Outside the Wall, Jerusalem

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Can be done in an hour, but pleasanter to spend some time strolling along.

Look up, see the interesting architecture, the combination of the old and the new. The renovation of the oldest parts of the new city, redone to meld in beautifully with the old city that it touches shoulders with…

Begin at the YMCA on King David Street, just across from the King David Hotel. Built to include and respect the three major religions represented in Jerusalem; Christianity, Judaism and Islam. It is a community center, a cultural center with a concert hall (magnificent acoustics) and a hotel.

The pillars tell the story of the Bible, the New Testament and the Koran. Look at them carefully. Note the symbols. The doorway with its pillars and symbols welcome all.

The building is in three sections: Physical, Cultural and Spiritual. The tower in the center is the spiritual. Ask at the desk to climb up to the top of the tower, look out over Jerusalem and understand…

After your visit here, cross King David street, turn left. On the corner turn right and walk down Emile Botta Street in the direction of the Old City. You pass some very interesting buildings behind high walls that can still be seen through the gates; The Pontifical Biblical Institute is especially interesting. Note also the large French Consulate building.

Turn left at the end of Emile Botta and walk up the outside of David Village to the stairs, climb them and turn right towards the old city. Walk along the new pedestrian pathway through this unique residential section. Stop for a cup of coffee and enjoy the view.

Watch for the Church of St. Vincent De Paul on your left. Continue on – it leads directly to the Jaffa Gate of the old city both architecturally and geographically.

You can then either enter the old city or turn left and walk back up to Jaffa Road.

(More photos on the T'log - Interesting walks in Jerusalem1.)

One of the well hidden treasures of Israel is Ein Kerem. It is a wonderful ancient village which located in a valley like a pearl in a shell. En Kerem contains traces of settlement dating back 8000 years.
The picturesque village is full of winding lanes, enchanting architectural features & lush green gardens. It is really a pure fantastic little place not to be missed !!
En Kerem is believed by scholars to be the place which the Bible refers to as Beit HaKerem. In the book of the Mishna, it is mentioned that the stone for the altar of the first Temple were taken from Ein Kerem.
We have seven monasteries and convents inspired by various traditions. It is said that John the Baptist was born here and that Mary drank from the Spring of the Virgin, still bubbling from a cave at an abandoned mosque near the center of the village.

**(taken from a website about En Kerem)

The area contains a biblical Museum which shows how life were in the biblical times...

Ein-Kerem A-9, Jerusalem 95744,

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U/C
You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 47.55" N 35° 13' 34.56" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center.

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I haven’t found still the name of this church in the Kedron Valley which is located opposite the Tomb of Virgin. So I think this tip is under construction, haha!

You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 47.95" N 35° 14' 22.22" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Church in Gethsemanne.

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The Ophel Archeological Garden, revealing 2,500 years of Jerusalem's history in 25 layers of ruins, remnants of the structures of the cities successive rulers. This site is located below the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount.
To the right of the Western Wall Plaza are the archaeological excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount. You can visit on your own, or make arrangements for a guided tour in English if you call ahead.
Tel: 627-7550
Hours: Sun-Thu: 08:00-17:00 Fri: 08:00-14:00
Admission: 30 NIS adults; 16 NIS children/seniors/students

You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 30.09" N 35° 14' 9.40" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Ophel Archeological Garden.

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The Tomb of Zechariah is an ancient stone monument adjacent to the Bene Hazir tomb.
The monument is a monolith -- it is completely carved out of the solid rock and does not contain a burial chamber.

You can watch my 2 min 23 sec HD Video Jerusalem Tombs of Zecharia, Bene Hezir and Absalom out of my Youtube channel.

You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 36.69" N 35° 14' 19.75" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Tomb of Zechariah.

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A cluster of tombs built into the rock on the foothills of Mount of Olives, the resting place of the Cohen family of Bene Hezir. This cluster is adjacent to the tomb of Zechariahin the Kidron valley, and facing the temple mount. It is cut into the rock and made entirely from the rock.

You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 36.69" N 35° 14' 19.75" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Tomb of Bene Hezir.

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Tomb of Absalom is an ancient stone monument with a conical roof located in the Kidron Valley. Although traditionally ascribed to Absalom, the rebellious son of King David of Israel (circa 1000 B.C.E.), and recent scholarship has attributed it to the first century C.E.

Absalom's Pillar is approximately 14 meter in height. The lower half of the monument is a solid, monolithic block, about twenty feet square by twenty-one feet high, surrounded on three sides by passageways which separate it from the walls of the cliff of the Mount of Olives.

You can watch my high resolution photo of Jerusalem on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 31° 46' 37.51" N 35° 14' 20.06" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Tomb of Absalom.