Jerusalem: The Ancient City

There have been two previous posts about our recent trip to Israel, Jordan & Turkey. They can be found in the 'Previous Posts' list to the left. The first was 'Efo Sherutim'. Reading them should bring you up-to-date.

Jerusalem: The Ancient City


Model of the ancient City of Jerusalem during Second Temple times at the Israel Museum. The Temple (right) is on an artificial platform built by Herod the Great.
Herod's Temple Mount dominates the city. The Holy of Holies is the building that stands in the center. The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant and the top of Mt. Moriah. The top of Mt. Moriah is the rock under the Dome of the Rock which currently occupies this site..

The palace attached to the right side of the temple was that of the Roman governor.

Jerusalem has been around for a long time. Conquered by King David from the Jebusites about 3,000 BP, the city has been occupied ever since.

Since the city is currently occupied and densely populated, the opportunity for archeologists to find out much about its past is limited. However, sometimes opportunities arise.

When the foundation for our hotel was being dug in the 1880s, the marker for the Roman Tenth Legion was discovered. Their encampment within the wall near the Jaffa Gate served to deter Jews, who had been banished from the city after the Jewish rebellion was crushed in 70CE, from returning. After putting a lot of effort into capturing Jerusalem and destroying the Temple, the Romans did not want the Jews to return to rebuild the Temple.


When the Jordanians conquered the city in the 1948 war of Israeli independence, much of the Jewish Quarter was destroyed. Having to rebuild the Jewish Quarter became the opportunity for archeologists to do their stuff as new foundations were dug. Because of the destruction, the Jewish Quarter has both the newest and the oldest known structures in Jerusalem. New old things are being discovered on a regular basis.

The pock marks in the wall around the Zion Gate (right) were from Jordanian bullets and attest to the fierceness of the battle which took place there.

The Israel Museum (Jerusalem), the Eretz Israel Museum (Tel Aviv) and the Hecht Museum at Haifa University have lots of stuff. When we were at these museums, we saw lots of small pieces, although some were not so small. In the City of Jerusalem, we saw large items in situ.

As was common in ancient times, great cities had walls.

Jerusalem city wall from the First Temple period: 1000 to 586 BCE.

The line on the building indicates the original height of the wall, according to the archeologists who know such things.

The Jerusalem Archeological Park

The photo above shows the southern wall of the Temple Mount and part of what is known
as 'The Little Western Wall' as well as the restored palace garden. The Mount of Olives is in the background. Instead of olives, today it is covered with cemeteries.

One can see the remnants of Robinson's Arch on the western wall in the photo above. The staircase going up this arch led to a major entrance to the Temple Mount. In the depiction to the right, one can also see the stalls for merchants along the base of the wall.








In the photo to the left, Sarah stands in one of the few remaining market stalls on 'Wall Street'.

As you can see, the shops were small, but they weren't selling refrigerators. The shops are very much like the shops in the old city of Jerusalem today; a Roman/Byzantine legacy.







Total destruction




The rocks piled up at the base of the western wall are some of the remains of the buildings on the Temple Mount which the Romans threw off of the top when all of the structures were demolished in 70 CE. The Jewish War was very costly to the Romans and they did not want a repeat from the 'stiff-necked' people, therefore they removed the holiest site of the Jews and kept the Tenth Legion within the city gates to prevent them from rebuilding it.

It didn't work. There was another Jewish rebellion about 60 years later in which the Romans had to bring in several legions from Europe to re-enforce the X Legion and deal with the Bar Kochba Revolt. This time they expelled the Jews from Jerusalem and renamed the country Palestine.

[Historical Note: This was also ineffective. The Roman Empire is now defunct while the Jews are back in Israel.]

Over time, the top of the Temple Mount became a pasture.

The Christian Byzantines and Crusaders also kept Jews out. The Muslims, who conquered the city in 638 CE, allowed them back.

