Middle East Trip 2003: Syria | Lebanon | Jordan | Palestine The Palestinian-Israeli conflict Travelogue
Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the most holy city in the world, birth place of the three most important religions.
Damascus Gate, the Old City and the Via Dolorosa
Damascus Gate, very near of our hotel in Jerusalem
Damascus Gate from inside of the Old City of Jerusalem
In the Jerusalem souq there are women selling grapes, rosemary, etc, mixing with israeli soldiers and others tourists
Street of the Old City Souq
Candies shop in old city souq
Via Dolorosa
Little chapel of the VIII station of the Via Dolorosa, place where Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
The VIII station of the Via Dolorosa
The III station of the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus Christ falls for the first time
Station of Via Dolorosa that marks the place of the flagelation and where the crown of hawthorns was placed to Jesus Christ
Birth place of the Virgin Mary
Street of the Old City
Lion's Gate, another doorway of the wall of the Old City. This indicates the beginning of the Via Dolorosa
Holy Sepulchre from the IX station of the Via Dolorosa, the place os the third fall os Jesus
The church of the Holy Sepulcre
The IX Station and the Orthodox Church of St Helen
Ethiopian churches around the Holy Sepulchre
Holy Sepulchre Church
Facade of the Holy Sepulchre Church
Tower of the Holy Sepulchre Churches
From inside the Church.One of the most sacred sites for the Christians, indicates the place of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Located in the well-known hill as Golgotha (Calvary in Latin)
Painting of the Holy Sepulchre that represents the three last stations of the Via Dolorosa
Detail of the last stations painting
The 13th station. The stone on the Unction, where Jesus Christ was cleaned after being lowered from the Cross
Stone where Jesus Christ was anointed with the holy oils
In the Rotunda there is another dome that covers the Holy Sepulchre, called aericula. It's the 15th Station, where Jesus rose to heaven
Marble doorway in the Chapel of The Angel
Oil silver lamps inside the Chapel of the Angel
Holy Sepulchre, the 14th Station os the Via Dolorosa, a marble slab covers the rock
In the backside of the structure that covers the sepulchre, there is a little coptic chapel that contains a portion of the Sepulchre's.
Not translated yet: Detalle del sepulcro en la parte de iglesia ortodoxa
Backside of the dome that covers the Sepulchre
The main dome over the structure of the Sepulchre
From this site, Virgin Mary and St. John saw the crucifixion of Jesus Christ
The dome of other of the churches os the Holy Sepulchre Church
The 11th station. The catholic chapel and the place where Jesus was nailed to the Cross
This is the site at which Jesus was nailed to the Cross
Original rock of the Golgotha protected by a glass
The 12th Station, that is the greek orthodox chapel and the palce wuere Jesus dies on the Cross
The walls of the Old City and West Jerusalem
The walls of the Old City of Jerusalem
Walking to Jaffa Gate, the entry to Jews Quarter. We saw this man was reading the Torah...
... and this orthodox jew
Jaffa gate, one of the eight gates of the Walls and the David Tower
The Walls further the Jaffa Gate
Western Jerusalem or the New City, the part of the city where israelies live
King David Tomb, Last Supper room and the Dormition church
The Tomb of the King David
The Cenaculum, the room of the Last Supper
Other view of the Room of the Last Supper
Dormition Abbey, the place where Virgin Mary has fallen asleep for the last time
Zion Gate, other of the eight gates of the Walls
After passed the Zion Gate, walking towards the Wailing Wall we discovered the Dome of the rock
The Wailing Wall
Inside the Wailing Wall area we saw a poster with some indications to be followed
The flags and the polices... there is no place for doubts
The Wailing Wall also called Western Wall
The Wall is considered the remaining of the second temple of Salomon
The most sacred place for Judaism and place for pilgrimage from exile
The man with the blue t-shirt has a gun in the waist. Curious element in a pray place....
This place is very visited on sabbath (saturdays) the sacred day for judaism
A detail of the fence of the area : menorahs, candelabrums joined with chains
Among the stones of the Wall there are papers with
The soldiers (who don't left his gun), the orthodox jews and the faithful met at the Wailing Wall
The Wall is divided into two areas : oned for the men and the other for women, both separated by a high fence
Women soldier visiting the Wall in the women area
Orthodox jew
Child fulfilling the obligation of cleaning after the pray
Entering into the inner area of the Wall
David could enter in the restricted area of the Wall and took photos of that he saw
In order to enter in the restricted area, the men must wear the kipa or jewish hat
At the left of the Wailing Wall there is the enter gate to the sinagoge
A child preparing himself to the pray
This child wearing the jewish ritual clothing
The fence of separation of the women area and the men area
The stripes in the corners of the prayer shawl fulfills the jewish rules,
The Wailing Wall
Men wearing the prayer shawl or talit gadol and the tefillin.Tefillin are two small black boxes with black straps attached to them. One of the box is placed in the head and tie the other in the arm
Wailing Wall
The Wall from the bottom of the restricted area
Wailing Wall
Inside the area of the Wall, there are a lot of chairs and bookrests to read the Torah
Wailing Wall
Between the stone blocks of the Wall there are a lot of little papers with prayers and requests
Wailing Wall
Yolanda in the external area of the Wall, because women are not allowed in the internal area
Wailing Wall
Women aren't allowed to turn one's back on the Wailing Wall, for this reason, they have to move back
The Mount of Olives: the Virgin Mary Tomb, the Gethsemany Hortus and the church of the Ascension
Walls of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock
This picture was taken by a israeli policeman who didn't allow us to access to the explanade of the mosques
Muslim cementery near the Lion's Gate
Virgin Mary Tomb
Virgin Mary Tomb Church
Inside the Virgin Mary Tomb
Sepulchre of the Virgin Mary
Inside the church, the stairs to outside
Gate to the Gethsemani grotta
Gethsemani and the Dome of the Rock
Mount of the olives
Garden of Gethsemani
Olives of the Getsemani garden
Sign that describes that Jesus Christ prayed hear before His Passion
Yolanda at Getsemani
Sign that explains that Jesus Christ had doubts and prayed before to be captured and crucified
Church of All Nations close to Gethsemani garden
Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in the Mount of the Olives
Jewish cementery near the Jericho road
Jerusalem sunset from the jewish cementery
Old City of Jerusalem
Jerusalem from the viewpoint of the Mount of the Olives
Abu took us this photo in the Mount of the Olives
The splanade of the mosques (Haram al-Sharif) and the mosque of the Dome of the Rock
Al-Aksa Mosque: The biggest mosque of the city. Built by the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik and reconstructed by the Caliph Ad-Dahir marks the extreme point of the pilgrimage of prophet Muhammad from Mecca
Not translated yet: Mezquita de Omar o Cúpula de la Roca
The third holyness place for muslims, was building the year 91 a.C by the Ummayyad Caliph Abdul Malik
David at the explanade of the mosques
Built over Mt Moriah, The reason of its name is for the big sacred rock inside the mosque, it is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Judaism considere this stone to be the site where Abraham had built an altar on which he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac an also it is considered a part of the Salomon Temple
At least, near the Dome of the Rock...
It was very difficult to enter to the explanade of the mosques. The israeli policemen didn't want to indicate us the correct gate to go in, the correct timetable, sometime because was friday it was imposible to go into by tourist, others time because was saturday (the sacred day for judaism), etc....But, at least, we won!
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