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Outside the Walls, Jerusalem
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Outside the Walls, Jerusalem

Tomb of King David - Jerusalem
Tomb of King David
by jacobzoethout
Outside the Walls tips and photos posted by real travelers and Jerusalem locals.
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Outside the Walls: A Poorhouse Transformed
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • Updated By gilabrand on February 7, 2005
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Outside the Walls - Jerusalem
    by gilabrand
    .
    When Mishkenot Sha’ananim, which means “tranquil dwellings" (based on Isaiah 32:18) was built in 1860, the neighborhood was anything but.

    This long row of housing was the first building outside the protective walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. The territory outside the walls was an exposed and dangerous place, and the Jews were not anxious to make the move. But the Jewish Quarter was terribly overcrowded and hygiene was poor. Sir Moses Montefiore, a wealthy British Jew and a “doer,” thought that the time had come for the Jews of Jerusalem to live in healthier surroundings.

    Montefiore was the executor of the will of a very rich Jew from New Orleans. Judah Touro died in 1854, leaving $50,000 “for the poor Jews of Jerusalem.” The money was used to buy a plot of land from the Sultan. Here Montefiore built a windmill, as a source of income, and an almshouse containing 16 apartments.

    According to the “Rules and Regulations of Mishkenot,” it was to be named for Touro, and the inhabitants were to recite prayers for their benefactor every day. Touro’s name was engraved on the facade (still visible today in a star-shaped inset at the top of the building). But it was the charismatic Montefiore everyone remembers - not Touro, who never set foot in the Holy Land.

    Mishkenot was constructed very differently from the homes in the Old City. The rooms all had windows and the roof was flat, at a time when domes were the rule. An iron water pump imported from Montefiore's hometown, Ramsgate, England, created a great sensation, and a huge black iron gate, also from England, was locked at night to keep out marauders.

    Gradually, new neighborhoods were built outside the city and Mishkenot was shunted to the sidelines. It became a slum.

    In 1973, the complex was renovated. What began as a poorhouse is now a cultural center and a posh guest-house for visiting artists, writers and musicians, hosting celebrities like Saul Bellow, Simone de Beauvoir, Arthur Rubinstein and Marc Chagall.

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  • Directions: Yemin Moshe neighborhood, directly across from the Old City walls. From the Montefiore Windmill walk down the steps - about 100 of them!
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    Outside the Walls: Another Moses
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • By gilabrand on December 26, 2004
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Outside the Walls - Jerusalem
    by gilabrand
    Jerusalem is full of streets named after characters from the Bible. But the Moses for whom the neighborhood of Yemin Moshe is named is not the biblical one. Moses Montefiore was a wealthy, well-connected 19th century English Jew who spent the greater part of his long life – he lived to 101 - trying to help Jews in distress.

    The Jews of Jerusalem were poor, subsisting mainly on charity. The Jewish quarter of the Old City was bursting at the seams. Sanitation was non-existent and epidemics spread rapidly. The Holy Land was no picnic in those days. And yet it had its allure: A steady stream of pilgrims and visitors made the journey, undeterred by all the hardships.

    One of them was Moses Montefiore, who made the trip seven times. The first time around, he came with his wife, Lady Judith. In 1827, they traveled in their own horse-drawn carriage through France and Italy, and then sailed via Malta to Alexandria. From Cairo, they continued to Jerusalem, where they spent three days. Montefiore’s last visit was in 1875, as a 91-year old widower.

    On his fourth trip to the Holy Land, Montefiore stopped off in Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. There he met with the Sultan and received permission to purchase a piece of land outside the Old City walls.

    In 1857, he sent over an expert from London to build a European-style windmill on this property – a famous landmark that is still standing today. The idea was to provide the Jews with a source of livelihood and bring down the price of flour, but it was soon made obsolete by steam-powered mills.

    In 1948, this windmill served as an observation point for Jewish troops during the siege of Jerusalem. Today it houses a small museum of Montefiore memorabilia. Outside, in a small glassed-in room, you can see the carriage Montefiore used on his travels throughout the Ottoman Empire.