Armenians
It is interesting to note that when the Crusaders entered Jerusalem, they could not distinguish between the Muslims, whom they were there to kill, and the Armenians, who were Christians, but looked and dressed like the Muslims. Hence the Crusader slogan, "Kill them all. God will know His own." To protect themselves from the wanton slaughter, the Armenians built their own wall within the walled city. Although they did not live within their walled area, they went into it during times of danger. After many Armenians escaped to Jerusalem following the troubles in the early 1900s, some Armenians are now living inside the Armenian walled area.

Armenian Wall (left in the photo)

Note in the photo that as buildings near the Armenian wall
were built up, the Armenians built their wall higher.
In some areas, it is topped with wire or broken glass

.

Mikveh


In the 'Cleanliness is Next to Godliness' category: One had to be cleansed before ascending the Temple Mount to offer a sacrifice. To achieve this, one immersed in a mikveh, a ritual bath, as pictured to the left. Note the divider on the steps: One side for the unclean and one side for the clean. No cross contamination.







In the Jerusalem Archeological Park one does not see Jerusalem in one time period, but across the centuries. Structures are there from the Second Temple period, the Roman period, the Byzantine period, Umayyad period and the time of the Crusaders. That's a lot of folks living here over the centuries.

Byzantine House

Under the Umayyad Palace is a 6th century Byzantine house with many rooms. Some are pictured below. The house incorporated some of the structures of an earlier home.






























Umayyad Palace

The Umayyads ruled one of the largest empires known. but Jerusalem was not their main city. Only the foundations of the buildings and the reconstructed courtyard remain of the Umayyad palace. The buildings are seen at the base of the southern wall of the Temple Mount. Only the foundations are left and one can be sure that, when the palace was occupied, there was not enough dirt on the floor to grow bushes.












Pictured below is the palace courtyard bordered by cypress trees. More rooms can be seen on the other side of the courtyard. Also not swept. On the left in the photo is the current city wall, built only 500 years ago.
















Much of the Jerusalem Archeological Park is not as neat as things appear in the photos that you have just seen. Much of the time, things are layered as in the photos below. Doors are up in the air or half built-over, etc.



















The holes in the corner of the walls of the Temple Mount (right) are claimed by Muslims to be where Mohammad tethered his horse when he made his night journey to Heaven.

An extensive part of the site still being excavated.

One can come upon an archeological site by just wandering around the city.

Recently discovered and still being worked on is this street from the Byzantine era.
It is adjacent to the Western Wall Plaza, a sliver of which can be seen at the top of the photo.

Up the hill facing the Temple Mount are the remains of several homes.
As they are elaborate and in proximity to the Great Temple,
it is thought that these were the homes of priests.


This shopping street, The Cardo, is said to have been the heart of Byzantine Jerusalem.
It is located in the Jewish Quarter 20 feet below ground level.

Under the Old City is a newly excavated tunnel that runs adjacent to the base of the Western Wall under the Muslim Quarter. In the tunnel one can see cisterns from ancient homes and the bases and arches of bridges to bring people (and water) to the Temple Mount without having to walk down and up two hills. [Remember, there are seven hills in Jerusalem.] There is even a market street there as well.

In the tunnel, one can get closer to the site of the Holy of Holies than at the Western Wall,
but the space is tight.
A small number of people can pray there.

There is more room to pray and it is less crowded at the Little Western Wall inside of the Jerusalem Archeological Park, but it is slightly further from the Holy of Holies and there is an admission fee for the park.

The Happening!

Eruv Shabbat (Friday evening) at the Western Wall is very crowded. Although open 24/7, this is the busiest time. There is much singing and dancing (no couples) to celebrate and welcome the Sabbath.


There are more posts to come about Israel such as the 'Jerusalem: The New City'; 'Israel: The North', which includes Haifa, S'fad and the Galilee; & 'Israel: The South', which includes Eilat, the Negev and the Dead Sea. Then we go to 'Petra, Jordan' & 'İstanbul'.

Coming Attractions:




It was a busy trip. I hope to be finished writing by Passover ;-)