Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital and largest city of Israel. Its history goes back as far as the 4th millennium BC, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual centre of the Jewish people since the 10th century BC. The city contains a number of significant ancient Christian sites and is widely considered the third-holiest city in Islam.

Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation. Its song is a sigh across the ages, a delicate, robust, mournful psalm at the great junction of spiritual cultures.
David K Shipler

I stayed 2 nights at the Lutheran Guesthouse (EUR 50,- B&B). This was just enough time to visit the main sights of what is known as the Old City. Crammed into an area of less than 1 square kilometre the Old City is home to several important religious sites: the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock for Muslims.

However, I first called at the Tower of David, the ancient citadel located near the busy Jaffa Gate (NIS 30). The citadel is home to an excellent exhibition which explains Jerusalem's turbulent history from its beginnings to modern times. Using maps, holograms, drawings and models, the exhibition rooms depict Jerusalem under its various rulers (NIS 30). The museum is the ideal place to start a visit to Jerusalem and understand the city's history.

I got my first impression of the Old City after I left the museum and walked on the well-preserved city walls from Jaffa Gate to Dung Gate near the Temple Mount (Ramparts walk, NIS 16).

The Temple Mount is an elevated plateau in the Old City. Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world: The Western Wall is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the "Wailing Wall" by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their temple. The most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem - the Dome of the Rock - is situated atop the Temple Mount.

I had to go through a security checkpoint before I was allowed to enter the plaza next to the Western Wall. Here, all men who wanted to go to the actual wall had to wear a hat (or take a free paper head covering) whilst women had to borrow the required shawls. A dividing screen separated the areas for men and women in the prayer area.

Nearby, I cleared another checkpoint manned by people from a different religion to access the Temple Mount and visit the Dome of the Rock (no charge, outside only). The Dome of the Rock was built from 688 to 691 and remains one of the world's most beautiful architectural treasures. The huge Temple Mount itself is a quiet space and offers superb views of the Mount of Olives, a number of churches and the Old City.

Back in the maze of covered alleys I found a surprisingly good restaurant (Amigo Emil) where I had a tasty lunch before I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or Church of the Resurrection. This Christian church stands on the spot where Jesus is thought to have been crucified. It is said to also contain the place where Jesus was buried (the sepulchre). As a result it has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century. Another important and meaningful thing for pilgrims is to walk the nearby Via Dolorosa, the route that Jesus took between his condemnation and his crucifixion.

Bethlehem

Although only approximately 10km away, it can be time-consuming to get to Bethlehem which is located in the West Bank. I used the cheapest option available and boarded one of the public buses (NIS 7) from Arab Bus Station near Damascus Gate. This was not the best idea since it took me about one hour to get to Bethlehem due to a random roadside security check en route. Once in Bethlehem I walked down Pope Paul IV street and arrived at Manger Square and the oldest continuously operating church: the Church of the Nativity. This church marks one of Christianity's most sacred sites - the birthplace of Christ. The church's large fortress-like exterior stands as a testament to its turbulent history: for centuries and as recent as 2002 it was one of the most fought over holy places.

I entered the basilica through a very low door, called the "Door of Humility." The inside of the church is designed like a Roman basilica. Stairways on either side of the sanctuary lead down by winding stairs to a small grottos and an altar on the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The grotto was busy with pilgrims who were more or less ready to kill to get close to this spot - I was pushed around and didn't feel comfortable at all in the grotto. There was not much more to see in Bethlehem so I headed back to Jerusalem. I spent my last evening on the Mount of Olives from where I watched the sunset.

Dead Sea

The next day, I took the bus from Jerusalem's Central Bus Station to Masada at the southern end of the Dead Sea (2 hours, NIS 40). There is only one place to stay - the Massada Guest House which is run by the Israel Youth Hostel Association but still quite expensive (US$ 75 B&B). Once I had checked in I took a shared taxi (NIS 10) to Ein Gedi Spa at the Dead Sea.

The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth, some 400 meters below sea level. It is fed by the Jordan River but there is a high rate of evaporation, mainly due to high temperatures and low humidity. This leaves a high concentration of salt and other minerals in the sea. Visitors can float on the waters due to its concentration of minerals, which is the highest in the world. As expected, it was quite an unusual and rather funny experience to float on the water.

Masada

The next morning, I got up early to make the most of my visit to Masada (pdf leaflet 426kb). Masada (Hebrew for fortress) is situated atop an isolated rock cliff overlooking the Dead Sea. The fortress was initially built by King Herod the Great but taken over by Zealots some 75 years later. They used Masada for raids on the Romans for two years. Once the Romans were fed up with this they marched against Masada: in the year 73 more than 10,000 Roman soldiers established camps at the base of Masada and laid siege to it. They then constructed a rampart of thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth against the western approaches of the fortress. Eventually they moved a battering ram up the ramp and breached the wall of the fortress. The defenders - almost 1,000 men, women and children - decided to burn the fortress and end their own lives, rather than be taken alive.

After the Zealots no other inhabitants occupied Masada, except for Byzantine monks who left a small church. Today, Masada is one of the Jewish people's greatest symbols. I took the cable car (NIS 61 return) to the top of the rock from where I enjoyed breathtaking view across the Dead Sea and the surrounding mountains of the Masada National Park. The remains of the massive Roman ramp as well as the camps can still be seen today. I was truly impressed by the large scale of Masada and its sophisticated water supply system.

In the afternoon I caught the bus to Eilat (2 hours, NIS 37), the only Israeli city on the Red Sea, making it both a popular holiday destination and an expensive place to stay. I stayed at the basic Arava Hostel (NIS 160 room only), conveniently located just down the road from the bus station.

The next day, I took a taxi (NIS 20) to Dolphin Reef, a fantastic place on the beach of the Red Sea. After an exciting dive with dolphins I chilled out on the beach for a few hours before I took a taxi to the nearby Egyptian border (NIS 15). Once I was in Egypt, I took a taxi (LE 160) to Dahab for some more diving.

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