shtihei Carmel in Rehovot, near Tel Aviv, specializes in Carmel rugs.
Jewellery Some of the region’s most distinctive jewellery is made by the Bedouin. It is sold at the street markets of Nakhalat Binyamin (see p176) in Tel Aviv, in many of the boutiques in Jaffa and at the Thursday market in Beersheva. For more contemporary pieces, Agas and Tamar is an upmarket boutique selling exquisite own-designed, one-off pieces. Even if your budget doesn’t stretch this far, it’s a beautiful shop in one of Tel Aviv’s most interesting neighbourhoods.
Hebron Glassware
Colourful Armenian ceramics for sale in Jerusalem
Religious Articles For Christian religious items there are any number of shops in Jerusalem’s Old City (see pp152–3). However, prices are generally lower in Bethlehem, which is where many of these items are made. One place worth visiting here is the Holy Land Arts Museum on Milk Grotto Street, which specializes in wooden objects with mother-of-pearl inlay and inlaid metalwork (damascene). For Judaica, visit the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City and along central Ben Yehuda Street in Tel Aviv. Visit Pninat-ha’kesef in Tel Aviv for a wide selection of candlesticks and paintings.
Ceramics Jerusalem is the place for beautifully coloured Armenian ceramics, but there are other styles produced elsewhere in the region. Beit el-Badawi in Amman sells the designs of local craftspeople who work in both traditional and modern styles. Pieces incorporate Arab
calligraphy. Also in Amman, Silsal Ceramics is another good sales studio specializing in modern pottery. For something really chic, visit Blue Bandana in northern Tel Aviv, which stocks a fine array of beautiful tableware, much of which is designed specially for the store.
Textiles and Rugs
In Jerusalem, the first three shops on the left-hand side of David Street, going from Jaffa Gate, have the best selection of glassware. However, much lower prices are offered in the souk at Hebron. At Madaba in Jordan, Madaba Oriental Gifts has a good range of Hebron glassware, often at prices even lower than those in Hebron.
Cosmetics The Arab town of Nablus is famed for its olive-oil soap, available at almost any East Jerusalem grocer’s and in the Old City souks, especially on Khan el-Zeit Street. In Galilee the soap is sold in many souvenir shops, particularly in Nazareth, but at higher prices.
The shops and market in the centre of Ramallah are a good place to look for densely embroidered Palestinian textiles. Cushions and bags made from Bedouin textiles are found in most souvenir shops in Israel. Prices vary little, but for Bedouin rugs you would do better to buy in Jordan. Madaba (see p220), in particular, is famous for its colourful rugs. These can be bought around town, but one recommended place is Madaba Oriental Gifts, which is opposite Craftsman hand-knotting the fringe of a rug
SHOPS AND MARKETS
patterns. A more exotic souvenir is a nargileh, or Arab water pipe. All of these can be found in Jerusalem and also in Amman, where a particularly good one-stop shopping opportunity is offered by the El-Alaydi Jordan Craft Centre, which has a vast selection of locally produced items, including Hebron glassware, Palestinian embroidery and Bedouin tent accessories. In Madaba in Jordan, there is a complex of excellent craft shops just north of the Madaba Museum, offering everything from textiles to jewellery to mosaics. At Petra, look out for the Made In Jordan shop, which is near the entry gate to the site, and which has topSouvenirs quality locally made items, including camelSandals, bags and belts hair shawls and olive oil. are good articles to buy Decorative bottles throughout the Holy Land. filled with coloured sand Copperware is also a good are popular Jordanian buy, notably coffeepots souvenirs, especially and trays, often etched with arabesque Water pipes, or nargilehs at Wadi Rum and Petra.
The reputed health-giving properties of the Dead Sea are exploited in the cosmetic products made by two companies, Ahava and Mineral. These are sold at all well-stocked pharmacies and at the DutyFree Shop at Ben Gurion airport. When visiting the Dead Sea, you can buy directly from the Ahava Factory, north of Ein Gedi. It is open daily, but closes at 4pm on Fridays. There is also an Ahava at the Hilton Tel Aviv and a major outlet at the Ein Bokek spa resort on the Dead Sea shore. A range of Dead Sea products is also sold at a shop called Holy Treasures, opposite St George Church in the town of Madaba, Jordan.
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Making sand-filled bottles, Jordan’s most prevalent souvenir
For a very different sort of souvenir, an extensive range of recordings of modern and traditional Jewish music can be found at The Third Ear in Tel Aviv. Alternatively, the Bauhaus Centre in Tel Aviv has a gift shop selling miniature models of some of the city’s landmark 1930s architecture in the International Modern, or Bauhaus, style (see p175), as well as books and prints.
DIRECTORY Shopping Malls
Religious Articles
Textiles and Rugs
Souvenirs
Abdoun Mall
Holy Land Arts Museum
Madaba Oriental Gifts
Bauhaus Centre
El-Hashimi St, Abdoun, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 592 0296.
Azrieli Center 132 Petach-Tikva Hwy, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 608 1199.
Dizengoff Centre 50 Dizengoff St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 621 2416.
Gan ha-Ir Shopping Centre 71 Ibn Gabirol St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 527 9111.
Milk Grotto St, Bethlehem. Tel (02) 274 2835. ∑ holylandarts museum.org
Pninat-ha’kesef 1/86 Ha’kishor St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 518 1406.
Ceramics Beit el-Bawadi
Kenyon Malcha Mall
Fawzi el-Qawoaji St, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 593 0070.
Malcha, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 679 1333.
Blue Bandana
Mamilla Alrov Quarter Tel (02) 636 0000. ∑ alrovmamilla.com
Mecca Mall Mekka el-Mukkaramah Rd, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 552 7945.
52 Hei Beyar, Kikar ha-Medina, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 602 1686.
Silsal Ceramics Innabeh St, North Abdoun, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 593 1128. ∑ silsal.com
Madaba, Jordan.
Shtihei Carmel Bilu Center, Rehovot. Tel (08) 935 5557.
Jewellery Agas and Tamar 43 Shabazi St, Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 516 8421.
Cosmetics Ahava Tel Aviv Hilton, Independence Park, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 522 0120.
Ahava Factory Kibbutz Mitspe Shalem, Route 90, Dead Sea. Tel (02) 994 5100.
Holy Treasures Talal St, Madaba, Jordan. Tel (05) 324 8481.
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99 Dizengoff St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 522 02459. ∑ bauhaus-center.com
Craft shops Haret Jdoudna Complex, Talal St, Madaba, Jordan. Tel (05) 324 8650.
El-Alaydi Jordan Craft Centre El-Kulliyah el-Islamiyah St, Jebel Amman, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 464 4555.
Made In Jordan Petra, Jordan. Tel (03) 215 5900.
The Third Ear 48 King George St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 621 5222.
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What to Buy in Jerusalem, Israel, Petra and Sinai Visitors on the lookout for unusual souvenirs, or the products of different cultures and ages, will certainly find something to their liking in Jerusalem, either in the souks and alleyways of the Old City, or in particular districts of the modern city. Some artifacts, such as pottery, brass and silver objects, Bedouin textiles and Arab jewellery, are sold throughout the Holy Land. However, in Jerusalem you will find an especially wide range of Jewish religious articles (while other places concentrate on Christian or Muslim items) and Armenian pottery.
Copper goblets
Firjan with spirit stove
Blue Hebron Glass
Copper- and Brassware
Most of this attractive glass, in shades of light blue and turquoise, is made to imitate Roman and Phoenician vessels. Some modern designs and full dinner services are also produced.
Copper plates, jugs, pots, trays and goblets, all usually engraved, are found everywhere. So, too, are traditional firjan (coffee pots) and large platters made of beaten brass.
Armenian Ceramics The best-known decorative pottery is produced by the Armenian community, which has had a presence in Jerusalem since the 4th century (see p111). It is characterized by the abundant use of blue and yellow, and of floral motifs. The designs are usually intricate and painted on a white background.
Silver and Pewter Jewellery
Olive-wood Objects
The Yemenite tradition of silver filigree work has been extensively adopted by religious and secular jewellers in the Holy Land. Look out also for attractive, modern pewter jewellery set with semi-precious stones, as well as traditional blue glass-eye and khamsa (hand-shaped) lucky charms, popular with Arabs and Jews alike.
Crucifixes, rosaries, Nativity scenes and figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the saints carved in hard, light-coloured and attractively grained olive wood make evocative souvenirs. The best come from the Bethlehem area.
Blue glass-eye pendants
Modern brooch
Silver khamsa
Olive-wood sculpture
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Jewish Liturgical Articles
Kippah and tallit
These often beautifully made objects include the kippah (male skullcap), tallit (pure wool prayer shawl), kiddush (blessing) cup, besamim (spice-holder), mezuzah (prayer container hung at front doors) and shofar (ram’s horn blown for Yom Kippur).
Shofar
Silver besamim
Silver mezuzah
Rugs and Fabrics Robust and vividly coloured Bedouin rugs, cushions and bags made from the cloth formerly used as Bedouin saddle covers, and traditional, finely embroidered Palestinian dresses are popular buys. Bedouin fabrics
Bedouin cushion covers
Palestinian fabrics
Ancient Household Articles and Coins Reputable dealers in finds from archaeological sites will often have attractive basalt, earthenware and stone kitchen vessels, small terracotta amphorae and Roman and Phoenician glassware. Coins from many historical periods are fairly plentiful, but beware of fakes.
Beauty Products from the Dead Sea and Nablus A vast range of creams, soap, salts and Dead Sea mud, using the mineral properties of the unique Dead Sea salt, is sold to alleviate skin conditions. Nablus soap, which has olive oil and less than two per cent caustic soda as its only ingredients, is cheap, fragrant and long-lasting, and is good for use in dry climates. Nablus soap
Dead Sea lotions
Local Delicacies Specialist shops stocked with large sacks of nuts, dried fruits, pulses and dried vegetables are fascinating places to explore. They often sell spices, too. All these products make good buys as they are easy to carry and keep well at home.
Chickpeas
Mulberries
Almonds
Dried apricots
Pistachio nuts
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Dried red peppers and aubergines
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ENTERTAINMENT If Jerusalem is, as Israelis often say, the city where they pray and Haifa is the city where they work, then Tel Aviv is definitely where they play. High culture is catered for by a fine modern opera house, several theatres and a busy dance and performing arts centre. Popular culture is supported by myriad bars, clubs and live music venues. While Jerusalem lacks the bustling nightlife of Tel Aviv, it has still established itself as a lively centre for a range of entertainment,
from music to dance to film and more. It boasts many bars, concert halls and cinematheques (see pp154–5). Elsewhere, there is far less going on, although Jordan’s capital Amman has several busy cultural centres and cinema complexes. Down on the Red Sea coast and in Sinai, entertainment is largely limited to bars and nightclubs. Local newspapers in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jodan and Sinai are generally good sources of information for entertainment in these areas.
programme of traditional Arabic music, theatre and dance.
Opera Tel Aviv’s Performing Arts Centre is home to the New Israeli Opera, a world-class company, which puts on four or five productions a year. The centre also frequently hosts visiting productions from Europe and America.
Rock, Jazz and Blues The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Information The Jerusalem Post and the English-language edition of the newspaper Ha-Aretz, both of which are available throughout Israel, carry daily entertainment listings. Both also have extensive cultural supplements on Fridays with detailed listings of events for the week to come. There is also an English-language listings magazine Time Out Tel Aviv, published every two months and available free at certain bars and hotels. Tourist offices (see p293) also have abundant events magazines. In Jordan, look out for the Jordan Times and the weekly The Star, or, when in Amman, visit books@cafe, an internet café-cum-bookshop whose notice boards provide the best way of finding out what’s on in the capital. In Sinai, look out for the monthly Egypt Today, which carries what’s on information.
Even in lively Tel Aviv, the live music scene is surprisingly disppointing. Local rock bands Classical Music of variable quality perform most nights at Zappa, Ozen The Israel Philharmonic, one of the world’s most prestigious Bar, and also at Mike’s Place, orchestras, is based in Tel Aviv which is a foreigner-friendly at the Performing Arts Centre. bar down on the seafront. The neighbouring Tel Aviv The Container, in a converted industrial warehouse in Jaffa Museum of Art also hosts Port, plays host to a wide range regular chamber music of live acts, from rock ’n’ roll concerts and other classical to techno. Its striking decor events in its Recanati Hall. includes counters and tables Smaller venues include the made from old shipping Felicia Blumenthal Centre and containers and graffiti art on Einav Cultural Centre, both of the walls. Barbie which host local and international classical is host to a range muscians. of concerts, from In the village of Ein Israeli rock to Kerem (see pp142–3) Russian hard rock. near Jerusalem, Cafe Henrietta, young musicians Shablul Jazz Club give free recitals of and HaSimta, all of chamber music every which are in central Friday at noon from Tel Aviv, feature Classical street October to May at the jazz at least one night musician Fountain of the Virgin in a week. Call or see the the Targ Centre. In Amman, local press for details. In Amman, weekly concerts there’s the large modern of very varied music are put on Royal Cultural Centre, which by books@cafe. presents a varied performance
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Bars and Clubs In Tel Aviv, the main cluster of bars is in the Nakhalat Binyamin district (see p176), particularly around the southern end of Rothschild Avenue and Lillenblum. The venue that has young hipsters queuing outside every night is Nanuchka, a rowdy but classy barrestaurant with surreal decor and a permanent party vibe. Around the corner, the splendidly named Rosa Parks is a Tel Aviv’s Suzanne Dellal Centre, renowned for excellence in modern dance fashionable bar with a friendly vibe. There are of the most popular places also plenty of good lateis the Big Fellow Irish Pub, night spots around the Cinematheque on Ha-Arbaa which is run by the Sherton Street and up in the Old Port group. Drinks include, of area (see p173). course, Guinness, and there’s Also up at the Old Port are a Guinness pie to eat. Champions couple of super clubs, including is an American-style sports bar the popular ChinChin, which at the Marriott, while the Living has Israeli music on Tuesday Room is an attractive lounge nights. However, perhaps the bar with a good, Americanmost fascinating and singular influenced food menu. Spontaneous outdoor dancing on the club is Ha-Hamman, a strikingly In Petra, do not miss the beach in Sinai chance to have a drink at Cave beautiful, converted Turkish of modern Israeli dance. The bathhouse in Jaffa. Bar, which occupies a genuine For something more casual 2,000-year-old Nabataean rock Israel Ballet, based in Tel Aviv, is and laid-back, there’s Mike’s tomb. There’s live Bedouin the only company in Israel that performs classical and neoPlace, down near the seafront in music most nights too. In Sinai, bars and clubs are classical works. Contemporary central Tel Aviv, or HaMinzar, a generally found in the many dance, however, is very much friendly, inexpensive bar resort hotels. alive here. The focal point of that is popular with locals dance activity is the Suzanne and tourists alike. In Amman, there are plenty Dellal Centre, a superb old of bars and clubs in the uptown Dance Ottoman building at the heart neighbourhoods such as of the historic southern Tel The internationally known Bat Abdoun and Shmeisani. One Aviv district of Neve Tzedek, Sheva company is the mainstay which has benefited from extensive architectural renewal. In Jerusalem, dance can be seen at the Centre for Performing Arts in the Jerusalem Sherover Theatre complex, while Jewish and Arabic folk dancing performances take place on Monday, Thursday and Saturday evenings in the YMCA auditorium. In Jordan, there are two wellestablished national folkloric groups. Both dance at the Royal Cultural Centre and, occasionally, at the Roman Theatre, both in Amman (see p217). Folkloric dance also features quite heavily at the Jordan Festival (see p41). Dining, drinking and dancing al fresco in Atarim Square, Tel Aviv
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Performers at a theatre festival
Theatre Plays in Israel are normally performed in Hebrew (or, less commonly, Arabic). Some of the bigger theatres – such as Tel Aviv’s Ha-Bima Theatre and New Cameri Theatre (and Jerusalem’s Sherover Theatre, see p155) – have headphones providing English-language translation for some performances, though there are a lot of performances in English as well. Productions, in all cases, range from revivals of the classics of world drama (both old and modern) to first-run stagings of new Israeli plays. There are several theatre festivals throughout the year in Israel (see pp40–43), the most exciting of which is the Akko Fringe Theatre Festival, which stages some performances in the city’s subterranean Crusader halls. In Amman, theatre takes place at the Royal Cultural Centre and the National Centre for Culture and Arts. However, the premier theatrical event is the Jordan Festival (see p41), which brings together performers from all over the world to present their work amid the ancient ruins.
retrospectives. Israel’s biggest movie theatre complex is Cinema City in Tel Aviv, which has 21 auditoriums and three 3D screens. There are several modern cinemaplexes in Amman offering recent releases, including the Grand Zara in the Zara Centre behind the Grand Hyatt and Galleria. Films are shown in their original language with Arabic subtitles.
Spectator Sports
Swimming Almost all the large hotels have outdoor swimming pools; the YMCA in Jerusalem also has an indoor pool. You can also swim all year round at the Jerusalem Swimming Pool in the German Colony district, south of the centre. The Red Sea is warm enough for year-round swimming; most resort hotels also have swimming pools. The Mediterranean is fine in summer but too cold from around October to April.
Children
For information on Jerusalem for children, see page 154. In northern Football is by far the most Tel Aviv, the Ramat Gan Safari popular sport throughout the Holy Land. Two teams from Zoo makes a good outing for Jerusalem play in Israel’s premier children. You can drive through league, Beitar and Ha-Poel. and observe the wildlife in its Matches take place in the natural habitat. The Children’s Museum, a short Teddy Stadium at Malcha in West drive from Tel Jerusalem, which Aviv, has lots of fun, was opened in 1992. interactive exhibits. Basketball is the Mini Israel, which next most popular is just off the main sport. The Jerusalem highway that runs team, Ha-Poel, plays between Jerusalem in the Sports Arena and Tel Aviv, has over near the Teddy 350 miniature models Stadium, while the of the Holy Land’s Maccabee Tel Aviv A basketball match at the important landmarks. plays at the Yad Yad Eliahu Arena South of Jerusalem, Eliahu Arena just off Chava’s Farm offers the Ayalon highway. a petting zoo with farm animals, Football is also followed donkey rides, goat-milking religiously in Jordan. The sessions, a play centre for two main teams in Amman babies and toddlers and a are Wahadat and Faisaly. bouncy castle. It is open in Games are mostly played at the August and September, but Jordan International Stadium, visits at other times of the year can be arranged by phone. in the Shmeisani district.
Cinema Foreign films shown in Israel are not dubbed, but carry Hebrew subtitles. Cinemas are plentiful, especially in Tel Aviv, where complexes such as the Rav-Chen 1–5 are modern, comfortable and air-conditioned. They tend to screen first-run Hollywood fare. The Cinematheques, of which there is one in Jerusalem (see p154) and one in Tel Aviv, specialize in art-house and independent films, as well as holding themed seasons and
Tel Aviv’s beach, starting to attract swimmers in spring
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DIRECTORY Information books@cafe Omar Ibn Al Khattab St 12, First Circle Jebel, Amman. Tel (06) 465 0457. ∑ booksatcafe.com
Classical Music Einav Cultural Centre 71 Ibn Gvirol St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 521 7763.
Felicia Blumenthal Centre 26 Bialik St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 620 1185. ∑ fbmc.co.il
Performing Arts Centre
The Container
Mike’s Place
Warehouse 2, Jaffa Port, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 683 6321. ∑ container.org.il
See Rock, Jazz and Blues.
HaSimta
Dance The Israel Ballet
Rav-Chen 1–5
4 Har Nevo St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 604 6610. ∑ iballet.co.il
Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 528 2288.
86 Herbert Samuel, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 510 6392.
Ozen Bar 48 King George St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 621 5210. ∑ ozenbar.com
Shablul Jazz Club
Zappa
Ein Kerem, near Jerusalem. Tel (02) 641 4250.
Bars and Clubs
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Abdoun Circle, Amman. Tel (06) 593 4766.
New Israeli Opera Performing Arts Centre, 19 Ha-Melekh Shaul Ave, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 692 7777. ∑ israel-opera.co.il
Rock, Jazz and Blues Barbie 52 Kibbutz Gayulot St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 518 8123.
books@cafe See Information.
Cafe Henrietta 186 Arlozorov St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 691 1715.
Abdoun Circle, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 593 4793. 3rd Circle, Jebel Amman, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 461 3200.
24 Raul Wallenberg St, Ramat HaChayal, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 762 6666 or *9080. ∑ zappa-club.co.il
Opera
Galleria
Mike’s Place
Royal Cultural Centre
27 Ha-Melekh Shaul Ave, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 607 7020 ∑ tamuseum.com
Gilot Junction, Tel Aviv. Tel (1 700) 702 255.
Rosa Parks
Hangar 13, Tel Aviv Port. Tel (03) 546 1891.
Targ Centre
30 Lilenblum St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 516 2254.
Cinema City
8 Mazal Dagim St, Old Jaffa, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 681 2126. ∑ hasimta.com
19 Ha-Melekh Shaul Ave, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 692 7777. Al-Malekah Alia St, Shmeisani, Amman. Tel (06) 566 1026.
Nanuchka
Cinema
Big Fellow Irish Pub
Cave Bar
265 Dizengoff St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 546 0091 or (054) 663 1006.
Jordan Festival Jerash Festival Office, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 461 3300.
Royal Cultural Centre See Classical Music.
Suzanne Dellal Centre 5 Yehieli St, Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 510 5656.
YMCA King David St, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 569 2692.
Theatre
Grand Zara
Tel Aviv Cinematheque 2 Sprinzhak St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 606 0800.
Spectator Sports Jordan International Stadium Shmeisani, Amman.
Teddy Stadium Agudat Sport Beitar, Malkha, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 545 6279.
Yad Eliahu Arena 51 Yigal Allon St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 537 6376.
Swimming Jerusalem Swimming Pool
Behind the Visitors’ Centre, Petra. Tel (03) 215 6266.
Akko Fringe Theatre Festival Tel (04) 955 2541.
43 Emek Refaim St, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 563 2092.
Champions
Ha-Bima Theatre
Children
Amman Marriott, Isam el-Ajlouni St, Shmeisani, Amman. Tel (06) 560 7607.
ChinChin 3 Ha-Taaruha St, Tel Aviv Port. Tel (054) 544 8444.
Ha-Hammam 10 Mifraz Shlomo St, Jaffa. Tel (03) 681 3261.
HaMinzar 60 Allenby St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 517 3015.
Living Room Mohammed Hussein Heikal St, Amman. Tel (06) 465 5998.
Habima Square, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 629 5555. ∑ habima.co.il
Jordan Festival See Dance.
National Centre for Culture and Arts Eden Al Haitham St, Harjan, Amman. Tel (06) 569 0292. ∑ pacjo.org
New Cameri Theatre 30 Leonardo Da Vinci St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 606 0960. ∑ cameri.co.il
Royal Cultural Centre See Classical Music.
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Chava’s Farm Kibbutz Chafetz Chaim. Tel (08) 859 3876.
Children’s Museum 1 Mifratz Shlomo St, Holon, Israel. Tel (1 599) 585 858.
Mini Israel Kibbutz Nacsho, Latrun. Tel (1 700) 559 559.
Ramat Gan Safari Zoo Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 630 5328.
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Sporting and Specialist Holidays With terrain that runs from reefs rich in marine life to sometimes snow-capped peaks, and from coniferous forests to stony desert, the region offers a wide assortment of outdoor activities. Added to this, Israel is very much an “outdoors” society. As a consequence, the region is crisscrossed with hiking trails and treks, rivers are busy with rafts and canoes, parks offer opportunities for horse riding, and deserts for exploration by camel. All this is primarily for the locals, but visitors can enjoy these facilities too.