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  • Directions: Montefiore Windmill, Yemin Moshe, opposite Liberty Bell Park, Jerusalem
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    Outside the Walls: What the Eye Spies at the “Y”
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • Updated By gilabrand on October 19, 2006
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Outside the Walls - Jerusalem
    by gilabrand
    The first thing you see as you approach the Jerusalem YMCA – apart from the stunning architecture, of course - is a trilingual sign in English, Hebrew and Arabic proclaiming “Here is a place whose atmosphere is peace, where political and religious jealousies can be forgotten, and international unity be fostered and developed.” So said Lord Plumer, the British High Commissioner for Palestine, at the cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1928.

    The array of programs offered by the “Imka,” as it is called locally, would seem to bear that out. The Y runs a Jewish and Arab pre-school (separate classes, but joint activities), and a language school where you can study English, Hebrew and Arabic. It also houses the Great Shape Studio and Mind-Body Center to help you relax (yoga classes, etc.) and stay physically fit (exercise machines, basketball and squash courts, swimming pool, sauna). The library and reading room is stocked with books in English, French and German, as well as newspapers in different languages (open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). It has a very charming restaurant (not kosher, so I can’t comment on the food) which also has outside tables on a patio surrounded by greenery.

    Altogether it is a very pretty place, with atmosphere to match. First look down: Embedded in the floor of the entrance hall is a mosaic replica of the famous 6th century Madaba map, with its schematic representation of Byzantine Jerusalem. Then look up: Above you is a 17th century wooden ceiling from Damascus, reassembled here.

    Like many YMCAs around the world, the Jerusalem Y used to be a cheap sleep. Nowadays, it operates a hotel on the premises, the Three Arches. It has 56 rooms that look quite nice (in the brochure, at least), with prices that don’t sound so cheap to me –$85 for a double room, $70 for a single.

    Once you’re there, take the elevator up to the bell tower for NIS5 (less than a dollar) for a panoramic view of Jerusalem.

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  • Address: 26 King David Street, Jerusalem
  • Phone: 02-5692692
  • Directions: Jerusalem
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    Outside the Walls: The Giant's Finger
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • Updated By gilabrand on February 8, 2006
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Rather large finger - Jerusalem
    Rather large finger
    by gilabrand
    In downtown Jerusalem, in an area known as the Russian Compound, just off Jaffa Road, are the headquarters of the Israel Police. Directly in front of the police station is a huge 36-foot long white marble column half-embedded in the ground, surrounded by a fence. At first glance, it looks like a cement sewer pipe.

    Actually, it dates from the late Second Temple period. Archeologists believe there was an ancient quarry on the spot, and this particular column, possibly being prepared for Herod?s temple, was cracked during the quarrying process. It was discovered in 1871.

    But this is no ordinary hunk of stone. To kids growing up in Jerusalem in the early days of the state (my husband was one of them) it was known as "the finger of Og King of Bashan" ? a biblical giant. According to Deuteronomy 3:11, this Og was a rather large fellow. He slept in an iron bed 15-feet long. He fought the Israelites, but suffered the fate of another biblical giant, whose name is perhaps better known ? Goliath.

    In Jerusalem, the Bible just seems to surface wherever you go?

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  • Directions: Jerusalem
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    Outside the Walls: Dormition Abbey: Where Mary Slept
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • By gilabrand on October 18, 2004
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Outside the Walls - Jerusalem
    by gilabrand
    The Church of the Dormition (“Dormi-tzion” in Hebrew) on Mt. Zion is built over the spot where according to Christian tradition, the Virgin Mary fell into an eternal sleep (dormitio = sleep). The Turks presented the land to the German emperor Wilhelm in 1898, and in 1906, the German Benedictines built a church on it in the style of a medieval German fortress. All you need is a moat. There is no way you can miss this building: It juts up prominently on the Old City skyline, above the ancient walls, with a kind of helmet-shaped roof. Next to it is a high bell-tower.

