Jerusalem with a Jewish accent.

Jerusalem is multifaceted and multifaceted. I am always amazed at how such a small space could fit huge historical and cultural layers. Every tourist or pilgrim coming to our city will be able to find something close to him in spirit.

My tour is called "Jerusalem with a Jewish Accent," but it's not just for those with that accent. This is an excursion for all curious people: after all, the Jewish Quarter is the lion’s share of all archaeological excavations, during which the oldest cultural layers of Jerusalem were uncovered.

To understand why the Jewish Quarter has become the focus of museums and archaeological parks, we will begin our journey from the Jaffa Gate.

Near the Jaffa Gate there is a bridge over the highway along which the border between what is called East Jerusalem and West Jerusalem once ran. In 1948, the United Nations voted in favor of the establishment of the State of Israel. Almost immediately did not have time to stand on its feet, the state declared war five Arab countries (Egypt, Transjordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq). During the war, Jerusalem was divided into two parts: The western part remained in Israeli hands, and the eastern part, which included the Old City, fell into Jordanian hands. The city remained split into two until the triumphant Six-Day War of 1967, in which Israeli forces liberated the eastern part of the Jordanian presence and reclaimed the Jewish Quarter.

The once large and crowded Jewish quarter looked gray-eyed ruins at the soldiers-liberators. With their sleeves rolled up, people began to rebuild their neighborhood. And here it begins! Wherever you go, there are antiquities everywhere!! Archaeologists were immediately invited. Then came the golden age of Jerusalem archaeology, the fruits of which we can see during the tour.

There is no person who has been to Jerusalem and is not surprised to see a significant chunk of the ancient street, Cardo, open in the middle of the Jewish Quarter. When the Romans built cities, they had their own development plan, and quite the same type: the Roman city assumes the presence of two main streets - Cardo and Decomanus, Roman baths (even in the desert!) and pagan temples. If Ryazanov wanted to remove the “Irony of Fate” in that period, then even then Roman cities with the same type of development plan would surely inspire him with the very idea (by the way, baths and wine were also enough). We will see Cardo, the central street that divided the city from south to north. She, like the main artery, crossed the body of the city, so Cardo derived the word "cardiology". And today there are very pretty shops of Jewish masters and artists.

We will visit four famous Sephardic synagogues, built by immigrants from Spain, who were swept around the world after their expulsion from Spain in 1492.

These beautiful ancient synagogues, located one next to the other, hide a lot of secrets in their bowels. One of the mysteries is associated with the name of Eliyahu ha-Navi, the prophet Elijah. Here we will talk about who Elijah the prophet is and why he is the prefecture or prototype of John the Baptist.

I will show you the Hurva Synagogue, the dome of which is the same size as the Rotunda dome above the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the golden Dome of the Rock. I will tell you why the name of the synagogue "Hurva" - Ruins, for a long time justified its name.

We will look at the Temple Mount, where now on the site of the Jewish Temple stands the oldest Muslim building (not a mosque!) – the memorial to the Dome of the Rock, which in view of its golden shine has become the hallmark of Jerusalem. I will tell you about the amazing history of the Dome of the Rock and how the traditions of one religion migrate to the traditions of other religions.

And of course, we will go to the Wailing Wall to enclose our note with a secret request to the Lord. Even in the last century, before the creation of facsimile and the Internet, there were no-no letters at the Jerusalem Post Office and letters with a note instead of an address to “God!” And then the postmen carried letters to the Western Wall.

There is a saying, “talk to the wall.” This expression has a negative connotation, but we have the opposite: the Western Wall has “ears” and your request will be heard!

Additional bonuses:

1. We can visit the house-museum of the high priest Katros. Archaeologists excavating his home have found further evidence of the Romans’ brutal suppression of the Great Jewish Revolt in 70 AD.
2. We can climb to the observation deck at the synagogue "Esh ha-Torah" (Fire of the Torah), located in close proximity to the Western Wall. From there, we look at the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple once stood, both the first and the second. It was His destruction that Jesus prophetically foresaw and mourned.
3. We can visit the Tomb of King David, above which is located the chamber of the Last Supper.
4. It is also possible to visit the Museum of Herodian Street.

See you, dear friends!

Who is the right tour?

The tour is suitable for people of all age categories

Organizational details

It is necessary to have a headdress, sunglasses, water, comfortable sports shoes, and, of course, a cheerful mood!