A clown fish swims by brightly coloured soft corals
Diving Experienced divers claim that the Red Sea offers some of the world’s best diving. The various scuba diving centres in Eilat, Aqaba and, especially, Sinai organize courses for beginners, as well as for more experienced divers who wish to qualify for the various international licences. Most centres hire out all the diving equipment you need (the daily rate is about $35–50), including, if desired, underwater photographic equipment.
Although the entire Red Sea teems with marine life, some of the richest dive sites are undoubtedly those within the Ras Muhammad National Park (see p247), which is close to Sharm el-Sheikh at the tip of the Sinai peninsula. Dives in the park must be organized through a dive club. While it is possible to sort out your own diving arrangements with a local company once you arrive, there are also many international agencies that specialize in Red Sea diving holidays. In Eilat, reputable diving centres include Aqua Sport, which organizes daily boat excursions along the Sinai coast to less-dived locations, Divers’ Village and Marina Divers. In Sinai, some of the better outfits include INMO and the Nesima Dive Centre in Dahab, and the Camel Dive Club, Emperor Divers, Oonas Dive Centre and Sinai Divers in Sharm el-Sheikh. You can visit their websites (see p289) for more information.
A diver enters the Red Sea just off Aqaba in Jordan
Windsurfing between Eilat and Taba in the Gulf of Aqaba
For a different kind of diving experience, Caesarea Diving at the Caesarea National Park (see p180) on Israel’s Mediterranean coast offers scuba trips that allow you to explore the submerged ruins of Herod’s ancient harbour.
Snorkelling Another way of viewing the rich marine life and beauty of the reefs is to snorkel. This has the advantage of being cheap and of not requiring any complicated equipment or specialized training. Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt (see p247) are the best locations, and each has plenty of snorkel-hire shops. It is also possible to snorkel in Israel at Eilat (see p209) and in Jordan at Aqaba (see p239).
Water Sports The windsurfing is good in the Gulf of Aqaba, particularly on the coast between Eilat and the border at Taba; there are plenty of places to rent boards, many of them near the small marina by the Club Med hotel. The region’s centre for water sports is Eilat (see p209), with everything from snorkels to jet skis for hire, plus a multitude of other activities, including paragliding and glass-bottomed boat trips. Israel’s Mediterranean coast is more exposed, with dangerous currents, but there are water
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sports activities at Tel Aviv and a few other coastal towns, such as Netanya. In Egypt, all the larger Sinai resorts, including Taba Heights, Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh offer extensive water sports facilities.
Rafting and Canoeing Possibilities exist for rafting and canoeing on the Jordan River in the Golan Heights (see p185); these activities are supervised by Abu Kayak in the Jordan River Park, at Tel Bethsaida.
Desert Hiking A large number of specialist organizations lead hikes throughout Israel. A good starting point for finding out about such trips is to visit the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). Its offices/ bookshops in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem carry a wide range of specialized maps and useful publications. The SPNI also runs plenty of hikes itself. Some of the best routes are around Maktesh Ramon (see p208) and Ein Gedi (see p200), and up in the Golan Heights (see p185). The best hiking in Jordan is, without doubt, in and around Wadi Rum (see p236–8). Here you’ll find trails that last anything from a couple of hours to several days, all of which are described in the essential Treks and Climbs
Trekking through the Negev Desert in Israel
in Wadi Rum, Jordan by Tony Howard and Di Taylor. There are numerous guide agencies based in the area; some of the better ones include Bedouin Roads, Terhaal, Sunset Camp and Wadi Rum Adventures. There is also some excellent hiking around Petra (see p224–35) and at Wadi Mujib (see p201). For more on treks and hikes visit the Wild Jordan Centre in Amman. While not as magnificent as Wadi Rum or Petra, Egypt’s Sinai peninsula has an interior that is starkly beautiful and well worth exploring; this can be arranged at most hotels in Nuweiba, Dahab or Sharm el-Sheikh. Some of the most rewarding trekking is around the St Catherine’s Monastery region (see p250–52). All treks must be done with a Bedouin guide, and this can be arranged through the services of Sheik Musa, a local Bedouin leader.
Tourists enjoying a camel trek along the rugged shoreline of Egypt’s southern Sinai
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Camel Trekking One of the best ways to explore the vast sandy expanses of Wadi Rum (see p236–8) is on the back of a camel. A wide variety of treks are available, ranging from halfhour explorations to overnight expeditions. It is also possible to arrange longer camel excursions from Wadi Rum – or Petra – down to Aqaba. These take from three to six nights, depending on the route. For more details contact an agency such as Bait Ali, Bedouin Roads, Petra Moon Tourism, Sunset Camp or Wadi Rum Adventures. In Israel, the Mamshit Camel Ranch, near Dimona on Route 25 between Beersheva and Sodom, offers desert trips on camels. In Egypt’s Sinai, camel trekking can also be arranged by most hotels in Nuweiba, Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh.
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Vered ha-Galil, just north of the Sea of Galilee, is the largest riding school in the country, while the Haela Ranch is conveniently close to Jerusalem, up in the hills east of the city. In Jordan, it is possible to explore the desert landscapes of Wadi Rum on horseback. Among the agencies who can organize this are Bait Ali and Jordan Tracks. It is also possible to Visitors passing the Bab el-Siq Triclinium en route to Petra ride at Petra, although this is limited to a Climbing 1 km (half a mile) canter to the site entrance. Wadi Rum (see p236–8) offers In Sinai, several resort hotels some of the Holy Land’s best offer horse riding by the hour, rock climbing, with the ascent while in Dahab, Bedouin rent of Jebel Rum high on most horses on the beach. climbers’ lists. For information on route options see the book Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Golf Jordan by Tony Howard and Di Taylor (easily available Israel has precisely two golf in Jordan) or try the website courses and, of these, the www.wadirum.net. Several Caesarea Golf Club is the only guides offer instruction in one that meets international basic climbing techniques, 18-hole standards. The course, including Wadi Rum Mountain designed in 1961, passes through ancient Roman Guides, which is run by Attayak and Byzantine ruins. Egypt is Aouda, one of Rum’s best marketing itself as a golfing climbing guides. Experienced destination and it has several climbers should bring their courses. Two of these are in own equipment. Sinai: the Jolie Ville Golf Jebel Umm Adaami, near the border with Saudi Arabia, is Resort at Sharm el-Sheikh, Jordan’s highest peak at 1,832 m opened in 1998, and, further (6,045 ft). It’s a fairly easy hike to north, the Taba Heights Golf the summit, plus an hour-long Resort, with its views across the jeep drive each way, Red Sea to Saudia Arabia and and you can stop off at some Jordan, which opened in 2006. interesting petroglyphs and lovely scenery en route. Rope-assisted descents of spectacular gorges in Israel’s Judaean Desert can be organized by the Metzoke Dragot Centre. The same company also offers climbing, hiking and jeep or truck excursions into the desert.
Birdwatching Israel and Sinai lie on one of the principal bird migration routes between Europe and Africa and so are something of a birdwatcher’s paradise. In Israel, interested parties should visit the International Birdwatching Centre (see p209), which is in Eilat, near the Arava border crossing with Jordan, a short distance northeast of the town centre. In Jordan, the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature organizes birding trips (visit them at the Wild Jordan Centre in Amman), typically out to the Azraq Wetland Reserve, which is about 80 km (50 miles) east of Amman. For information on birding in Sinai, and throughout Egypt, see www.birdinginegypt.com.
Working on a Kibbutz Not as popular as it once was, Israel’s pioneering, socialist-style kibbutz movement continues to employ young volunteers (traditionally between 18 and 32, although other ages are now accepted) from abroad to carry out manual work. Typical work involves picking fruit out in the fields, working on a factory production line or being attached to a dining room, kitchen or laundry. The kibbutz will normally expect a minimum commitment of two months, during which time volunteers work for their accommodation, meals and a small personal allowance, with one day a week holiday. The kibbutz facilities are
Horse Riding Stables and riding schools are located throughout Israel, particularly in Upper Galilee, the Golan region and on the coast between Tel Aviv and Haifa.
Volunteers working on a kibbutz in northern Israel
S P O R T I N G A N D S P E C I A L I S T H O L I D AY S
Hammams
available to volunteers; these may include such things as a swimming pool or gym. Volunteers usually apply through a special kibbutz office in their home country, although there is also a kibbutz office in Tel Aviv, through which online applications can be made (see the directory, below).
Hammams are what are known elsewhere as Turkish baths. At one time, every Arab town would have had several such institutions. They were as much social centres as places to get clean. The advent of domestic plumbing has rendered them largely obsolete, but a handful
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remain. In Amman is the grand Hammam el-Pasha, which has separate areas for men and woman. In Aqaba (see p239), the Aqaba Turkish Baths are men-only – although women may visit by special appointment, in which instance they get the whole place to themselves.
DIRECTORY Diving and Snorkelling
Rafting and Canoeing
Bedouin Roads
Aqua Sport
Abu Kayak
Mamshit Camel Ranch
Coral Beach, Eilat, Israel. Tel (08) 633 4404. ∑ aqua-sport.com
Caesarea Diving Caesarea National Park, Israel. Tel (04) 626 5898. ∑ caesarea-diving.com
Camel Dive Club Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Tel (069) 360 0700. ∑ cameldive.com
Divers’ Village Coral Beach, Eilat, Israel. Tel (08) 637 2268. ∑ diversvillage.co.il
Emperor Divers
Jordan River Park, Beth Saida, Israel. Tel (04) 692 1078. ∑ abukayak.co.il
Desert Hiking Bedouin Roads Wadi Rum, Jordan. Tel (079) 589 9723. ∑ bedouinroads.com
Sheik Musa St Catherine’s, Egypt. Tel (069) 347 0457. ∑ sheikmousa.com
Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI)
Dahab, Nuweiba and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Tel (012) 350 2433. ∑ emperordivers.com
13 Heleni ha-Malka St, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 624 4605. 4 Ha-Shfela St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 638 8688. ∑ teva.org.il
INMO
Sunset Camp
Dahab, Egypt. Tel (069) 364 0370. ∑ inmodivers.de
Marina Divers Coral Beach, Eilat, Israel. Tel (08) 637 6787. ∑ marinadivers.co.il
Nesima Dive Centre Dahab, Egypt. Tel (069) 364 0320. ∑ nesima-resort.com
Oonas Dive Centre Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Tel UK (01323) 648 924. ∑ oonasdivers.com
Sinai Divers Dahab, Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba, Egypt. Tel (069) 360 0697. ∑ sinaidivers.com
Wadi Rum, Jordan. Tel (077) 731 4688. ∑ wadirumsunset.com
Terhaal 48 Ali Nasuh Al Tahir St, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 581 3061. ∑ terhaal.com
Wadi Rum Adventures Wadi Rum, Jordan. Tel (077) 747 2074. ∑ wadirum adventures.com
Wild Jordan Centre Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 533 7931. ∑ rscn.org.jo
Camel Trekking Bait Ali Wadi Rum, Jordan. Tel (079) 554 8133. ∑ baitalicamp.com
See Desert Hiking.
Mamshit, Western Negev, Israel. Tel (08) 943 6882. ∑ mamshit.co.il
Petra Moon Tourism Petra, Jordan. Tel (03) 215 6665. ∑ petramoon.com
Sunset Camp See Desert Hiking.
Wadi Rum Adventures
Golf Caesarea Golf Club Caesarea, Israel. Tel (04) 610 9600. ∑ caesarea.com
Jolie Ville Golf Resort Mövenpick Resort, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Tel (069) 360 0635. ∑ jolieville-hotels.com
Taba Heights Golf Resort Taba Heights, Egypt. Tel (069) 358 0073. ∑ tabaheights.com
See Desert Hiking.
Birdwatching
Climbing
International Birdwatching Centre
Metzoke Dragot Centre
Near Arava Crossing, Eilat, Israel. Tel (050) 767 1290. ∑ eilat-birds.org
Metzoke Dragot, Dead Sea, Israel. Tel (08) 622 3014. ∑ metzoke.co.il
Wadi Rum Mountain Guides Wadi Rum, Jordan. Tel (079) 583 4736. ∑ rumguides.com
Horse Riding Bait Ali
Wild Jordan Centre See Desert Hiking.
Working on a Kibbutz Kibbutz Programme Centre 6 Frishmann St, Tel Aviv, Israel. Tel (03) 524 6154. ∑ kibbutz.org.il
See Camel Trekking.
Hammams
Haela Ranch
Aqaba Turkish Baths
Nes Harim, Israel. Tel (050) 444 3902 or (050) 444 3903.
King Hussein St, Aqaba, Jordan. Tel (03) 203 1605.
Jordan Tracks
Hammam el-Pasha
Aqaba, Jordan. Tel (07) 9648 2801. ∑ jordantracks.com
El-Mahmoud Taha St, Jebel Amman, Amman, Jordan. Tel (06) 463 3002. ∑ pashaturkish bath.com
Vered ha-Galil Korazim, 20 km (12 miles) north of Tiberias, Galilee, Israel. Tel (04) 693 5785. ∑ veredhagalil.co.il
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Travel Information
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PRACTICAL INFORMATION The area covered by this guide is not very large, but because it includes the territory of three nations (Israel, Jordan and Egypt), as well as the Autonomous Palestinian Territories, getting about from one place to another may not always be straightforward. The political situation in this region is volatile, and you should make
sure that there have been no significant changes to the international agreements between these countries before embarking on a trip that involves any crossing of borders. Israel, Jordan and Egypt all have their own tourist organizations, which have offices abroad (see p295 for the relevant contact details).
The King Hussein Bridge, one of the crossings between Israel and Jordan
When to Go The region can be visited all year round, though July and August are unbearably hot. Egypt has virtually no rainfall at all, while Israel experiences some rain in winter, and the hilly regions of Jordan can see significant downpours (Dec– Mar). Winter nights can be cold throughout the region. In Israel, religious holidays affect availability and prices. At Easter, accommodation in Jerusalem can be hard to find, so advance booking is essential.
Crossing Borders There are three land border crossings between Jordan and Israel. The King Hussein Bridge crossing (also known as Allenby Bridge) is 16 km (10 miles) east of Jericho; the Wadi Arava, or Yitzhak Rabin Terminal, is 4 km (2 miles) from Eilat and 10 km (6 miles) from Aqaba; and the Sheikh Hussein Crossing, or Jordan River Border Terminal, is near Beth Shean in the north of Israel. Visit www.iaa.gov.il for opening times. Note that there
South American countries, Australia and New Zealand. Visitors from most Arab, African and Asian countries do need visas and must obtain them from an Israeli consulate in their home country in advance. Visas are usually valid for three months. Note that an Israeli stamp in your passport will bar you from entering some Arab countries, notably Syria and Lebanon. To avoid this, visitors are now given an entry card instead of an entry stamp on arrival at the airport and at land borders. However, it is important to confirm this with your consulate. A stamped passport facilitates the crossing of checkpoints when visiting the Palestinian Territories. At checkpoints between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the police will examine your passport thoroughly and may carry out security checks.
are hefty Israeli exit and Jordanian entry taxes to pay. Israeli fees can be paid online (www.clp.co.il). To enter Sinai, you can take the ferry or catamaran departing every morning from Aqaba in Jordan to Nuweiba. You can also use the 24-hour border crossing overland from Visas for Jordan Israel at Taba. Strict security measures are To enter Jordan you must have in place at all borders, so allow a passport valid for at least six up to 2 hours for crossing. All months. You can obtain a borders are closed on Yom single-entry tourist visa Kippur and the (US$30) upon arrival at Muslim Feast of Queen Alia airport; valid Sacrifice, except for for one month. OneWadi Arava and Sheik month visas are also Hussein, which are issued at the Wadi closed on the Muslim Arava and Sheikh New Year. The King Hussein crossings. If Hussein Bridge is also entering Jordan at the closed on Israeli King Hussein Bridge, holidays and some Entry card for Israel, you must obtain your Islamic festivals. visa in advance from and visa required the Jordanian to enter Jordan consulate in your own Visas for Israel country, Tel Aviv or Cairo. The fee to cross here is almost twice Visitors must have a passport that at other crossings. Sixvalid for at least six months. A visa is not required for citizens month multiple-entry visas must be arranged in advance. of Europe, North America, most
Camel caravan travelling through the desert of Wadi Rum, Jordan
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Visas for Egypt A free 14-day Sinai Permit (for the Gulf of Aqaba coast and St Catherine’s Monastery) is available at the Taba border for those travelling from Israel. If you plan to visit other parts of Egypt, you need a full visa, issued on the same day by the Egyptian consulate in Eilat. You can also get a Sinai permit on the boat from Aqaba or buy a full visa when you disembark at Nuweiba. Alternatively, you can arrange for a visa in advance from the Egyptian embassy in your home country, or in Amman, Aqaba, Tel Aviv or Eilat.
Travel Safety Advice Visitors can get up-to-date travel safety information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, the State Department in the US and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia. Be sure to check the latest information and any warnings, particularly for the Sinai region.
Customs The duty-free allowance in Israel is 250 cigarettes and 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of wine. In Egypt and Jordan it is 200 cigarettes and 1 litre of alcohol (2 litres in Egypt). Valuable electrical items might be entered in your passport by customs officers to prevent them from being resold.
Tourist Information Israeli tourist offices have brochures and maps, and can often help with finding accommodation. The sole information office covering the Palestinian Territories is in Bethlehem The only information offices in Jordan are in the main tourist destinations (Amman, Petra and Jerash); in Sinai there is one in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Admission Prices Most archaeological sites in Jerusalem have an admission charge, while the majority of
Arab women in customary dress outside the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
religious sites ask for a small donation. In Israel, admission prices vary from NIS 10 to NIS 50. The 14-day Green Card (about NIS 150) allows for free entry to 65 different sites run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority; a cheaper Green Card (NIS 105) allows access to any six of these sites.
Opening Hours Because of the many religious holidays in the region (see pp40–43), opening hours for tourist sites vary greatly. As a rule, Jewish sites in Israel are open daily, except for Friday, when they keep restricted hours, and Saturday, when they are closed. Christian sites other than churches are closed on Sundays, while Muslim sites are closed on Fridays. Secular Israeli sites might be open on Saturdays but have a day’s holiday during the week. Petra, Jerash and other main sites in Jordan are open daily, but smaller sites and many museums close on Tuesdays. Some shops are closed on Fridays and Saturdays. Friday is the usual closing day in Egypt.
Language In Israel all signs are bilingual (Hebrew/English), and most people speak some English. In tourist areas in the Palestinian Territories, Sinai and Jordan, it is easy to find English speakers, though attempts to speak Arabic are appreciated. In more remote areas, it can be harder to get your message across without a basic grasp of the language. However, the
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locals will try to communicate, even if it means resorting to sign language.
Etiquette Israeli society is not that different from the West, except for ultra-Orthodox areas such as Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim (see p129), where women should wear long skirts, long sleeves and high necklines, and men should wear long trousers and sleeves. Behaviour and dress should err on the side of conservatism in the Palestinian Territories and Jordan too. Muslim women usually cover their arms, legs and often their head in public, and men do not wear shorts. Visitors must be suitably attired in certain public places and at any holy site. In synagogues, mosques and churches, legs and shoulders must be fully covered. Cloaks may be provided for visitors who are deemed to be immodestly dressed. Remove your shoes before entering a mosque, and cover your head if you are a woman. At some Jewish holy sites, such as the Western Wall, men must cover their head. A paper kippah (skullcap) will be provided. Smoking is banned in restaurants and bars in Israel, but in other areas of the region, cigarettes and nargilehs (water pipes) are ubiquitous. Intimate physical contact is taboo in Arab areas, with the exception of some Sinai beaches; Arabic couples are rarely seen even holding hands. In the region, photography at certain places, such as bridges and military installations, is prohibited.
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Public Conveniences
Gay and Lesbian Travellers
Public toilets of the standard type found in the West are easily found throughout Israel. In Jordan they are much less common and a lot more rudimentary, but usually clean. In Sinai public toilets do not exist at all. It is wise to have a supply of tissue with you, since this is rarely supplied. Except in Israel, dispose of all paper using the bins provided, rather than by flushing it down the toilet, as the local plumbing cannot cope.
Taxes and Tipping In Israel, it is standard to leave a 10–15 per cent tip in restaurants (depending on the level of service). VAT is added on to food bills, and some restaurants also add “security charges” that cover the cost of hiring armed guards. It is a nice gesture to leave a tip of around NIS 5 a day for cleaning staff in a hotel. Note that you are exempt from VAT on your hotel bill if you pay with a foreign currency – this can save nearly 20 per cent. In Jordan, mid-range and expensive restaurants often add a 10 per cent service tax on top of the 16 per cent government tax. Cheaper places leave the tip up to you, 10 per cent being the norm. In Egypt, taxes adding up to 25 per cent are added to most restaurant bills, and it is customary to leave a further 10 per cent.
Travellers with Special Needs In Israel many hotels, sites and museums are adapted for disabled use. The streets of Jerusalem’s Old City are not easy to navigate, but there is a wheelchair route starting from Jaffa Gate. City buses have fold-out ramps, and the Light Rail is wheelchair-friendly too, with station platforms at the same height as the tram doors. Most stations on the Israeli train network have disabled
Caesarea National Park (see p180) has disabled access
access, and many national parks have wheelchair routes – even Masada is accessible. Access Israel is a website that lists suitable hotels, accessible sites and car-rental agencies, while Yad Sarah loans wheelchairs and other aids at no cost; it can also arrange airport pick-ups. Mobility Rentals delivers equipment to hotels and the airport. Only luxury hotels in Jordan and Sinai are equipped for the disabled. Most sites are in rough terrain, so visits can be difficult, though parts of Petra are accessible by horse and carriage. In Sinai some dive centres, such as Camel Dive, make provisions for disabled divers. Locals are very willing to help out with any lifting.
Travelling with Children Children are welcome at most hotels and restaurants. High chairs and baby-changing facilities are widely available, and it is easy to find familiar, unspiced food. In Israel, many museums provide useful educational materials for kids, and playgrounds proliferate in residential areas. It is best to get away from the cities and discover castles, tunnels and beaches that keep children enthralled. The main downside is the extreme heat of summer; sunscreen and hats are necessary at all times.
Tel Aviv is a popular gay destination, with a Pride Parade each June and many gay-friendly events, clubs and restaurants. For local listings, consult Gay TLVGuide and Gay Tel Aviv. The scene in Jerusalem is much smaller, and conservative religious attitudes in the city mean samesex couples can face discrimination in public. However, it still boasts a solid LGBT community and an annual gay pride parade. Jerusalem Open House works to promote pride within the gay and lesbian community. In Palestinian areas, Jordan and Sinai, homosexuality is not tolerated. Appropriate behaviour is strongly advised.
Travelling on a Budget Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are good for dormitory beds. Away from the major cities, lodgings in Israel can be expensive; however, ILH – Israel Hostels has more than 30 members providing shared rooms and kitchen facilities. Volunteering in a hostel is another option for cash-strapped travellers. It is easier to travel on a budget in Jordan and, easiest of all, in Sinai, where beach huts can cost less than US$5. In Israel, a recognized student card such as the ISIC (International Student Identity Card) allows discounts on most museum and sites, as well as 10 per cent off train fares. Egypt offers students 50 per cent off most site admissions, but student discounts do not exist in Jordan.
International Student Identity Card
Women Travellers In Israel and the Palestinian Territories, lone females are sometimes subjected to verbal harassment from local males. This problem is most acute in
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East Jerusalem and in the Old City and surrounding areas, such as the Mount of Olives. Incidences of rape have even been reported. Women should not walk alone in quiet or secluded areas after dark. On Sinai’s beaches and in tourist areas of Jordan, lone women may receive unwanted attention from men. Politely and firmly refuse any inappropriate suggestions; the tourist police are never far away should someone prove persistent.
The time in Israel, Jordan and Egypt is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (EST). All three countries have daylight saving time (March–September).