    The Benedictines recently renamed the church “Hagia Maria Sion” in an effort to reconnect with its Byzantine past. Like most of the religious sites in Jerusalem, it is probably built on ancient ruins. The main chapel is arranged around a circular mosaic on the floor featuring signs of the Zodiac, names of saints and prophets, and a verse from the Book of Proverbs (8:23). Don’t stop here. Go down to the subterranean crypt to see a life-sized statue of Mary on her deathbed (see next tip).

    Every two years, the church gives a prize – the Mt. Zion Award – to people who have made a contribution to Christian-Muslim-Jewish dialogue.

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  • Directions: On Mount Zion, down the road from the Zion Gate.
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    Outside the Walls: Heavenly Accompaniment
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • By gilabrand on October 18, 2004
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Something about Mary - Jerusalem
    Something about Mary
    by gilabrand
    We visited the Church of the Dormition late on a Friday afternoon. The place was deserted – no tourists, no visitors. Just us. As we descended a flight of stairs to the underground chapel marking the place where the Virgin Mary is said to have fallen into an eternal slumber, there was an eerie silence. Under a richly decorated cupola lay a life-size carved wooden statue of Mary on her bier, eyes closed, hands clasped, with large candles burning on either side. In the center of the cupola, Jesus is depicted calling his mother to heaven. The circular inscription, from the Song of Songs, reads: “Arise, my darling, my fair one, come away” (2:13). On the inside panels are famous women in the Bible: Eve, Miriam, Yael, Judith, Ruth and Esther.

    The acoustics in the crypt are amazing. My husband, who used to sing with a choir, sang a few notes. All of a sudden, an unseen organ began to play, like a bolt out of heaven. We looked around, open-mouthed. Had his voice triggered the music?

    Back upstairs, a nun walked by with a basket full of what appeared to be laundry. She said a new organist had arrived and sat himself down to practice…

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  • Directions: Dormition Abbey, Mount Zion
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    Outside the Walls: Jerusalem Neighbourhood Walks 2
  • Tip Rating:
    • unaS
  • Updated By unaS on October 15, 2008
  • Jerusalem Page by unaS
    • Sultanate 'crown' on Min. of Health building. - Jerusalem
    Sultanate 'crown' on Min. of
    Health building.
    by unaS, 4 more photos
    Start at the corner of Jaffa Road and Pines street, where the Davidka used to be before they tore everything up for the Light Rail (tram) tracks.

    Walk up Jaffa Road towards the open market place, Mahane Yehuda. On your right you will come to an older building that houses a number of clinics of the Ministry of Health, including the Traveller's Clinic. (The story of this building is interesting. See tip Off The Beaten Path.)

    On the next corner, Mattihyahu Street, turn right and walk part way down until you come to the first alley way on your left. If you look straight down Mattiyahu to the end you will see a large building with a red tile roof – that was the Surim Orphans Home, built for Christian orphans from Lebanon (yes back in the 1800's it was the same as today).

    You are now in what was the original Mahane Jehuda neighbourhod. The open market place on the other side of Jaffa road came later. Note that the windows here are done in the shape of the tablets of the 10 Commandments.

    Enter the alley way and turn right at the first corner. Walk down about 1/4 of the street. You will see what appears to be a new red brick building on your right. This is a copy of the original synagogue wall of the community of Gur in Poland. It is the burial place of the Rabbi from Gur. You may enter and see his gravestone covered with rocks, as is the Jewish tradition. Be Quiet! People are praying in there.

    Turn around and walk back up to Jaffa Road, cross Jaffa and turn left. Walk back down in the direction you came from towards Davidka Square. Look across the street. High up on the building you will see the famous sun clock built in 1910 and still accurate to this day. On your right is the original police station with a pair of lions guarding it.

    Walk up the stairs on your right and enter the parking lot. In 1882 this was the Alliance Française , the first school for trades education. See the paintings on the wall. There are signs in Hebrew and English on the wall explaining the history of the school and the area. Note well the paintings and the lovely 3 dimensional aspects.

    Go back down the stairs and continue along Jaffa road in the same direction. Cross the small street. There is a tall white building here – a horror, but at the end of it, between two white stone posts, is the original gate of the Alliance Française school.

