Pictures from Jerusalem

Pictures from Jerusalem

Just a few snapshots from the city. There is so much to see I just cannot do justice to this fantastic old city. You just have to go and see for yourself. My problem is  I like to see and can't walk write, take pictures and listen to the hustle and bustle of daily life and take pictures at the same time.

                               Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade overlooking the Hedron Valley

                                      Plaza  just inside the Old City of Jeruasalem home of 

                                            Shorashim bookshop and plenty of great food

                                  Shorashim Bookshop owned  by two Canadian brothers

                                  (Moshe and Dov)who made Aliyah about 25 years ago.

                                  Great guys. They actually locked the doors to the shop for 

                                  a while so we could have some great discussions.

                                  Shorashim Book Shop     

                                       The Kotel or  Western Wall. This plaza comes alive on

                                       the Sabbath. Come Friday evening it is shoulder to shoulder

                                       in this place. A unique experience. Jews from every sect 

                                       come here to pray at the wall. The covered ramp is the way 

                                       up to the Islamic Dome of the Rock courtyard. This area 

                                       is not accessible to Jews for any religious purposes.
                                  

                                      The entrance to the Kotel Tunnels. Although this is a tunnel

                                      now it used to be the main road outside of the city 2000 years

                                      ago. Just an example of the many layers under the city.

                                       When the Second Temple was destroyed it was used as  

                                       backfill behind the walls  to enlarge the Temple Mount  

                                        level area. During recent construction  at Dome of the

                                        Rock courtyard, large quantities of this material were

                                       eventually salvaged from the  landfill it was dumped in 

                                       and taken to this site on the slopes of Mount Scopus.

We found plenty of mosaic tiles, pottery and pieces of glass.We did not find any great treasures but while we were there a couple of coins were found. Lots of relics have been found 

and they are all cataloged and saved for Museums.

Felt a bit like Indiana Jones without the Doom.
Lots of good fun doing this.

Main Events In the History of Jerusalem

Main Events In the History of Jerusalem

Before going to Israel, brush up on your history. Israel is built in layer upon layer of civilizations. Everywhere you go there are archeological digs. More and more is found every year as areas are built upon. You will tunnels and caves, underground storage bins and even new parts of  long ago discovered areas are being unearthed.

1000-961 BCE King David establishes Jerusalem as the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel

961-922            King Solomon builds the First Temple

922                   Division of the Kingdom into Israel and Judah

701                   Hezekiah successfully withstands Sennacherib’s assault on Jerusalem

587/6              Destruction of Jerusalem and of the Second Temple  by Nebuchadnezzar. Exile of Jews to Babylon.

537-332           The Persian Period

537                  Return of the Jews from Babylon to Israel

516                  Completion of rebuilding the Second Temple

332-167           Alexander the Great conquest of Jerusalem

312-198           Rule of Ptolmies- Egyptian Greek Empire

198-167           Rule of Selucids- Syrian Greek Empire

169                  Antiochus IV Epiphenes, a Selucid King plunders the Temple

167-163           The Hasmoneans (Maccabees)

167-141           Maccabean War of Liberation

164                  Re-conquest of the Temple Mount and rededication of the Temple (Hanukah)

166-160           Judah the Maccabee rules

63BCE-324CE The Roman period

63                    Pompey captures Jerusalem

40-37            Romans ousted briefly by Hasmonian king, Mattathias Antigonus aided by the Parthians

37BCE-4CE   King Herod the Great – Roman proxy king – builds Antonia fortress, a palace, three towers and rebuilds the Second Temple.

26-36               Pontius Pilot, Roman procurator of Judea.

33                    Crucifixion of Jesus

41-44               Aggripa, king of Judea,builds new city wall (the “Third Wall”)

66-74               The great revolt against the Romans

70                    Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple by Titus

132-135           Bar Kochba’s War of Freedom – Jerusalem again becomes the Jewish capital

135                 Emperor Hadrian’s total destruction of Jerusalem and building of new walls. Jerusalem becomes a pagan city renamed Aelia Capitolina. Changes from Province of Judea to Province of Palestina

324-638           The Byzantine Christian Period

326             Queen Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, visits Jerusalemand determines locations of events associated with the last days of Jesus. This causes churches to be built to commemorate events, notably the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

614                  Persian conquest of Jerusalem

629                  Jerusalem recaptured by the Byzantines

638-1099         The early Muslim Period

638                  The Caliph Omar enters Jerusalem

691                  Dome of the Rock completed

1099-1187       The Crusader Kingdom

1099                Crusaders capture Jerusalem

1173                Benjamin of Tudela visits Jerusalem

1187                Saladin captures Jerusalem from the Crusaders

1250-1517       The Mamaluke Period

1267             Rabbi Moshe Ben Nahman (Ramban) arrives from Spain, revives the Jewish community and establishes a synagogue and study hall

1517-1917       The Ottoman Turkish Period

1517                Ottoman conquest of Jerusalem

1530’s              Sultan Suleiman the “magnificent” rebuilds the city walls

1700                Rabbi Yehuda HaHassid arrives,starts building the first Ashkenazi (Hurva) synagogue

1836                First visit of Sir Moses Montfore

1860                First settlement outside the walls of the old city

1917-1948       The British Mandate Period

1917                British conquest and general Allenbys entry into Jerusalem, British awarded Mandate for Palestine to establish Jewish National Home

1922             First partition of Palestine. 77% carved out to create Arab state in Palestine-TransJordon

1925                Hebrew University buildings inaugurated

1947                United Nations Resolution recommends the partition of the remainderof Palestine into Jewish and Arab states

1948-1967       The Divided City

May 14,1948   British Mandate ends and State of Israel proclaimed

May1948-Jan1949      Israel War of Liberation

May 28,1948    New city of Jerusalem remains inact but Jewish quarter in the old city walls falls

April 1949       Israel-TransJordan Armistice Agreement signed, whereby Jerusalem divided by two countries

Dec 1949         Jerusalem is declared Capital of the State of Israel

June 5,1967     Jordan  shells and mortars Jerusalem’s new city on the first day of the Six Day War

June 7,1967     Israeli troops capture the Old City and Jerusalem is reunited. Moslems, Christians and Jews have free access to their holy places

1967-1996       United Jerusalem is declared the undivided capital of the state of Israel

                        Large areacleared for Kotel Prayer Plaza

                        Southern Wall excavations reveal remains of Second Temple Period

                        City of David excavations reveal remains of First Temple Period

                        Building of new neighborhoods in Jerusalem (Ramat Eshkol, French hill, Gilo, Neve Yaakov, Pisgat Ze’ev

                        Rebuilding of the old Jewish quarter

1996                Kotel tunnels fully opened to the public

2003                First Orthodox Mayor elected, Uri Lupolianski

2007                Jerusalem celebrates40 years of unification

2008                 Nir Barkat elected Mayor of Jerusalem