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A stall selling fruit and fruit juices on Shenkin Street, Tel Aviv
Electrical Adaptors
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The electric current in Israel, Jordan and Sinai is 220V. Plugs in Israel are round-pronged and three-pinned, whereas in Jordan and Sinai they are roundpronged and two-pinned. It is a good idea to buy a good-quality adaptor prior to departure.
Awareness of green issues is growing in Israel, and plastic and paper recycling bins are common in residential areas. The weekly farmers’ markets in East and West Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other towns are good places to buy local products and support smallscale industries. There are also a number of eco-lodges and country cabins, and Kibbutz Lotan in the Negev offers a fully “green” experience. “Wild Jordan”, the tourism wing of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), offers environmentally friendly tours and eco-guesthouses. In Sinai, Sheikh Sina Bedouin Treks works with local Bedouin communities to run trekking excursions that respect the delicate mountain environment.
DIRECTORY Embassies and Consulates IN EGYPT UK Embassy 7 Ahmed Ragheb St, Garden City, Cairo. Tel (02) 2791 6000. ∑ gov.uk/government/ world/egypt
US Embassy 5 Latin America (Tawfik Diab) St, Garden City, Cairo. Tel (02) 2797 3300. ∑ egypt.usembassy.gov
IN ISRAEL UK Consulate 19 Nashashibi St, Sheikh Jarah, East Jerusalem. Tel (02) 541 4100. ∑ gov.uk/government/ world/the-occupiedpalestinian-territories
UK Embassy 1 Ben Yehuda St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 725 1222. ∑ gov.uk/government/ world/israel
US Consulate 18 Agron St, West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 622 7230. ∑ jerusalem. usconsulate.gov
US Embassy 71 Ha-Yarkon St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 519 7475/7551. ∑ israel.usembassy. gov
IN JORDAN UK Embassy Damascus St, Abdoun, Amman. Tel (06) 590 9200. ∑ gov.uk/government/ world/jordan
US Embassy Al-Umawayeen St, Abdoun, Amman. Tel (06) 590 6950. ∑ jordan.usembassy. gov
Tourist Information Egyptian Tourist Authority UK: Tel (020) 7493 5283. US: Tel (212) 332 2570. ∑ egypt.travel
Israel Ministry of Tourism UK: Tel (020) 7299 1100. US: Tel (212) 499 5650. ∑ goisrael.com
Jordan Tourist Board UK: Tel (020) 7233 1878.
US: Tel (212) 949 0060. ∑ visitjordan.com
Gay and Lesbian Travellers
Palestinian Authority
Gay Tel Aviv
Tel (02) 274 1581/2/3. ∑ travelpalestine.ps
∑ gay-tel-aviv.com
Admission Prices Israel Nature and Parks Authority Tel *3639. ∑ parks.org.il
Gay TLVGuide ∑ gaytlvguide.com
Jerusalem Open House ∑ joh.org.il
Travelling on a Budget
Travellers with Special Needs
ILH – Israel Hostels
Access Israel
ISIC
Tel (09) 745 8080. ∑ aisrael.org
∑ isic.org
Camel Dive Sharm el-Sheikh, Sinai. Tel (069) 360 0700. ∑ cameldive.com
Mobility Rentals Tel (03) 948 0401. ∑ mobilityrentals israel.com
Yad Sarah 124 Herzl Blvd, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 644 4633. ∑ yadsarah.org
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∑ hostels-israel.com
Responsible Travel Kibbutz Lotan Negev, Israel. ∑ kibbutzlotan.com
Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) ∑ rscn.org.jo
Sheikh Sina Bedouin Treks St Catherine’s, South Sinai. ∑ sheikhsina.com
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Security and Health Travel in Israel and the Middle East requires you to keep well informed about the current security situation. Political unrest in the region has at times resulted in acts of terrorism or rioting, and although this hardly ever affects tourists, it is wise to avoid any areas that are considered sensitive. Visitors rarely encounter crime, and there are next to no hazards in the form of dangerous animals or endemic diseases. a year until the age of 40. Consequently, you will see armed soldiers around all the time, particularly at bus stations at weekends, when they are on the way to or from their bases. Israeli Defence Force soldiers at Damascus Gate
Law and Order
Personal Safety
Israel, Jordan and Sinai all have special tourist police, posted at major sites and resorts, to deal with any issues visitors may encounter. Most of these officers, who wear identifying armbands, speak English. The Jordanians also have a special form of tourist police, known as the Desert Patrol, in the Wadi Rum area. These officials are identified by their smart khaki uniforms, red-and-white checked headdress and by the fact that they often ride camels. Regular Israeli police wear dark navy-blue uniforms and peaked caps. The border police, who wear a grey military-style uniform and a green beret, operate in the most sensitive areas of the country. The Palestinians have their own security forces, who come in many guises and maintain security within the Palestinian Territories. Visitors will notice a large presence of military personnel on the streets in Israel. Every citizen (except Arabs and Orthodox Jews) must perform military service in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) when they turn 18. The term of service is three years for men and two for women. Men serve for an additional 30 days (or less)
As far as visitors are concerned, terrorism is not a major worry. Tourists have never been the target of terrorists, and most attacks have occurred well away from tourist sites. Naturally, you should be alert when in the streets, and also keep an eye on the local news. Among the most sensitive areas are the Haram esh-Sharif, West Bank towns such as Hebron, the Sinai coast and all border areas. In Israel, you may have to undergo security checks on entering hotels, restaurants, bars, cinemas and malls. At the bus stations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, bags are searched or
scanned. At many hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, visitors are screened on entry. Always carry some identification with you, preferably your passport; indeed, it is essential to do so if you wish to enter the Palestinian Territories. Note that trouble often flares up on Friday after the noon prayers. Also be aware that you should not drive in ultra-Orthodox areas during Shabbat, when you risk stones being thrown at your vehicle. Should you be unlucky enough to come across a disturbance in the streets, move away from the scene quickly, and make it clear that you are a foreign tourist. Security considerations mean Israeli that you should policeman never leave your luggage unattended (especially in airports and bus stations), since it might cause alarm or trigger a reaction on the part of the security forces. Do not accept packages from anyone asking you to carry something for them. Thefts, muggings and other similar opportunistic crimes are rare in the region. As a rule, all areas are considered safe for visitors, unless the visitor is an unaccompanied woman (see pp294–5).
In an Emergency
A member of the Desert Patrol in Wadi Rum, Jordan
In an emergency in Israel, you can call 101 to request an ambulance or ask about the nearest casualty department. For the police, dial 100, and for the fire brigade, 102. In Jordan, for ambulance and fire brigade services, call 199; for the police, 191. In Sinai, the number is 123 for an ambulance and 122 for the police. However, note that in both Jordan and Sinai the emergency services cannot be entirely relied upon, and you are probably better off taking a taxi to the hospital in a medical emergency.
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Lost and Stolen Property On the whole, Israelis and Arabs are very honest people. If you lose anything, it is always worth going back to the place the item was last seen or to the tourist police. Avoid leaving valuable objects in full view in your hotel room; put them in the hotel safe or leave them at the reception desk. Do not leave any items of value inside a car, particularly throughout the Negev, where break-ins are common. In the event of theft, contact the police and ask for a copy of the report. You will have to present this to your insurance company when you make your claim.
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DIRECTORY Emergency Numbers IN ISRAEL Ambulance Tel 101.
Directory Assistance Tel 144.
Fire Brigade Tel 102.
Police and General Enquiries A small, well-stocked pharmacy in Jerusalem
Minor Hazards
No vaccinations are required before entering Israel, Jordan and Sinai, but doctors may advise inoculation against Hospitals and hepatitis A and B, tetanus and Pharmacies typhoid. There are no particular endemic diseases in the Middle The standard of care in Israeli East, but it is wise to take certain hospitals is similar to that of precautions, at least until you get other Western countries. In used to the change in the diet. Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh has Drink mineral water (widely a modern hospital, and in available), avoid food that has Jordan there are good private obviously been left standing hospitals in Amman; Petra for some time, and always peel and Aqaba have government fruit. In Jordan and Sinai, it hospitals nearby, although you is also sensible to are advised not to use these. avoid raw vegetables In Jordan, if you need and not to use ice in a doctor, call into a your drinks. Always carry pharmacy and ask for diarrhoea tablets, a recommendation, and consult a doctor or call your embassy. or pharmacist if an Large hotels will also Pharmacy sign upset stomach continues. be able to direct you in Israel Drinking large quantities to a doctor. In Sinai, of liquids is essential; the most large hotels have a lack of humidity in the air causes resident doctor. For divers, the rapid dehydration, even though Hyperbaric Medical Centre in you may not be aware of it. Sharm el-Sheikh is equipped Mosquitoes can sometimes with a recompression chamber. be a nuisance, but there is no Good pharmacies are easy threat of malaria in the area. to find in the region. If you If you go diving in the Red Sea, need a specific medicine, it be careful of sharp corals and is wise to travel with your own supplies and keep a note of the be aware of which species of product and its composition so fish are poisonous and hence to be avoided. that, if necessary, a pharmacist will be able to find a local equivalent. In Israel, the Jerusalem Post lists pharmacies that stay open late and during Shabbat and other holidays. Israeli ambulance
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Tel 100.
IN JORDAN Ambulance/Fire Brigade Tel 199.
Local Directory Assistance Tel 131.
Police Tel 191.
IN SINAI Ambulance Tel 123.
Police Tel 122.
Tourist Police Tel 126.
Hospitals Amman Surgical Hospital Amman. Tel (06) 464 1261.
Hadassah Mount Scopus Jerusalem. Tel (02) 584 2111.
Hyperbaric Medical Centre Sharm el-Sheikh. Tel (069) 366 0922 (24 hrs).
Sharm el-Sheikh International Hospital Sharm el-Sheikh. Tel (069) 366 0984.
Travel Insurance When taking out travel insurance, consider the level of coverage provided for flight delays or cancellations, loss or theft of luggage, and dental expenses. Medical care in Israel is very costly, so do not travel without medical insurance. In Jordan and Sinai private medical treatment can be expensive. Your policy should cover at least the cost of repatriation. If travelling to remote or high-risk areas, consider a policy that covers emergency evacuation too.
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Banking and Currency Obtaining and exchanging money pose no problems in Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Credit cards are widely accepted in the main tourist destinations, and ATM machines are widespread and reliable. Cash and travellers’ cheques can be exchanged at banks, exchange offices and in many hotels. The only issues to be aware of are the greatly varying levels of commission charged on transactions, and the limited opening hours of banks.
DIRECTORY Exchange Offices Change Point 2 Ben Yehuda St, Jerusalem. Map 1 A3. Tel (02) 624 0011.
Change Spot 140 Dizengoff St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 524 3393.
Credit and Debit Cards
Official money exchange office in Jerusalem
Banks and Exchange Offices Banks in Israel, Jordan and Sinai will exchange all major European currencies, but the most welcome is the US dollar. Be aware that banks tend to give the worst exchange rates for both cash and travellers’ cheques while charging the highest commission. It is better to use one of the many exchange offices, such as Change Point and Change Spot, or a post office, as these do not charge commission at all. Jerusalem’s banking district is centred on Zion Square in the New City. There are several Arab exchange offices around Damascus Gate where it is
Automated teller machine (ATM) at an Israeli bank
possible to buy Jordanian dinars; however, Egyptian pounds are available only at the border. Western Union money-transfer facilities can be found in any post office. In Israel, banks are generally open from 9am to 1pm, reopening for another hour from 4pm on Mondays and Thursdays. They are shut on Fridays and Saturdays, as are banks in Jordan. In Sinai, banking hours are similar to Israel, except that they are closed only on Fridays.
ATMs Automated teller machines (ATMs), or cash dispensers, linked into international banking networks such as Cirrus, Maestro or PLUS can be found throughout Israel. Many ATMs will also dispense US dollars or euros, although exchange rates tend to be poor. ATMs are less common in Jordan and Sinai, but all major tourist destinations have a reliable cash dispenser either within a high-end hotel or inside a shopping complex. English is always available as an on-screen language.
Major credit cards, such as VISA, MasterCard, Diners Club and American Express, are widely accepted throughout Israel in shops, restaurants and hotels. In Jordan and Sinai, most large hotels, expensive restaurants and some travel agents accept credit cards, but if you travel to smaller towns, be sure to have a decent supply of cash with you. Debit cards are rarely used in the region at point of sale, although they can be used in ATMs in towns and cities.
Logo of Bank Hapoalim
Currency The national currency of Israel is the New Israeli shekel (NIS), referred to simply as the shekel. This is also the currency in the Autonomous Palestinian Territories, although a Palestinian national currency may be introduced in the future. Jordan’s currency is the dinar (JD), while in Sinai they use the Egyptian pound (LE). Note that these currencies are valid only in their home countries so, for example, it is not possible to spend excess Israeli shekels in Jordan. In addition, exchange rates between the three tend to be extremely bad. As a result, it is wise to use up all your shekels before leaving Israel and then to exchange dollars for dinars or pounds upon arriving in Jordan or Egypt.
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Israeli Bank Notes
Israeli bank notes come in four different denominations: 20, 50, 100 and 200 NIS.
Two hundred shekels (200 NIS)
One hundred shekels (100 NIS)
Israeli Coins
Twenty shekels (20 NIS)
The shekel is divided into 100 agorot. There are coins to the value of 1, 2, 5 and 10 shekels, as well as 10 and 50 agorot.
Ten shekels
Five shekels
One shekel
Jordanian Currency
The Jordanian dinar is divided into 1,000 fils and, confusingly, also 100 piastres (100 fils therefore equals 10 piastres). Notes come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 dinars. Coins exist to the value of 5, 10, 25 and 50 piastres.
Fifty agorot
Egyptian Currency
The Egyptian pound is divided into 100 piastres. Notes come in denominations of LE 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200. The 25- and 50-piastre notes have now been replaced by coins. Coins also exist to the value of 10, 20 and 50 piastres and one Egyptian pound (LE 1).
20 dinars
10 dinars
Ten agorot
Ten Egyptian pounds (LE 10)
5 dinars
Five Egyptian pounds (LE 5)
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Communication and Media Visitors who plan to use their mobile phone while in Israel, Jordan and Egypt should check with their home service provider that it will work in the region. In all three countries, Wi-Fi connection is common in hotels and restaurants, which also makes it is easy to keep in touch with home via Skype. Israel’s postal service is generally efficient, but letters to Europe and North America can still take a week or longer to arrive. The Jordanian and Egyptian postal systems are rather unpredictable.
In Sinai, there are numerous shops and kiosks promoting local network providers Etisalat, Vodafone and Mobinil, and selling SIM cards. A SIM costs as little as US$1, and you can buy credit with vouchers (a small commission is often charged) or electronically. Public telephones that use phonecards are rare. Many hotels can provide an international line, but this is very expensive.
Internet
A Jordanian man using a mobile phone in the desert
Telephoning in Israel and the Palestinian Territories Visitors can rent mobile phones with local SIM cards from IsraelPhones at Ben Gurion Airport; the company also delivers rental phones to any location in the country. Rental rates start at US$1 per day, plus the cost of calls. If your phone is unlocked, you can buy a local SIM card and then pay as you go using top-up vouchers. Israeli networks, such as Orange and Cellcom, have coverage that extends to the Palestinian Territories. Likewise, Jawwal, the main Palestinian network provider, has coverage in Israel. Israel’s public telephones are operated by the national phone company, Bezek. They take prepaid phonecards, which are sold at post offices and shops. Palestinians in the West Bank have their own telephone network with their own phonecards; these do not work in Israel. If you wish to dial abroad using Bezek (from a mobile, landline or public telephone), the international access code
is 014. Bezek competes with other telephone companies, including Golden Lines (012 to dial abroad) and Barak (013 to dial abroad). These rival services are often cheaper than Bezek, although charges also depend on the country you are calling.
Telephoning in Jordan and Sinai
There are few Internet cafés in Israel. This is both because most Israeli families have Internet access at home, and because of the availability of free Wi-Fi hook-up in so many places, including Ben Gurion Airport (see p302). Tel Aviv has entire streets where Wi-Fi is provided free of charge to residents and passers-by. Most hotels have either wireless access or computers available. Internet cafés are more prevalent, and significantly cheaper, in Palestinian areas. books@cafe is an excellent Internet centre in the heart of Amman. There are also Internet cafés at Wadi Musa (Petra), Madaba and Aqaba. In Sinai, it is easy to find Internet cafés in Sharm el-Sheikh. Internet services are also available at many cafés in Dahab, Nuweiba and St Catherine’s, and at many hotels. Online time is usually charged by the half-hour. Wi-Fi is also very common.
As yet, it is not possible to rent a mobile phone during your stay in Jordan or Egypt. Pay-asyou-go SIM cards are Postal Services a good and affordable alternative, though. Using the offices In Jordan, Umniah, of Israel Post to Orange and Zain send regular mail are the main is straightforward. network providers. However, sending International calls parcels or bulky Logo of network can also be made items entails a provider Orange from one of the series of security many unofficial telephone inspections. Depending on bureaux. Simply write down the the branch, Israeli post offices number, and the desk clerk will have different opening hours, make the call for you. These but all are closed during calls are charged by the minute Shabbat. Postal rates vary and rates are reasonable. according to the type of post There are no public phones and its weight, but a standard using phonecards in Jordan. airmail letter to Europe or the
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US costs the equivalent of airport and in many hotels, US$1. For postal information has good insider information – in Israel, call 171. The particularly on Tel Aviv. The Palestinian Authority has its monthly This Week in Palestine, own separate postal service available in East Jerusalem and for Gaza and the West Arab parts of the Old Bank and issues its own City, lists events and stamps, but it is not activities taking place as efficient as the in the Palestinian areas. Israeli service. In Jordan, look out A letter posted in for the Jordan Times, Jordan can take up published daily to two weeks to reach except for Fridays, Europe and a month and the weekly Englishfor the US. Posting language The Star, your letters at a fivepublished on Thursdays. star hotel or a main Foreign newspapers post office, rather and magazines are than at a post box on A typical post box widely available, and the street, can help to they are usually just speed things up. Jordanian one or two days old. In Sinai, post offices are closed on international newspapers Fridays. Post from Sinai is are sold by shops and street also most easily sent from large vendors in Sharm el-Sheikh, and hotels; stamps can be bought there are daily Egyptian Englishat shops and kiosks. language newspapers too.
Newspapers and Magazines English-language readers are well catered for in Israel. The leading English-language publication is the daily Jerusalem Post (available online at www.jpost.com), which has no Saturday edition. Haaretz (www.haaretz.com) is the oldest national daily newspaper in Israel, with an English insert distributed inside the International Herald Tribune. Both Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post are worth picking up on Fridays for their extensive cultural supplements and entertainment listings. Time Out Israel, a free monthly magazine available at the
Television and Radio Israeli TV has one state channel that shows a number of subtitled English-language programmes. Most hotels offer satellite channels showing movies and sports, as well as BBC, Sky News and CNN. In Jordan, Channel 2 devotes plenty of screen time to US programmes, and it has English-language news nightly at 10pm. Most hotels have satellite TV, offering a wide choice of programmes. Israel Radio is the national radio station. It broadcasts news in English each weekday at 6:30am and 8:30pm. In addition, there are various independent and army radio stations.
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DIRECTORY Telephone Prefixes IN EGYPT Country code: 20. Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, St Catherine’s: 069.
IN ISRAEL Country code: 972. Jerusalem: 02. Tel Aviv: 03. Haifa and the Northern Coast: 04. Galilee and the Golan Heights: 04. Negev and the Dead Sea: 08. Coast south of Tel Aviv: 08. Coast north of Tel Aviv: 09.
IN JORDAN Country code: 962. Amman: 06. Jerash: 02. Kerak, Petra, Aqaba: 03.
IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES Country code: 972 (or 970 from some Arab countries). Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah: 02.
Telephoning in Israel and the Palestinian Territories IsraelPhones ∑ israelphones.com
Internet IN ISRAEL Change Internet 112 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 529 1618.
Internet Café 31 Jaffa St, Jerusalem. Tel (02) 622 3377.
IN JORDAN books@cafe Omar Ibn Al Khattab St 12, First Circle Jebel, Amman. Tel (06) 465 0457.
Friends Café Off El-Yarmouk St, Madaba.
IN SINAI Cyber Café Hilton Sharm El Sheikh Fayrouz Resort, Naama Bay. Tel (069) 360 0136.
Postal Services Israel Post ∑ israelpost.co.il
A newsagent’s shop in Tiberias, Israel
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TRAVEL INFORMATION The easiest way to reach the region is to fly direct. Jerusalem is served by Ben Gurion Airport, and there are also international airports at Eilat in Israel, Amman in Jordan, and Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in Sinai. There are numerous daily flights to Ben Gurion and, with the area being a busy tourist destination,
it is possible to get cheap deals, especially if you are prepared to travel with a smaller, lesser-known airline, or take advantage of a charter package. There are currently no sailings to Israel from Europe, and travelling overland is an arduous business since all European trains terminate at Istanbul.
Getting to and from Ben Gurion Airport
Arrival hall of Terminal 3 at Ben Gurion, Israel’s main international airport
Flying to Israel The Israeli national airline is El Al, which has direct flights to Ben Gurion Airport from most major European cities, as well as New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Ben Gurion is also served by foreign airlines such as Air France, Alitalia, British Airways, Lufthansa, Swissair, American Airlines, KLM and Delta, and some low-cost airlines, notably easyJet. The high season is during the Jewish and Christian holiday periods, especially Rosh ha-Shanah, Passover and Easter (see pp40–43). At such times fares are at a premium, and it can be hard to find seats. It is always worth looking into flights to Eilat’s Ovda Airport. This caters mostly to charter flights, which tend to have the cheapest fares. The drawbacks are that there are often restrictions on the dates you may travel and you have to make your own way up to Jerusalem and back, a bus journey of almost 5 hours each way.
45 km (28 miles) northwest of Jerusalem. Most international flights arrive at and depart from Terminal 3, where services include duty-free shops, cafés and restaurants, foreign currency exchange offices, phone-rental outlets, car-hire firms and tourist information and hotel reservation desks. The older Terminal 1 is used for domestic flights to Eilat, Haifa and Rosh Pina and for the check-in of a few low-cost international airlines. Ben Gurion reputedly has the tightest security of any airport in the world. The time taken to thoroughly inspect every item of luggage means that passengers must check in at the airport at least 3 hours before departure.
Ben Gurion Airport Ben Gurion Airport is located at Lod, about 22 km (14 miles) southeast of Tel Aviv and
El Al aeroplane taking off
To travel from the airport to your destination, you can take a private taxi or a sherut (shared taxi, see p309), which is much cheaper. Private taxis take about 30 minutes to reach Tel Aviv. Sheruts leave from just outside the arrivals hall and set off once an hour or when full. They run through the night and during Shabbat, and will drop off passengers anywhere in the city. A sherut service also goes to Haifa, in the north. A 24-hour train service links Ben Gurion to Tel Aviv, with connections to all four stations in the city. From the railway stations, taxis, sheruts or buses can take you on to a hotel. To get to the airport from Jerusalem, book either a taxi or the Nesher sherut service the day before departure. Hotels can usually organize this; alternatively, call the number for licensed taxis at Ben Gurion Airport direct.
Flying to Jordan and Sinai Jordan’s main airport is Queen Alia International Airport. The national carrier,
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from here, private taxis charge JD 2 for the journey to Downtown. Baggage is charged extra on buses. Alternatively, you can catch a private taxi; these have fixed rates to destinations in the city. However, bear in mind that the official rate is some 15 times the bus fare.
