Other sights in Jerusalem
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
King David’s Tomb
A Crusader structure erected two millennia after his death, King David’s Tomb provides little spectacle. What’s more, the authenticity of the site is highly disputable – the likelihood is that David is buried under the hill of the original Mt Zion, east of the City of David. However, this is one of the most revered of the Jewish holy places, and from 1948 to 1967, when the Western Wall was off limits to Jews in Jordanian-held territory, the tomb was the stand-in main centre of pilgrimage. It still serves as a prayer hall. The sombre room is divided into sides for men and women, both leading to the stone cenotaph draped in velvet. Behind is a small alcove that researcher…
reviewed
-
A
Montefiore Windmill
The small Yemin Moshe neighbourhood can be identified immediately by its Montefiore windmill, actually one of the first structures to be built outside the secure confines of the Old City.
The neighbourhood was part of a scheme developed by English Jewish philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore, who visited the Holy Land seven times in the mid-19th century. Hoping to aid the Jews living in Jerusalem, and seeking to ease overcrowding within the city walls, Montefiore built a block of 24 apartments, a development known as Mishkenot Sha’ananim (Tranquil Dwellings). The windmill was built in 1857 to provide the basis for a flour industry. The scheme failed and the Montefiore windm…
reviewed
-
B
Ades Synagogue
Among the dozens of synagogues, one of the better known is the Ades Synagogue, built by the Syrian Halebi Congregation in 1901. The synagogue was named for Ovadia and Yosef Ades, the Aleppo brothers who financed the project. It quickly became a centre for Syrian hazzanut (Jewish liturgical singing) and saw the training of many a Jerusalem cantor. Inside, you’ll find a classically Middle Eastern–styled interior with a walnut ark that was carried here from Aleppo by donkey cart. Today it maintains the rare tradition of bakashot, a set cycle of Kabbalistic poetry sung in the early hours of Shabbat during the winter months. The synagogue has two morning services and a com…
reviewed
-
Sorek Caves
One of Israel’s most spectacular natural wonders, the Sorek Caves were only found by accident in 1967 when a local quarry crew blasted away some rock to reveal this underground cavern. Also known as Avshalom (Absalom’s) caves, they contain stalactites, stalagmites and rock pillars in every form and shape. Some have been given creative names, including Ayatollah Khomeini, sombrero and Moses. Tours are held throughout the day (except Friday) and a very dated film describes how the caves were formed. Because of the fragile nature of the caves, photography is only allowed one day per week (Friday). The caves are located some 20km west of Jerusalem along the road from Ein Ke…
reviewed
-
Beit Guvrin Caves & Tel Maresha
The Beit Guvrin Caves & Tel Maresha is an archaeological site, natural wonder and feat of human ingenuity all rolled into one. Around this sweltering national park are some 4000 hollows and chambers that create a Swiss-cheese landscape. Some of the caves are natural, the result of water eroding the soft limestone surface. Others, however, are thought to be the result of quarrying by the Phoenicians, builders of Ashkelon’s port between the 7th and 4th centuries BC. During the Byzantine period the caves were used by monks and hermits and some of the walls are still discernibly marked with crosses. St John the Baptist is said to have been one of the pious graffitists.
reviewed
-
Beit Jamal Monastery
On Rte 38, travel south for 6km until you see a sign for Bet Gemel (Beit Jamal), and head 2km up the road to the Beit Jamal Monastery. Selesian monks founded the monastery in 1919 and opened a meteorological station as a side project. The station still functions today. The original church here dates from the 5th century. The interior paint job of the current church is meant to look like a mosaic (look closely and you’ll see it’s not). Grapes are still grown on the property, although these days the wine is made elsewhere. However, you can purchase wine and olive oil in the shop, along with pottery produced by the nuns.
reviewed
-
Mini Israel
Latrun’s newest attraction, Mini Israel, is designed to make you feel like Gulliver in the Land of Lilliput. A theme park of sorts, Mini Israel shrinks 350 of Israel’s famed attractions down to scale-model size. The creators have undertaken the task with painstaking detail, going so far as to make the ‘mini residents’ bob back and forth as they pray at the Western Wall. As you walk around you can hear the different languages of the country being spoken. It can be a useful way to start a trip – to be used as a giant road map of the country you are about to explore. If you have kids put it on the ‘must-see’ list.
reviewed
-
Temple Mount
A walk up to the Temple Mount is a time-honoured privilege sanctified by the thousands of pilgrims who have trod before you. An open plaza of cypress trees and ancient paving stones, the architecture that exists today dates back to the first Muslim conquest, around 1400 years ago, including the unmistakable Dome of the Rock. But the history of the Mount goes back much further, with the first Jewish temple having been built here a thousand years before Christ. There are few patches of ground as holy, or as disputed, as this one, and as such it’s one of the required stops on any visit to the Old City.
