Gloria Hotel to Jewish Quarter, Western Cardo, Western Wall, Jerusalem Archeological Park (Temple Mount Excavations), City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, Lithostrotos, Sanctuary of the Flagellation, Chapel of the Condemnation, and St. Anne’s Basilica and back to Hotel Gloria

January 13, 2019

Gloria Hotel to Jewish Quarter, Western Cardo, Western Wall, Jerusalem Archeological Park (Temple Mount Excavations), City of David, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, Lithostrotos, Sanctuary of the Flagellation, Chapel of the Condemnation, and St. Anne’s Basilica and back to Hotel Gloria

After breakfast we walked past the David Gate and through the alleyways of the Old City into the Jewish Quarter.   

 Along the way we passed the Western Cardo, which is a section that has been excavated down to the street level in use during the Roman and Byzantine periods.

 On one wall as a reproduction of a mosaic of Jerusalem from that period.

 We continued waking until we reached the area of the Western Wall.  From here we had a good view of the Dome of the Rock and the El-Aqsa Mosque. 

 After passing through security we entered the prayer area of the western wall.  Because this was a regular day and not Shabbat, we could enter the area and go to the wall.  There were a few men praying at the wall and you could see the small pieces of paper that have been inserted into the joints of the wall.

 This was our first day to explore some of the Temple Mount excavations, which we did by entering the Jerusalem Archeological Park and walking/climbing over the southern portion of the Western Hall and then proceeding to the Southern Wall, which faces the Mt. of Olives.  

As we entered the archeological park, there was a Jerusalem timeline depicted, which is most helpful in understanding Israel and the archeology of the area and of that found in the Israel Museum: 

Canaanite Period, 3300 BCE

Israelite Period, 1000 BCE

Babylonian Exile, 578 BCE

Persian, 538 BCE

Hellenistic 332, BCE

Roman 63 BCE

Byzantine, 324 BCE

Early Muslim, 638 CE

Crusader, 1099 CE

Mamluk, 1200 CE

Ottoman, 1516 CE

British, 1917 CE

State of Israel, 1948

 We began at the southern end of the Western Wall and viewed the massive corner stones that formed the retaining wall built by Herod.  Although 7 layers of stone are observed above ground, there are 17 layers below ground to give you an idea of how massive the Temple Mount was.  As we walked north, we saw an early street and also the portions of the upper wall that the Romans had pushed over the side as they destroyed the Temple and Temple Mount.  From there we headed east along the South Wall where there were several gates that could be used to access the Temple Mount.  Several biblical stores are centered on these gates.  From here there are excellent views of the Mt. of Olives and the Jewish grave sites on the Mt. of Olives.

Rubble from 70 CE Roman Destruction of the Mount

El-Aqsa Mosque Dome

 The bus then transported us to the edge of David’s City, which is located to the southwest of the Old City.  Here we could see the ruins of four-room Israel homes built on the side of the hill and below where David’s Palace would have been located.

Ruins from David's City

 We walked through this area until we came to the entrance to the Warren’s Shaft Water System and Hezekiah’s Tunnel. 

Entering Warren's Shaft

We had prepared for this portion by coming with the appropriate clothing and water shoes to go through Hezekiah’s Tunnel.  This is all part of an extensive water system for the Old City that could provide water to the populace and could be accessed during times of siege.  As we entered Warren’s shaft, we proceed downward on spiral stairs and then walked to the area when water could be drawn up from the Gihon spring at the bottom of the shaft.  This area was in use in Canaanite times and a huge fortress was built over the spring area to hide it.  We saw the remains of the Spring Tower portion of the fortification. 

Canaanite Fortress at Gihon Spring

 Continuing onward, we entered Hezekiah’s Tunnel, which consisted of a 30-minute walk in water through a tunnel that had been quarried out of a fault in the rock.  We were prepared with water shoes, head lamps, and shorts.  The tunnel is 533 m in length and goes from the spring to the Pool of Siloam south of the city.  The water starts out about 2-1/2 feet deep and then rapidly becomes shallower to about 1 foot for the remainder of the tunnel walk.  Our headlamps and flashlights lighted our way through the narrow passage.

 The Pool of Siloam, which stored David’s City water supply is currently under restoration.

   

We had lunch at the Allegro Bistro in the Notre Dame Hotel.

 Then we walked to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher for an opportunity to visit the Golgotha city.  When we arrived, there were few people in line and we lined up for the site.  The line for the tomb was very long and we will attempt this another day.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking through the old city along the  usual Via Dolorosa and passing many of the store/stalls that had a great display of sell-able items.  Out rote took us toward the Stephen Gate where we would be met by the bus.

Olives

Sweets

 First we stopped at the Lithostrotos where we could go underground to the street from Roman times.  There was also a map that depicted the four section of Jerusalem in four colors.  

Pool

1st Century Street

Next we walked along the streets 

to visited the Church of the Flagellation and Chapel of the Condemnation, which had been renovated in the 20th century.  

Crown of Thorns Dome in Church of the Flagellation

Chapel of Condemnation

Our next stop was St. Anne’s Basilica near St. Stephens Gate.  The church with its Romanesque features is well-preserved and carries the distinction as being the church to honor Mary’s mother.  The church was given to France by the Ottomans in 1856.  

Nave of St. Anne's

 The church is built on the grounds of the Bethesda pools, which were know in pre-Israelite period as having “healing powers” for anyone who could access the pools.  Several churches have been built over the pools and their remains were seen.

 We then walked through St. Stephen Gate.

By now it was 4:30 pm and we met the bus to take us back to the Gloria Hotel for dinner at 6:30 pm.  Tomorrow will be another big walking day to see more detail in Jerusalem.