Royal Jordanian Airlines, has direct services between Amman and most major European capitals, as well as New York, Chicago, Detroit and Montreal. Other major carriers flying into Amman include Air France, BMI and Emirates. Marka Airport, located about 5 km (3 miles) east of Amman, handles flights to Egypt, Aqaba and a few destinations in the Middle East. A third airport about 10 km (6 miles) north of Aqaba receives very few international flights. Flights to Amman are expensive; it is cheaper to fly into Ben Gurion or Eilat and take a bus across the border. Sharm el-Sheikh Airport lies about 17 km (11 miles) north of town, connected by minibus and taxi. Several lowcost airlines fly from Europe to Sharm el-Sheikh. The international airport at Taba, 35 km (22 miles) from the
Outside the departure lounge of Sharm el-Sheikh Airport
border with Israel, is chiefly used by package tours and a few charter flights from Europe.
Getting to and from Queen Alia Airport Queen Alia is 30 km (19 miles) south of Amman. Airport Express buses depart from outside the arrivals terminal hourly (7:15am–9:15pm) and go to Tarbarbour bus station;
Domestic Flights Within Israel, domestic flights are operated by Arkia, El Al and Israir. With distances in Israel being so short, however, it only makes sense to fly internally to or from Eilat. Royal Jordanian flies between Ben Gurion and Amman, while El Al and Air Sinai link Ben Gurion with Cairo, where you will have to change for Sharm el-Sheikh. Air Sinai does not have a website, so the easiest way to book a flight with them is via a travel agent.
DIRECTORY Flying to Israel
EasyJet
Ovda Airport
Air France
Tel (03) 763 0561.
Amman. Tel (06) 510 0777. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 755 5050. ∑ airfrance.com
Eilat. Tel (1 700) 705 022. ∑ iaa.gov.il
El Al
Alitalia
∑ easyjet.com
4th Floor, Gan Technology Malha, Jerusalem.
Amman. Tel (06) 510 0766. Cairo. Tel (02) 3333 0612. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 796 0766. ∑ alitalia.com
Tel (03) 977 1111.
American Airlines
Tel (08) 637 1515.
Cairo. Tel (02) 3337 3495. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 795 2122. ∑ aa.com
Ben Gurion Airport
32 Ben Yehuda St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 977 1111. Shalom Center, Eilat. 5 El Makrizi St, Zamalek, Cairo. Tel (02) 2736 1795. ∑ elal.co.il
Tel (03) 972 3332. ∑ iaa.gov.il
KLM
British Airways
Tel (06) 510 0760.
Amman. Tel (06) 582 8801. Cairo. Tel (02) 2480 0380. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 606 1555. ∑ britishairways.com
Cairo. Tel (02) 2770 6251.
Delta
Amman.
Amman. Tel (06) 464 3661. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 513 8000. ∑ delta.com
Tel (06) 520 0180.
Amman.
Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 755 5050. ∑ klm.com
Lufthansa
Cairo. Tel (02) 19380. Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 513 5353. ∑ lufthansa.com
Queen Alia International Airport
Swissair
Tel (06) 445 1739. ∑ amman-airport.com
Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 513 9000. ∑ swiss.com
Royal Jordanian Airlines
Getting to and from Ben Gurion Airport Licensed taxis at Ben Gurion Airport Tel (03) 975 9555.
Nesher Tel (02) 625 7227.
Flying to Jordan and Sinai BMI Amman. Tel (06) 554 8951. Cairo. Tel (02) 2269 0971. ∑ bmiregional.com
Emirates Amman. Tel (06) 461 5222. Cairo. Tel (02) 19899. ∑ emirates.com
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Seventh Circle, Amman. Tel (06) 510 0000. ∑ rj.com
Sharm el-Sheikh Airport Tel (069) 360 1140. ∑ sharm-el-sheikh. airport-authority.com
Domestic Flights Air Sinai Migdalor Building, 13th Floor, 1 Ben Yehuda St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 510 2481.
Arkia Tel *5758. ∑ arkia.com
Israir 23 Ben Yehuda St, Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 795 4038 or (1 700) 700 186. ∑ israirairlines.com
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Travelling Around Jerusalem, Israel, Petra and Sinai By far the best way of getting around the region is by bus. Every town and city has a bus station, and interurban services are frequent and affordable. In comparison, rail networks are operational only within Israel, and sea transport is limited to just one route across the Red Sea.
such as Haifa and Akko. The trains are swift, comfortable and inexpensive, but services are very crowded on Sunday mornings and Thursday nights. Also, smaller stations tend to be some distance from the town centre, often requiring a taxi ride to reach them. The Jerusalem–Tel Aviv train passes through some particularly lovely scenery but is slower than the bus. The journey takes one and a half hours, and there are 10–12 trains per day. The line for a fast train, taking under 30 minutes from inner Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, is due to be completed in 2018.
Red Sea Ferries
Trains in Israel are modern and comfortable
Green Travel For those concerned about their carbon footprint, Israel’s size makes it easy to avoid internal flights. Even travelling to Sinai and Petra is most easily done (and cheapest) by land. Coach tours are affordable in Israel, taking visitors to several sites in one day in a way that is not feasible on public transport. The train is ideal for journeys along the coast north of Tel Aviv, but note that bicycles are not permitted on trains.
Travelling by Bus Most long-distance bus routes in Israel are run by Egged Tours. Except for those to the Dead Sea region, services are frequent, with buses departing from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv every 15 minutes, to Haifa every 30 minutes and to Tiberias every hour. Simply turn up at the bus station and get a ticket for the next service, or buy one on board. The only route that can be booked in advance is the one to Eilat, and since there are only four buses a day, it is wise to do so. Dan Buses operates mostly local buses in Tel Aviv and surrounding towns, but it also runs some shortdistance inter-city routes in the Gush Dan and Shomron regions.
Given the small size of the country, journeys are feasible (the longest, Haifa–Eilat, is only 6 hours). Long-distance buses are comfortable and air-conditioned. There are no services on Shabbat (save for a limited service north of Haifa) nor on Jewish holidays (see pp40–43). However, sheruts (see p309) still operate along major routes, such as between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, during Shabbat.
Travelling by Train Israel Railways’ network comprises six lines, with Tel Aviv acting as a central hub. Most useful for tourists is the line from Tel Aviv to Nahariya, near the border with Lebanon. Running up the Mediterranean coast, this line serves important destinations
Cycling in Jaffa, a fun way to explore this area of Galilee
Aqaba in Jordan and Nuweiba in Sinai are linked by ferry and catamaran, both of which make one sailing each way, once a day. The ferry, which also carries cars, takes 3 hours, while the catamaran takes 1 hour. The catamaran is not significantly more expensive and is much more comfortable. Passengers can obtain a Sinai permit or a full Egyptian visa when travelling by either vessel (see p293).
Cycling The best regions for cycling are Galilee and the Golan Heights, where the scenery is at its most varied and the altitude helps to moderate the extreme heat of summer. Even so, from June to August it is best to plan to cycle only in the mornings, to avoid the high temperatures. The Negev is a popular destination too, with off-road biking through spectacular desert scenery. In Tiberias, Aviv Hotel rents out bicycles to explore the shores of the Sea of Galilee (see pp186–7); a full circuit can be made in just one day. Tel Aviv’s seafront promenade is perfect for cycling. There are several hire companies, such as O-Fun, and some hotels offer free bikes to their guests. You can also pick up a bike at several stations around the city via the bike-sharing service, Tel-O-Fun. Registration to the scheme is necessary. In Jerusalem, EcoBike and Bike Jerusalem offer bikes to rent
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DIRECTORY Ministry of Transport Tel *8787 (information for buses and trains throughout Israel).
Travelling by Bus Dan Buses Tel (03) 639 4444. ∑ dan.co.il
Egged Tours Tel (03) 920 3992. ∑ eggedtours.com
Bright yellow taxis amid the busy traffic of central Amman
and bike tours. Note that the hills in and around the city can be quite a challenge.
Transport in the Palestinian Territories There are two main public transport options in the Palestinian Territories: shared taxis and Arab buses. Buses and minibuses depart from two stations in East Jerusalem, one on Nablus Road (for services to Ramallah) and the other on Suleyman Street (for Bethlehem). Passengers have to change in Ramallah for services to Nablus and Jericho, and in or near Bethlehem for services to Hebron. Arab shared taxis (known as service taxis; see p309) operate within the West Bank and are useful for getting between and around the towns. In general, Arab buses do not go to Israeli towns, and vice versa. It is possible, however, to catch an Israeli Egged bus to the checkpoint outside Bethlehem or to the outskirts of Hebron.
Transport in Jordan Jordan’s main national bus company is JETT, which runs blue-and-white air-conditioned buses between the bus station on King Hussein Road in Amman and Aqaba, the Allenby Bridge and Petra. Booking your seat in advance is advisable. Private buses for destinations in the north and west (including Ajlun, Jerash and the Allenby Bridge) depart from Tarbarbour bus station, located 7 km (4 miles) north of Downtown. All nonJETT minibuses heading south
(including services to Kerak, Petra and Aqaba) leave from Wahdat bus station, which is 5 km (3 miles) south of the city centre. A 10-minute walk downhill from the JETT bus station on King Hussein Road is Abdali bus station, from where you can catch a shared taxi to Syria. There are no scheduled bus services from Amman to the Dead Sea, so the only way to get there is by shared taxi or minibus. Buses from Aqaba to Petra leave between 8am and 2pm; after this time, you will have to hire a taxi. The trip takes about 2 hours. While minibuses are becoming more widespread, shared taxis are still common in Jordan. A trip from Amman to Aqaba takes about 5 hours; from Amman to Petra about 3 hours. To get about in Amman there are city buses, but the destination is indicated only in Arabic. Taxi drivers tend to be honest and use the meter. Only late in the evening or for longer journeys (such as to and from the airport) will you have to agree the price in advance.
Eilat Bus Station Ha-Temarim St.
Haifa Bus Station Ha-Mifratz and Hof Ha-Karmel Stations.
Jerusalem Bus Station 224 Jaffa Rd.
Tel Aviv Bus Station Levinsky St.
Travelling by Train Israel Railways Tel *5770. ∑ rail.co.il
Cycling Aviv Hotel Tiberias. Tel (04) 672 3510. ∑ aviv-hotel.co.il
Bike Jerusalem Jerusalem. Tel (02) 579 6353. ∑ bikejerusalem.com
EcoBike Tel (077) 450 1650. ∑ ecobike.co.il
O-Fun Tel Aviv. Tel (03) 544 2292. ∑ rentabikeisrael.com
Tel-O-Fun Tel Aviv. Tel *6070. ∑ tel-o-fun.co.il
Transport in Jordan JETT
Transport in Sinai The resort towns of Sinai’s east coast are served by Egypt’s East Delta Bus Company. Services are very infrequent, however, with no more than four buses a day around the coast. Most of these buses are either coming from or heading to Cairo (which is 7 to 9 hours away). Only one early morning bus passes by St Catherine’s Monastery, so check timetables carefully. An informal shared-taxi service operates in Sinai, but it can take
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Tel (06) 566 4141 (Arabic only). ∑ jett.com.jo
Transport in Sinai East Delta Bus Company Cairo. Tel (02) 2405 3482.
time for the cars to fill up and the drivers can be reckless. Since taxis are quite cheap, it is best to negotiate a private vehicle for most trips around the peninsula. As an alternative, you can join an organized tour, which can be arranged in any resort town.
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Travelling Around by Car With well-maintained roads, light traffic (at least away from big cities and the coastal highway), short distances between towns and some enchanting scenery, Israel is a pleasure to drive around. In addition, car hire can work out to be incredibly cheap. The one black spot is other road users. Both Israelis and Arabs can be reckless behind the wheel, and road fatalities are high. While this should not put you off driving, you do need to be cautious. On the positive side again, Israel is full of small places of beauty and interest, often located well off any bus route, and having a car at your disposal can really open up the country.
Petrol station in Israel
What you Need To rent a car, you must be over 21 years of age and in possession of a full, clean driving licence and an international credit card. An international driving licence is not necessary. Insurance is compulsory as part of any hire package. Be careful when booking online, since prices quoted often do not include insurance. All car-hire companies provide information on what to do and who to contact if you breakdown. Hire cars come equipped with a fluorescent vest and warning triangle; in the event of a breakdown, you should put on the vest before getting out of the car.
system: Road 6, which runs south to north (it will link Beersheva to Nahariya when completed); and a section of Road 1, which connects Ben Gurion Airport to Tel Aviv. Toll charges are automatically taken off the credit card you registered with the car-hire company, though some may ask you to sign a waiver whereby you agree not to drive on toll roads. The speed limit in towns is 50 km/h (30 mph); on out-oftown roads, 90 km/h (55 mph). On some highways the speed limit is 100 km/h (60 mph), and on Road 6 it is 110 km/h
Driving in Israel In Israel you should drive on the right-hand side of the road. At unmarked junctions, drivers give way to traffic on the right, and overtaking is done on the left (though be prepared for vehicles to undertake on highways). Only two roads operate a toll
Two-way sign
Right-hand bend
Tourist site sign
Parking sign
(68 mph). Seat belts must be worn. Children under 15 must sit in the back, and children under four must be restrained in a suitable child’s seat. Traffic in and around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem is congested. Aim to avoid rush hour, which is roughly 7–9am and 4–6pm, though it is not unknown to encounter traffic jams in Tel Aviv even at 1am.
Road Signs in Israel Although there is a lack of warning signs on Israel’s roads, all places of interest are well indicated with brown signs. Road signs on highways are blue, and those within cities are green. Signs are in both Hebrew and English, and usually in Arabic too. The lack of consistency in the transliteration of place names from Hebrew into English means that you could be following directions for Beersheva one minute and for Be’er Sheva the next. In this book we have tried to present place names as you will see them spelled on Israeli road signs, but local inconsistencies mean that this is not always the case.
Driving in the Palestinian Territories Cars in Israel and the Autonomous Palestinian Territories have licence plates of different colours. Israeli cars have yellow plates, while Palestinian car plates are white with green numbers. Palestinian public transport vehicles have green licence plates with white numbers. Cars with Palestinian number plates cannot easily cross checkpoints into Israel, but it is common for cars with Israeli plates to drive into Palestinian areas. However, it is inadvisable to drive to troublespots in the West Bank, such as Hebron. Cars rented in Israel are not insured for the Palestinian Territories. For this coverage, you will have to rent a vehicle from a company in East Jerusalem.
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DIRECTORY Car Hire in Israel Avanti Tel (077) 490 4800. ∑ avanti.co.il
Budget Tel *2200. ∑ budget.co.il
Eldan Tel (03) 557 9040 or *3524. ∑ eldan.co.il
Europcar Typically heavy traffic on the seafront promenade in Tel Aviv
Tel (03) 622 2240. ∑ europcar.com
Driving in Jordan
Good Luck
While driving is on the right, Jordanians seem to consider most other road rules open to interpretation. Overtaking takes place on both sides of the road, and right of way goes to those who hesitate the least. Main highways are well surfaced, with proper road markings, but minor roads are often in a poor state of repair. Speed limits are generally 100 km/h (60 mph) on open roads and 40 km/h (25 mph) in built-up areas. Take care on desert roads, where drifting sand can put the car into a spin if hit at speed. Direction signs are often positioned right at the junction, making it all too easy to drive past your turn-off.
Road sign at a busy city junction in Jerusalem
Driving in Sinai There are few roads in Sinai, so driving routes are limited. Traffic is light, but it is mainly composed of buses and shared taxis; these tend to travel at
high speed, paying little heed to other road users. Car drivers must be constantly on the lookout and ready to take evasive action. Other than on recognized trails, off-road driving is not encouraged, since it can damage the fragile desert environment. Several such trails begin in the region of Nuweiba (see p246), where jeep tours with local Bedouin guides can be easily arranged.
East Jerusalem. Tel (02) 627 7033. ∑ goodluckcars.com
Hertz Tel (1 700) 507 555. ∑ hertz.co.il
Sixt ∑ sixt.com/car-rental/israel
Car Hire in Jordan and Sinai Europcar ∑ europcar.com
Car Hire Most international car-hire companies are represented in Israel, with offices (or counters) at Ben Gurion Airport and in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. For the sake of convenience, it is better to use a firm that has a representative at the airport. Prices vary dramatically, so shop around before settling on a deal. Local companies, such as Eldan, frequently offer the best rates. Be aware that rental charges are usually quoted exclusive of insurance and collision waivers. Note that it is not allowed to take cars hired in Israel over into Jordan or Sinai. Car hire is not very popular in Jordan and Sinai because there are so few roads. It also works out as very expensive when compared with getting around by other forms of transport, such as the bus or hiring a taxi for a day or two. Petrol stations in Jordan, Sinai and even certain parts of Israel, particularly the Negev and Dead Sea areas, are few
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Hertz Sharm el-Sheikh. ∑ hertzegypt.com Amman. ∑ hertz.jo
Oscar Car Rental Amman. Tel (06) 553 5635. ∑ 1stjordan.net/oscar
Rent a Reliable Car Amman. Tel (06) 592 9676. ∑ rentareliablecar.com
and far between. You are strongly advised to fill up your tank before setting off on any long journeys.
Hitch-Hiking Known in Israel as tremping, hitch-hiking used to be a common way of getting about the country. It was particularly popular with soldiers heading home or returning from leave. However, a few incidents in the mid-2000s mean that hitchhiking is unsafe, and soldiers are now banned from hitching. Visitors are advised against hitch-hiking while in Israel.
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Getting Around Jerusalem Most of Jerusalem’s major historical and religious sites are concentrated in the Old City, which has to be explored on foot, since it is almost an entirely vehicle-free zone. Elsewhere, the Light Rail and bus networks will get visitors to more or less everywhere they want to go. This is just as well, as taxis tend to be too expensive for frequent use. The one time when visitors might have to use taxis is on Shabbat, when public transport stops running from mid-afternoon on Friday to sundown on Saturday.
Buses Jerusalem’s bus system is run by Egged. Buses are identified by a number displayed in the front window. To establish which route you need, visit the Egged website or ask at the tourist office by Jaffa Gate. Major bus routes include: No. 1 from the Central Bus Station to Damascus Gate, the Western Wall and Mount Zion; No. 9, linking the city centre to the Israel Museum; and No. 20, going from Jaffa Gate to Yad Vashem. Most buses run from about 5:30am until midnight. Night buses (Nos. 101–106) run from midnight to 3am on Thursdays and Saturdays (Sun–Thu in July and August). East Jerusalem is served by Arab-run buses, which depart
from two bus stations near Damascus Gate. Useful lines include No. 75 to the Mount of Olives, No. 21 to Bethlehem and No. 18 to Ramallah.
Line 99 Bus
Tickets can be bought on the bus or booked through your hotel reception. You can choose between one- and two-day tickets, and a guided tour is available on a multi-language personal listening device.
Mass Transit System The Mass Transit System is the city’s answer to heavy congestion. The system includes a Light Rail (tram) line and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route. The tram links Pisgat Ze’ev in the north (via Damascus Gate, Jaffa Road and the Central Bus Station) to Mount Herzl in the west. It is easy to use, fast, frequent and wheelchair-friendly. Buy a ticket from the dispenser at the stop and validate it in the machine on board.
A good, convenient way to discover the city is via a hop-on/hop-off ride on the Line 99 bus, also known as the Jerusalem City Tour. Run by Egged, the bus departs four times a day from the Central Bus Station on Jaffa Road. The circular route takes in most of the important sites outside the Old City in under 2 hours. There are no buses on Saturday. An Egged bus, a popular way to travel around Jerusalem
Line 99 Bus Route The clockwise circuit made by this bus passes many important Jerusalem landmarks. The bus makes numerous stops, but key points along the route include: 1 Central Bus Station
9 Yad Vashem (see p142)
2 Mahane Yehuda Market
0 Israel Museum (see pp136–41)
3 Mount Scopus
q Knesset (see p135)
3
4 Jaffa Gate (see p104) 5 King David Hotel/YMCA (see p126)
1
6 Haas Promenade 7 Biblical Zoo (see p142)
2
q
8 Herzl Cemetery and Museum
(see p142)
Key Old City walls
9 5
No. 99 bus route
4
8 7
6
T R AV E L I N F O R M AT I O N
The BRT route runs along a dedicated bus lane from Talpiot in the south to Har Hozvim in the north, with stops near Jabotinsky, Agron and King George V streets. The CityPass website has more details on both the Light Rail and BRT systems.
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DIRECTORY Buses Yellow Palestinian taxi
Central Bus Station 224 Jaffa Rd, Jerusalem. Tel *2800.
Egged Tel *2800 (information). ∑ egged.co.il
Tickets
Mass Transit System
Single one-way tickets can be purchased for use of the Light Rail and bus networks separately. Tickets, available from the machines at tram stops and in service centres, are valid for 90 minutes from the time of purchase and cost the equivalent of about US$2. Be aware that many journeys involve using both forms of transport in order to reach your destination. There are no return tickets. Visitors can also purchase the electronic top-up “smart card” (Rav-Kav), a multi-use card for travel on both the bus and Light Rail. A “personal” card is free and gives discounts on fares; otherwise the card costs 5 NIS if you do not provide ID proof. Insert your “smart card” into the machine when boarding a bus or tram. For those on a longer visit, monthly passes allow unlimited transport around the city for a set price.
CityPass
Walking The narrow streets and alleys of the Old City do not allow for vehicles, meaning this is pretty much a pedestrian zone.
309
∑ citypass.co.il
White Israeli taxi
Flat-soled footwear is essential, as many of the ancient streets are cobbled and slippery when wet. It is also easiest to get around the centre of the New City on foot, as Jaffa, Ben Yehuda and other streets are pedestrianized, and the lanes of Nakhlaot, Nakhalat Shiva and Yemin Moshe are largely impossible by car. Elsewhere, wide roads and aggressive traffic can make walking rather unpleasant. Street signs are in at least two languages – Hebrew and English, or Arabic and English. In the Old City, they are in the scripts of all three.
Taxis It is easy to find a taxi in Jerusalem. You can book one by phone, hail one on the street or find one at an official rank. Restaurant and hotel staff will always phone a cab for you. Taxis are white, with a yellow sign on top that is lit up if they are available. Occasionally, an
Taxis Ambassador Taxis East Jerusalem. Tel (02) 582 6969.
Beit Hakerem Taxis West Jerusalem. Tel (02) 500 0101.
Rehavia Taxis 3 Agron St. Tel (02) 625 4444.
Israeli driver may refuse to take you to an address in East Jerusalem, but Arab drivers are usually willing to venture into any part of West Jerusalem. All taxis have modern meters (which can print out a receipt on request), and you should insist that the meter be used. If it is not, you will pay a variable fare, which will be dependent on your haggling skills but will certainly be more than the meter would have indicated. Taxi fares are higher from 9pm to 5:30am, on Shabbat and holidays.
Shared Taxis Known to Israelis as a sherut and to Arabs as a service (pronounced “servees”) taxi, the shared taxi is a cross between a bus and a taxi. They operate fixed routes like a bus, but they run more frequently and, like a taxi, they can be hailed on the street. At the start of the route, drivers tend to wait until every seat is taken before setting off. There are no set stops; passengers indicate to the driver when they wish to be let off. Fares are similar to the equivalent bus ride and much cheaper than a taxi.
