Israel Adventure - Day 13

We began today in our neighborhood with coffee and bagels at Bagel Cafe.

After breakfast we took the bus to the Albright Institute in Jerusalem. This institution helps facilitate archaeological research. They have fellowships and housing for graduate (PhD level) students in order to assist in research. We received a tour of the facility which included a library.

Following the Albright Institute we walked to the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum. Inside we found a great collection of pottery, artifacts, architecture, and even skeletal remains of people which have been found in Israel. We spent some time there and took lots of pictures.

Then we were on our own. The Rockefeller Museum is across from the Old City at Herod’s Gate, so we crossed the street. We did not go in Herod’s Gate because I got lost there on my first day in Jerusalem. Instead, we walked around the city towards the Jaffa Gate.

On the way to the Jaffa Gate we passed Zedekiah’s Cave. Tradition says the last king of Judea, Zedekiah, used this cave to escape the Babylonians. Some think Jeremiah hid the Ark of the Covenant here … but a complete search has been made, and it was not found. Jeremiah probably hid the Ark in another cave more directly under Temple Mount. The limestone hills of Judea are filled with many caves.

We enjoyed the cave since the day was very hot and the cave was cool.

After departing the cave we went to the Jaffa Gate and to the Tower of David Museum. The museum is in a medieval fortress, or castle. Underneath the castle there are remains of King Herod’s palace from the time of Jesus. The museum contains the history of Jerusalem laid out in interesting fashion. There are lifelike displays which do not require much reading.

Above the museum there is a tower with a great view of the city. We spent some time looking, and then walking the ramparts.

After our visit we stopped at Aroma Coffee for one last cup of Cookies and Cream frozen Coffee.

We walked through the park, and stopped at the Artist’s Colony. We saw some great artwork. The first artist we visited just placed a piece in the North Carolina Museum of Art. We saw several shops, and then returned home.

After packing (yes, it was our last day in Jerusalem) we went to Jerusalem’s First Train Station for dinner. We found a great place we had not tried before, and ate a full breakfast. This included eggs, bread, salad, and items for dipping and eating such as feta cheese, cream cheese, olives, guacamole, jelly and other dips.

We arrived home and went to bed early since we had to meet our transportation to the airport at 3:45 a.m.

Israel Adventure - Day 12

Each morning on the way to breakfast I walk through the oldest modern Jerusalem subdivision. These homes were built in about 1860 to alleviate overcrowding in the walled city. Now they are an exclusive housing division located very close to the Old City.

After breakfast at Aroma Coffee we joined our tour group this morning at Hebrew Union for a walk to the Jewish Quarter. We began the day with a tour under the Old City by the Western Wall of the Temple.

The tour began with a brief orientation by our tour guide, who recounted for us the history of Mount Moriah. During the time of Jesus the western side of Temple Mount faced a valley. Most of the priests lived on the other side, so they built a causeway over the valley. During the tour, we looked up at vaulted ceilings which are the bottom of that elevated path.

After the destruction of the Temple the entire valley was filled with stone. After that the Arabs raised the city so they would not have to traverse a valley getting to the Dome of the Rock.

We approached the Western Wall at the largest block in the wall construction, which weighs 570 tons (45’ x 11” x 15’). Herod figured out how to move this block into place when he was building the Temple - an impressive task. The block was so heavy that when Titus gave the order to tear down the Western Wall, the Roman army could not move this massive piece of stone, so they started chipping away to try to decrease the size and weight. The progress of the Roman army’s attempts to knock down the walls can be see along the top and right side of the block, but they could not move the massive stone.

We walked along the wall to the north, which continued for about 150 meters. We saw typical Herodian stones along the wall. Each level of block was stepped back so the wall would not appear to be falling on the people as they looked upward toward the top. The pathway led downhill until we hit the bedrock. Because the Temple was built on bedrock that has a natural incline, the bedrock was cut down and became part of the stones - King Herod had the bedrock carved like the stone for consistency and quality. We reached the original street level and saw how roads were paved. Eventually we hit a spot along the path where we could see the other side of the street as it existed 2,000 years ago.

The path extended into the aqueduct and ended at a cistern developed for the Antonion fortress. Pictured in the cistern is our guide. Above is a block which is under homes and in the streets.

At the end of the tour we walked to the Jewish Quarter. The entrance of the tunnel is located at the Western Wall Plaza, so we walked past the Western Wall (although we did not go to the public part of the wall). The picture below shows the Western Wall as we are climbing. The Dome of the Rock is visible in this picture.

At the top of the stairs we stopped at a church and inn managed by the Teutonic Templar Knights. The church’s architecture was made in gothic style.

