Jerusalem Tourism is so vast that it is impossible to cover the whole city on a short visit. Jerusalem includes many well-known archaeological sites that evoke the History of Jerusalem. These historical buildings and stones could be found mainly in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Old City is surrounded by the Old walls that can be access by seven various gates like the Gate of Flowers, Gate of Mercy, Jaffa Gate, Zion Gate, Dung Gate and many more. The buildings in Old City are Davidson Center, Dome of Rock, Church of Redeemer, Batei Mahesh Square.
The Jerusalem Tourism helps you to visit some other important sites and popular museums. Get through the Jerusalem Travel Guide to know more about the city. As Jerusalem is the historic city, it possesses many museums, ancient churches and mosques. You will also find some religious buildings, parks and memorials also. The attractive museums and sightseeing destination are Israel Museum that was founded in 1965 and achieved excellent status with prehistoric collection in it. It is regarded as the largest encyclopedic museums of world. Some other attractive places are Heikhal Shlomo, Underground Prisoner Museums, Church of Saint Anne, The Bible Lands of Museum, L. A. Mayer Memorial Museum of Islamic Art, Ammunition Hill Memorial and Museum, Mount Herzl and Skirball Museum of Biblical Archeology. Do not miss a chance to visit Islamic Art Museum in Jerusalem and Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem, since these are two important museums in the city.
The Sightseeing in Jerusalem is enhancing the Jerusalem tourism. The attractive places include Ticho House, The Knesset, Kottel tunnels, Shrine of the Book, Jerusalem Theater and Davidson Center, Hezekiah's Tunnel in Jerusalem, Warren's Shaft in Jerusalem and many more.
History of Jerusalem
History of Jerusalem shows us that traces of human footstep could be found from the Late Chalcolithic Period and Early Bronze Age. From the various documents we come to know that it was once known as Salem, under the rule of king Melchizedek, other documents tell us that the city of Jerusalem was founded by Abraham's forefathers Shem and Eber.
Later, from the Books of Samuel we come to know, that Jerusalem was at one time controlled by a group of scholars known as Jebusites and they resisted the Israeli's attempts to capture Jerusalem. Later on King David managed to capture the city by sending his army through the water shaft and attacked the citizens from inside the city. King Solomon built the Temple of Solomon which finally became a major cultural attraction of the city. When Hezekiah became the king of Judah, he made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom. It served as the capital of Judah for 400 years and even survived the siege by Sennacherib, the Assyrian king. But soon the darkness grasped Jerusalem when Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar captured it in 597 BCE and Jehoiachin, the young king became a captive. After several decades, Jerusalem became the capital of Judah again when Cyrus II of Persia allowed the Jews to enter the city. Soon after Jerusalem came under the rule of the Greeks when they conquered Persia after the death of Herod it came under the Roman rule in 6 CE. New Testament gives it the dignity of being the location of both the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Titus conquered it in 70 CE and only the Wailing Wall of the Second Temple remained.
With the decline of the Ottoman Empire the modern history of Jerusalem began. Lots of immigrants came from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. From the British conquest of Jerusalem in 1917 also began a period of unrest and problem in the history of Jerusalem. Anti-Jewish riots took place in Jerusalem in 1920, 1929 and the 1930s. Violence continued throughout 1930s and 1940s.
In the 1930s, the Hadassah Medical Center and Hebrew University were founded.
Sightseeing in Jerusalem
If you are planning to go for sightseeing in Jerusalem then it's very important that you know what Jerusalem tourism are made up of. Jerusalem travel guide will help you to unveil the rich store of historical monuments which gives an insight to the past of the city. Jerusalem being a common holy place for three major religions - Judaism, Christians and Islam is full of beautiful churches and mosques. Jerusalem is a travelers dream; it's a city of never ending discoveries. The beautiful historical monuments and the archeological findings are sure to capture the interests of people of all age group.
Sightseeing in Jerusalem can never be complete unless you visit the Old city of Jerusalem, which is an ideal place for the whole family. The beautiful remains of Western Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, the sacred place of the Jewish people is sure to thrill you. Another important must see place is the Church of Holy Sepulcher which was built in the fourth century over the site of a Roman Pagan temple and is considered as one of the world's holiest shrines to Christians
When you are in Jerusalem do not forget to see the famous Golden gate also known as the Gate of Mercy or Gate of Eternal life, which is one of the famous closed gates of the Old city of Jerusalem. They are some other historically important places called as the Christian quarter and the Muslim quarter which are flooded with historical churches and mosques
While at Jerusalem you'll never have to worry about what to do and what to see in Jerusalem as the place is packed with delightful buildings and monuments. If you had had enough of seeing temples, churches and mosques and want to see the daily life scenario of Jerusalem then come to the famous Mahne Yehuda Market. Here you'll get the real essence of this mystic city. Another important sightseeing at Jerusalem is the famous President's house which stands tall and proud as an important land mark of the city.