A taxi rank in Jerusalem
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GENERAL INDEX
General Index Page numbers in bold refer to main entries 1948 War 58
A Aaron’s Tomb (Petra) 235 Abakonowicz, Magdalena Negev 140 Abbasid dynasty 51 Abd el-Malik, Caliph 75, 76 Abdullah, King of Jordan 56 Amman 216 assassination 58 King Abdullah Mosque (Amman) 218 Abimelech 207 Abraham 23, 25 Beersheva 207 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 77 in Islam 51, 75 and Judaism 26 Machpelah cave 24, 207 Sacrifice of Isaac 24 tomb 207 Absalom’s Tomb (Jerusalem) 119 Abu Galum Nature Reserve 246 Abu Ghosh 143 Abuhav, Itzhak 185 Accommodation 256–63 Acre see Akko Adam 98 Adam, Chapel of 98 Admission prices 293 Adventure activities Wadi Rum 238 Aelia Capitolina 47 Agam, Yaakov 174 Agrippas Street (Jerusalem) 149 Ain Furtaga 246 Ain Khudra 246 Air travel 302–3 Ajlun 214 hotels 262 Akko (Acre) 13, 169, 182–3 festivals 42 history 53, 55 hotels 261 map 183 restaurants 271–2 Alcohol 268–9 Alexander II, Tsar 251 Alexander III, Tsar 114, 117 Alexander the Great 46, 189 Alexander Hospice (Jerusalem) 102 Street-by-Street map 95 Allenby, General 56, 106 Allenby Bridge 292 Alligators Hammat Gader Alligator Farm 187 Ambulances 296, 297 American Colony Hotel (Jerusalem) 12, 55, 131, 150–51 Amman 14, 213, 216–18 airport 302–3 buses 305 history 46
Amman (cont.) hotels 262 map 216–17 restaurants 274 Amman beach 201 Ammonites 216 Anne, St St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 71 St George’s Monastery 194 tomb 118 Anti-Semitism 55 Antigonus 196 Antiochus IV Epiphanes, King 46 Antiques buying 152–3, 277, 281 Antonia Fortress (Jerusalem) 48, 68 Antony, Mark 48, 194 Aphdal Ali 103 Aqaba 15, 239, 242 hotels 263 restaurants 274–5 Aqaba, Gulf of Eilat 209 Nuweiba 246 Aquariums Aqaba 239 Arab-Israeli wars 58–9 Arab Legion 71, 84 Arab Women’s Union 197 Arabs history 51–9 language 293 Nabataeans 231 Arafat, Yasser 59 Archaeological Museum (Amman) 14, 217 Archaeological Museum (Aqaba) 239 Archaeological Museum (Kerak) 219 Archaeological Park (Madaba) 220 Archaeological sites admission prices 293 Amman 216–17 Aqaba 239 Beth Shean 189 Caesarea 180 Herodion 196 Jerash 214–15 Jericho 194–5 Jerusalem Archaeological Park 90–91 Masada 204–5 Megiddo 184 Ovdat 206 Petra 224–35 Tel Beersheva 207 Tsipori 185 Umm Qais 214 Architecture Byzantine basilicas 29 Jewish Quarter 87 mosques 31 Petra 229 synagogues 27 Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture 13, 175
Ari Synagogue 86 Ariel Centre for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period (Jerusalem) 87 Ark of the Covenant 25 Abu Ghosh 143 Second Temple (Jerusalem) 49 synagogues 27 Armageddon 184 Armenian Church of Our Lady of the Spasm (Jerusalem) 35 Armenian Holocaust Day 40 Armenian Quarter (Jerusalem) see Christian and Armenian Quarters Armenians Armenian church 29, 111 Armenians in Jerusalem 111 ceramics 280 Christmas 43 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198 Gulbenkian Library (Jerusalem) 110, 111 Monastery of St Nicholas (Jaffa) 179 St James’s Cathedral 110 Art Artists 37 Jewish Art of the Diaspora 139 see also Museums and galleries Artists’ Quarter (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 179 Ascension 41, 114, 115, 116 Ashdod 221 Ashkelon festivals 40 Ashkenazi Jews 27 Hurva Synagogue (Jerusalem) 84 Old Yishuv Court Museum (Jerusalem) 86 Ashraf el-Ghouri 246 Ashrafiyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 75 Assyrians 46, 119 ATMs 298 Augustus Caesar 180 Austrian Hospice (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 66 Autumn in Jerusalem 42 Ayla 239 Ayyubid dynasty 52, 54
B Baal 25 Bab el-Hadid Street (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 67 Bab el-Siq Triclinium (Petra) 226 Babylonian captivity 45–6 Bagrat, King of Georgia 134 Baha’i Shrine and Gardens (Haifa) 13, 181 Bahaulla 181 Baituna Al-Talhami (Bethlehem) 13, 197 Baldwin I, King of Jerusalem 104, 219 Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem 214, 219
GENERAL INDEX
Balfour Declaration (1917) 56 Banias 185 Bank notes 299 Banks 298 Baptism Bethany Beyond the Jordan 32, 201 Qasr el-Yehud 32, 195 Yardenit Baptism Site 186 Bar-Kokhba, Simon 47, 196 Barclays Bank (Jerusalem) 148 Bargaining 277 Barka Khan tomb 70 Barluzzi, Antonio Basilica of the Agony (Jerusalem) 118 Church of the Visitation (Ein Kerem) 143 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary (Jerusalem) 117 Italian Hospital (Jerusalem) 129 Monastery of the Flagellation (Jerusalem) 68 Bars 283, 285 Jerusalem 154, 155 Bartos, Armand 140 Basil, St 252 Basilica of the Agony (Jerusalem) 12, 112, 114, 118 Basilica of the Annunciation (Nazareth) 13, 32, 185 Bat Galim 181 Batei Makhase Square (Jerusalem) 86 Street-by-Street map 82 Bauhaus Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture 13, 175 Bauhaus Center (Tel Aviv) 174, 175 Baybars, Emir 53 Dome of the Chain (Jerusalem) 75 Hebron 207 Lions’ Gate (Jerusalem) 71 Nebi Musa 195 Nimrud Castle 185 Beaches Amman beach 201 Aqaba 239 Carmel Beach 181 Dahab 246–7 Dead Sea 201 Ein Gedi 201 Luna Gal Beach Water Park (Tiberias) 188 Naama Bay 247 Tel Aviv 173 Beachfront Promenade (Tel Aviv) 173 Beauvoir, Simone de 125 Bed-and-breakfast 257 Bedouin 22 Bedouin of the Sinai Peninsula 253 Beersheva 207 festivals 40 Wadi Rum 21, 236, 238 Beers 268
Beersheva 14, 207, 221 Begin, Menachem 57, 126 Beit Hatfutsot (Tel Aviv) 13, 172 Bellow, Saul 37, 125 Belvoir Castle 13, 53, 188 Ben Gurion, David 57, 176–7 Ben Gurion Airport (Lod) 302, 303 Ben Nahman, Moses (Nahmanides) 85 Ben Yehuda 129 Ben Yehuda Street (Jerusalem) 127, 148 Ben Zakkai Synagogue (Jerusalem) 63, 86 Beth Alpha 13, 189 Beth Shean 13, 46, 189 Bethany Beyond the Jordan 32, 201 Bethesda, Pool of 71 Bethlehem 13, 193, 196–9 Christmas 43 Church of the Nativity 196, 198–9 Madaba Mosaic Map 220 map 197 restaurants 274 Sites of the New Testament 32 Bethphage 114 Bezalel Street (Tel Aviv) 176 Bialik, Haim Nahman Bialik House (Tel Aviv) 176 Bialik Streek (Tel Aviv) 13, 176 Bible 28 Old Testament as history 25 Old Testament sites in the Holy Land 24–5 Sites of the New Testament 32–3 Torah 26 Bible Lands Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 134–5 Biblical Zoo (Jerusalem) 142, 154, 155 Bicycles 304–5 Billy Rose Art Garden (Jerusalem) 140 Birds birdwatching 39, 288, 289 International Birdwatching Centre (Eilat) 209 Bloomfield Gardens (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 125 Bloomfield Science Museum (Jerusalem) 154, 155 Blues music 282, 285 Boats Red Sea ferries 304 Bonifacio da Ragusa 99 Book shops Jerusalem 153 Boombamela Festival (Ashkelon) 40 Border crossings 292 Borowski, Elie 134 Bourdelle, Émile Antoine 140 The Boy from South Tel Aviv (Meromi) 136 Braque, Georges 174 British Mandate 56–7, 126, 128 The Broad Wall (Jerusalem) 84 Street-by-Street map 83
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Broken Pediment Tomb (Petra) 235 Brother Islands 248–9 Budget travel 294, 295 Bukharan Quarter (Jerusalem) 129 Burckhardt, Johann Ludwig 36, 227 discovers Petra 55, 224, 227 Bureaux de change 298 Burning Bush 250, 252 The Burnt House (Jerusalem) 88 Buses 304, 305 in Jerusalem 308, 309 to Ben Gurion Airport 302 Byzantine Empire 50–51 St Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai) 252 see also Roman Empire
C Caesarea 13, 47, 170, 180 map 180 restaurants 272 Caesarea Museum 180 Caesarea National Park 180 Caiaphas 48 Calvary 34, 35 see also Golgotha Camels South Sinai Camel Festival 40 trekking 238, 287, 289 Camp David agreement (1979) 58, 59, 241 Camping 258–9 Wadi Rum 238 Cana 32 Canaanites 45, 108 Canoeing 287, 289 Capernaum 13, 188 Caravaggio St Jerome Writing 199 The Cardo (Jerusalem) 12, 84 Street-by-Street map 82 The Cardo (Petra) 233 Carmel, Mount 25, 181 Carmel Beach 181 Carmel Forest hotels 261 Carmel Market (Tel Aviv) 13, 176 Carmelite Monastery (Mount Carmel) 13, 181 Carmine Façade (Petra) 235 Caro, Joseph 185 Cars 306–7 car hire 307 Royal Automobile Museum (Amman) 218 Castles Belvoir Castle 13, 188 Kerak 15, 219 Nimrud Castle 185 Qalat ar-Rabad (Ajlun) 214 Shobak 219 Cathedrals Cathedral of the Holy Trinity (Jerusalem) 128, 149 St George’s Cathedral (Jerusalem) 130, 151
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GENERAL INDEX
Cathedrals (cont.) St James’s Cathedral (Jerusalem) 12, 110, 111 Catherine, St 251 Mount Catherine 253 St Catherine’s Monastery 250 Caves Cave of Gethsemane (Jerusalem) 114, 118–19 Elijah’s Cave (Mount Carmel) 181 Flour Cave (Sodom) 206 Hebron 207 Qumran 200 Solomon’s Quarries (Jerusalem) 130 Cemeteries Kibbutz Kinneret 186 Mount of Olives 115 Valley of Jehoshaphat (Jerusalem) 119 Central Carmel 181 Central Souk (Jerusalem) 70 Central Synagogue (Jerusalem) 86 Ceramics Palestinian Pottery (Jerusalem) 150 shops 153, 278, 279 What to buy 280 Cézanne, Paul 138, 174 Chagall, Marc 37 Hadassah Hospital Synagogue (Ein Kerem) 143 Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 138 Knesset (Jerusalem) 135 Mishkenot Shaananim (Jerusalem) 125 Chain of the Generations Centre (Jerusalem) 89 Chain Street (Jerusalem) 70 Chalcedon, Council of (AD 451) 104 Chamber of the Holocaust (Jerusalem) 121 Chapel of the Holy Trinity (Mount Sinai) 253 Charlemagne, Emperor 102 Charles Clore Park (Tel Aviv) 177 Chateaubriand, François René de 37 Châtillon, Reynald de 219 Children 294 entertainment 154, 155, 284, 285 Christ 21, 28–9, 47 Abu Ghosh 143 baptism 32, 201 Bethlehem 196 Capernaum 188 Christ’s Tomb 96, 97, 99 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 96–9 Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes (Tabgha) 188 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 196, 198–9 Church of the Primacy of Peter (Tabgha) 188 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary (Jerusalem) 117
Christ (cont.) footprints 116 Garden of Gethsemane 118 Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) 150 Hall of the Last Supper (Jerusalem) 121 Jericho 194 Jerusalem 33 Monastery of the Flagellation (Jerusalem) 68 Monastery of the Temptation (Jericho) 194–5 Mount of Olives (Jerusalem) 114–15 Nazareth 184 St Peter in Gallicantu (Jerusalem) 120 Sea of Galilee 186 Sermon on the Mount 188 Sites of the New Testament 32–3 Umm Qais 214 Via Dolorosa (Jerusalem) 34–5, 66, 68–9 Christian and Armenian Quarters (Jerusalem) 93–111 area map 93 Armenians in Jerusalem 111 Christian Quarter: Street-byStreet map 94–5 Church of the Holy Sepulchre 96–101 Citadel 106–9 hotels 260 Christian hospices and guesthouses 257, 259 Christian Quarter Road (Jerusalem) 12, 103 Street-by-Street map 94 Christianity 28–9 Crusades 52–3 Eastern Christianity and the Patriarchates 104 first Christian churches 50 pilgrims 36 Yardenit Baptism Site 186 Christmas 42–3 Churches 29 dress code 293 opening hours 293 Armenian Church of Our Lady of the Spasm (Jerusalem) 35 Basilica of the Agony (Jerusalem) 12, 112, 114, 118 Basilica of the Annunciation (Nazareth) 13, 32, 185 Church of All Nations (Jerusalem) see Basilica of the Agony Church of the Apostles (Madaba) 220 Church of the Beatitudes (Tabgha) 13, 33, 171, 188 Church of the Dormition (Jerusalem) 12, 120–21 Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes (Tabgha) 188 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 13, 166, 196, 198–9 Church of Notre Dame de l’Arche de l’Alliance (Abu Ghosh) 143
Churches (cont.) Church of the Paternoster (Jerusalem) 115, 116 Church of the Primacy of Peter (Tabgha) 188 Church of St John the Baptist (Ein Kerem) 143 Church of St John the Baptist (Jerusalem) 94, 103 Church of St Mary Magdalene (Jerusalem) 63, 112, 114, 117 Church of the Visitation (Ein Kerem) 143 Crusader Church (Abu Ghosh) 143 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 63 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary (Jerusalem) 117 Ethiopian Church (Jerusalem) 129, 149 Jerash 215 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (Jerusalem) 95, 102 Memorial Church of Moses (Mount Nebo) 219 Nea Basilica (Jerusalem) 86 Petra Church (Petra) 233 Russian Church of Ascension (Jerusalem) 116 St Alexander’s Church (Jerusalem) 102 St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 12, 71 St Catherine’s Church (Bethlehem) 196 St George’s Church (Madaba) 220 St Joseph’s (Nazareth) 185 St Mark’s Church (Jerusalem) 105 St Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem) 88 St Michael’s Church (Jaffa) 179 St Peter in Gallicantu (Jerusalem) 120 St Peter’s Church (Tiberias) 188 see also Cathedrals; Monasteries and Holy Sepulchre, Church of the Churchill, Winston 126 Cinema 284, 285 Film Festival (Jerusalem) 41 Haifa International Film Festival 42 in Jerusalem 154, 155 Citadel (Akko) 183 Citadel (Amman) 14, 216 Citadel (Tower of David) (Jerusalem) 12, 62, 92, 106–9, 147 City of David (Jerusalem) 12, 119 City Hall (Jerusalem) 128, 148 City Hall (Tel Aviv) 174 City walls (Jerusalem) 12, 144 A 90-minute walk around the Old City walls 146–7 Clement VI, Pope 54 Cleopatra 194 Clermont, Council of (1095) 52 The Cliff of Aval, Etrétat (Claude Monet) 137
GENERAL INDEX
Climate 40–43, 292 Climbing 288, 289 Clock Tower (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 178 Clothes etiquette 293 Clubs 283, 285 Coast and Galilee 169–89 Akko 182–3 Haifa and Mount Carmel 181–3 hotels 261–2 map 170–71 Old Jaffa: Street-by-Street map 178–9 one week in the Coast and Galilee 11, 13 restaurants 271–3 Tel Aviv 172–9 travel 170 see also Sea of Galilee Coffee 268 Coins 299 Coloured Canyon 240, 246 Communications 300–301 Constantine the Great, Emperor 50 Christ’s Tomb 99 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 96 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198 Church of the Paternoster (Jerusalem) 116 conversion to Christianity 29 Constantine Monomachus, Emperor 96 Consulates 295 Convent of the Sisters of Zion (Jerusalem) 68 Street-by-Street map 67 Coral Island 209, 246 Coral reefs of the Red Sea 244–5 Coral World Underwater Observatory (Eilat) 209 Cosmetics shopping 278–9, 281 Cotton Merchants’ Gate (Jerusalem) 72 Cotton Merchants’ Market (Jerusalem) 69 Crafts What to buy 280–81 Crater Makhtesh Ramon 14, 208 Credit cards 298 in hotels 256 in restaurants 264 in shops 276 Crime 296 Crimean War (1854) 55 Crossing borders 292 Crusader Church (Abu Ghosh) 143 Crusaders 51, 52–3 Abu Ghosh 143 Akko 182–3 Basilica of the Agony (Jerusalem) 118 Belvoir Castle 188 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 96
Crusaders (cont.) Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198, 199 Kerak 219 Markets 69 Mosque of the Ascension (Jerusalem) 116 St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 71 St Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem) 88 Currency 298–9 Customs allowances 293 Cycling 304–5 Cyril of Alexandria 130 Cyrus the Great, King of Persia 46
D Dahab 15, 246–7 hotels 263 restaurants 275 Dahr el-Amr, Emir 182 Dalrymple, William 36 Damascus Gate (Jerusalem) 12, 70–71, 78–9, 147, 150 Dana hotels 263 Dana International 22–3 Dance 283, 285 Jerusalem 155 Danziger, Yitzhak 139 Darat el-Funun (Amman) 218 David, King of Israel 45, 108 Bethlehem 196 City of David (Jerusalem) 119 defeats Goliath 25 Ein Gedi 200 King David’s Tomb (Jerusalem) 110, 121 Mount Zion 120 David (Verrochio) 108 David Street (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 94 Davidka (Jerusalem) 149 Davidson Center (Jerusalem) 90 Day of Judgment 119 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 14, 191–209 Bethlehem 196–9 Dead Sea 190, 193, 201 Five days in the Dead Sea and the Negev 10, 14 hotels 262, 263 Madaba Mosaic Map 221 map 192–3 Masada 204–5 Negev Desert 38 restaurants 274, 275 travel 193 Dead Sea Panorama 201 Dead Sea Scrolls 57, 141 Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 136 Qumran 200 Shrine of the Book (Jerusalem) 140, 141 Decapolis 46, 47, 189, 214 Degania 187 Degas, Edgar 174 Deir Yassin 57 Delilah 25 Department stores 277 Deserts 38 Desert Patrol 296 hiking in 287, 289
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Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem (Poussin) 49, 139 Dialling codes 301 Diaspora 47 Jewish art of the Diaspora 139 Diocletian, Emperor 130 Disabled travellers 294, 295 in hotels 256 Diving 286, 289 Coral reefs of the Red Sea 244–5 Dahab 246–7 Naama Bay 247 Ras Muhammad National Park 247 safety 297 Underwater Archaeological Park (Caesarea) 180 Dizengoff, Meir 174, 176 Dizengoff Square (Tel Aviv) 174 Dizengoff Street (Tel Aviv) 13, 174 Doctors 297 Dolphin Reef (Eilat) 14, 209, 241 Dome of the Chain (Jerusalem) 73, 75 “Dome of Learning” (Grammar College, Jerusalem) 72 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 12, 63, 64, 72, 76–7 history 50, 51 Islam 30–31, 75 Dominicans 130 Dominus Flevit Sanctuary (Jerusalem) 12, 114, 117 Drinks 268–9 Druze 22 Dung Gate (Jerusalem) 88, 147 Duty-free allowances 293
E Easter 40 Holy Fire 97 Eastern Christianity and the Patriarchates 104 Ecce Homo Arch (Jerusalem) 12, 68 Street-by-Street map 67 Via Dolorosa 35 Egeria 36, 219 Egypt 241 border crossings 292 currency 299 embassies and consulates 295 telephones 301 time zone 295 Timna National Park 208 visas 293 Eilat 14, 209 airport 302, 303 festivals 41 hotels 262 restaurants 274 Ein Bokek 14, 201, 206 Ein Gedi 14, 192, 200, 201 hotels 262 Ein Gedi Nature Reserve 14, 200 Ein Kerem 12, 142–3 Ein Ovdat 14, 206 El-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) 51, 63, 73, 74 El-Habis Crusader Fortress (Petra) 232
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GENERAL INDEX
El-Jazzar, Ahmed Pasha 54, 182, 183 El-Kas Fountain (Jerusalem) 73 El-Takiya Street (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 66 Electrical adaptors 295 Elijah 25, 86, 181, 253 Elijah’s Cave (Mount Carmel) 13, 181 Elizabeth, St 143 Elizabeth Feodorovna, Grand Duchess 117 Elkan, Benno 135 Embassies 295 Emergencies 296, 297 Emmaus 143 Entertainment 282–5 Jerusalem 154–5 Ephron 207 Eretz Israel Museum (Tel Aviv) 172 Essenes 141, 200 Ethiopian Church (Jerusalem) 129, 149 Ethiopian Monastery (Jerusalem) 34, 97, 99 Etiquette 293 Etzel Museum 1947–1948 (Tel Aviv) 177 Exchange offices 298 Explorers 36–7 Ezion-Geber 239
F Faisal I, King of the Hejaz 56 Farouk, King of Egypt 74 Fatimid dynasty 51 Feingold House (Jerusalem) 148 Feiran Oasis 253 Ferdinand II, King of Aragon 54 Ferries, Red Sea 304 Festivals 40–43 Muslim 31 Field Schools 258, 259 Films see Cinema The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple (Hunt) 37 Fire services 296, 297 Five Pillars of Faith 30 Flaubert, Gustave 37 Florentinus, Sextius tomb of 235 Flour Cave (Sodom) 206 Folklore Museum (Amman) 217 Food and drink safety 297 The Flavours of Jerusalem and the Holy Land 266–7 What to buy 281 What to drink 268–9 see also Restaurants Fountains El-Kas Fountain (Jerusalem) 73 Sabil of Qaitbey 72, 75 Franciscans 54 Hall of the Last Supper (Jerusalem) 121 Monastery of the Flagellation (Jerusalem) 67, 68 Nazareth 184 Via Dolorosa (Jerusalem) 69 Fringe Theatre Festival (Akko) 42
G
H
Gad, Dora 136 Gadara 211, 214 Galilee see Coast and Galilee Galilee, Sea of see Sea of Galilee Galleries see Museums and galleries Gan ha-Pisga (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 178 Gan ha-Pisga (Tel Aviv) 171 Garden of Gethsemane 114, 118 Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) 12, 130, 150 Garden Triclinium (Petra) 235 Gardens see Parks and gardens Gauguin, Paul 138, 174 Gay and lesbian travellers 294, 295 Gaza Strip Arab-Israeli wars 58 intifada 59 Madaba Mosaic Map 221 Geddes, Sir Patrick 176 George, St 130 Gerasa 46 see also Jerash German Colony (Jerusalem) 13 Gethsemane, Cave of 114, 118– 19 Gethsemane, Garden of 114, 118 Gihon Spring 119 Glassware Hebron 278, 280 Godfrey of Bouillon 52 Golan Heights 39, 185 Arab-Israeli wars 58 restaurants 272 Golden Gate (Jerusalem) 72, 75 Goldstein, Baruch 207 Golf 288, 289 Golgotha 98 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 97 Garden Tomb 130 Via Dolorosa 34 Goliath 25 Gordon, General Charles 130 Grammar College (Jerusalem) 72 Great Temple (Petra) 233 Greek Orthodox Church 28–9 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198 Eastern Christianity and the Patriarchates 104 Greek Orthodox Monastery (Jerusalem) 34 Holy Fire 97 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 104 St Catherine’s Monastery 250, 252 St Michael’s Church (Jaffa) 179 Green Line 58 Green travel 304 Gregory the Illuminator, St 97 Guesthouses, Christian 257, 259 Gulbenkian Library (Jerusalem) 110, 111 Gulf War (1991) 59 Gutman, Nahum 176 Nahum Gutman Museum (Tel Aviv) 177
