Exploring the Old City

"Once I sat on the steps by a gate at David's Tower, 

I placed my two heavy baskets at my side. 

A group of tourists was standing around their guide and 

I became their target marker. 

'You see that man with the baskets?

Just right of his head there's an arch from the Roman period. 

Just right of his head.' 

'But he's moving, he's moving!' 

I said to myself: redemption will come only

if their guide tells them, 

'You see that arch from the Roman period? 

It's not important: but next to it, left and down a bit, 

there sits a man who's bought fruit and vegetables 
for his family.'"
-Yehuda Amichai

Last Thursday, my school took trips around Jerusalem. I was fortunate enough to visit the Old City of Jerusalem.

I have been to the Old City before, but this trip was a bit different. The goal of the trip was to learn about the residents living in the four different quarters of the city. Instead of focusing on the typical tourist sites, we wanted to learn about the people: their identities, their narratives, and the struggles that they face living at the center of the monotheistic world.

The Old City

Until the mid- to late-1800s, the Old City was the entirety of Jerusalem. It is roughly divided into four quarters: Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian. The area of the Old City is approximately one square kilometer, and is the home to 37,000 people. Aside from 2 cities in India, the Old City is the most densely populated area of the world. 

I find the Old City to be a beautiful, yet complicated place. Inside its walls, I feel a unique intensity that is different than any other place I've visited. The city palpitates with a religious and spiritual energy that is breath-taking, yet overwhelming.

In other words, if I stay in the Old City too long, I get totally freaked out and feel like it's a little hard to breathe normally. Here are some pictures from the four different quarters:

This is the entrance to the St. James Cathedral in the Armenian Quarter, where we started our tour. The Armenians are a very small, close-knit community. The quarter is actually surrounded by its own wall, further insulating the community from the rest of the Old City. At 3:00pm on weekdays, anyone is allowed to enter the cathedral to see the daily prayer service. It was BEAUTIFUL (but no pictures allowed).

St. James Cathedral

St. James Cathedral. The service took place through the reddish doorway.

Outside the St. James Cathedral

Young men from all over the world come to this seminary to become Armenian priests.

Walking through the streets of the Old City

A rare open gate to the Armenian Quarter. As I mentioned above, it is very difficult to have contact with the Armenian community.

Next, we went to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. This is the quarter that I'm most familiar with, yet I wouldn't say I feel "at home" here. The Jewish Quarter is full of homes, yeshivot (Jewish learning institutions), small stores, art studios, and much more. The Western Wall, the holiest place in Judaism, is in the Old City (though we didn't go there today). 

School's out!

Israeli soldiers having a meeting in the Old City.

Israeli girls play outside of school.

Enter the Christian Quarter. Most of our time in the Christian Quarter was spent at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a beautiful and sacred site in the Old City. The church is believed to be the place where Jesus was buried, and is therefore an important pilgrimage site. 

On the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

On the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

We had the pleasure of speaking with a Franciscan friar, who told us about the people and the history of the church. He also spoke about the delicate "eco-system" within the church, because of all of the different denominations represented there.

Photo credit: Daniel Shibley

Inside the church.

Photo credit: Daniel Shibley

Inside the church.

Photo credit: Daniel Shibley

Last but not least, we went to the Muslim Quarter. The Muslim quarter is the most densely populated, and is the home to perhaps the most recognizable site in Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa mosque. The Muslim quarter is also where you can find the best hummus. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures from this quarter because it was nighttime and difficult to take pictures. 

Photo credit: Daniel Shibley

This is the gold dome of the Al-Aqsa mosque, the third holiest site in Sunni-Islam. 

As we were finishing up our tour, overlooking the Old City, the Muslim "call-to-prayer" began at several different mosques. It was a rich and beautiful mixture of sound, and a very appropriate way to end our day. Overall, I found the day meaningful and enriching, yet I wish we had the chance to speak with more people. It certainly gave me the desire to learn more about the communities within this diverse city.

After a long day, it was time to leave the walls of the Old City and breathe normally again.