Jerusalem

On Thursday, we had our first opportunity to visit the walled part of the City of Jerusalem which is divided into the Armenian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Moslem Quarter. We entered the walled city through the Jaffa Gate. As we made our way through the streets and markets, our talented guide Avi chatted back and forth with his friends in Hebrew and Arabic and with us in English.

At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we stopped to take time at the site where it is believed Jesus was crucified (top photo). Later we visited the Western Wall, one of the holiest sites for Jews. Before descending to the Western Wall (middle photo), we stopped to admire the top of the El Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (bottom photo). It is amazing that one city should have such places which are so important to three separate religions - Christian, Jewish and Moslem.

We were also fortunate to have the opportunity to go through the Western Wall tunnels and to have a perspective of the construction of the Western Wall under Herod. Whatever else one might say of him, he was clearly an extraordinary builder and engineer for his time.