Author: Miriam Drori

I have to admit I had a bit of trouble with X. Until I discovered Xanadu.

Xanadu, or Shangdu, isn’t actually in Jerusalem. It’s not even anywhere near Jerusalem. It’s in Inner Mongolia, China.

But… there’s a link. Marco Polo, the Venetian explorer (or should that be x-plorer?) is alleged to have made a journey from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to Xanadu.

So what?

Good question. I don’t have an answer. I suppose in the 13^th century it would have been a fairly difficult journey.

Anyway, it gives me an X word and an opportunity to post a couple of pictures of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Two places today. I couldn’t leave either of them out.

The Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) is the holiest site in Judaism. It is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Second Temple, and is known to have been a site for prayer and pilgrimage since the 4^th century.

The windmill in the Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighbourhood was built in 1857 by the British Jewish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore. Unfortunately, Sir Moses and friends failed to take local conditions into account. The mill was hardly used, mainly because there was not enough wind on most days. Now (or at least until recently) it houses displays showing the achievements of Sir Moses Montefiore.

The windmill is currently undergoing renovation. Apparently they’re turning it back into a working mill.

Fortunately, we have an older photo.

The Via Dolorosa is a street in the Old City of Jerusalem, believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. Its name means “Way of Grief” or “Way of Suffering”. The route is traversed by many processions throughout the year and particularly at Easter.

The Hebrew University opened in 1925. From 1948, the Mount Scopus campus was cut off from West Jerusalem and another campus was built in Givat Ram. Now both are used by the 22,000 students.

Very close to Jaffa Gate is the Tower of David, a citadel built over 2,000 years ago, destroyed and rebuilt four times. It is now a museum with exhibits depicting the four thousand years of Jerusalem’s history. Sound-and-light performances are held there, as well as other cultural events.

There are many similarities between the Arabic and Hebrew languages. One of them is the word for market. Hebrew: shuk, Arabic: souq.

The Wohl Rose Park is a public garden located between the Knesset and the Supreme Court and is one of the few such parks in the Middle East. Over 400 varieties of roses are grown here.

The park’s Garden of Nations consists of sections donated by other countries. Each section contains roses that grow in the relevant country.

When I returned home with my camera after visiting the park, I had to snap the roses in our garden. Sorry I can’t post their heavenly fragrance.

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The Jerusalem House of Quality is, according to its website, “a unique artisans center featuring arts and crafts in Jerusalem.”