Author: Miriam Drori

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Jaffa Gate lies at one end of Jaffa Road, which leads to Highway 1, which in turn leads to Tel Aviv-Jaffa. In ancient times, too, Jaffa Road led to the port of Jaffa. Jaffa Gate was inaugurated in 1538 by Suleiman the Magnificent. Its name in Arabic, Bab el-Khalil (Gate of the Friend), refers to Abraham.

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Around the corner, cars enter the Old City through a wide gap in the wall. This passage was originally built in 1898 when Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany visited Jerusalem.  The ruling Ottoman Turks agreed to open up the entrance so that the German Emperor would not have to dismount from his carriage to enter the city.

The Israel Museum was founded in 1965 and, as its website states, it “houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. In just forty-five years, thanks to a legacy of gifts and generous support from its circle of patrons worldwide, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing the full scope of world material culture.” It was recently upgraded and expanded to make full use of its 20-acre campus.

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Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) is known as the father of the modern State of Israel (literally: the visionary of the state). In Israel, he has a town (Herzliya) named after him, several streets and, in Jerusalem, a park – Mount Herzl. It is here that many leaders and fallen soldiers are buried. Herzl was reburied here in 1949.

I wanted to photograph Herzl’s tomb, but the area was closed for rehearsals for forthcoming ceremonies, so I snapped these flowers instead. If you can’t read it, you’ll have to believe that it says: Mount Herzl.

The German Colony is a suburb of Jerusalem. The area was first settled in 1873 by members of the Templar sect from Württemberg, Germany. They lived there until the Second World War, when they were deported by the British Mandatory government as enemy citizens.

I didn’t take this photo, due to a lack of time.

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The Dormition Abbey is a German Benedictine church completed in 1910. It has a conical roof (described as blue although it looks grey to me), four ornamental turrets and a clock tower. When we lived close to a view of the clock tower, we used to watch its “face” appear as it got dark.

(If I’d had any sense, I’d have photographed the two buildings together.)

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I’m a bit confused about what it’s supposed to be called in English, but it stands at the main entrance to Jerusalem, was inaugurated in 2008 and is now used by pedestrians and the light railway. I’m not sure it suits the character of Jerusalem, but it is impressive and was apparently the only suitable option for the light railway.

All the photos in these posts were taken by a very unprofessional photographer – me. You can easily find much better ph0tos of this hospital.

Bikur Cholim (literally “Visiting the Sick”) Hospital dates from 1826. The current building was completed in 1925 and was one of the first to be erected in what is now the city centre. It still functions as a hospital, having survived artillery fire and severe financial problems.

As I mentioned before, I’m going to be blogging about Jerusalem this month – one letter per day. With such a subject, I’m rather spoilt for choice and can only show you a small part of the amazing number and variety of sites in this relatively small town.

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The Al Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam. Its name means “the Farthest Mosque” and it originates from the year 705, although the building has been rebuilt and renovated several times since then.