Ha-Ela Valley 25 Ha-Neviim Street (Jerusalem) 128–9, 149 Ha-Pisga open-air amphitheatre (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 178 Hadassah Hospital Synagogue (Ein Kerem) 143 Hadrian, Emperor 47, 139 Damascus Gate (Jerusalem) 70 Jerash 214 Haganah Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Haggai tomb 117 Haifa 13, 169, 181 festivals 42 hotels 261 restaurants 272 Haile Selassie, Emperor of Abyssinia 126 El-Hakim, Sultan Christ’s Tomb (Jerusalem) 99 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 51, 96 Muristan (Jerusalem) 102 Hall of the Last Supper (Jerusalem) 121 Hammam el-Pasha (Akko) 183 Hammans 289 Hammat Gader Alligator Farm 187 Hammat Tiberias Hot Springs 186 Hanukkah 43 Haram esh-Sharif (Jerusalem) 12, 51, 63, 72–5 Harmon, Arthur Loomis 126 Haroun el-Rashid, Caliph 102 Harrison, Austin 131 Hasmoneans 46–7, 107 Hassan Bek Mosque (Tel Aviv) 177 HaTachana (Tel Aviv) 177 Health care 297 Hebrew language 293 Hebrew phrase book 327–8 Hebrews 45 Hebron 206–7 glassware 278, 280 Hebuterne, Jeanne 138 Helena, Queen of Adiabene 131 Helena, St 50 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 96, 99, 109 Church of the Paternoster (Jerusalem) 116 St Catherine’s Monastery 250 Helena Rubinstein Pavilion (Tel Aviv) 174 Hellenism 46 Hermon, Mount 185 Herod the Great, King 47 Antonia Fortress (Jerusalem) 48 Caesarea 180 Citadel (Jerusalem) 107 Hebron 207 Herodion 196 Jericho 194 Masada 204–5 Massacre of the Innocents 143 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 104
GENERAL INDEX
Herod the Great, King (cont.) Second Temple (Jerusalem) 49, 72 Solomon’s Quarries (Jerusalem) 130 Western Wall (Jerusalem) 89 Herod Agrippa I, King 110 Herod Antipas, King 188 Herodion 13, 193, 196 Herod’s Column (Jerusalem) 128 Herod’s Family Tomb (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 124 Herod’s Gate (Jerusalem) 71, 147, 151 Herzl, Theodor 55 Mount Herzl 142 tomb 142 Herzl Museum 142 Hezekiah, King 84, 119 Hezekiah’s Tunnel 119 High Place of Sacrifice (Petra) 15, 234 Hiking desert hiking 287, 289 Wadi Rum 238 Hinnom Valley 120 Hisham, Caliph 195 Hisham’s Palace (Jericho) 195 History 45–59 Hitch-hiking 307 Holidays, Jewish 41 Holocaust Chamber of the Holocaust (Jerusalem) 121 Holocaust Day 40 Monument of Holocaust and Resistance (Tel Aviv) 174 Yad Vashem 142 Holy Fire 97 Holy of Holies 49, 77 Holy Land Celebrated visitors 36–7 Coast and Galilee 169–89 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 191–209 festivals 40–43 history 45–59 landscape and wildlife 38–9 maps 10–11, 16–17, 166–7 Old Testament sites 24–5 Petra and Western Jordan 211–39 portrait of 21–3 Red Sea and Sinai 241–53 Sites in the New Testament 32–3 Holy Sepulchre, Church of the (Jerusalem) 12, 20, 62, 96–101 Chapel of Adam 98 Chapels of St Helena and the Inventio Crucis 99 Christ’s Tomb 96, 97, 99 Crusades 52–3 destruction of 51 Ethiopian Monastery 99 floorplan 96–7 Golgotha 98 Holy Fire 97 Rotunda and Syrian Chapel 99 Status Quo 98 Street-by-Street map 95 Via Dolorosa 12, 34 Visitors’ checklist 97
Horns of Hattin, Battle of (1187) 52 Horse riding 288, 289 Wadi Rum 238 Hospices, Christian 257, 259 Hospitals 297 Hotel Cinema Eden (Tel Aviv) 174 Hotels 256–63 American Colony Hotel (Jerusalem) 55, 131, 150–51 booking 256, 259 Coast and Galilee 261–2 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 262 grading and facilities 256 Jerusalem 260–61 Jordan 259 kibbutz hotels 257, 259 King David Hotel (Jerusalem) 12, 57, 124, 126 Petra and Western Jordan 262–3 prices 256 Red Sea and Sinai 263 Sinai 259 YMCA (Jerusalem) 124, 126 House of Dorotheos (Petra) 235 House of Simon the Tanner (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 179 Hulda Gates (Jerusalem) 91 Huldah, Prophetess 116 Hunt, William Holman 37, 128, 149 The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple 37 Hurva Square (Jerusalem) 12, 84–5 Street-by-Street map 82–3 Hurva Synagogue (Jerusalem) 83, 84–5 Hussein, King of Jordan 58, 211 death 59 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 77 King Abdullah Mosque (Amman) 218 Royal Automobile Museum (Amman) 218
I Ibn Batuta 36 Immigration 20th-century 56, 57 Law of Return 58 Sephardic Jews 54 Zionists 55 Imperial Hotel (Jerusalem) 105 Independence Day (Israeli) 40 Independence Hall (Tel Aviv) 176–7 Independence Park (Tel Aviv) 173 Indiana, Robert Ahava 140 Inoculations 297 Inquisition 54 Insects 297 Insurance 297 International Birding & Research Centre (Eilat) 209 International Book Fair 43 International Choir Festival 43 International Modern architecture Tel Aviv 175
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Internet 300, 301 Intifada 59 Irgun 57 Isaac Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 77 Sacrifice of Isaac 24 tomb 207 Isardiyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 75 Islam and Muslims 30–31 Crusades 52–3 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 72, 76–7 festivals 42 Haram esh-Sharif (Jerusalem) 63, 72–5 history 51 Jerusalem and 75 LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art (Talbiya) 134 madrasas (Jerusalem) 75 Museum of Islamic Art (Jerusalem) 72, 74 Nebi Musa 195 Tower of David Museum (Jerusalem) 109 see also Mosques Israel air travel 302, 303 birth of 57 border crossings 292 car hire 307 currency 299 driving in 306 embassies and consulates 295 emergency numbers 297 festivals 40–43 history 55–9 hotels 256–7, 261–2 internet cafés 300, 301 opening hours 293 police 296 postal services 300–301 public transport 304–5 restaurants 264–5, 271–4 telephones 300, 301 time zone 295 tourist information 293 visas 292 Israel Antiquities Authority 138, 139 Israel Festival 41 Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 62, 136–40 Archaeology Wing 139 Billy Rose Art Garden 140 Dead Sea Scrolls 140, 141 Fine Arts Wing 138–9 floorplan 136–7 Jewish Art and Life Wing 138 Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education 140 Shrine of the Book 140 Visitors’ checklist 137 Israelites 45 Istambuli Synagogue (Jerusalem) 86 Italian Hospital (Jerusalem) 129 Italian Synagogue (Jerusalem) 127
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GENERAL INDEX
J Jacob 197 tomb 207 Jaffa 13, 166 festivals 40, 41 Old Jaffa: Street-by-Street map 178–9 Jaffa Gate (Jerusalem) 104, 146 Jaffa Nights 41 Jaffa Road (Jerusalem) 148 James the Great, St 110 James the Less, St 110 Japheth 178 Jazz 282, 285 Jerusalem 155 Jazz Festival (Eilat) 41 Jeanne Hebuterne, Seated (Modigliani) 138 Jebel Amud 237 Jebel Barrah 237 Jebel Burdah rock bridge 236 Jebel Makhras 237 Jebel Umm Fruth Rock Bridge 237 Jebusites 114, 119 Jeep tours Wadi Rum 238 Jehoshaphat, King of Judah tomb 119 Jehoshaphat, Valley of see Valley of Jehoshaphat Jerash 14, 167, 212, 214–15, 222–3 festivals 41 history 46, 47, 51 map 215 see also Gerasa Jeremiah the Sinaite 252 Jericho 25, 194–5 excavations 45 hotels 262 Madaba Mosaic Map 220 Jeroboam, King 46 Jerome, St 199 Bible 28 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 199 tomb 196 Jerusalem Christian and Armenian Quarters 93–111 driving in 306 entertainment 154–5 festivals 40–43 Further afield 133–43 hotels 260–61 and Islam 75 Jerusalem at a glance 62–3 Jesus in 33 Jewish Quarter 81–91 Madaba Mosaic Map 220, 221 maps 17, 18–19 Modern Jerusalem 123–31 Mount of Olives and Mount Zion 113–21 Muslim Quarter 65–79 One week in Jerusalem 12–13 restaurants 270–71 shopping and markets 152–3 Street Finder 156–63 three guided walks 145–51 travel in 308–9 Via Dolorosa 34–5
Jerusalem, Latin Kingdom of 52 Jerusalem Archaeological Park 13, 90–91 Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (Lear) 37 Jerusalem International Oud Festival 42 Jerusalem Marathon 40 Jerusalem Theatre 155 Jerusalem Time Elevator 126–7 Jesus of Nazareth see Christ Jewellery shops 153, 278, 279 What to buy 280 Jewish holidays 41 Jewish National Fund 55 Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem) 12, 81–91 architecture 87 area map 81 Hurva Square: Street-by-Street map 82–3 Jerusalem Archaeological Park 90–91 Jewish Revolt (AD 66) 48–9 Jewish Students’ Information Centre 84 Jewish Wars First (AD 66–70) 47 Second (AD 132–5) 47 Jews Diaspora 47 Jewish Quarter (Jerusalem) 81–91 Judaism 26–7 Kibbutz Degania 187 kosher hotels 256 kosher restaurants 265 Law of Return 58 Mea Shearim (Jerusalem) 129 ultra-Orthodox Jews 129 see also Holocaust; Judaism; Synagogues Jezreel valley 184 Joachim, St St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 71 St George’s Monastery 194 tomb 118 John, St (the Evangelist) 71 John the Baptist, St Baptism of Christ 32, 201 Chapel of the Head of John the Baptist (Jerusalem) 116 Ein Kerem 142–3 John Moschos 36 Joppa see Jaffa Jordan 211–39 air travel 302–3 Amman 216–18 border crossings 292 car hire 307 currency 299 driving in 307 embassies and consulates 295 emergency numbers 297 history 56 hotels 259, 262–3 internet cafés 300, 301 Jerash 214–15 Madaba Mosaic Map 220–21 map 212–13 opening hours 293
Jordan (cont.) Petra 224–35 police 296 postal services 301 restaurants 265, 274–5 Six days in Petra and Western Jordan 11, 14–15 telephones 300, 301 time zone 295 tourist information 293 travel 212, 305 visas 292–3 Wadi Rum 236–8 Jordan Festival (Jerash) 41 Jordan Museum (Amman) 216 Jordan River 38 Golan Heights 185 Madaba Mosaic Map 220 Qasr el-Yehud 195 Sea of Galilee 186 Joseph, St 185 Joseph of Arimathea 34 Josephus, Flavius 119, 205 The Jewish War 48, 180 Joshua 25, 194, 253 Judaea, Kingdom of 46, 47, 49 Judaism 26–7 festivals 40–43 ultra-Orthodox Jews 129 Western Wall (Jerusalem) 89 see also Jews; Synagogues Judas 114, 118 Justin Martyr, St 198 Justinian, Emperor 50 The Cardo (Jerusalem) 84 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198 Jerash 214 Madaba Mosaic Map 220 Nea Basilica (Jerusalem) 86 St Catherine’s Monastery 250 and St Saba 195
K Karmi, Ram 135 Karmi-Melamed, Ada 135 Katsrin 185 Kedumin Square (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 179 Kerak 15, 219 Madaba Mosaic Map 221 Kfar Peki’in hotels 261 Khai Bar Yotvata Wildlife Reserve 208 Khalidi Library (Jerusalem) 70 Khan a-Shuarda (Akko) 182 Khan el-Faranj (Akko) 182 Khan el-Sultan caravanserai (Jerusalem) 70 Khan el-Umdan (Akko) 182 Khanqa Salahiyya (Jerusalem) 103 Khazali Canyon 236 Kibbutz the first kibbutz – Degania 187 kibbutz hotels 257, 259 working on a kibbutz 288–9 Kibbutz Ein Gev 186 Kibbutz Ginosar 33, 186 Kibbutz Kinneret 186 Kibbutz Lotan hotels 262
GENERAL INDEX
Kidron Valley 119, 120 Kiesler, Frederic 140 Kilan, Emir 70 King Abdullah Mosque (Amman) 218 King David Hotel (Jerusalem) 12, 57, 126 Street-by-Street map 124 King David’s Tomb (Jerusalem) 12, 121 King Hussein Bridge 292 King Hussein Mosque (Amman) 216 Kings’ Tombs (Jerusalem) 131 Kinneret, Lake see Sea of Galilee Klarwin, Joseph 135 Klezmer Festival (Safed) 41 Knesset (Jerusalem) 135 Knights Hospitallers 53 Belvoir Castle 188 Church of St John the Baptist 94, 103 Crusader Church (Abu Ghosh) 143 Muristan (Jerusalem) 102–3 St Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem) 88 Knights Templar 53 Crusades 52 El-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) 74 Koran see Quran Kosher hotels 256 Kosher restaurants 265
L LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art (Jerusalem) 12, 134 Lachish, Battle of (701 BC) 46 Lady Tunshuq’s Palace (Jerusalem) 69 Street-by-Street map 66 Lamartine, Alphonse de 37 Landscape and wildlife of the Holy Land 38–9 Language 293 Hebrew Phrase Book 327–8 Last Supper 105 Hall of the Last Supper (Jerusalem) 121 Lavatories, public 294 Law of Return 58 Lawrence of Arabia (TE Lawrence) 56, 237 Amman 218 Aqaba 239 Lawrence’s Spring (Wadi Rum) 236 Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Wadi Rum) 237 Wadi Rum 211 League of Nations 56 Lear, Edward 37 Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives 37 Léger, Fernand 174 Libraries Gulbenkian Library (Jerusalem) 110, 111 Khalidi Library (Jerusalem) 70 St Catherine’s Monastery 250, 252 Lion Monument (Petra) 235
Lion Triclinium (Petra) 234 Lions’ Gate (Jerusalem) 71, 147 Literature 37 Little Petra 15, 235 Lost property 297 Lot 24 Louis VII, King of France 183 Louis IX, King of France 53 Lower Galilee restaurants 272 Luke, St 105 Lumière Brothers 109 Luna Gal Beach Water Park (Tiberias) 188 Luria, Itzhak 185 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (Jerusalem) 102 Street-by-Street map 95
M Maccabean Revolt (164 BC) 46, 47 Maccabeus, Judas 46 Machpelah cave 24, 207 Madaba 14, 220–21 Mosaic Map 50, 84, 86, 120, 220–21 restaurants 275 Madatech: The Israeli National Museum of Science, Technology and Space (Haifa) 181 Madrasa el-Omariyya (Jerusalem) 72 Via Dolorosa 35 Madrasas (Jerusalem) 75 Magazines 301 entertainments listings 282 Mahane Yehuda (Jerusalem) 12, 135, 149, 152, 153 Mahmoudiya Mosque (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 178 Maillol, Aristide 140 Maimonides Tomb of Maimonides (Tiberias) 188 Makhtesh Ramon 14, 208 Malachi tomb 117 Malekiyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 75 Mameluke architecture Chain Street (Jerusalem) 70 Khalidi Library (Jerusalem) 70 Lady Tunshuq’s Palace 69 Muslim Quarter (Jerusalem) 66 Mameluke Fort (Aqaba) 239 Mamelukes 53, 54, 109 Mamshit 221 Mansfeld, Alfred 136 Manshiye (Tel Aviv) 177 Maps Akko 183 Amman 216–17 Bethlehem 197 Caesarea 180 Coast and Galilee 170–71 Crusader domains 52 Dead Sea 201 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 192–3
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Europe and Mediterranean region 16 Holy Land 10–11, 16–17 Israel, Petra and Sinai 166–7 Jerash 215 Jerusalem 17, 18–19, 62–3 Jerusalem: Around Hurva Square 82–3 Jerusalem: Christian Quarter 93, 94–5 Jerusalem: East Jerusalem walk 150–51 Jerusalem: Jewish Quarter 81 Jerusalem: Line 99 Bus 308 Jerusalem: Modern Jerusalem 123 Jerusalem: Mount of Olives 113, 114–15 Jerusalem: Muslim Quarter 65, 66–7 Jerusalem: Old City walls walk 146–7 Jerusalem: West Jerusalem walk 148–9 Jerusalem: Yemin Moshe 124–5 Jerusalem and environs 133 Jerusalem Street Finder 156–63 Madaba Mosaic Map 220–21 Old Testament sites in the Holy Land 24–5 Petra 224–5, 232–3 Petra: The Siq 226 Petra and Western Jordan 212– 13 Red Sea and Sinai 242–3 Roman Empire (AD 117) 48 Sea of Galilee 186–7 Sites of the New Testament 32–3 Tel Aviv 17, 172–3 Tel Aviv: Old Jaffa 178–9 Via Dolorosa 34–5 Wadi Rum 236–7 wine-growing regions of Israel 269 Mar Saba Monastery 195 Marathons Jerusalem 40 Tiberias 43 Maria Alexandrovna, Tsarina 117 Markets 277 Bedouin market (Beersheva) 207 The Cardo (Jerusalem) 84 Carmel Market (Tel Aviv) 13, 176 Central Souk (Jerusalem) 70 Cotton Merchants’ Market (Jerusalem) 69 how to bargain 277 Jerusalem 152, 153 Mahane Yehuda (Jerusalem) 12, 135, 149, 152, 153 Mary see Virgin Mary Mary (mother of St Mark the Evangelist) 105 Masada 10, 14, 192, 201, 202–3, 204–5 Herod’s building works 47 hotels 262 Roman siege (AD 70–73) 205 Mass Transit System (Jerusalem) 308–9
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Matisse, Henri 138 Mea Shearim (Jerusalem) 129 Mecca 51 Medical care 297 Medici, Ferdinand de 98 Megiddo 13, 184 Megiddo, Battle of (1468 BC) 45 Meir, Golda 58 Melisande, Queen of Jerusalem 118 Melville, Herman 37 Memorial Church of Moses (Mount Nebo) 219 Meromi, Ohad The Boy from South Tel Aviv 136 Messiah 47, 75 see also Christ Metalwork What to buy 280 Metzinger, Jean 174 Migdal 39 Milk Grotto (Bethlehem) 197 Mimouna 40 Miró, Joan 174 Mishkenot Shaananim (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 125 Mitspe Ramon 208 hotels 262 restaurants 274 Mobile phones 300 Modern Jerusalem 123–31 area map 123 hotels 260 restaurants 270–71 Yemin Moshe: Street-by-Street map 124–5 Modigliani, Amedeo Jeanne Hebuterne, Seated 138 Monasteries Carmelite Monastery (Mount Carmel) 13, 181 Ethiopian Monastery (Jerusalem) 34, 97, 99 Mar Saba 195 Monastery of the Cross (Jerusalem) 12, 134 Monastery of the Flagellation (Jerusalem) 12, 35, 67, 68 Monastery of St Nicholas (Jaffa) 179 Monastery of St Peter (Jaffa) 179 Monastery of the Temptation (Jericho) 32, 194–5 Nebi Musa 195 Petra 15, 234 St Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai) 15, 50, 166, 242, 250–52 St Etienne Monastery (Jerusalem) 130 St George’s Monastery 10, 14, 191, 194 Monet, Claude 174 The Cliff of Aval, Etrétat 137 Money 298–9 Mongols 53 Montefiore, Sir Moses 55 Mishkenot Shaananim (Jerusalem) 124, 125 Rachel’s Tomb (Bethlehem) 197
Montefiore’s Windmill (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 125 Monument of Holocaust and Resistance (Tel Aviv) 174 Moore, Henry 140 Moors 54 Moors’ Gate (Jerusalem) 72 Mosaic Map, Madaba 84, 86, 120, 220–21 Moses 25 death of 24 Five Books of Moses 26 Mount Nebo 219 Mount Sinai 253 Nebi Musa 195 St Catherine’s Monastery 250, 251, 252 Sinai 241 Ten Commandments 24 Mosques 31 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 12, 30–31, 50, 51, 72, 76–7 dress code 293 El-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) 51, 63, 73, 74 Hassan Bek Mosque (Tel Aviv) 177 King Abdullah Mosque (Amman) 218 King Hussein Mosque (Amman) 216 Mahmoudiya Mosque (Jaffa) 178 Mosque of the Ascension (Jerusalem) 115, 116 Mosque of El-Jazzar (Akko) 182 Mosque of Omar (Bethlehem) 196 Omar Mosque (Jerusalem) 103 Sea Mosque (Jaffa) 178 Sidna Omar Mosque (Jerusalem) 82, 84 Mosquitoes 297 Mosseri family 126 Mount Carmel 25, 181 Mount Catherine 250, 253 Mount Hermon 185 Mount Herzl 142 Mount Moriah 24 Mount Nebo 14, 24, 219 Mount of Olives and Mount Zion (Jerusalem) 113–21 hotels 260 maps 113, 114–15 Mount of Olives 12, 63, 114–15 Mount Quarntal 32 Mount Sinai 15, 24, 253 St Catherine’s Monastery 15, 250–52 Mount Sodom 206 Mount Tabor 13, 185 Mount Zion (Jerusalem) 12, 113, 120 Mountains 39 Golan Heights 39, 185 Mughar el-Nasara (Petra) 235 Muhammad, Prophet Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 77 Islam 30 Night Journey 21, 31, 51, 75, 76, 77
Muhammad, Prophet (cont.) Tomb of the Virgin (Jerusalem) 118 Muhammad Ali (Egyptian ruler) 55 Mujir al-Din 118 El-Muqaddasi 36 Muristan (Jerusalem) 12, 102–3 Street-by-Street map 94 Museums and galleries opening hours 293 Archaeological Museum (Amman) 14, 217 Archaeological Museum (Aqaba) 239 Archaeological Museum (Kerak) 219 Archaeological Park (Madaba) 220 Ariel Centre for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period (Jerusalem) 87 Baituna Al-Talhami (Bethlehem) 197 Bauhaus Centre (Tel Aviv) 174 Beit Hatfutsot (Tel Aviv) 13, 172 Bialik House (Tel Aviv) 176 Bible Lands Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 134–5 Bloomfield Science Museum (Jerusalem) 154, 155 The Burnt House (Jerusalem) 88 Caesarea Museum 180 Chain of the Generations Centre (Jerusalem) 89 Chamber of the Holocaust (Jerusalem) 121 Darat el-Funun (Amman) 218 Davidson Center (Jerusalem) 90 Eretz Israel Museum (Tel Aviv) 172 Etzel Museum 1947–1948 (Tel Aviv) 177 Folklore Museum (Amman) 217 Haganah Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Herzl Museum 142 Independence Hall (Tel Aviv) 176–7 Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 62, 136–40 Jerash 215 Jerusalem Time Elevator 126–7 Jordan Museum (Amman) 216 LA Mayer Museum of Islamic Art (Jerusalem) 12, 134 Madatech: The Israeli National Museum of Science, Technology and Space (Haifa) 181 Modern Museum (Petra) 232 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate 104 Museum of Islamic Art (Jerusalem) 72, 74 Museum of Italian-Jewish Art (Jerusalem) 127 Museum of Popular Traditions (Amman) 217 Museum of Underground
GENERAL INDEX
Prisoners (Akko) 183 Nahum Gutman Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Old Museum (Petra) 232 Old Yishuv Court Museum (Jerusalem) 86 Rockefeller Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 131, 151 Rokach House Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Royal Automobile Museum (Amman) 218 Rubin Museum (Tel Aviv) 176 Russian Church of the Ascension (Jerusalem) 116 Studium Museum (Jerusalem) 68 Tel Aviv Museum of Art 13, 174 Temple Institute Museum (Jerusalem) 87 Ticho House (Jerusalem) 127 Tower of David Museum (Jerusalem) 108–9 Underground Prisoners’ Museum 1917–48 (Jerusalem) 128 Wohl Archaeological Museum (Jerusalem) 83, 85 Yad Vashem 12, 142 Music classical music 282, 285 dance 155, 283, 285 festivals 40, 41, 43 Jerusalem 154–5 opera 282, 285 rock, jazz and blues 155, 282, 285 Muslim Quarter (Jerusalem) 65–79 area map 65 Dome of the Rock 76–7 Haram esh-Sharif 72–5 hotels 260 restaurants 270 Street-by-Street map 66–7 Muslims see Islam and Muslims Mussolini, Benito 74