Next we went to the Wohl Museum of Herodian Archaeology which contains six homes from the time of Jesus. These are not normal homes, but the homes of the wealthy on top of new Mount Zion. This can be seen in the jars found at the site;

The mosaics seen in the houses;

And the large mansion which may have belonged to the High Priest:

Dr. Ilan then took us outside and onto the Cardo which ran through Jerusalem from the Damascus Gate to the Zion Gate. This road is shown on the map at Madaba, Jordan. The street was wide with shops on each side. As we walked, we saw where the ruins were uncovered and could imagine where shops were set along the street according to the ancient style. As we walked further along the Cardo, Dr. Ilan pointed out where shop spaces became more modern and the street was not as wide. Eventually we came to the Muslim Quarter, where the streets are even narrower and more crowded.

At this point we were released to see the city. The group went to eat lunch at a shawarma place (Kosher). We sat down and I met a man who went to school with Denise, proving that the world is a small place.

We then went shopping, first stopping into Moshe Shorashim’s Shop, which we visited on our trips with John Delancey. (Please plan to go on a trip to Israel in 2018 with me, and see this shop. The trip will cost about $5,000 per person … let me know if you have any interest [no obligation] so I can put you on the mailing list.)

As we left the city we saw the “traditional” Upper Room site and King David’s tomb.

Our day finished with a great dinner of Salmon, sweet potato latkes, rice, and green beans at Caffit, a restaurant about a block from our apartment.

Israel Adventure - Day 11

This morning we started with an early fast breakfast from Aroma Coffee, and then a quick departure to the Old City. We began our tour with a walk around the perimeter of the walls to the south. Dr. Ilan showed us the different levels of the walls from the bedrock up. He showed us where the walls were at different places in different time periods. They were not as they appear today.

In the picture above bedrock can be seen below the walls (above the grass). There are tombs chiseled into the soft chalk bedrock, showing that at one time this area was outside of the city. There are rocks above the tombs from the Roman Period (130-443 AD). Above those rocks, and slightly inside, are walls built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1535 AD).

While we were standing by the wall, we looked across the Hinnom Valley. At the bottom of the valley is Sultan’s Pool, perhaps the Serpent Pool of Jesus’ time. This was part of the irrigation system for farms which lay below the city. Just above the pool is the old aqueduct which snakes around and into the city. Above that are homes built in 1860 - in a sense, Jerusalem’s first suburb.

We then walked south to the Zion Gate. This was on the Green Line in 1948 and several fierce battles were fought here. The walls are pocketed with the bullet holes from shelling and battle.

Continuing on the south wall, we passed a dig being done by UNCC (University of North Carolina Charlotte).

Further along our walk we saw this dig. Dr. Ilan told us this was originally a parking area which was to be developed as a five story parking garage. Israeli law requires that an archeological survey must be done before anything new can be built in Israel. When the survey was done, ruins were discovered from the Turkish period, then by digging, the Roman, Greek, Hasmonean, and earlier. This is not surprising because this area is near the Tyropoeon Valley or Cheesemaker’s Valley, which runs through the center of the city. Four years into the dig, the garage was cancelled and the archeological find was placed along a walking path which leads to the Temple.

Further along the walls we saw more tombs cut into the bedrock. During the time of King David this area was inside the city, so the tombs must have come later. Jewish law forbids burial (except for kings) inside the city walls where people live. As the city walls move in and out and people necessarily come to live near the tombs, the Rabbis developed ways of ritually cleansing the tombs. Bones are removed and blessings are spoken so people can build on top of the tombs. That is what happened with these tombs, and they were refitted as cisterns with plaster on top, and houses above the plaster. The wall above the tombs is late period Ottoman.

Along the way we saw these concrete road barriers (like are being installed on I-77). I wonder why we can’t make them look this good in America?

We came to the Old City of David (currently outside the walls of the city) where the Gihon spring is located. One objective of the day was to descend to the spring and see the ancient fortifications.

We walked through the upper ruins, where the excavator thinks King David’s palace is located.

This is Silwan, a neighborhood across the Kidron Valley from the City of David. In Biblical times Jerusalem looked much like this with the palace at the top (which is why David could look down and see Bathsheba on the rooftop).

Today the hillside looks like this, with remains of structures at the bottom. Some of the residents at the bottom of the hill are listed in the book of Jeremiah. The houses on this hillside go back to the time of King David, so people lived on this hillside for 500 years. Dr. Ilan talked about how difficult archeology and dating become when people can live in peace in an area for so long, without destruction levels to help date the civilization.

This blurred picture is what the city of David probably looked like. The Temple is at the top of the hill, the palace (Solomon’s) at the mid-section. The path to the Temple can be seen winding up the hill. The Gihon Spring can be seen just below the shine on the bottom left of the picture. This spring was fortified behind strong walls in order to protect the city’s water source.  We walked down to Gihon Spring.

