Are We There Yet?

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Geo: 31.7738, 35.2252

After leaving our morning tour, we boarded the streetcar and rode down to the Damascus Gate, which marks the entrance to the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. Our afternoon tour -- of the Mount of Olives -- was to depart at 2:30 pm, and we had just enough time for a little shopping and a repeat lunch at Luna's Restaurant from the day before. We did not think it possible, but the Old City was even more packed than the day before. We had to walk along a good portion of the Via Dolorosa, and being Good Friday, there were throngs of pilgrams walking the Stations of the Cross, including some people carrying large crosses. The police and soldiers were everything. Our restaurant was along the Via Dolorosa, so it allowed us to watch the steady stream of people making their way up to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
We took some creative shortcuts and managed to make it up to Jaffa Gate -- entrance to the Armenian Quarter -- just in time to meet our tour. Here, too, the differences between the previous day were amazing. We sat at the gate while our tour assembled, and it was a solid one-way line of Hassidic jews in full fur-hat and black-robe regalia power walking with all of their children and strollers in a steady steam into the city. They were in full "get home before Shabbat" mode, as most of them are so devout, they are not even allowed to turn on a light switch once the horn blows to mark the beginning of Shabbat, as it would represent "work."

Our tour had been billed as a two-hour walking tour of the Mount of Olives, which is the hill directly across from the Old City, which has multiple churches marking key events in Jesus' life and resurrection, including His Ascension and arrest. Our guide startled us by then telling us that we'd be with him for the next four to five hours. We exchanged already tired looks among the three of us, but we boarded one of two minibuses which shuttled our tour to the very top of the Mount of Olives. From there, the tour was a steady walk downhill, through various sights, leading us to Dung Gate in the Muslim Quarter, to include the first three Stations of the Cross, which we had not seen in our previous tour.

The afternoon was hot, so we sought out shade at each stop along the way. Our tour included visits to the Church of the Ascension -- we in fact visited the two "competing" sites from which Jesus reportedly ascended into Heaven following his resurrection. We also saw Pater Noster, which was a beautiful church built to mark the site where they believe Jesus taught his disciples the Lord's Prayer; the Tomb of Mary; and the Church of Mary Magdalene. The route snaked down through the enormous Jewish cemetery which covers the western side of the Mount of Olives. This is the ultimate place for a Jew to be buried, as the Torah states that the Messiah will arrive on the mount, judge the "good and the damned," and enter Jerusalem from here. On the opposite hillside, directly below the walls of the Old City, there is a huge centuries-old Muslim graveyard. When it was constructed, one of the original gates was bricked in and the graves now block that gate. They say the Muslims purposely did this to block the gate and path through which the Jewish Messiah would enter Jerusalem.

By the time we reached the base of the hill, and Mary's Tomb, the three of us were spent and just wanted to leave, regardless of the fact the tour was not yet over. Had it not been Shabbat, we could have easily grabbed a taxi or hopped a bus home, but they had already stopped, not to start again until after dark on Saturday. We walked into the Old City with our tour, but then abandoned them, found a cafe, recharged with some cold drinks, and then headed for Damascus Gate. Our hope was to find an Arab taxi -- they are allowed to operate on Shabbat. We had luck and were very thankful for the ride back up the hill to our hotel. Anna told me this was the best money we spent on the entire trip.

Unsure what the restaurant situation would be in the Jewish area on Shabbat night, our hotel recommended what turned out to be an excellent Italian restaurant within an easy walk. We ate outside and the weather was simply perfect as the stars slowly emerged. As with almost every night since we arrived, we all collapsed into bed shortly thereafter.

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Photos

Riot Police Stand Guard Over Friday Muslim Prayers
Just outside Damascus Gate

Church of the Ascension
The only combination mosque-church in the world. Originally built as a church, it was later converted by Saladin the Magnificent to a mosque, but he ordered it still be marked as a church, too.

Pater Noster
Church marking where Jesus taught His Disciplines to pray.

Lord's Prayer in Cherokee
The walls of the church compound include the Lord's Prayer in over 230 languages. I just thought this was interesting, as I didn't even know that Cherokee was a written language.

Garden of Gethsemane
Where Jesus waiting to be arrested, and confirmed Judas' betrayal. The rock within the little gate is to denote the physical spot where He was kissed by Judas.

Rock from which Jesus Ascended to Heaven
Within the small Church of the Ascension

Temple Mount
All of the graves in front of the wall are Muslim, and if you look to the right of the picture, you'll see where an old gate was bricked over. The closed gate and Muslim graves are to block any Jewish Messiah from entering the city, as prophesized in the Torah.

Jewish cemetery on Mt. of Olives
Tradition is to leave a rock on a grave every time you visit...

Russian Church
Our guide noted that this church is closed at all times to any non-Russians

Parts of the Jewish Graveyard Destroyed by Jordan
Our guide told us how the Jewish cemeteries on the Mt. of Olives were desecrated and destroyed by Jordanian troops when they occupied the land between 1948 and 1967. Most of the graves were restored following the Six Day War, but parts -- including this one -- were left as reminders.

800-year-old Olive Tree
Outside Church of Mary Magdelene

Police and Soldiers Along Via Dolorosa
I thought I was being sly taking the picture, and didn't realize until we were home that the solider had waved to me.

Collapsing for a Cold Drink After Tour
The Austrian Hospice in the building in the background