Places to visit in Tel Aviv-Yafo, ירושלים
Holy Jerusalem
central bus station Tel Aviv, 6th floor, 6th platform
Bus number three can take you from central bus station in Jerusalem to the Jaffa Gate old city, Please don’t hesitate to ask the driver when to get out, or use the navigator
The Jaffa Gates are named so because the road from the city of Jaffa was approaching here. These gates, like all the walls of the modern old city, were erected in the 16th century, during the reign of Sultan Suleiman magnificent. It was the tenth and most famous of all the sultans of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. He died from dysentery in 1566 during the siege of the fortress of Szigetvar in Hungary. And he is buried in the mausoleum in Istanbul next to his beloved wife the legendary Roksolana.
We have entranced narrow passage that leads us into a small court. This is the typical inner garden we can see in the vicinity of Christian and Armenian quarters of old Jerusalem. Small passage beneath the arch connects this garden with Christian Maronite Church. In front of us we can see the entrance to the mosque of Jakob. Some sources tells the name of Jacob has strong ties with Jacob - son of Joseph brother in law of Jesus.
The great fortress above us is the fortress of King Herod the Great, in time it was called the fortress of David. If you follow the version of the Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov in his novel master and Margarita, he describes Pilate's trial of Jesus in this fortress in the citadel of King Herod the Great. Another Russian writer Bunin stayed at the hotel Petra which is directly above us. Another Russian American writer Nabokov was going to visit Jerusalem and stay at the hotel Bathsheba the former Imperial hotel but unfortunately in Jerusalem the writer has never been. Imperial was built in the late 19th century as the most luxurious hotel in the old town.
The Church of John the Baptist was built on this site in the 5th century AD. It was destroyed during the invasion of the Persians, but later restored. In the Middle Ages, the church and monastery were upset and acquired a modern look. In 1099 in this monastery Crusader warriors organized shelter for pilgrims. They later founded the Order of John the Baptist. This order is better known as the Order of Hospitallers.
The square in front of the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is part of the temple complex, rebuilt by the Crusaders, and, practically unchanged, has survived to this day since the 13th century. To the right of the entrance is a lonely chapel with a marble fragment of the cladding. This is the Chapel of Revelation, the place where the skirts were removed from Jesus before nailing to the cross. The gate is two high pointed arches in the left of which are wooden doors leading to the temple. On the second tier above the arches is a wooden staircase - a symbol of the status quo, established between six denominations, who serve in the temple. A bell tower rises to the left of the entrance gate. It was higher in times of crusaders. It has bells cast in the 19th century at the factories of Samgin in Moscow.
Don't be afraid to get lost in new places!