Here is one wall protecting the spring as it appears today. The wall extends to the second floor and beyond. It is wide and built of large stones. The group continued through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Because Sarah was there last week but had not traveled through the Canaanite Tunnel, the three of us traveled that path. We saw the Canaanite wall (when Melchizedek was king) and other ruins. We walked down to Siloam Spring.

As we returned we saw an area the Romans used to quarry stone. They removed a lot of rock, so no archaeological work can be done. There appears to be two large tombs (behind me) on the hill. This could be the tomb of King David.

Following the tour we saw the Skirball Museum, Hebrew Union’s archeological museum. They have displays from Dan (where they are currently digging), Gezer (a past dig), and other sites. They have models of different gates at Dan, pictures from their digs, pottery, and other finds. We ate a Syrian hummus lunch with Dr. Ilan after seeing the Museum.

On the way home we visited the Jerusalem YMCA, a beautiful art deco building. We also saw a Herodian Tomb. We ate a dinner of Potato Kreplach and Spinach Tarte.

Israel Adventure - Day 10

Today we began Chelsea’s Summer program with Hebrew Union in Jerusalem. They invited families to come, so Sarah and I are welcome also as long as we are in Jerusalem. (The time here is drawing to an end much too fast.) The program was informative and took us places we have not visited before.

We started the day with breakfast (wouldn’t miss!) at Aroma Coffee. We walked to the closest shop, which is only about 5 minutes from the school at a place called the Mamilla Mall.

We then walked to Hebrew Union where we were met by Dr. Jason Kalman (the Rabbinic Literature professor from Cincinnati) and Dr. David Ilan, head of the school of Archaeology in Jerusalem. I was quite impressed by him.

Dr. Ilan began our time together with introductions, followed by a lecture on the geography of Israel. He looked at trade routes, climate zones, and currents in the Mediterranean Sea. We dissected the country in zones West to East and then North to South. He carefully explained each zone. He showed us where the sand came from, what the word Shephlah means and why it is important, the importance of the watershed and the Patriarch highway, the rift valley, and the Jordanian highlands.

We took a break during the lecture to look around Hebrew Union on our own, get snacks, and later took another break for lunch at noon. Chelsea, Sarah, and I ate at Ben Sira Hummus near Ben Yeudah Street. We had cauliflower hummus and pita, falafel, and pickles. The lunch was great!

We then went back to the school, where we met at David Ilan’s office to set off on our adventures for the afternoon.

We went to the Haas Promenade, an overlook to the south of Jerusalem, where we could see everything in the city. Dr. Ilan pointed out the old city, East Jerusalem, and West Jerusalem. He showed us major points in the city and he also showed us the older part and newer part. He pointed out the hill upon which the city rests, its water source, and forms of defensibility. We saw where the Palestinians live and Jewish communities. He shared information about plants and birds in the area.

We walked along the hill to the place where we could see the old Roman Aqueduct, which provided water through the time of the Ottoman Empire. He shared about gravity and syphon style aqueducts.

We also saw Jordan from this height.

After the Promenade we traveled to a memorial along the old border with Jordan on the property of Ramat Rachel Kibbutz. This is a piece of artwork by Ran Morin called Olive Columns. There are three live olive trees on the pillars (possibly for the desire for peace between the three world religions). The monument was huge.

From the site we could see the wall along the West Bank, bunkers, and communities of Jews and Palestinians. We saw Herodian and Bethlehem. We could also see the Dead Sea and Jordan.

We continued on the ridge to Ramat Rachel, an ancient archeological site on the main road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The vantage point of this location is outstanding, which made it a fortress in the 6th Century BC, when the Assyrians were attacking Jerusalem. Many seals have been found bearing King Hezekiah’s mark at this location.

The site began as a watchtower on the high hill which could easily observe the central ridge road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. Then a palace was built at the site with a large courtyard. The building was made of finely cut stones and contained royal columns. The Assyrians, who controlled the site for a time, built a hanging garden in the palace. The site went through various transitions through the Babylonian, Hasmonean, Roman and Byzantine periods. In the Roman period there was a large home there which was part of a farming estate. Later there was a Byzantine church built on the site.

We looked at building styles, cisterns, pottery, and other artifacts left at the site.

With that the program was finished, and it was time to go home. We went into an exclusive kibbutz hotel next to the site to get a Coke and decided to call Shlomo, who was our guide on previous trips to Israel, to see if he was available for dinner. He was, and in fact his wife had a meeting at the kibbutz an hour after we had called. He and his wife met us and we drove to Jerusalem’ s First Train Station, where we ate dinner at the same restaurant we had eaten breakfast at the day before.

