| The Citadel (Tower of David) tips and photos posted by real travelers and Jerusalem locals. • 52 Photos
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Migdal David (David's Tower or David's Citadel), one of those icons that appear everywhere as a symbol of Jerusalem, is an outright case of mistaken identity. This white phallic-shaped tower that dominates the Old City skyline, which everyone thinks was built by King David, is just what it looks like, if you look again - a minaret. King David never set foot there.
The lower section of the so-called Tower of David was actually built by Herod the Great, known for his mania for monumental architecture (and a few other manias, among them paranoia, which led him to execute several members of his family). The massive stones of the tower have some of the distinctive architectural features of the Western Wall, such as the beveling around the edges of the stones.
Today, Migdal David is a museum. Before you go in, take a good look at the outside walls. The Herodian stones stand out clearly from the rest, rising to a height of 30-40 feet. The rest of the tower is a Turkish addition.
In fact, the only sign of King David you will find in David's Citadel is a bronze copy of Verrocchio's "David," a Renaissance sculpture of the young David (clothed, as opposed to Michelangelo's famous paragon of male nudity), a gift to Jerusalem from the city of Florence. Leave a Comment
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 Orthodox Jew walking past
the walls by mafi_moya
Like much of the Old City it has been rebuilt, resdesigned, renovated and knocked back down again countless times as the city has changed hands between Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders, Ottomans and so on. Leave a Comment
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 David's Citadel from the road by ophiro
Here you will be able to learn about Jerusalem over the years.
Entrance will cost you :
Adult - 30 nis
Senior or student - 20 nis
Leave a Comment
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![Inside Tower of David [photo by scpinmd] - Jerusalem](http://cache.virtualtourist.com/1/3559108-The_Citadel_Tower_of_David-Jerusalem.jpg) Inside Tower of David [photo
by scpinmd] by WorldMeet2008
"The Citadel is one of Jerusalem's most famous sites. It used to be Herod's palace back in the 1st century.
... We went in and were surprised to find out a light and music show was about to happen. Well, we had no clue what to expect and I am not one fond of mixing modern and historic, but this worked. It was the coolest thing I had seen in a long time! There were drums and huge guitars playing with subdued lighting that moved in time to the music. Trust me, it was not cheesy at all." Directions: Old City Jerusalem
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 by Sharon
One of the nicest things to do in Jerusalem is to take walk in David Tower's walls at night, its fantastic, Just check the opening hours.
The citadel is located near Jaffa gate and near the Police statoin of the old city.
And if you're looking for a hostel to stay in then check the Petra hostel which just accross the road to the citadel and its amazing to sit at your balcony and watch it !! Leave a Comment Directions: Old City Jerusalem
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 Inside the Citadel by Goner
The palace and citadel remained a very important site in the history of Israel. When the Romans assumed direct control over Palestine in 6 CE, the Roman Procurator resided in the Herodian palace. According to the New Testament, Jesus was judged here. Jewish "rebels" were summoned before the Roman ruler and were scourged and then crucified. The cruelty was one of the causes of the First Jewish War. In 66 CE Jewish rebels attacked and burnt the palace.
The oldest remains of a city date back to the monarchic period in Israel. King Hezekiah (end of 8th Century BCE) built a wall and towers after the Assyrian invasion of Judah (2 Chronicles 32:5). The wall was 7 meters wide, and constructed of large boulders. This giant wall was damaged during the Babylonian victory over Jerusalem in 587/6 BCE. . Over the centuries the Citadel was destroyed and built up many times.
The Citadel since 1989 has housed an unusual museum of the town's history. Leave a Comment Directions: By the Jaffa Gate in the Christian Quarter
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 Gate of Tower of David
Citadel by FruitLover
The Tower of David Museum is located here, in the restored ancient Citadel which first constructed 2,000 years ago by Herod.
You can face here historical events and monuments related to Cana'anites and Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, Crusaders, Muslims, Turks, British, and Israelis, along the panoramic route with its views of the city. Directions: Close to Jaffa gate, Old City Jerusalem
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The Citadel is one of Jerusalem's most famous sites. It used to be Herod's palace back in the 1st century.
My niece and I had been trying to get into The Citadel but it was always closed. One night as we were heading back to the Lutheran Guest House we noticed it was open. We went in and were surprised to find out a light and music show was about to happen. Well, we had no clue what to expect and I am not one fond of mixing modern and historic, but this worked. It was the coolest thing I had seen in a long time! There were drums and huge guitars playing with subdued lighting that moved in time to the music. Trust me, it was not cheesy at all. Unfortunately, it began to rain so we were only able to enjoy 20 minutes of the show because they shut it down if it rains. The helpful people at the desk told us to get the tickets verified by a manager so they could be used again at a later date. We did and my niece kept them so she could take some friends along to enjoy this beautiful show.
Note: had I seen this in the daylight, I may not have felt the same way...
These exhibitions change, so I do not know how long this show will be featured. We were there March 2007. Address: Not too many steps from the Jaffa GatePhone: 972-2-6265333Directions: Old City Jerusalem. To get to the Citadel take bus No 6, 20, or 27 from the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem to Jaffa Gate.
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Located just inside the walls of the Old City at Jaffa Gate, the Tower of David Musuem represents a microcosm of Jerusalem's history and as such is now a museum to just that.
Originally built by Herod, the original palace was destroyed in the Great Revolt of 66AD. 250 years later the Byzantines mistook the ruins for King David's palace (hence the name) and promptly built a new fortress on the site. Changing hands over the centuries (Muslim, Crusader, Ottoman), present site took its form in 14th century.
Restored and rennovated relatively recently, its a fascinating musuem, providing much insight into the 3000 year history of the city as well as hosting international artists' exhibitions throughout the grounds - a recent Chihuly exhibition attracted more than 1 million visitors and, as a result, is one the world's most successful exhibitions. During the summer months, there are also a number of concerts arranged. There are also great views to had across the rooftops of the Old City.
Entrance Fees:
NIS 30 (adults) NIS 20 (students & pensioners) NIS 15 (Children)
NIS 80 (Family Ticket of 2 adults and any number of children)
Opening times:
Saturday - Thursday: 10am - 5pm
Friday: 10am - 2pm Leave a Comment
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The Citadel combines a museum, an archeological site, and some of the best views you will get of the Old City anywhere in Jerusalem. All together they make the Citadel an unmissable part of any visit.
The museum is fascinating, and charts the 4000 years of the cities existence. Being one of the oldest and most fought over cities on the planet, you can believe it is one of the best and most interesting city museums you will ever see. The exhibits are broken up into different eras, located in different parts of the citadel. One of the most curious exhibits was in section containing exhibits from the Islamic era.
Here an Islamic painting of Mohammad's last journey to the Al Aqsa mosque had had the face of Mohammad obscured by a sticker. I wasn't sure if this was done out of sensitivity to Muslim feelings, as it is generally considered an offense in Islam to display an image of Mohammad, or if it was done as some ironic statement, because this was an Islamic painting depicting Mohammad, and my visit was only some months after the protests against the Danish comics painting Mohammad.
The site has been built and rebuilt many times since its first construction, around the time of the First Temple between 1000 and 500BC. The Romans used it as a barracks, the Muslims constructed a fortress here which withstood the assaults of the Crusaders until their surrender, the place was destroyed and rebuilt by the Mamluks, before finally the Ottomans added decorations, including the minaret.
Finally the views from the top of the citadel are fantastic. Leave a Comment
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![Inside Tower of David [photo by scpinmd] - Jerusalem](http://cache.virtualtourist.com/3559108-The_Citadel_Tower_of_David-Jerusalem.jpg)