    Continue on down Jaffa road to Haim Elboher Alley. Turn into it (on the right). (There is an arch here and a shoe store on the corner.) You re now in the Even Yisrael quarter built in 1875. It is partly renovated, partly still the original buildings. This is a nice place to sit down for a while, eat a picnic and drink some water. In summer there are some nice small shows here in the evenings.

    Lots of signs in blue explaining what you are seeing in the square here.

    The most expensive restaurant in Jerusalem, the Arcadia, is not far from here.
    Enjoy your walk.

  • Address: Begin near Mahane Jehuda open market.
  • Directions: Jerusalem Walk begins on corner of Jaffa Road and Pines Street.
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    Outside the Walls: Beverage on Your Back
  • Tip Rating:
    • gilabrand
  • Updated By gilabrand on June 18, 2004
  • Jerusalem Page by gilabrand
    • Who needs Coca-cola? - Jerusalem
    Who needs Coca-cola?
    by gilabrand
    As you walk around the Old City, you may come across a fellow like this carrying a huge brass contraption on his back. It is an urn, called a "kidr," and inside is a sweet Middle-eastern drink called "tamarhindi," made by boiling dried dates.

    Inside the urn are large chunks of ice that keep the liquid cool. When full, it can weigh as much as 25 kilo. The vendor walks through the alleyways of the Old City (actually I saw this one outside the Damascus Gate) selling glasses of this stuff, which he pours out through a long, thin spout. A sturdy belt around his waist balances the load.

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  • Directions: Old City, Jerusalem
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    Outside the Walls: A different kind of museum
  • Tip Rating:
    • unaS
  • Updated By unaS on October 18, 2008
  • Jerusalem Page by unaS
    • On your left you will see a sign: Central Prison. - Jerusalem
    On your left you will see a
    sign: Central Prison.
    by unaS, 4 more photos
    During the British Mandate period in Jerusalem there were three major groups that opposed the British militarily; the Haganah, the Irgun Tzvai Leumi ("Etzel") and the Lehi.
    This museum is built in memory of those that the British imprisoned here.

    The building was originally a hostel for women pilgrims from Russia built in 1858 and maintained by the Russian government/church (the men already had one of their own).

    The British turned the building into a prison where they held the underground fighters among others.
    Today it has been reconstructed and turned into a museum by the Ministry of Defense.

    Note especially the hiding places built into the shelving, the 'pot' and the hooks built by the prisoners themselves in the prison workshops.

    Open Sunday - Thursday, 0900 - 1700
    Is located in Migrash HaRussim (the Russian Compound).
    Enter the Migrash HaRussim from Kikar Safra, with the Russian Church directly in front of you (see pic #2).

    On the schema (pic #3) the building is #5 (pink colour).

  • Address: Misheol Hagvurah 1
  • Phone: 02 - 623 31 66
  • Directions: From Kikar Safra (the Municipality complex), enter the Russian Compound. Turn right on Misheol Hagvurah street and walk down the lane some 50 meters. On your left you will see a sign: Central Prison. Ring the bell for entry.
  • Website: http://ilmuseums.com/museum_eng.asp?id=38
  • Other Contact: Fax: 02-625 06 51
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    Outside the Walls: Church of the visitation
  • Tip Rating:
    • Sharon
  • Updated By Sharon on June 4, 2005
  • Jerusalem Page by Sharon
    • Outside the Walls - Jerusalem
    by Sharon
    This is where St. John's mother Elizabeth met Virgin Mary who arrived from Nazareth and thats also the place where Mary said the Magnificat, "My soul doth magnify the Lord..."

    In the yard of the church you can see the magnificat in 42 languages. (i will add a photos of it later on)

    This is one of the most beautiful churches that i've seen in Israel, all of its garden and outside area is so peaceful and beautiful.
    Stepping out of its gate there's an amazing view of all the valley and Ein Kerem. I think that if i would have travelled there alone i'd have stayed there for a longer time just for the relaxing atmosphere and view.

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  • Directions: Ein Kerem, Jerusalem
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