We talked about family, friends, and our trips. We also began talking about a trip to Israel in 2018, probably in June. The trip would include an option to participate in an archeological dig and then a tour of Israel. Please let me know if you are interested and I will put you on a mailing list (no obligation). The total cost would be about $5,000 per person. If you would like to go, please begin to set aside money for the trip, and let me know. Also, because we are in the planning stage, if you would like to see something specific, let me know - so it can be included in plans.

Israel Adventure - Day 9

This is Shabbat, and in Jerusalem most people observe Shabbat. The streets are quiet, and most businesses are closed. We began the day by finding a restaurant in Jerusalem's First Train Station, a modern center with shops, amusements, and many special events such as the National Book Week taking place this week and the film festival we enjoyed there two years ago.  Of course the book fair was closed for Shabbat, but two restaurants were open for breakfast. We had Mediterranean shakshuka with eggplant and feta and nutella rozalach.

The restaurant was interesting - a railroad car served as part of the decor. Restrooms were located inside the train, and storage was above. Chelsea asked why I didn’t design her bedroom like that with her bed on the top level.

Following breakfast we walked to the Old City and entered through the Jaffa Gate. We met a couple of tourists from London, England who took our picture.

Upon entry we went up on the ramparts, or walls around the city.  We went north and then east, from the Jaffa Gate, over the New Gate, past the Damascus Gate, beyond the Herod Gate, and to the Lion’s gate.

Of course the walls have a military purpose, so several areas are built like fortresses. This one is at the Jaffa Gate. It is a well-fortified tower which provides visibility in over a 180-degree range. The towers can be several levels high.

The walk along the walls provides many great rooftop views, including this view of a family Mosque built on a later (but destroyed) tower along the walls. (The walls are 500 years old.) Across the roof of the Mosque you can see Jerusalem is a city of many faiths: Islamic, Christian, and Jewish. The steeple above is (I think) the Lutheran Church and a Christmas star also adorns the skyline to the right of the Mosque.

Along the tour, the Dome of the Rock was visible at several points.

The Mount of Olives is also visible in the background in this picture.

Along the wall we saw doves, sparrows, lizards, cats, and other interesting sights.  The day was quite warm by the time we were walking the wall. There were a few areas of shade, but mostly sunshine.

We walked up and down along the wall with the lay of the land of the hills of Jerusalem.

We could see both into the walled city and to the outside city of Jerusalem. Here is the view of the Damascus Gate, headed north. This gate is the main gate to the Moslem Quarter of the city. We entered through this gate many times when we came to Jerusalem four years ago. Our motel was about five blocks north of the gate.

Following our walk on the wall (which took almost two hours) we exited at the Damascus Gate and walked through the market to get a Coke. We looked at the shops around us, then went on our next adventure. Earlier this year when I was researching early Christian worship with Sarah for one of her classes, I spotted that the oldest church in the world is St. Mark’s Syrian Orthodox Church in the old city.  

After finding our way there (the church is on a back street), we entered the outside patio, only to find the church itself closed. We sat in the shade a minute, then a German woman came downstairs to see why we were there. She called her son who spoke English to talk to us, and he told us that the woman who gives tours was taking her nap and to come back in two hours. We were about to walk out when she came downstairs and took us inside the church.

She told the history of the church and its site which goes back to the Last Supper in the Upper Room. (Mark invited Jesus to dine at his home for Passover.) This was also the place where the disciples went after Jesus died and when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

She showed us the altar, which was beautiful. There is a painting of Mary and Jesus traditionally created by Dr. Luke (of the Bible). It is painted on leather and the faces show up when a candle is placed in front of the picture. Mary is holding Jesus as a baby, but his face is painted as an adult.

She explained the Upper Room is now downstairs - because as cities grow older and go through the cycle of destruction and rebuilding, they grow upwards. We went down the stairs to a well kept stone room, which definitely does not date to the period. The building in which the church is meeting is fairly new, only about 800 years old. There is a history (on the link) which tells how during restoration of St. Marks an inscription was found from the sixth century which says, “This is the house of Mary, mother of John, called Mark. Proclaimed a church by the holy apostles under the name of Virgin Mary, mother of God, after the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven. Renewed after the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus in the year AD 73.” Pilgrims visited this site as early as 333 AD.

After our visit to the church we headed home. But before we arrived we stopped at the lion fountain and Chelsea and Sarah dipped their feet in to cool off. Then we returned home for a rest.

At dinner time we ate hummus at Jerusalem’s First Train Station again and shopped at the book sale. Most of the books were in Hebrew, and some were familiar because we knew the cover. (Dr. Seuss collections, Disney Collections, and others).  We also saw a few books in English. We enjoyed practicing reading some Hebrew and looking through the books.