Today was dedicated to visiting some of the Holy sites located in and around Jerusalem, which is a little over an hours drive from Tel Aviv. We did not book a Christian Heritage Tour, which is frequently referred to as a Pilgrimage (good marketing!) We had to be ready to leave on our tour by 7:20 so it was an early start.
Around 75% of Israel's population is Jewish, 20% Arabic and various others making up the other 5%. Tel Aviv is the largest city in Israel and is considered the most secular with only around 25% practicing their faith. Jerusalem is the second largest city and has the largest percentage of the population (75%) who practice their faith.
We had the unique opportunity to cross over into the Palestinian Territory to visit Bethlehem and see what is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. Access to the area is through a small doorway leading into the Church of the Nativity. The church is the oldest in the Holy Land and a UNESCO site. The crowds were huge. We waited over two hours to descend down to a grotto underneath the Greek Orthodox part of the church. There was a fourteen point star placed on the ground to represent where Jesus was born. From there it was back to Jerusalem where we stopped at Mount Zion for a great view of the Dome of the Rock, the Wailing (sometimes referred to as the Western) Wall, the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as well as the Jewish, Muslim and Christian areas of Old Jerusalem where over 40,000 people currently live.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
https://domeoftherock.net/dome-of-the-rock-facts/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-via-dolorosa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre
It was a long day. Was it worth it, absolutely, but I think we'll appreciate it more later once we've recovered. I'd love to give you more details but we're pooped pilgrims and we're off to Jordan in the morning!
Oh yeah, and we're spending our first night ever in a hostel. Luxury room with our own private bedroom and bathroom!
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| The fourteen point star is believed to be the site where Jesus was born |
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| Entrance to the site of the birthplace |
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| Old Jerusalem |
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| One of the entrance gates to Old Jerusalem. Yes, those are bullet holes from the revolution |
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| Dome of the Rock. An important site for the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Religions |
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Dome of the Rock and Muslim Prayer Tower
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| Wailing Wall (Sometimes called the Western Wall) |
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| Touching the Wailing Wall. Note the small piece of paper are all prayers that have been left in the wall. All men are required to wear a yamaka |
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| Souvenir shops now line the Via Dolorosa |
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| Station VI of the Via Dolorosa. This is where a lady named Veronica wiped the face of Jesus creating the Veil of Veronica |
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| Church of the Sepulchre |
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| Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. People believe this was the rock where Jesus body was laid. Many pilgrims bring items to lay on the rock and to pray. |
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| Entrance to the Church of the Sepulchre |
