Ein Kerem, Jerusalem

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Never quite sure if this is officially part of Jerusalem or whether the artists village of Ein Kerem is a separate place.

To be found on the western edge of the city, just off the road to Tel Aviv, a few minutes from Sataf and in the shadow of the Hadassah Hospital is this delightful little place.

Reportedly the birthplace of John the Baptist, it's a christian enclave (with one small mosque built in the centre of the village) with several churches and monasteries to be found on the surrounding slopes.

Ein Kerem has become something of a mini bohemia with tours of the artists' studios available, the churches open to the public, easy access to many wooded walks in the Jerusalem Hills, the highly regarded Targ Centre which presents regular music recitals and a few good cafes/restaurants. It's become a destination for Israelis, particularly on a Saturday afternoon.

It's a lovely spot for a few hours, located in the valley below Yad Vashem (the two could be combined) and is approximately 40NIS in a taxi from central Jerusalem.

A beautiful tranquil corner of Jerusalem, away from the dust and heat and historic sounds of endless war - a green subuorb with old golden stone houses and plenty of trees. On a hillside with marvellous views, it has cool breezes which are a welcome relief in the heat of the local summer, producing an atmosphere of Tuscany, here in the Middle East. A place where people of all religions and nationalities live happily side by side.

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Synagouge's 'Twelve Tribes of Israel' stained glass windows, by Marc Chagall, made Haddasah Ein-Kerem Hospital a touristic attraction.

"My modest gift to the Jewish people, who have always dreamt of biblical love, of friendship and peace among all people; to that people who lived here, thousands of years ago, among other Semitic people. My hope is that I hereby extend my hand to seekers of culture, to poets and to artists among the neighboring people."
- Marc Chagall, launching his art, 1962.

4 pictures X 3 tribes each = 12 total.
Details and closer look - in the next tip.

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As you see, this church has a special roof, a tented/ hipped, typical to Russian churches from the 16th century on. It's very functional for long season snowy regions. (Jerusalem has max 1-2 snowy days a year, in average)

It's a Russian Orthodox Church, built at the end of 19th century. First Russians came to Ein-Kerem on 1871.

'Gorny' is the Russian word for 'mountainous', and the name for Ein-Kerem; 'Moscovia' means Moscow in Arabic.

The main picture was took not from Ein-Kerem, but from the upper main road to Haddasah hospital, south to the neighbourhood . (personal reminiscence: this was the road to the birth of my older son in 8th July, 2nd Millenium).

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Ein Kerem is a beautiful neighborhood in south-west of Jerusalem.
The place was once an arabic village and during the war of independence the isralis took it back.

The christians belive that john the baptist was born here and you will find some lovely streets , churches like church of john the baptist , moscovia monastery , sanctuary of the visitation , small stone houses.

Ein Kerem is a pleasant, quiet neighborhood in Western Jerusalem. In the past it used to be a village, but it has became a part of Jerusalem. The neigborhood is popular among artists, and there are some art galleries.
Ein Kerem is also the village where John the Baptist was born; in the church of John the Baptist there is a grotto which is believed to be the place of birth of John.
Ein Kerem is not an easy place to visit by public transport; we took a taxi and hitchhiked back to the centre.