Day Four - Jerusalem, the Holy City

       This morning we drove straight from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  This post will consist mostly of pictures, so I will keep my remarks short.  Essentially we entered the city and went straight to Old Jerusalem, the part within the walls.  Iftah stopped outside, explained the significance of why the entrance looks the way it does today.  Apparently the Ottoman Empire, in its late bankruptcy, wanted to invite Kaiser Wilhelm to come visit.  In order to make room for his carriage, they actually tore down a large chunk of the wall.  To pay respects to this, when the British took over Israel after WWI, the generals all dismounted their horses and walked into the city by foot.  Very cool.  

I have included this poor quality photo to document the detachment  of the heel of my boot.  Literally before we even
got off the bus, the sole to one of the heels of my shoes came off, and I was heel-less on one side all day.

The gates to the old city.

This is the tower of David.  Pontius Pilate (the Roman governor at the time
of Jesus) lived here.  This building exhibits bricks from many different periods
of the Od City, including actual bricks laid at the time of David/Solomon.

Some small shops with gifts inside the Old City.

 The first place we visited inside was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  This church is supposedly built on top of Golgotha, the site where Jesus was crucified.  The last four stations of the “Via Dolorosa,” or steps of Jesus’ “Passion,” either happened here are or are commemorated here.  The burial site of Jesus is also supposed to be within this church.  It has been a destination for pilgrims since the 4^th century.  It is full of colorful, decadent memorials to different aspects of Jesus’s life and death.

Iftah giving us the low down, per usual.

It's believed that Jesus went through the last hours of his life on a hill on which this church is built.

These archways exhibit a type of "pillow" looking architecture that is typical of the crusades era.

A station maintained by the Catholic Church.  Beautiful old mosaics.

You can kneel down and touch the bedrock that is believed to be where Jesus' cross was driven into the ground.

They have an opportunity to light candles in memory of loved ones, etc.

This station is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Church, and looks very different.  Many oil lanterns.

Inside the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.  He gave his burial grounds to Jesus at the time
of his death and later acquired this plot for his own burial.  His tomb
also shows signs of a fire that ravaged the church at a point in its history.

Artwork on the ceiling. 

Greek Orthodox claim the center of the world is here in the church of the Holy Sepulcher, marked by this pot.
Iftah claims that he thinks the janitors have moved the pot a couple of times.

A stray cat jumps on Natalie's (Ohio State) lap at lunch.  Always making friends.

Iftah demonstrates the layers of sediment
and stone belonging to respective eras
using hats stacked on Steven's (Adelphi) head.

 After spending much time in the church, we moved on to find some lunch.  Then we went to the Jewish Quarter and looked at much of the Old City, including the Western Wall.  The last piece of Old Jerusalem we saw was the City of David, which is actually outside of the current walls.  Archaeologists have had very successful digs in this area that reveal much about life during the time of King David and King Hezekiah.  One such dig revealed the tunnels each king constructed to bring water into the city in a protected way.  The tunnels were amazing, and the construction is almost miraculous for the time period.

Maddie (Gonzaga) just taking it all in.  Also photographed: Mo (UF), Alex (Flagler),
Alex (Airforce Academy), and Raj (Queen's College).

Different layers of stone showing old roads and walls from the time of David.

Raj (Queen's College), Alex (Flagler), and Nathan (Ohio State)

Pretty cool shot that my friend Natalie (Ohio State) caught of me stepping back to snap a shot!

Abbie (UNF) greets us at the Jewish Quarter.

Frozen loves Jerusalem.  Too many "Let it Go" jokes having to do with Palestinian conflict....

Panoramic of the West Wall.

Looking up at the West Wall.

Abida (Alabama Birmingham) looking out over the city.

Ryan (UNF) making friends with the locals.

Obligatory picture en route to the City of David.  You can make out Sneha (Brandeis), Monica (Some school in CA),
and Jared (Airforce Academy).

Looking down at my broken boots, through the floor at the City of David.  This area was discovered by archaeologists
and actually is outside of the current city walls.

The deep caverns running into the mountain helped bring water into Jerusalem on a
secure route that would not allow enemies to contaminate water from outside the city.

 Finally we returned to our hotel for a seminar on propaganda within the Palestinian media, and how it can be used to determine aspects of the culture of the people there.  The presenter, Itamar Marcus works with the Palestinian Media Watch.  He demonstrated how variations in certain amounts of posting reveal an increased chance in terror attacks.  It was an interesting and controversial presentation.

In line for coffee.  Typical.  Abbie and Natalie.

We ate an amazing meal and then went out to a small mall-like area to do some shopping.  Afterwards, we returned to our hotel, soaked up wifi like sponges, and then passed out after a long, difficult day!

Sweet Jerusalem.