City Orientation Walking Tour of Jerusalem, Jerusalem
City Orientation Walking Tour of Jerusalem
Guide Location: Israel » Jerusalem
Guide Type: Self-guided city tour
# of Attractions: 12
Tour Duration: 4 hour(s)
Transportation Mode: by foot
Travel Distance: 5.2 km
Image Courtesy of Flickr and ChrisYunker
Author: vickyc
Jerusalem is perhaps the most important historical and religious site in the world. This is the land on which Jesus tread. See the stories of the Bible come alive as we walk you through the holiest places of the city in the following self-guided tour.
Tour Stops and Attractions
Church of St. Mary Magdalene
1) Church of St. Mary Magdalene
Church of St. Mary Magdalene was built in the traditional Russian style by Tzar Alexander III in the 19th-century. It is a magnificent church with 7 golden domes that shine bright in the sunshine. It is really worth a visit for its majestic beauty, both inside and outside.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Sir kiss
Garden of Gethsemane
2) Garden of Gethsemane
Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem most famous as the place where Jesus and his disciples prayed the night before Jesus' crucifixion. According to the New Testament it was a place that Jesus and his disciples customarily visited, which allowed Judas to find him on the night of his arrest. According to the Eastern Orthodox Church tradition, Gethsemane is the garden where the Virgin Mary was buried and was assumed into heaven after her dormition on Mount Zion. The Garden of Gethsemane became a focal site for early Christian pilgrims. It was visited in 333 by the anonymous "Pilgrim of Bordeaux", whose Itinerarium Burdigalense is the earliest description left by a Christian traveler in the Holy Land.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Svetlana Makarova
Temple Mount
3) Temple Mount
Temple Mount, also called Holy Temple, is the holiest place in the world. It has tremendous historical and religious significance as the two Jewish Temples were, it is believed, situated here. Also it is thought to be the place where God created Adam. According to the prophecies of the Old Testament, the Third Temple has to be built, probably, at this place. That is why for many people this place marks the presence of God.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and ChrisYunker
Al-Aqsa Mosque
4) Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is an Islamic holy place in the Old City of Jerusalem. The rectangular al-Aqsa Mosque and its precincts are 144,000 square meters with a capacity of 400,000 worshipers, although the mosque itself is about 35,000 square meters and could hold up to 5,000 worshipers. It is 272 feet (83 m) long, 184 feet (56 m) wide. Widely considered as the third holiest site in Islam, Muslims believe that the prophet Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. The al-Aqsa Mosque was originally a small prayer house built by the Rashidun caliph Umar, but was rebuilt and expanded by the Ummayad caliph Abd al-Malik and finished by his son al-Walid in 705 CE.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Barbara Kabel
Western (Wailing) Wall
5) Western (Wailing) Wall
The Western or Wailing Wall is a religious site of great importance. It is believed that when one prays at this wall, the prayer rises directly to Heaven. The Wall is situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a very old construction, dating from 19 BC and built by the ruler, Herod the Great.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Sustructu
Dome of the Rock
6) Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine and major landmark located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was completed in 691-692, making it the oldest existing Islamic building in the world. The site's significance stems from the religious beliefs regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone, at its heart. The Dome is in the shape of a Byzantine martyrium, a structure intended for the housing and veneration of saintly relics, and is an excellent example of middle Byzantine art. The interior of the dome is lavishly decorated with mosaic, faience and marble, much of which was added several centuries after its completion. It also contains Qur'anic inscriptions.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Berthold Werner
Notre Dame de Sion Ecce Homo Convent
7) Notre Dame de Sion Ecce Homo Convent
Notre Dame de Sion Ecce Homo Convent is a historic place. Here Roman soldiers were said to have tortured Jesus before He was crucified. It is an obligatory stop on the tourist trail in Jerusalem where history comes alive.
Via Dolorosa
8) Via Dolorosa
The Via Dolorosa (Latin for Way of Grief or Way of Suffering) is a street, in two parts, within the Old City of Jerusalem, held to be the path that Jesus walked, carrying his cross, on the way to his crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa is the modern remnant of one of the two main east-west routes (Decumanus Maximus) through Aelia Capitolina, as built by Hadrian. The current route has been established since the 18th century, replacing various earlier versions. It is today marked by nine Stations of the Cross; there have been fourteen stations since the late 15th century, with the remaining five stations being inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The route is a place of Christian pilgrimage.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Remi Jouan
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
9) Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a Christian church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. The site is venerated by many Christians as Golgotha, where the New Testament says that Jesus was crucified, and is said to also contain the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre). The church has been an important pilgrimage destination since at least the 4th century, as the purported site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Today it also serves as the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, while control of the building is shared between several Christian churches and secular entities in complicated arrangements essentially unchanged for centuries.
Image Courtesy of Flickr and Chris Yunker
Time Elevator
10) Time Elevator
The Time Elevator is a breathtaking interactive experience that carries you through history. While watching the short film you become the personage of the story and not a passive viewer thanks to modern technology. It is a very good place for families, as it is an educative and entertaining center.
Ben Yehuda Street
11) Ben Yehuda Street
Locals know Ben Yehuda Street as Midrachov street. It is a major shopping and pedestrian plaza in downtown Jerusalem. Sellers propose cheap, arty things such as jewelry, books and other items. It is interesting to watch people passing by while having a cup of coffee at one of the street cafés.
Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and shaula haitner
Artel Jazz Club
12) Artel Jazz Club
Artel Jazz Club is the best jazz club in Israel. It is situated in the center of Jerusalem in the Russian Compound. Israeli jazzmen give jazz concerts every evening. It is a very popular, stylish place where you can have good beer and listen to a live concert, after a long day's tour.
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