Highlights of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

A day and a half was my itinerary allotment to see Jerusalem’s Old City. That appears to be enough to see all of the major points of interest, although in a city with such wealth of historical context, you will feel like you rushed through some of the sights no matter how much time you give yourselves.

At the danger of losing some of my readers here and now, I’ll start with a tinge of blasphemy: Jerusalem did not impress me the way I had thought it would. It must be in large part due to my secular identity - religious Jews or Christians will surely be awed by being so near the sacred sights, much more so than I can ever be. It is also in no small part due to me being a visual person - inside the city, the fairly monochrome palette leaves a relatively muted impression (with the clear and obvious exception of the Dome of the Rock), even accounting for sights of surpassing historical significance .

Elevated views over the entire Old City from a distance are always among the most stunning perspectives found in Jerusalem, such as this canonical view from the terrace on the Mount of Olives.

We are looking at the city from the east, so the Temple Mount is front and center. The Golden Gate used to be a main access point to this area from the east, but it was walled shut as far back as the end of the 12th century. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).