Israel Day 9 – Temple Mount and more

This morning we left early for our place in line to see the Temple Mount, occupied by the Dome of the Rock and Al Asca Mosques. We were second in line to enter at opening. After entering the mount we sat between the two Mosques for an orientation. Then we moved up to the plaza around the Dome of the Rock for a Bible lesson. Chelsea and I wandered to get some pictures of the grounds. The area was most interesting considering the history of the area as a place of worship and prophecies of the future.

We exited through a tunnel toward the Western Wall plaza (the "Kotel"). On the Plaza by the Western Wall there was a group dancing the Hora. Many of the group went down to the wall. I shared with several the Siddur books. As a group the men prayed at the wall. I then went into the covered area under Wilson’s Arch where more groups were praying and where there are shelves of Siddurs.

After prayers at the Western Wall we traveled past Bethlehem to Herodium. This is a mountain which was hollowed out and Herod’s palace built in the bowl. The top was a fantastic look out to communities south of Bethlehem and to the walls of Jerusalem to the north. Recently the tomb of King Herod was discovered on the side of the mountain facing Jerusalem.

After lunch at a Kibbutz, we returned to the City of David which is just south of Temple Mount. We entered an area where we could look down on a recently unearthed Palace of David. This palace is at the top of a steep hill (protection for the Jebusites) which rises above Gihon Spring. We walked down the stairs of the hill, where se could see other houses from a pavilion. They are built stair-step fashion with one home on top of another. If the walls of one home fail, the homes on top collapse. Excavations have told us who lived in several homes and showed what life was like in the City of David.

From the excavations we continued to descend into a water tunnel built by the Canaanites. At the end of this we descended to Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This is a 1,720 foot tunnel which carries water under the mountain to the pool of Siloam. Water begins about knee deep at the beginning of the tunnel and then gets shallower as it descends. There are curves in the tunnel, you can see how it was hand chiseled. And there is a marker where teams tunneling from each side met.

We exited at the Pool of Siloam. We did a mini-drama from John 9, which tells the story of how Jesus healed the blind man. John DeLancey told us how water was drawn from the Pool of Siloam and brought up to the Temple along a stepped walkway during the Feast of Tabernacles. When we departed the Pool of Siloam we walked part of this walkway, and then the recently excavated water drainage tunnel under the walkway. We exited under Robinson’s arch at the South-West corner of Temple Mount.

There is a huge archeological dig around the south end of the Temple. We walked through the digs to steps at the south side of the Temple leading up to the Hulda Gate and the Triple Gate. We walked the stairs to experience how worshippers entered the Temple in the days of Jesus.

On our way home we stopped at Gordon’s Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. This is the place commonly seen in pictures of the Crucifixion and Resurrection. After entering the tomb, which was empty, we went to a small chapel and held a communion service.
After dinner Chelsea, Sarah and I went into Jerusalem to see a Light show at the Tower of David, but it was sold out. We waited to see if there were any no-shows, and saw an antiquities store, and then a souvenir shop recently opened by two brothers. One of the brothers was trying to learn English, and invited us into the back room (under stone arches of the Jaffa Gate) for a cup of coffee. We enjoyed the conversation.

No seats were available so we left the Old City and walked towards Ben Yehuda Street. We walked through Alrov Mamilla Avenue, a newly opened upscale mall which combines the old and new Jerusalem. We took pictures at some of the musical statues. Then walked down to Ben Yehuda Street.

At Ben Yehuda Street we saw a clown dancer and took some video. We ate ice cream, and then walked home through the Orthodox neighborhood. We were further in this time, and the streets were narrow. Most of the people were in traditional clothing, and the girls commented that this is what it must have looked like in Eastern Europe. We enjoyed the evening.