Mea She'arim

A throwback to older times, Mea She'arim was developed by ultraorthodox Eastern European immigrants who modelled their Jerusalem home like the ones they remembered back in Poland, Germany and Hungary. Despite their transition to the Holy Land, residents have maintained the customs, habits and dress of 18th-century Eastern Europe.

This includes conservative dress, black fedoras for men and floor-scraping dresses for women. Even in the height of the Middle Eastern summer it's still customary to wear thick padded coats and fur hats. You might even have the sense that you've stumbled upon an Eastern European shtetl (ghetto) of the 1880s.

In a few of the most traditional families, women shave their heads and wear wigs covered by a beret. Yiddish is the preferred language on the street as the ultraorthodox believe Hebrew to be a language only fit for religious purposes. Days are often spent in prayer and business is of a secondary pursuit - religious study is frequently financed by fellow ultraorthodox communities abroad.

Families are typically large and this fact has made Mea She'arim one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, as well as contributing to the increasingly religious nature of the city.

As it is a religious neighbourhood, visitors are expected to dress and act in a conservative manner - rules stating as much are posted on banners that hang from buildings. Residents request that visitors not take pictures or speak to children. Do not walk arm in arm or even hand in hand with anyone, and kissing is definitely taboo. Disobeying local customs will lead to verbal or symbolic objections or even stone throwing.

Friday is perhaps the liveliest day to visit as you'll see families heading to and from market in their preparations for Shabbat. Neighbourhood bakeries are open all night on Thursday, baking hallah for Shabbat. On Friday nights the streets are awash with people taking a break from their filling Shabbat dinners. Another interesting time to visit is during the days leading up to Passover, when you can find local residents steam-cleaning their dishes on the footpaths.

Mea She'arim is a few minutes' walk from both Damascus Gate and the Jaffa Rd/King George V St junction.