Skip to main content

Old City, Jerusalem


The Old City of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Jewish, Christian, Armenian and Muslim.
The Old City was originally built by King David in 1004 B.C.E.  Over the years the Old City has gone through many changes which contributed to it being one of the most fascinating, interesting and important cities in the world.


Towering stone walls, ancient buildings, holy sites, sacred atmosphere, narrow alleyways, colorful markets, different religions coexisting; those are just a few examples of why this is a place like no other.





 
 The Old City looks beautiful in the sunshine, regal and peaceful at night and mysterious and 
beautiful in the rain.  Each season has its advantages but the spring is my favorite.  


The Old City has a total of eleven gates but only seven are open: Jaffa, Zion, Dung, Lion's, Herod's, Damascus and New.  The original gates are angled so one would have to make a sharp 90 degree turn to enter the city.  I have read that this was to prevent enemies on horseback from charging full speed or to make it difficult to use a long battering ram.

 Each quarter has its own flavor, smell and sound.  They are beautiful in their own ways, and have that air of quiet spirituality that is so unique to Jerusalem.  


Labels:

Comments

  1. ALEXApril 1, 2020 at 3:54 PM

    Great blog. Your blog refresh my old memories of my Jerusalem trip. Amazing place, great food and best Jerusalem hotels. Thanks for sharing beautiful story with photographs.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bordier Butter - The Best Butter in France

France is in the midst of a butter shortage!  Due to a decrease in milk production and a substantial demand for French pastries all over the world (mainly China and the Middle East), the price of butter has increased by 60% in one year.  The French are stocking up and thus creating shortages.  French newspapers are publishing articles titled "A guide to cooking without butter".  So, with hopes that the shortages are temporary, here is my ode to the best butter in the world.  I'm not kidding.  The. Best. Butter. In. The. World. Mr. Bordier, a grandson and a son of cheese mongers, became a butter artisan in 1985.  He acquired a creamery originally founded in 1927.  The supreme taste of the Bordier butter was first recognized by a chef from the Plaza Athenee while vacationing in Brittany, a beautiful region in northwestern France. Bordier is the lone butter master to still use the old method of kneading the butter according to the 19th century t...
5 comments
Read more

Azura, Jerusalem

Azura, an eatery in the Machane Yechuda market was opened by Ezra, nicknamed "Azura" in 1952 after he emigrated from Turkish Kurdistan. These days, Azura, run by Ezra's nine children, has a cult-like status, and the crowds to prove it. Azura is not easy to find and your best bet is to enter it from the Iraqi part of the Machane Yechuda market.  It is almost impossible to find it from the street. The restaurant is located on a small square filled with older man playing backgammon and sipping tea, which just adds richness to the already wonderful atmosphere. The food is cooked slowly in these large pots over gas burners. The menu was so packed with delicacies, we had a difficult time choosing just a few dishes. We started our lunch with this wonderfully creamy hummus with warm mushrooms and onion, a combination which has always been my favorite. The tomato, cucumber, and onion salad came garnished with parsley and a healthy dose of ta...
Post a Comment
Read more

OCD Restaurant, Tel Aviv

After our  first very memorable visit to OCD, we were eager to repeat the experience.  I booked our dinner about a month in advance since, deservedly, OCD has become much more popular in the last year or so.  They still do two seatings per night and one Friday brunch per month. There is something very exciting about the surprise aspect of the dining experience at OCD.  There is no menu; while booking the reservation one is asked about any dietary restrictions, and during the evening the diners watch each dish being meticulously prepared by the team in the open kitchen.  We marveled as we watched attention being paid to every minute detail and the choreography utilized by the chefs in assembling each plate.  This is more than a dinner; it is a theatrical production with spectacular and beautifully presented food. Our dinner began with this beautiful poori with cardamom leaves foam and cucumber ceviche. Marinated amberjack with soy and lemon, b...
Post a Comment
Read more