So, when you come to Jerusalem be prepared to be mesmerized by the beauty of these places. While at Sightseeing in Jerusalem, you can also try out the other Jerusalem tourist attractions which include:-
- Church of the Holy Sepulcher
- Al -Aqsa Mosque
- Area G
- Broad Wall
- Brunt House
- Cardo in Jerusalem
- Heizekiah's Tunnel
- Warren's shaft
- Mount of Olives
- Hinnom Valley
- Knesse6t
- Kidron Valley
- Church of Mary Magdalen, Jerusalem
- Church of St. John the Baptist, Jerusalem
- Church of the Visitation, Jerusalem
- Dome of the Rock & Temple Mount, Jerusalem
- Dominus Flevit, Jerusalem
- Dormition Abbey, Jerusalem
- Ethiopian Monastery, Jerusalem
- Pater Noster Convent, Jerusalem
- Room of the Last Supper, Jerusalem
- Tomb of David, Jerusalem
- Tomb of the Virgin, Jerusalem
- Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem
- The Biblical Zoo, Jerusalem
- Ophel Archaeological Garden, Jerusalem
- Gates of Jerusalem
Festival & Events in Jerusalem
The holy city of Jerusalem in Israel is known for its religious importance worldwide. The city is considered to be of utmost importance to three different religions; Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Jerusalem is the holiest spiritual land for Judaism and is the spiritual homeland for the Jewish. It is the third holiest place for Islam and is home to many significant landmarks of Christianity. The city might have a dominance of the Jewish population but is the homeland to a mixture of national, religious, and socioeconomic groups. The important portion of the Old city in Jerusalem is represented by four major ethnic groups of the Armenians, Christians, Jewish, and Muslims. This brilliant amalgamation of the various cultures and religions has paved the way for a homogeneous culture of the city which is largely reflected in the festival and events of Jerusalem. Home to a multi-religious culture, Jerusalem enjoys festivals and events of different cultures which are celebrated with equal fervor by the people of every creed. The religion has never played a debarring factor in the celebration of the festivals and events in Jerusalem. Be it some Jewish festival or the grand events of the Christians, the population of the Jerusalem has stood tall and together in celebrating then together. As a matter fact the festival and events in Jerusalem have turned out to be the best time in the calendar to visit the holy land.
The calendar year of Jerusalem remains always filled with different festivals and events. Usually the major festivals starts from the month of March in which the citizens of the city get to enjoy the festivals and events of
- Palm Sunday, Jerusalem
- Holy Week, Jerusalem
- Easter, Jerusalem
- Jerusalem Half-Marathon
In the month of May the city dressed itself with the festivals of
- Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem
- Lag B'Omer, Jerusalem
The month of July is one of the most happening months if the city with the Jerusalem Film Festival, Jerusalem. The city becomes the headquarters of culture with the films from different parts of the world being screened in Jerusalem at the film centre of the city.
The grandeur of the month of August is celebrated with the festival of Tisha b'Av, Jerusalem.
Other festivals and events celebrated during the different time periods of the year are:
- Hutzot Hayotzer, Jerusalem
- The Feast of Tabernacles, Jerusalem
- Abu Gosh Music Festival, Jerusalem
- Ramadan, Jerusalem
- Eid al Fitr, Jerusalem
- Chanukah, Jerusalem
- Christmas in Jerusalem
Museums in Jerusalem
Jerusalem is regarded as one of the most stunning and beautiful cities in the world. The museums, archaeological buildings and sight seeing spots are enhancing Jerusalem Tourism. This prehistoric city is improving with time. The beauty of this city is an amalgamation of the scenic views and various architectural styles. It is quite impossible for the tourists to encompass the whole city in short time. However, do not miss a chance3 to visit the Museums in Jerusalem.
On your visit to the popular city, you can visit in this Museums in Jerusalem. You can go through the Jerusalem Travel Guide to know more about the museums and sightseeing of Jerusalem. Some information of the Museums in Jerusalem is given below for your convenience.
- Ammunition Hill Museum-Givat Hatachmoshet
This is the main museum that portrays the freedom and reunification of Jerusalem. The fortification is kept in this underground museum. The museum displays all the battles that Jerusalem had went through. The collection is huge and vast.
- Bible Lands Museum-
This museum displays the history of biblical period in the various aspect of Bible. This museum only displays various exhibitions on this period for the tourists.
- Bloomfield Science Museum-
This is a science museum exhibits illustrated scientific classiness. It is mainly recommended for both the children and adults.
- Armenian Mardigian Museum
Visiting Hours: Monday To Saturday, 9:00 am - 4.30 pm, Closed on Sundays and holidays
You can find this hotel inside the Armenian Convent Walls. The museum offers a complete overview of art, culture and history of Armenia.
- Cable Car Museum
You can see the exhibition displays on cable car. The cable car would be elongated every night and lowered in the morning.
- Heichal Shlomo and The Great Synagogue
This building displays the historical aspect of prehistoric age, and the museum displays the artistic Jewish religious artifacts.
- Herzl Tomb and the Herzl Museum
You can see a memorial statue at the entrance gate of this museum. It displays the lives of Jewish people.
- King David Museum
The museum shows the life of King David through modern art.
- Museum of Psalms:
This is the most famous museum among all the museums in Jerusalem. It is situated in the Old City of Jerusalem
There are some more museums in Jerusalem. They are as follows:
- Herodian Quarter & Wohl Archaeological Museum, Jerusalem
- Rockefeller Museum of Archaeology, Jerusalem
- Chamber of the Holocaust, Jerusalem
- Islamic Art Museum, Jerusalem
- Tower of David Museum, Jerusalem
How to Get in
Getting there to holy city of Jerusalem is very easy as it is well connected with all modes of transport with other destinations. Nestled in the barren land of Israel Jerusalem is surrounded by three mountains and four valleys.
By Air:
The most convenient way to getting to Jerusalem is by air. Ben Gurion international airport located in Lod region-halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv is the main airport that serves the city.
By Train:
Jerusalem is well connected with Tel Aviv by means of train. Beit Shemesh is the point of interchanging. For Jerusalem disembark train at Malha Station.
By Bus:
The most cheap and efficient way of getting there at Jerusalem is by bus. Almost every city of Israel has an efficient bus service to Jerusalem. However during Shabbat your only option of travel is sherut or shared taxi. It is the best option if you want to travel from Jerusalem to Palestinian cities.
Hotels in Jerusalem
