The Holy City of Jerusalem travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

<The Holy City of Jerusalem, built in the 7th century, decorated with beautiful geometric and floral motifs, it is recognized by all three religions as the site of Abraham’s sacrifice. It consists of four ethnic and religious sections — the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City of Jerusalem is an approximately one square kilometer area of the modern day Israel city of Jerusalem. The Old City is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is visited by tourists from around the world.
Over 300 synagogues, churches, mosques, and other religious monuments—many of which have endured destruction and transformation—reveal the plurality of Jerusalem’s holy existence and reflect the significance of the city for all three faiths. Three existing monuments in particular—the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock—stand as symbols of Jerusalem’s historical significance and development. These three monuments are not only centers of worship for each of the three religions, but are also important expressions of cultural and political identity.
Through the architecture of a city whose history is often distorted by conflicting beliefs, one can explore the enduring legacy of the past.The Western Wall is part of the larger religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem called Har ha-Bayit or The Temple Mount to Jews and Christians, or Al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims. The Western Wall derives its holiness due to its proximity to the sacred Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount, which is the Most Holy Place in Judaism. This makes the Western Wall the holiest location in Judaism which is currently generally accessible to the Jewish people for prayer.

The main entrance to the city is the Jaffa Gate, built by Suleiman in 1538. The name in Arabic, Bab el-Halil or Hebron Gate, means “The Beloved,” and refers to Abraham, the beloved of God who is buried in Hebron. A road allows cars to enter the city here. It was originally built in 1898 when Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany visited Jerusalem. The ruling Ottoman Turks opened it so the German Emperor would not have to dismount his carriage.

Dome of the Rock is one of the first and most familiar achievements of Islamic architecture. Built 687-691 by the ninth Omayyad caliph, Abd al-Malik, the Dome is probably the most spectacular building in the Old City, topped with a dazzling golden dome visible from afar, the interior layered with glittering ceramics, mosaics and Arabic calligraphy. Despite common conceptions, the Dome is not a mosque, but a shrine which protects beneath its high ceiling, a large piece of Rock sacred to Muslims, Jews and Christians. The Rock is variously believed to be where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac, where Mohammad left the Earth on his Night Journey (a small indentation was reportedly left by his foot), as well as the site of the Holy of Holies of Herod’s Temple.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a Christian church now within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. The church has been an important pilgrimage destination since the 4th century. Today it serves as the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Catholic Archpriest of the Basilica of the Holy.

It is a city where old and new, holy and secular, pure nature and beautiful architecture mix into magical harmony of smells, sounds and sights.