reviewed
-
C
Sephardic Synagogues
South of Hurva Sq, on HaTupim St, are four Sephardic synagogues, two of which date back as far as the 16th century. In accordance with a law of the time stating that synagogues could not be taller than neighbouring buildings, this grouping was sunk deep into the ground – a measure that certainly saved the buildings from destruction during the bombardment of the quarter in 1948. Instead, the synagogues were looted by the Jordanians and then used as sheep pens. They have been restored using the remains of Italian synagogues damaged during WWII and are back in use for morning and evening services.
reviewed
-
Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant
One of two interesting churches here. Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant, was built in 1924 and is a local landmark, with its statue of Mary carrying the baby Jesus. It belongs to the French Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition, and they believe that it stands on the site of Abinadab’s house, where the Ark was kept (I Samuel 7:1). The church is built on the same site as a larger Byzantine church, and you can see its mosaic floor inside and out. The church is located at the top of the hill overlooking the village and facing Jerusalem.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Mony Wines
About 4km up the road from Kibbutz Tzora is Mony Wines, founded by the Artul family, Arab-Christians who have leased the land from the neighbouring Deir Raffat Catholic Monastery. The wine cellars here were carved out 125 years ago by the church clergy. A small shop sells Mony’s kosher Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay wines, plus olive oil and cheese. The adjacent church can be visited on Saturdays from 10am to 3pm; check out the ceiling inside, on which the word ‘peace’ has been written in 340 languages.
reviewed
-
Latrun Armored Corps Museum
Given the fact that Israel has been in almost constant armed conflict since its birth, it’s not surprising to learn that the Latrun Armored Corps Museum is one of the largest of its kind in the world. The main building was originally built by the British as a fortress to safeguard the road to Jerusalem. It now holds a museum of history from ancient times to modern, and a theatre screening an introductory video. Surrounding the museum are 160 types of armoured vehicles, including the mighty Merkava tank.
reviewed
-
D
Ecce Homo Convent of the Sisters of Zion
This convent is named for the Ecce Homo arch that crosses the Via Dolorosa outside. The arch (part of which has been enveloped by the wall of the convent) was at one time thought to be the gate of Herod’s Antonia Fortress and therefore believed to be the spot that Pontius Pilate took Jesus out and proclaimed ‘Ecce Homo’ (Behold, the man!). Researchers now dispute this as the arch is now considered to be a 2nd-century triumphal arch built by the Roman emperor Hadrian.
reviewed
-
Crusader Church and Monastery
The Crusader Church and Monastery is one of the country’s best-preserved and most attractive Crusader remains. It was built about 1142 and destroyed in 1187. It is believed that the monastery stands on the remains of a Roman castle. A stone from it is displayed in the church and bears an inscription of the 10th Legion, a renowned Roman unit stationed in Jerusalem in the 1st century. The complex is next door to the mosque, so look for the minaret in the valley.
reviewed
-
Kibbutz Tzora
A few kilometres from the interchange a sign directs you to Kibbutz Tzora, which has a winery producing a white wine and a dry red. The shop sells the wine, plus locally made jams, bread, honey and olive oil. Friday tours (90NIS), which include wine tasting and lunch, are by appointment only. If you’d like to spend the night, the kibbutz has some basic self-contained units.
reviewed
-
E
Alone on the Walls Museum
Close to the large menorah (seven-branched candelabrum) near the southern end of the Cardo, the Alone on the Walls Museum documents the May 1948 campaign for control over the city. The small but interesting exhibit includes a 15-minute documentary and a photo gallery. You can buy a combined ticket for this museum and the Burnt House for adult/child/student 32/15/22NIS.
reviewed
-
Synagogue
The Hadassah Medical Centre is well known internationally for its synagogue featuring stained-glass windows by Jewish artist Marc Chagall. His 12 colourful abstract panels each depict one of the tribes of Israel, based on Genesis 49 and Deuteronomy 33.
reviewed
-
F
Barbur
The nascent alternative community in Nahla’ot can be seen at Barbur, a small contemporary art gallery and community centre. Movie screenings, lectures, book readings and workshops often take place here, so check their website for a listing of events.
reviewed
-
G
Chapel of the Flagellation
The Chapel of the Flagellation is where Jesus is said to have been flogged. Built in 1929, the design on the domed ceiling incorporates the crown of thorns and the windows of the chapel around the altar show the mob who witnessed the event.
reviewed
-
Zedekiah’s Cave
A good bit of the stone that makes Jerusalem so famous was excavated from what is today known as Zedekiah’s Cave, a rock quarry and holy site located a short walk east of Damascus Gate, along the Old City wall.
reviewed
Advertisement