N Naama Bay 247 hotels 263 restaurants 275 Nabataeans 47, 231 Makhtesh Ramon 208 Ovdat 206 Petra 224–9 Wadi Rum 236 Nablus 220 Nablus Road (Jerusalem) 150 Nabq National Park 247 Nahum Gutman Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Nakhal Arugot 200 Nakhal David 200 Nakhalat Binyamin Street (Tel Aviv) 176 Nakhalat Shiva (Jerusalem) 12, 127, 148 Nakhlaot (Jerusalem) 135 Napoleon I, Emperor 36, 55 Akko 54, 182 St Catherine’s Monastery 252
Nasser, Gamal Abdel 58, 247 National parks Beth Shean 189 Caesarea 180 Nabq 247 Ras Muhammad 247 Timna 208 Nazareth 13, 184–5 Annunciation 32 hotels 261 International Choir Festival 43 restaurants 272 Nazism 57, 121, 142 Nea Basilica (Jerusalem) 50, 86 Neapolis (Nablus) 220 Nebi Musa 195 Nebo, Mount 14, 24, 219 Negev (Magdalena Abakonowicz) 140 Negev Desert see Dead Sea and the Negev Desert Neolithic revolution 45 Neve Tzedek (Tel Aviv) 177 Neve Zohar 201, 206 hotels 262 New Gate (Jerusalem) 146 New Testament 47 Sites of the New Testament 32–3 see also Bible Newspapers 301 Niche Monument (Petra) 227 Night Spectacular 12, 107 Nile, River 221 Nimrud Castle 185 Noguchi, Isamu 140 Nuremberg Mahzor 136 Nuweiba 246 hotels 263 restaurants 275 Nymphaeum (Petra) 232
O Obelisk Tomb (Petra) 226 Obodas I, King of the Nabataeans 234 Old Jaffa 171 Street-by-Street map 178–9 Old Port (Tel Aviv) 13, 173 Old Testament sites in the Holy Land 24–5 see also Bible Old Yishuv Court Museum (Jerusalem) 86 Olives, Mount of (Jerusalem) 12, 63, 114–15 Olivetan Benedictine monks 143 Omar, Caliph 216 battle of Yarmuk River 51 captures Jerusalem 105 Museum of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate (Jerusalem) 104 Omar Mosque (Jerusalem) 103 Omar ibn el-Khattab Square (Jerusalem) 105 Omar Mosque (Jerusalem) 103 Omariyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 75 Omayyad dynasty 50, 51, 91, 216 Opening hours 293 banks 298 restaurants 264 shops 152, 276
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Opera 282, 285 Opera Towers (Tel Aviv) 173 Or ha-Khayim Synagogue (Jerusalem) 86 Order of the Knights Hospitallers see Knights Hospitallers Orient House (Jerusalem) 151 Origen 98 Orthodox Jews 27 Christmas 43 Mea Shearim (Jerusalem) 129 ultra-Orthodox Jews 129 “Oslo Accords” (1993) 59 Ottoman Empire 54–6, 109 Ovda Airport (Eilat) 302, 303 Ovdat 10, 14, 206
P Paine, Roxy 140 Painted House (Little Petra) 235 Palaces Herodion 196 Hisham’s Palace (Jericho) 195 Lady Tunshuq’s Palace (Jerusalem) 66, 69 Masada 204–5 Omayyad Palace (Amman) 216 Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) 59 Palestinian Pottery (Jerusalem) 12, 150 Palestinians and Palestinian Territories 1948 War 58 Bethlehem 196 driving in 306 Hebron 207 history 50–59 intifada 59 postal services 301 refugees 58 telephones 300, 301 textiles and rugs 278, 279 travel 305 Parker, Captain Montague 87 Parks and gardens Baha’i Temple and Gardens (Haifa) 13, 181 Billy Rose Art Garden (Jerusalem) 140 Bloomfield Gardens (Jerusalem) 125 Charles Clore Park (Tel Aviv) 177 Gan ha-Pisga (Jaffa) 171, 178 Independence Park (Tel Aviv) 173 Parliament Knesset (Jerusalem) 135 Partition 57 Passover 40 Passports 292 Patriarchates 104 Paula, St tomb 196 Payen le Bouteiller 219 Peel Commission 57 Pelagia, St 116 Pella 214 Pelusium 221 Persians 46, 50–51 Personal safety 296
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GENERAL INDEX
Peter, St House of Simon the Tanner (Jaffa) 179 St Peter in Gallicantu (Jerusalem) 120 St Peter’s Church (Tiberias) 188 Simon Peter’s House (Capernaum) 188 Petra 11, 15, 167, 224–35 architecture 229 The City of Petra 232–3 From the Treasury to the Theatre 228–9 history 51 hotels 263 maps 224–5, 232–3 rediscovery 55 restaurants 275 Royal Tombs 213, 225, 230–31 The Siq 225, 226–7 Six days in Petra and Western Jordan 11, 14–15 Treasury 15, 210, 225, 227, 228 Petra Church (Petra) 233 Pharaoh’s Island 209, 246 Pharisees 46 Pharmacies 297 Phasael’s Tower (Jerusalem) 107, 108 Philadelphia (Amman) 46, 216 Philistines 45 Phrase book 327–8 Picasso, Pablo 140, 174 Pilate, Pontius 34, 120 Ecce Homo Arch (Jerusalem) 35 trial of Christ 68, 69 Pilgrims 36 Bethlehem 196 history 50, 51 Muristan (Jerusalem) 102–3 Nazareth 184 Russian Church of the Ascension (Jerusalem) 116 Via Dolorosa (Jerusalem) 68–9 Poemenia (Christian noblewoman) 116 Pogroms 55, 56 Police 296, 297 Polo, Marco 36, 183 Pompey 47 Pool of Siloam 119 Pool of the Sparrow (Jerusalem) 68 Pop music 155 Postal services 300–301 Pottery shops 278, 279 Poussin, Nicolas Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem 49, 139 Promised Land 241 Prophet Elijah Synagogue (Jerusalem) 86 Public conveniences 294 Pubs Jerusalem 154, 155 Puppet Festival (Jerusalem) 41 Purim 43
Q Qaitbey, Sultan 72, 75 Qalat ar-Rabad (Ajlun) 214 Qanatirs (Jerusalem) 73, 74 Qasr el-Bint el-Faroun (Petra) 232 Qasr el-Yehud 32, 195 Quarntal, Mount 32 Queen Alia International Airport (Amman) 302–3 Qumran 14, 200, 201 Dead Sea Scrolls 141 Quran 30, 75
R Rabia el-Adawiya 116 Rabin, Yitzhak assassination 59, 174 “Oslo Accords” 59 Rabin Memorial (Tel Aviv) 174 Rabin Square (Tel Aviv) 174 Rachel’s Tomb (Bethlehem) 197 Radio 301 Rafting 287, 289 Railways see Trains Rainfall 43 Ramadan 42 Ramban Synagogue (Jerusalem) 85 Street-by-Street map 83 Rameses III, Pharaoh 208 Ras Muhammad National Park 247 Ras Umm Sidd lighthouse 247 Red Sea and Sinai 241–53 air travel 303 Arab-Israeli wars 58, 59 Bedouin of the Sinai Peninsula 253 border crossings 292 car hire 307 Coral reefs of the Red Sea 244– 5 driving in Sinai 307 Eilat 209 emergency numbers 297 ferries 304 hotels 259, 263 internet cafés 301 Madaba Mosaic Map 221 map 242–3 police 296 postal services 301 restaurants 275 St Catherine’s Monastery 15, 250–52 telephones 300 Three days in the Red Sea and Sinai 11, 15 travel 242, 305 visas 293 Reform Judaism 27 Religion buying religious articles 153, 278, 279, 281 Christianity 28–9 Eastern Christianity and the Patriarchates 104 Islam 30–31 Judaism 26–7 Rembrandt St Peter in Prison (The Apostle Peter Kneeling) 137
Remembrance Day 40 Renaissance Tomb (Petra) 235 Renoir, Pierre Auguste 174 Responsible travel 295 Restaurants 264–75 Coast and Galilee 271–3 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 274 The Flavours of Jerusalem and the Holy Land 266–7 in hotels 256 Jerusalem 270–71 Jordan 265 kosher restaurants 265 opening hours 264 Petra and Western Jordan 274–5 Red Sea and Sinai 265, 275 tipping in 294 types of restaurant 264–5 vegetarian food 265 What to drink 268–9 see also Food and drink Richard I “the Lionheart”, King of England 52, 53, 182 Road signs 306 Roberts, David 8–9, 37 Robinson, Edward 36, 91 Robinson’s Arch (Jerusalem) 90 Rock climbing 288, 289 Rock music 155, 282, 285 Rockefeller, John D 131 Rockefeller Museum (Jerusalem) 12, 131, 151 Rodin, Auguste 140 Rokach, Shimon Rokach House Museum (Tel Aviv) 177 Roman Catholic Church 29 Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem) 198 Monastery of St Peter (Jaffa) 179 Roman Column (Jerusalem) 105 Roman Empire 47, 50 Amman 216, 217 Beth Shean 189 The Burnt House (Jerusalem) 88 Caesarea 180 Capernaum 188 Destruction of the Second Temple 47, 48–9 Ecce Homo Arch (Jerusalem) 68 Jerash 214–15 Masada 204, 205 Petra 233 Roman Square excavations (Jerusalem) 71 Tiberias 188 Roman Nymphaeum (Amman) 216 Roman Theatre (Amman) 217 Rosh ha-Shanah 42 Rosh Pina hotels 261 restaurants 272 Rothschild, Baron Edmond de 138 Rothschild Avenue (Tel Aviv) 13, 176–7 Rothschild family 86 Royal Automobile Museum (Amman) 218
GENERAL INDEX
Royal Tombs (Petra) 15, 213, 225, 230–31 Rubin, Reuven 139 Rubin Museum (Tel Aviv) 176 Rugs, buying 278, 279, 281 Rules of the road 306 Rum, Wadi see Wadi Rum Rum Village 236 Rush hours 306 Russian Compound (Jerusalem) 12, 128 Russian Orthodox Church Alexander Hospice (Jerusalem) 95, 102 Church of St Mary Magdalene (Jerusalem) 114, 117 Russian Church of the Ascension (Jerusalem) 116 St Alexander’s Church (Jerusalem) 102 Russians in Jerusalem 117 Rustaveli, Shota 134
S Saba, St 195 Sabil of Qaitbey (Jerusalem) 72, 75 Safdie, Moshe 142 Safed 13, 185 festivals 41 hotels 261 Safety 296–7 St Alexander’s Church (Jerusalem) 102 St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 12, 71 St Catherine’s Church (Bethlehem) 196 St Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai) 15, 50, 166, 242, 250–52 hotels 263 Visitors’ checklist 251 St Etienne Monastery (Jerusalem) 130 St George’s Cathedral (Jerusalem) 130, 151 St George’s Church (Madaba) 220 St George’s Monastery 10, 14, 191, 194 St James’s Cathedral (Jerusalem) 12, 110, 111 St Jerome Writing (Caravaggio) 199 St Joseph’s (Nazareth) 185 St Mark’s Church (Jerusalem) 105 St Mary of the Germans (Jerusalem) 88 St Michael’s Church (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 179 St Peter in Gallicantu (Jerusalem) 120 St Peter in Prison (The Apostle Peter Kneeling) (Rembrandt) 137 St Peter’s Church (Tiberias) 188 St Stephen’s Chapel (Mount Sinai) 253 St Stephen’s (Lions’) Gate (Jerusalem) 71, 147 Saladin 109 Akko 182 Belvoir Castle 188 Crusades 52, 53
Saladin (cont.) Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 77 El-Aqsa Mosque (Jerusalem) 74 Hebron 207 Kerak 219 Khanqa Salahiyya (Jerusalem) 103 Mosque of the Ascension 116 St Anne’s Church (Jerusalem) 71 St Etienne Monastery (Jerusalem) 130 Shobak 219 Tomb of the Virgin (Jerusalem) 118 Salah al-Din Street (Jerusalem) 151 Samaritans 22 Samson 25 Sarah 24, 207 Saul, King 45 Schick, Conrad 128, 129, 149 Schindler, Oskar 142 Schindler’s Tomb (Jerusalem) 121 Schmidt’s Girls College (Jerusalem) 150 Science Madatech (Haifa) 181 Scuba diving Dahab 246–7 Scythopolis 46, 189 Sea of Galilee 13, 33, 167, 186–7 hotels 261 map 186–7 restaurants 272 Sea Mosque (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 178 “Second Temple” period 46 Security 296–7 Seleucid dynasty 46 Self-catering accommodation 257, 259 Seljuk Turks 51, 52 Sephardic Jews 27, 54, 86, 185 Sephardic Synagogues (Jerusalem) 12, 63, 86 Street-by-Street map 82 Sepphoris see Tsipori Sergei Alexandrovich, Grand Duke 117 Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Wadi Rum) 237 Shalom Tower (Tel Aviv) 176 Shared taxis (sheruts) 309 to Ben Gurion Airport 302 Sharm el-Sheikh 15, 247 airport 303 festivals 40 hotels 263 restaurants 275 Shaw, George Bernard 37 Sheinkin Street (Tel Aviv) 176 Sheruts see Shared taxis Shiloh 25 Shobak 219 Shopping 276–81 antiques 152–3, 277 bargaining 277 books 153 ceramics 153, 278, 279 cosmetics 278–9
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Shopping (cont.) department stores and shopping malls 277, 279 Hebron glassware 278, 280 how to pay 276 Jerusalem 152–3 jewellery 153, 278, 279 opening hours 152, 276 religious articles 153, 278, 279 souvenirs 279 textiles and rugs 278, 279 VAT exemptions 276 What to buy 280–81 Shrine of the Book (Jerusalem) 140, 141 Shulamit falls (Ein Gedi) 200 Sidna Omar Mosque (Jerusalem) 84 Street-by-Street map 82 Simon of Cyrene 35 Simon the Tanner House of Simon the Tanner (Jaffa) 179 Sinai see Red Sea and Sinai Sinai, Mount see Mount Sinai The Siq (Petra) 15, 225, 226–7 Six-Day War (1967) 58 Smoking 293 in restaurants 265 Snorkelling 286, 289 Sodom 24, 206 Solomon, King of Israel 21, 25, 45 Beth Shean 189 Ezion-Geber 239 Megiddo 184 Temple 72 treasure 87 Solomon’s Quarries (Jerusalem) 12, 130 Souk el-Dabbagha (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 95 South Sinai Camel Festival 40 Souvenirs 280–81 shops 279 Spafford, Anna and Horatio 131 Spas Dead Sea 201 Ein Bokek 204 Ein Gedi 200 Neve Zohar 204 Specialist holidays 286–9 Speed limits 306 Spielberg, Steven 121 Sports 284, 285, 286–9 Spring in Jerusalem 40–41 Stanhope, Lady Hester 36 Stations of the Cross Via Dolorosa 34–5 Status Quo (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) 98 Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery (Mount Carmel) 181 Stephanos (6th-century monk) 252 Stephen, St 71, 130 Storks’ Tower (Jerusalem) 147 Storrs, Ronald 87 Street food 266 Student information 294 Studium Museum (Jerusalem) 68 Suez crisis (1956) 58 Sukkoth 42
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GENERAL INDEX
Suleyman the Magnificent, Sultan 54, 109 Citadel (Jerusalem) 106 City walls (Jerusalem) 146 Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem) 76 Jaffa Gate (Jerusalem) 104 Lions’ Gate (Jerusalem) 71, 147 Mount Zion 120 Muristan (Jerusalem) 103 Zion Gate (Jerusalem) 110 Summer in Jerusalem 41 Sunshine 41 Supreme Court (Jerusalem) 135 Suriname Synagogue (Israel Museum) 136 Suzanne Dellal Centre (Tel Aviv) 177 Swimming 284, 285 Synagogues 27 Ari Synagogue 86 Beth Alpha 189 dress code 293 Hadassah Hospital Synagogue 143 Hurva Synagogue (Jerusalem) 83, 84–5 Italian Synagogue (Jerusalem) 127 Masada 204 Or ha-Khayim Synagogue (Jerusalem) 86 Ramban Synagogue (Jerusalem) 83, 85 Sephardic Synagogues (Jerusalem) 12, 63, 82, 86 Suriname Synagogue (Israel Museum) 136 Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue 85 Syrian Orthodox Church 105
T Taba 15, 246 hotels 263 Taba Heights 246 Tabgha 13, 33, 188 Talmud 50, 88 Tamerlane 54 Tanakh 24 Tankiz, Emir 70 Tarabin fortress (Nuweiba) 246 Tashtamur, Emir tomb 70 Tashtamuriyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 70 Taxes 294 in hotels 256 in shops 276 Taxis 305 in Jerusalem 309 shared taxis (sheruts) 302, 309 to Ben Gurion Airport 302 Tea 268 Tel Aviv 13, 23, 168, 169, 172–9 Bauhaus architecture 13, 175 driving in 306 festivals 41 history 56 hotels 261–2 map 17, 172–3 Old Jaffa: Street-by-Street map 178–9 restaurants 272–3
Tel Aviv Museum of Art 174 Tel Beersheva 207 Tel Jericho 194, 195 Telephones 300, 301 Television 301 Temenos Gate (Petra) 232 Temperatures 42 Temple (Jerusalem) 46, 47 Ariel Centre for Jerusalem in the First Temple Period (Jerusalem) 87 Destruction of the Second Temple 47, 48–9 Temple of Artemis (Jerash) 222–3 Temple Institute Museum (Jerusalem) 87 Temple Mount (Jerusalem) 89 Jerusalem Archaeological Park 91 see also Haram esh-Sharif Temple of the Winged Lions (Petra) 233 Ten Commandments 241, 253 Terrorism 296 Textiles, buying 278, 279, 281 Thamud people 236 Theatre 284, 285 Jerusalem 155 Theft 296, 297 Theme parks Jerusalem Time Elevator 126–7 Theodor Herzl (immigrant ship) 56 Theodosia, St 250 Theodosius, Emperor 50 Thutmose III, Pharaoh 45, 184 Tiberias 13, 186, 188 Tiberias, Lake see Sea of Galilee Tiberias Marathon 43 Tiberius, Emperor 188 Ticho, Dr Abraham 127 Ticho, Anna 127 Ticho House (Jerusalem) 127, 149 Tickets, public transport 309 Tiferet Yisrael Street (Jerusalem) 85 Street-by-Street map 83 Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue 85 Time zones 295 Timna National Park 208 Tipping 294 Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (Jerusalem) 142 Titus, Emperor 48, 49 Toilets, public 294 Tomb with Armour (Petra) 235 Tomb of Maimonides (Tiberias) 188 Tomb of the Patriarchs (Hebron) 207 Tomb of the Roman Soldier (Petra) 235 Tomb of Sextius Florentinus (Petra) 15, 235 Tomb of the Virgin (Jerusalem) 12, 114, 118–19 Tombs of the Patriarchs (Hebron) 24 Tombs of the Prophets (Jerusalem) 115, 117
Torah 26, 129 Tour d’Auvergne, Princesse de la 116 Tourist information 293, 295 Tower of David (Jerusalem) see Citadel Tower of David Museum (Jerusalem) 108–9 Train Theatre (Jerusalem) 154, 155 Trains 304, 305 to Ben Gurion Airport 302 Trajan, Emperor 214 Trans-Jordan 56 Travel 302–9 air 302–3 buses 304, 305, 308, 309 cars 306–7 Coast and Galilee 170 cycling 304–5 Dead Sea and the Negev Desert 193 ferries 304 in Jerusalem 308–9 Jordan 212, 305 Mass Transit System (Jerusalem) 308–9 Palestinian Territories 305 Red Sea and Sinai 242, 305 taxis 309 trains 304, 305 Travel insurance 297 Traveller’s cheques 276, 298 Treasury (Petra) 15, 210, 225, 227, 228 Triclinium (Petra) 235 Tsipori 13, 185 Tumarkin, Yigal 174 Tunshuq, Lady 69 Turkan Khatun tomb 70 Turkish baths 289 Turrell, James 140 Twain, Mark 37
U Ultra-Orthodox Jews 27, 129 Umm Qais 211, 214 restaurants 275 Underground Prisoners’ Museum 1917–48 (Jerusalem) 128 Underwater Archaeological Park (Caesarea) 180 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Megiddo 184 St Catherine’s Monastery 253 Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture 175 Wadi Rum 236–8 United Nations 23, 57, 58 Upper Galilee restaurants 273 Urban II, Pope 52 Ustinov, Baron 131 Uthmaniyya Madrasa (Jerusalem) 75
V Vaccinations 297 Valley of Jehoshaphat (Jerusalem) 119 Van Gogh, Vincent 174
GENERAL INDEX
VAT (value added tax) in hotels 256 in shops 276 Vaux, Roland de 141 Vegetarian food 265 Veronica, St 34, 35 Verrochio David 108 Vespasian, Emperor 48, 49 Via Dolorosa (Jerusalem) 12, 34–5, 68–9 Street-by-Street map 66 Virgin Mary Annunciation 32, 185 Bethlehem 197 birthplace 185 Church of the Dormition (Jerusalem) 120 Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Jerusalem) 98 Church of the Visitation (Ein Kerem) 143 conception 194 Mount Zion 120 Nazareth 185 St Mark’s Church (Jerusalem) 105 Tomb of the Virgin (Jerusalem) 12, 114, 118–19 Via Dolorosa 35 Visas 292–3 Vogt, Emile 126
W Wadi Arava 292 Wadi el-Deir 252 Wadi Khudra 246 Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve 201 Wadi Qelt 194 Wadi Rum 15, 21, 211, 212, 236–8, 290–91 Desert Patrol 296 map 236–7 Wailing Wall (Jerusalem) see Western Wall Walking in Jerusalem 145–51, 309 A 90-minute walk around East Jerusalem 150–51 A 90-minute walk around the Old City walls 146–7 A 90-minute walk around West Jerusalem 148–9
Walking in Jerusalem (cont.) A walk on the roofs 105 see also Hiking Warren, Lieutenant Charles 36–7, 91, 119 Warren’s Shaft (Jerusalem) 119 Water, drinking 268, 297 Water sports 286–7 Waterfalls Ein Ovdat 206 Shulamit falls (Ein Gedi) 200 Weather 40–43, 292 West Bank Arab-Israeli wars 58 intifada 59 Western Jordan see Jordan Western Wall (Jerusalem) 12, 26–7, 48, 63, 80, 89 Western Wall Tunnel (Jerusalem) 12, 89 White Night (Tel Aviv) 41 Wi-Fi 300 Wild Jordan Centre (Amman) 218 Wildlife Abu Galum Nature Reserve 246 Aquarium (Aqaba) 239 Biblical Zoo (Jerusalem) 142, 154, 155 birdwatching 39, 288, 289 Coral reefs of the Red Sea 244–5 Coral World Underwater Observatory (Eilat) 209 Dolphin Reef (Eilat) 209 Eilat 209 Ein Gedi Nature Reserve 200 International Birding & Research Centre (Eilat) 209 Khai Bar Yotvata Wildlife Reserve 208 landscape and wildlife of the Holy Land 38–9 Naama Bay 247 Nabq National Park 247 Ras Muhammad National Park 247 Wadi Mujib Nature Reserve 201 Wilhelm II, Kaiser Church of the Dormition (Jerusalem) 120 Jaffa Gate (Jerusalem) 104 Lutheran Church of the Redeemer (Jerusalem) 102 Windsurfing 286 Wine 269
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Winter in Jerusalem 42–3 Wishing Bridge (Jaffa) Street-by-Street map 179 Wohl Archaeological Museum (Jerusalem) 85 Street-by-Street map 83 Women travellers 294–5, 296 World War I 56 World War II 56, 57 World Zionist Organization 55 Writers 37
Y Yad Vashem 12, 132, 142 Yardenit Baptism Site 186 Yarkon River 173 Yarmuk River, Battle of (AD 638) 50, 51 Yehudiya Reserve 185 Yemenite Quarter (Tel Aviv) 176 Yemin Moshe (Jerusalem) 12, 62, 122 Street-by-Street map 124–5 YMCA (Jerusalem) 12, 126 Street-by-Street map 124 Yom Kippur 42 Yom Kippur War (1973) 58, 59 Youth hostels 258, 259
Z Zacchaeus 194 Zalatimo’s (Jerusalem) Street-by-Street map 95 Zealots 204 Zechariah tomb 117 Zedekiah, King of Judaea 130 Zedekiah’s Cave (Jerusalem) 130 Zimmers 257, 259 Zion, Mount (Jerusalem) 12, 113, 120 Zion Gate (Jerusalem) 110, 147 Zionism 37 Herzl Museum 142 Jewish National Fund 55 Kibbutz Kinneret 186 King David Hotel (Jerusalem) 126 Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture 175 Zoos Biblical Zoo (Jerusalem) 142, 154, 155
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Acknowledgments Dorling Kindersley would like to thank the following people whose invaluable contributions and assistance have made the preparation of this book possible.
