Visit to Jerusalem Old City

Went on a guided tour around Jerusalem Old City yesterday with JW and his 'cousin'. Guess some people must be wondering why I have never been there till now while I am in Israel for almost a year. Reason being I was not in the least bit interested in such places as I am not religious. Also, its not a very safe place and unless you are on a tour, dun ever wander there by yourself coz its still full of crooks and thieves even though its a holy place. Jerusalem had such a long and complex history, and I simply could not fully understand the conflicts  between the Muslims, Jews and Christians over this piece of land.

 Standing outside Jaffar Gate, where the tour started.

The walls of the old city

 Most of the buildings looked very similar to me, stones, sandy beige colour and more stones.

A statue of King David

A coming of age Jewish ceremony

Entrance into the room of the last supper.

 Inside the room of the last supper.

This Muslim structure was also found in the room, and was supposed to be facing the direction of prayers.

 Most of the old buildings had narrow slit like openings, which I cant remb what exactly they are used for.

 Our tour guide, pointing out in the direction where the border between Israel and Palestine lies.

The Golden Dome in the distance.

 Entrance to the Western Wailing Wall and the Golden Dome. There is a male entrance on the left and female entrance on the right.

 Walking through the wooden archway bridge over to the Golden Dome

The Wailing Wall can be seen from the wooden bridge.

 A Muslim mosque opp the Golden Dome.

Close up view of the Golden Dome, only Muslims can enter.

 A shopping alley in the Muslim quarters, felt creepy to me as its dark and narrow inside with people trying to sell their stuffs to you. I just walked quickly through.

The fifth station in the Via Dolorosa route, which Jesus took on his way to his crucification.

 Station 6, not very sure what it means as I am busy trying to catch up with the guide and the place is like a maze, with many alleys and identical looking buildings. It is best not to get lost or the 'vultures' will start to pounce on you...

Entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the site where Jesus was crucified and buried.

Going up the stairways to the Calvary.

 People queuing up to touch the rock which Jesus was crucified on. The whole atmosphere was so sombre that I din even dared to talk or breathe too loudly....

The rock was enclosed inside the glass to protect it from pilgrims trying to chip off a piece. While looking at it, I was suddenly overcome by a great sense of unexplainable sadness. There IS an aura here which I cant explain, it felt so real, so peaceful yet so sad....and right away, I truly believe it is a holy place(despite being a non Christian) and I believe Jesus was crucified on this very rock coz his aura remains and the sadness of it still lingers after thousands of years....I was quite shaken by it all and was totally speechless at that moment. It was like being shaken awake to what's real (which is the pain, suffering and sacrifice) and whats not real (the thoughts and voices inside my head) After this, I was in no mood to take any more pics inside the Church.

 After the tour ended, we went for tea break at this very nice cafe inside an Austrian Hospice. Finding this place was like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert and the coffee was excellent.

 By the time we finished tea, it was night fall. I felt Jerusalem at night felt more peaceful and relaxed compared to the tense atmosphere in the daytime. It seems like a different place after the sun went down.

 Nightime views of the old city

Nightime view of the Golden Dome from far

At the end of the day, I'm glad I came to the tour. I began to understand why so many people want to come to this place. There really is something holy here and its not something that can be explained unless you felt it.