Living History: Jerusalem

Mu did an excellent job summarizing our initial days traveling here in Israel and Jordan, great stuff. Right now, she is sleeping while i am watching the day unfold from the roof our hotel here in Wadi Musa, the entry point for Petra. Kids are playing soccer 5 floors below during gym at the school across the street and i was awoken before dawn with the first prayer call of the day, but went straight back to bed, we were a bit tired from our first explorations of Petra.

My plan for this morning had been to get a post up detailing our day exploring Jerusalem, as it is an absorbing city with so many powerful religious and historical sites. But, I have been a bit sidetracked catching up with the attacks in Benghazi and Cairo on the consualte and embassy, respectivly. We learned of the attacks via our taxi driver at the border town in Israel, Eliat. He asked what we knew of the attacks and since we had been off the grid at this great eco lodge in the Negev our response was a confused nothing. We got more info in drips and drabs as we made our way across the border and up to Wadi Musa, with people either asked us the incidents or expressed their concern/empathy.

When i was finally able to get online to read up and see the pictures, i was naturally horrified. It is sobering to think how 'close' Cairo is from Eliat, directly across the Sinai peninsula. We were within 10 kms of a border crossing into Egypt yesterday, actually. Then there were the additional protests around the Islamic world, including Gaza, but thankfully they seem quite unlikely to make their way to Jordan. Thinking about the attacks while lying in bed on the roof of our hotel, looking across Wadi Musa with a few minarets and Arabic on the streets must have messed with my head a bit because i had some unsettling dreams of violence, while in reality we could not be safer.

Jerusalem

Switching gears, and back to my orginal purpose, I wanted to share our thoughts of the Holy City of Jersualem, seen here from a 50m tower in the heart of the old city.

The Old City has a medina feel, with small narrow pedestrian streets and is really built on a hill, which came as a surprise. The ramparts surround the city and rise up 10 meters or more throughout. Each of the 4 quarters (Armenian, Jewish, Muslim and Christian) has its own feel. In some areas, market stalls dominate the street, selling a ton of kitsch along the regular assortment of food and clothes you see at markets throughout Israel.

The dominant emotion i felt throughout the city was reverence. This was especially pronounced in the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock, where the prophet Mohammed ascending to heaven, and in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, on the site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and resurrected. Regarding the former, i am actually confused as to why this is not the site where Muslim's bow in prayer 5 times a day, as it seems to me this would be the most holy place in the faith. If anyone knows, please fill me in via the comments below.

Temple Mount - Dome of the Rock

Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre

Another amazing experience was walking up to the Western (waling) Wall, closing my eyes while touching its facade and feeling the deep faith and respect that all around brought to this holy place. Also, we hiked up Mount Olive, stopping in a grove of over 2000 year old olive trees that are the site of Jesus' last night before his crucification. These trees are gnarled beyond belief, ancient, yet still producing olives. It was mind blowing to think of these trees as the witness to one of the most historical religious events.

Western Wall

2000+ year old olive trees in Garden of Gethsemane

Jewish cemetery on Mount Olive

While the religious significance of city to so many faiths is paramount, at least in my experience, there is a strong undercurrent of violence that is unshakeable. Don't get me wrong, the city is absorbing and feels quite safe right now, with a robust military presence throughout. However, you can't help but recall the past and all of the blood that has been shed on these now picturesque streets. The city is so important to so many people that it has been highly contested throughout history. It is impossible to consider the past millenniums of human history and not place Jerusalem near the center of that the narrative.

The best example of this would be the Zion Gate. I believe this was the site where the Crusaders breached the walls of the city, and then the gate also ended up as the Israeli army's beachhead into the city during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It is a very pretty gate, looking out across the deep valley, with hundreds of bullet holes pockmarking the facade. The holes are concentrated where the defenders of the gate where perched, including the ancient slits used by archery marksmans' many centuries ago. Walking through the gate took less than a minute, but it carries the weight of battles, violence and hate that have played a crucial role in the history of this city.