Senior Managing Editor
Loren Minsky, Sonal Modha, Helen Partington, Susie Peachey, Adrian Potts, Pollyanna Poulter, Lee Redmond, Alice Reese, Marisa Renzullo, Rockit Design, Ellen Root, Sands Publishing Solutions, Ankita Sharma, Azeem Siddiqui, Vinita Venugopal, Ya’arah Zikorel.
Louise Bostock Lang.
Editor Managing Art Editor
Jude Ledger.
Jane Ewart.
Factcheckers Editorial Director
Tzipporah Johnston, Noam Knoller.
Vivian Crump.
Proof Reader Publishing Manager
Stewart J Wild.
Scarlett O’Hara.
Indexer Revisions Coordinator/Editor
Hilary Bird.
Anna Freiberger, Rose Hudson.
Special Assistance Art Director Gillian Allan.
Publisher Douglas Amrine.
Main Consultants Felicity Cobbing, Andrew Humphreys, Jonathan Tubb.
Translator
Sheila Brull, Egyptian Tourist Authority, Giovanni Francesio and Mattia Goffetti at Fabio Ratti Editoria, Efrat Goller at Keter Publishing, Tony Howard and Di Taylor at N.O.M.A.D.S. (New Opportunities for Mountaineering and Desert Sports), Israel Ministry of Tourism, Jordan Tourism Board, Amalyah Keshet and Tal Sher at the Israel Museum, Deborah Lipson at the Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem, Hila Reuveni, Shelly Shemer at the Israel Wine and Gourmet Magazine. Special thanks to Massimo Acanfora Torrefranca.
Richard Pierce.
Additional Picture Research Maps
Julia Harris-Voss.
Rob Clynes, James Macdonald (Colourmap Scanning Ltd).
Photographic and Artwork Reference Production
Dale Harris, Ben Johnson, Albatros, Jerusalem.
Imogen Boase, Marie Ingledew.
Photography Permissions Additional Contributors and Consultants Vanessa Betts, Jonathan Elphick, Professor Jonathan Magonet, Peter Parr, Amir Reuveni, Matthew Teller, Wolfgang Tins.
The publisher would like to thank all the churches, museums, hotels, restaurants, shops, galleries and sights too numerous to thank individually, for their co-operation and contribution to this publication.
Visualizer
Picture Credits
Joy FitzSimmons.
a-above; b-below/bottom; c-centre; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top.
Additional Illustrations Richard Bonson.
Additional Photography Idris Ahmed, Vanessa Betts, Andy Crawford, Alistair Duncan, Mike Dunning, Steve Gorton, Noam Knoller, Ian O’Leary, Rough Guides/Eddie Gerald, Rough Guides/Paul Whitfield.
Revisions and Relaunch Team Gillian Andrews, Sam Borland, Neha Chander, Samantha Cook, Emer FitzGerald, Camilla Gersh, Jasneet Kaur, Sumita Khatwani, Priya Kukadia, Priyanka Kumar, Esther Labi, Maite Lantaron, Carly Madden, Nicola Malone, Alison McGill,
Works of art have been reproduced with the permission of the following copyright holders: Reclining Figure (1969–70) Henry Moore, Gift of Maurice and Bella Wingrave, London. Through the British Friends of the Art Museums in Israel 174bc. The publisher would like to thank the following individuals, companies and picture libraries for permission to reproduce their photographs: Alamy images: Jon Arnold Images Ltd 10bc; The Art Archive 31cr; Art Directors & TRIP 58c; www.BibleLandPictures.c 13cr;
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Tibor Bognar 218cla; Charles Bowman 208tr; Bruce Corbett 83cra; Luis Dafos 15br; Design Pics Inc 83crb; Paul Doyle 218br; Eddie Gerald 292cla; Nick Hanna 247tl; 287b; Hemis/ Paule Seux 300cla; Israel images/Hanan Isachar 142tr; LOOK Die Bildagentur der Fotografen GmbH/Elan Fleisher 176tl; PhotoStock-Israel/Nir Ben-Yosef 302br; Shein Audio Visual 282cla; Jochen Tack 216bl; Steve Whyte 303tc; Danny Yanai 267c; American Colony Hotel: 264cla; Ancient Art & Architecture Collection: 32crb, 33cra, 34cra, 45br, 48cla, 51ca; R Sheridan 28tr, 45bl, 50bl, 54cb, 111cla, 111cl; AKG, London: 46crb, 50tl, 54tl, 58bl, 237br; Erich Lessing 24cl, 25cr, 33br, 34br, 49crb, 49br, 50cb, 96cla, 193c, 220ca, 220bc; Jean Louis Mou 63tl; Fabrizio Ardito 24bl, 30tr, 39cra, 107bl, 183tl, 221bc, 226tr, 228tr, 237tl, 237cb, 239tr, 239c, 310br, 311c, 318cl, 318cb, 319ca, 319tc; ASAP, Jerusalem: Eyal Bartov 38cl, 38cl; Bridgeman Art Library 31cr, 55bl, C.Z.A. 56ca; Hanan Isachar Itsik Marom 39cl, 39cb; Garo Nalbandian, Richard Nowitz Vivian Silver 57t; Auberge Shulamit: 259clb; Austrian Hospice: 256cla, 260bc, 270br. Bank Hapoalim: 298cr; Blue Fig: 274tl; Bridgeman Art Library: Christ Carrying the Cross Eustache Le Sueur (1651) 35bl; 36bl; Jerusalem from the Mount of the Olives Edward Lear (1859) 37tl, The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple William Holman Hunt (1854–60) 37br; 44, 252br; Bibliothèque Municipale de Lyon 52clb; British Library 24cr, 25tc; Galleria Borghese St Jerome Writing Caravaggio (1604) 199b; Giraudon 30cl; Musée Condé, Chantilly 32bl; British Library: 26tr. Colony Hotel, Haifa: 261tr, 264cla; Corbis: ALI JAREKJI 41bl; Robert Bartow/Design Pics 144; Gianni Dagli Orti 28cl; Demotix/Alon Ershov 41cr; Design Pics/Peter Langer 250br; EPA/Jamal Nasrallah 284tl; EPA/POOL/AMMAR AWAD 43cr; Historical Picture Archive 55bc; Blaine Harrington III 132; Aaron Horowitz 266cla; Hulton-Deutsch Collection 56c, 57c, 58bc; Hanan Isachar 288br; Reuters/ Ali Jarekji 217tc; Bruno Morandi 100-1; Richard T. Nowitz 55br; Science Faction/Eyal Bartov 39bl; George Steinmetz 202-3; Peter Turnley 59bc; Stuart Westmorland 248-9. Diaghilev Live Art Boutique Hotel: 262tr; Jo Doran: 94cl; Dreamstime.com: Alexirina27000 75c; Antonella865 111cr; Aronbrand 124cl; Kushnirov Avraham 26-27c; Rafael Ben-ari 71tr, 141cra, 208bl; Vladimir Blinov 20, 112; Buurserstraat386 66cl; Kobby Dagan 27cr, 129br; Dunca Daniel 13tl; Danuer 23br; Davemontreuil 39clb; Designsstock 211b; Boris Diakovsky 38cb; Dnaveh 267tl; Dream69 243br; Joan Egert 39cl; Eldadcarin 190; Gkuna 39cb; Rostislav Glinsky 103tl; Gorshkov13 38clb, 125cra; Guter 185bl; Hugoht 80; Konstantin32 201cl; Kosmos111 240; , Iuliia Kryzhevska 181cl; Rafal Kubiak 142c; Liorpt 63cr; Lucidwaters 14tl; Markussevcik 11cr; Serge Novitsky 10cla; Sean Pavone 12bl; Zaid Saadallah 14br, 38cr; Scaliger 28bl; Jozef Sedmak 28br; Slavapolo 35cb; Slidezero 168; Snake81 169b; Jacek Sopotnicki 62bl; Iryna Sosnytska 60-1, 164-5; Leonid Spektor 287tr; Alexey Stiop 126tc; Viculia 22t; Vvoevale 15tl; Waj111 210; Daniel Weishut 281cr; Witr 223-4; Valeriya Zankovych 282bc. Egged – Israel Transport Cooperative Society Ltd.: 308cr; El Al Israel Airlines: 312tc; E.T.archive: 52-3c; 53tr, 53br;
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Mary Evans Picture Library: 36c, 37c, 52bl, 52br, 91tc. ffotograff: Patricia Aithie 54br, 119bc, 281cra, 282br; Charles Aithie 35clb, 63cra; Gino Frongia 28–29c, 38cla, 72c, 74tr, 107cla, 191b, 194bl, 258t, 296cla. Cristina Gambaro: 5ca, 66cla, 66clb, 69tc, 71c, 97bl, 103bl, 183c, 186br, 206tc, 296tr; Eddie Gerald: 34cla, 66bc, 82cla, 82cb, 115crb, 124crb, 128tr, 129bl, 178tr, 178bl, 187tl, 187crb, 199ca, 232bc, 242clb, 246c, 250cb, 251cra, 283tr, 283cr, 283bl, 284br, 297tc, 297c, 306cla, 306bc. Getty Images: AFP/Andre Brutmann 59crb; AFP/Jack Guez 297bc; Gulbenkian Library: 111bl. Sonia Halliday: Laura Lushington 141bl; Robert Harding Picture Library: Adrian Neville 29cr; ASAP/Nalbandian 62tr; Gascoigne 32cl; Hemispheres Images: Holmes Photography: 253crb, Jean Holmes 53crb, Reed Holmes 236b, Tony Howard:236cla. Intercontinental Hotel, Aquaba: 265tl; Hanan Isachar: 4br, 5tr, 29tl, 29cra, 29crb, 35tr, 39crb, 40cra, 40bl, 41cra, 41br, 42cra, 42cb, 43cl, 43bl, 95tc, 96bl, 97tr, 97cra, 98cla, 104bc, 114br, 166cla, 170clb, 171br, 179cra, 179bc, 179bc, 180tl, 180bl, 186cla, 193tr, 198cla, 198cb, 201clb, 204tr, 209bl, 220bl, 225crb, 230ca, 253tl, 276br, 278br, 304b; www.israelimages.com: 302cla; Israel Ministry of Tourism: 294tc; Israel Museum, Jerusalem: 48clb, Destruction and Sack of the Temple of Jerusalem Nicolas Poussin (1625–6) 49tr; 49cr, 53cra, 57b, The Tzedek ve-Shalom Synagogue Paramaribo, Suriname 1736, Elie Posner 136cla; The Nuremburg Mahzor (Prayer book, according to Eastern Ashkenazi rite) Southern Germany 1331. Scribes: Mattanyah; Jacob; Handwritten on parchment; brown and red ink, tempera, gold and silver leaf; square and semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. H: 50; W: 37cm, Ardon Bar-Hama 136clb; Boy from South Tel Aviv Ohad Meromi (2001) 136cra, Gold-Glass base, Rome, 4th century CE, Brown glass and gold leaf, Diam: 11.7; Th: 0.7cm. Acquired in 1966 through the generosity of Jakob Michael, New York, in memory of his wife, Erna Sondheimer Michael; restituted in 2008 to the heirs to the Dzialynska Collection, Goluchow Castle, Poland, owners prior to World War II; acquired in 2008 by Dr. David and Jemima Jeselsohn, Zurich, and now on extended loan to the Israel Museum 137tc; St. Peter in Prison (The Apostle Peter Kneeling) 1631, Rembrandt van Rijn, Oil on panel, 59 x 47.8cm, Gift of Judy and Michael Steinhardt, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum, Avshalom Avital 137cra; Mask from Horvat Duma, El Hadeb, southern Judean Hills, Pre-Pottery, Neolithic B Period, 9,000 years ago, finely crystalline limestone, 22.3 x 15cm, Weight: 1.1kg, Gift of Laurence and Wilma Tisch, new York, purchasers of the Dayan Collection, Elie Posner 137crb; The Cliff of Aval, Etretat, Claude Monet, French, 1840-1926, 1885, Oil on canvas, 65.5 x 91.7cm. Bequest of Marie Dabek, Paris, to the State of Israel, in memory of Jack and Mimi Dabek On permanent loan to The Israel Museum, Jerusalem from the Administrator General of the State of Israel 137bl; Jeanne Hebuterne seated Modigliani (1918) 138tr, 138b, 139tr, 139c, 139br, 140cl, 141cl, 141c, 141cr, 205c; 140br; David Harris 138c, 141br; Ann Levin 140tr.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Paul Jackson: 178br, 179tc, 229cr, 231br; www. Jerusalemshots.com: 98crb; Jordan Tourist Board: 201crb, 238bl, 238cla, 238tr, 288tl. King David Hotel: 126c, 257br; Kempinski Hotel Ishtar: 263bl, 275bc. Magnum Photos: 58tl; Mamilla Hotel, Jerusalem: Rooftop at Mamilla 271tr; Mona, Jerusalem: 271br. NHPA: Henry Ausloos 39br; Richard Nowitz: 5clb, 96br, 97c, 98bc, 99c, 166bl, 167tr, 167crb, 182cla, 182br, 192cla, 193b, 197tl, 204br, 205bl, 207br, 221tl, 227bl, 229bl, 234bc, 243tr, 246tl, 251tl, 251bl, 253bc, 279tr, 281ca, 293tr, 301bl. Orange France Telecom: 300crb; Cristine Osborne Pictures: 167bl, 233cra, 252cla. Pa Photos: Ariel Schalit 284c; Pina BaRosh: 272br; Planet Popperfoto: 56bl, 56br, 57c, 58br. Zev Radovan: 4–5t, 24tr, 25clb, 26cl, 26bc, 27tl, 27tr, 32tr, 33clb, 46bl, 46br, 47cb, 47br, 55tl, 71bl, 75b, 107cra; Fabio Ratti: 76cl, 121br, 216tr, 217br; Reuters: Ronen Zvulun 59tl; Rex Features: 23cl; .Rex Shutterstock: Universal History Archive/UIG 57tr. Peter Sanders Photography: 30bl, 30br, 31tl, 74cla; Eitan Simanor: 43cra, 48br, 186tr, 258b; Jon Spaull: 167cr, 212tr, 212bl, 213tr, 213br; STA Travel Group: 294br; Superstock: age fotostock 254-5; Fine Art Images 251br; Robert Harding Picture Library 290-1; Hanan Isachar 2-3. Temple Institute Museum: 87tl; Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem: Amit Geron 107tl. Visions of the Land: American Colony Hotel 55crb; Tony Malmqvist 241b, 244tr, 244cl, 244cb, 244bl, 244bc, 244br, 245tl, 245tr, 245cra, 245cb, 245bl, 245br, 247c, 247br, 286tr; Beni Mor 33tl, 67tl, 68bc, 94tr, 95b, 118tr, 120tl, 120br, 181br, 184t, 184bc, 185tr, 188t, 188b, 194t, 195bl, 196t, 226cl, 237ca; Garo Nalbandian 30–31c, 39cla, 63br, 67cb,
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PHRASE BOOK
Hebrew Phrase Book Hebrew has an alphabet of 22 letters. As in Arabic, the vowels do not appear in the written language and there are several systems of transliteration. In this phrasebook we have given a simple phonetic transcription only. Bold type indicates the syllable on which the stress falls. An apostrophe between two letters means that there is a break in the pronunciation. The letters “kh” represent the sound “ch” as in Scottish “loch”, and “g” is hard as in “gate”. Where necessary, the masculine form is given first, followed by the feminine. In Emergency
Help! Stop! Call a doctor! Call an ambulance! Call the police! Call the fire brigade! Where is the nearest telephone? Where is the nearest hospital?
Hatzilu! Atzor! Azminu rofe! Azminu ambulans! Tzaltzelu lamishtara! Tzaltzelu lemekhabei esh! Efo hatelefon hatziburi hakhi karov? Efo bet hakholim hakhi karov?
Communication Essentials Yes No Please Thank you Many thanks Excuse me Hello Good day Good evening Good night Greetings (on the Sabbath) Have a good week (after the Sabbath) morning afternoon evening night today tomorrow here there what? which? when? who? where?
Useful Phrases
How are you? Very well, thank you Pleased to meet you Goodbye (I’m) fine! Where is/Where are…? How many kilometres is it to…? What is the way to…? Do you speak English? I don’t understand Could you speak more slowly, please?
Useful Words large small hot cold bad enough well
Ken Lo Bevakasha Toda Toda raba Slikha Shalom Boker tov Erev tov Laila tov Shabat Shalom Shavu’a tov boker akhar hatzohoryim erev laila hayom makhar po sham ma? eizeh? matai? mi? efo? Ma shlomkha/shlomekh? Beseder, toda Na’immeod Lehitraot Beseder gamur Efo…? Kama kilometrim mipo le…? Ekh megi’im le…? Ata/at medaber/medaberet anglit? Ani lo mevin/mevina Tukhal/tukhli ledaber yoter le’at, bevakasha? gadol katan kham kar lo tov maspik beseder
open closed left right straight near far up down soon late entrance exit toilet free, unoccupied free, no charge
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patuakh sagur smol yamin yashar karov rakhok lemala lemata mukdam meukhar knisa yetzia sherutim panui khinam
Making a Telephone Call
I’d like to make a long-distance call I’d like to make a reversed-charge call I’ll call back later Can I leave a message? Hold on Could you speak up a little, please? local call international call
Shopping
How much does it cost? I would like… Do you have…? I’m just looking Do you take credit cards? Do you take travellers’ cheques? What time do you open? What time do you close? this one that one expensive inexpensive/cheap size shoe size white black red yellow green blue
Types of Shop
antiques shop bakery bank barber’s bookshop/newsagent butcher’s cake shop chemist’s clothes shop greengrocer’s grocer’s hairdresser’s jeweller’s market post office shoe shop supermarket travel agency
Sightseeing
bus station bus stop church closed library mosque park synagogue taxi tourist information office town hall train station
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Haiti rotze/rotza lehitkasher lekhutz lair/laaretz Haiti rotze/rotza lehitkasher govaina Etkasher meukhar yoter Efshar lehashir hoda’a? Hamtin/hamtini (Tamtin/tamtini) Tukhal/tukhli ledaber bekol ram yoter? sikha ironit sikha benleumit Kama zeh oleh? Haiti rotzeh/rotza… Yesh lakhem…? Ani rak mistakel/mistakelet Atem mekablim kartisei ashrai? Atem mekablim travellers’ cheques? Matai potkhim? Matai sogrim? zeh hahu yakar lo yakar/zol mida mida (midat na’alyim) lavan shakhor adom tzahov yarok kakhol khanut atikot ma’afia bank maspera khanut sfarim/ve’itonim itliz ma’adania bet merkakhat khanut b’gadim yarkan makolet maspera khanut takhshitim shuk snif hadoar khanut na’alyim supermarket sokhnut nesiyot takhana merkazit takhanat otobus knesia sagur sifria misgad park bet haknesset monit merkaz hameida letayar bet ha’iria takhanat rakevet
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PHRASE BOOK
Staying in a Hotel
I have a reservation Do you have a free room? double room room with two beds room with a bath or a shower single room key lift Can someone help me with my luggage?
Eating Out
Have you got a table free? I would like to book a table The bill please I am vegetarian menu fixed-price menu wine list glass bottle knife spoon fork breakfast lunch dinner starter main course portion rare well done
Food and Drink
almonds apples apricot aubergine/eggplant beans beef beer bread broad beans broccoli butter cabbage cake carrot cauliflower cheese cherries chicken chickpeas chips/fries chocolate coffee cold cuts coriander courgettes/zucchini crabs cucumbers dessert draught beer dry eggs figs fish French beans fried fruit garlic grapes grey mullet grilled grouper hard-boiled eggs herbal tea hot (spicy) ice ice cream kebab lamb, mutton lemon liver meat milk mineral water nuts olive oil
Yesh li hazmana Yesh lakhem kheder panui? kheder zugi kheder im shtei mitot kheder im sherutim ve ambatia o miklakhat kheder yakhid mafteakh ma’alit Mishehu yakhol la’azor li im hamisvadot? Yesh lakhem shulkhan panui? Haiti rotze/rotza lehazmin shulkhan Kheshbon, bevakasha Ani tzimkhoni/ tzimkhonit tafrit tafrit iskit tafrit hayeinot kos bakbuk sakin kaf mazleg arukhat boker arukhat tzohoryim arukhat erev mana rishona mana ikarit mana mevushal me’at mevushal hetev shkedim tapuakhei etz mish mish khatzilim shu’it bakar bira lekhem ful brokoli khem’a kruv ugha gezer kruvit gvina duvdvanim off khumus chips shokolat kafe pastrama kuzbera kishuim sartanim melafefonim kinuakh bira mihakhavit yavesh betza te’enim dag shu’it yerokha metugan peirot shum anavim buri al haesh lokus betza kasha tei tzmakhim kharif kerakh glida shipud keves limon kaved basar khalav myim mineralim egozim shemen zyit
omelette onion orange juice (freshly squeezed) oranges peaches pepper (condiment) peppers (capsicums) pickles plums potatoes prawns/shrimps red snapper red wine rice roast salad salmon salt sandwich/filled roll sauce seafood smoked soup spinach spinach beet (Swiss chard) squid steak strawberries stuffed vegetables sugar tea tomatoes trout turkey vegetables vinegar water white wine
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Time
one minute one hour half an hour Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday week month year
khavita batzal mitz tapuzim (tiv’i sakhut) tapuzim afarsekim pilpel pilpelim khamutzim shezifim tapukhei adama shrimps denis yain adom orez betanur salat yerakot salmon melakh lakhmania rotev peirot yam me’ushan marak tered alei selek kalamari steik tut sade (tutim) memulaim sukar tei agvaniot forel hodu yerakot khometz myim yain lavan efes akhad shtaim shalosh arba khamesh shesh sheva shmone teisha eser ahadesreh shtemesreh shloshesreh arbaesre khameshesreh sheshesreh shvaesreh shmona’esreh tshaesreh esrim esrim veakhad shloshim arba’im khamishim shishim shiv’im shmonim tish’im mea matyim shlosh meot elef alpyim shlosha elef arba elef asara elef daka sha’a khetzi sha’a yom rishon yom sheni yom shlishi yom revi’i yom khamishi yom shishi shabat shavu’a khodesh shana
