Jerusalem

5/18/05 (Continued)

From 10am until 6pm, we spent hiking the Old City of Jerusalem. This was a general orientation. Todd (our tour guide) took us to the top of a Hostel where we had an incredible view of the Temple Mount (includes the Dome of the Rock) and the Mount of Olives beyond.

Then we went to the Jewish quarter, where Todd showed us the Cado, which is an ancient road built by the Romans after they destroyed the city. After that, we had a pizza lunch, and then went to the Temple Mount. We had to go through a security checkpoint in order to get into the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall), and then we had to go through a second security checkpoint in order to go onto the Temple Mount. This is because the Moslems control the Mount (this is where the Dome of the Rock is located). They searched our bags, confiscated our Bibles (temporarily) and put us through a metal detector. It took us 45 minutes to get through security, and then we only had about 20 minutes to see the Mount. This was an incredible time, as this floor is the same floor that Jesus would have walked on with his disciples. The Dome of the Rock stands where the Temple used to stand, and it’s a huge, very ornate structure.

Next we went to see the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is very likely the site of Jesus crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. It is common for people to build churches over the holy sites. This church is extremely ornate, with the rock of the crucifixion encased in a glass floor. There are candles, and incense everywhere. There were lots of Greek Orthodox people worshipping, burning candles, etc. Fascinating.

Next, we walked a portion of the traditional Via Dolorosa, and ended at a shop that would exchange our money for a good rate. A busy day, but a wonderful day.

5/19/05

Today we spent the whole day, from 8am-5:30pm touring. The first half of the day we spent on an Old Testament tour. First, we went to a civic center that had a giant topographical map. Here, our guide walked us through the OT history of Jerusalem from Abraham and Melchizedek to the Conquest, to David and Solomon, to Hezekiah, to the Exile. This was really awesome, because it helped us see how important the geography of the city is to its history. Todd explained how the walls of the city changed over time. After his lecture, he showed us an excavated portion of Hezekiah’s wall.

Then we went to the City of David, which is the southern portion of the Eastern Hill of Jerusalem. Here, He showed us several archeological excavations, and then took us to Hezekiah’s tunnel. This was so cool, I can hardly explain it! First we saw the water shaft that the Jebusites used in the time of David; through which Joab may have climbed through when they conquered the city. Then, we continued through this cave until we came to Hezekiah’s tunnel. This thing is a tunnel, chiseled out of the rock about ¾ mile long that takes water from the Gehan Spring on the eastern side of the city to the pool of Siloam on the Western side of the city. It takes a half hour to walk through. It’s crazy to think that people carved this tunnel out of sheer rock in 700 B.C.! How did they do it?! More amazing, they had two crews that worked from both ends and met in the middle! The tunnel is very narrow, wide enough to walk single file. The ceiling is quite low in some places, and the water comes up to your knees. There are no lights, so you have to use a flashlight. This walk was not for claustrophobics! I was so proud of Diedra! She was very nervous at first, but she did awesome! (I was okay because I and several other confessing claustrophobics were in the very back…so we didn’t feel so trapped. If one of us had to go back we were all going back…it was great bonding time:o))

When we exited the tunnel, we got to see the newly discovered Siloam pool, which is currently being uncovered by archeologists. Then we had lunch, and got on a tour bus for a half-hour trip to a place that has a 1/50 model of Jerusalem in 65 A.D. (about 30 years after the death of Christ. This was fascinating. The difficulty with touring Jerusalem now, is that it is very different than it was when Jesus walked it. This model, however is very close to what Jesus experienced during his time here. Our guide walked us through the important sites. The Model of the temple was really cool. It gives you an idea of how massive it was before the Romans destroyed it. I thought the Dome of the Rock was huge; apparently, it would have been dwarfed by the Temple!

We got back to our hotel exhausted, and reeking of sweat! The shower felt soooo good! We went to dinner, and enjoyed another awesome meal, that is hard to describe. Lots of salads, beef, chicken, pasta, rice, and vegetables. Every meal there is plenty of pita bread, which is delicious. We’re tired, and looking forward to a good sleep tonight. Tomorrow is another full day, this time a New Testament walk.