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Discovering Abu Gosh: A Historic Village of Hummus, Music and Monasteries
inisrael.com travel guide

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Discovering Abu Gosh: A Historic Village of Hummus, Music and Monasteries

Jerusalem travel guide

Abu Gosh is a lovely, picturesque village located in the Judean Hills, off a winding road between Tel Avi and Jerusalem, dating back some 6,000 years. The village is situated on a mountainside and serves as a tourist attraction, drawing in many visitors.

The village is particularly famous for its hummus restaurants. You may not reach the original Abu Shukri restaurant, but there are many restaurants serving authentic and particularly tasty food throughout the village, at affordable prices. Aside from the famous restaurants, twice a year – during Sukkot and Shavuot – the village holds a vocal music festival. The festival hosts choirs from across the country and around the world, which perform in the village’s monasteries. The village has a number of guest houses, gift shops, candle shops and glassware stores. The atmosphere in the village is unique, as it serves as a meeting point for the three religions: Jewish Israelis and tourists from around the world visit the Muslim village in order to hear music at a Christian church.

During Biblical times the village was called Kiryat Ye’arim. The Ark of the Covenant was placed there and it was a site for religious rituals. Later, during the Byzantine period, a church was built on the highest point in the village. This church was destroyed during the Persian occupation, and The Church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant – which features a large statue of the Virgin Mary – was built on its ruins. These days, nuns live in the church and twice a year, during Sukkot and Shavuot, it hosts choirs from across Israel and around the world during the vocal music festival.

According to Christian belief, Abu Gosh is where Jesus appeared following his resurrection. During the Crusader period a church and stunning monastery were built in the village, which have been preserved to this day. The Benedictine Monastery is surrounded by a huge, lovely garden with ancient olive trees, an orchard and grapevines. The monastery’s interior walls feature frescos that were drawn during the thirteenth century, and a spring flows from the monastery’s crypt. The site also houses a ceramics and candle factory, operated by the monks. Six daily prayer sessions are held at the monastery, from 5:30 A.M.-8:30 P.M., and visitors are encouraged to visit during one of the sessions, for the unique opportunity to hear prayer songs performed in an 800-year-old church.

Monastery Visiting Hours: Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday: 8:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M. and 2:30 P.M.-5:30 P.M.

Christian Quarter - Old City Jerusalem

Christian Quarter - Old City Jerusalem

The Christian Quarter functions as the most toured quarter of the old city and the second largest out of the four. Located only moments after the Jaffa gate in the northwest, it serves many of the people visiting the old city, as its threshold. The quarter, consisting of both broad streets and narrow alleys, is the base for the famous Holy Sepulchre Church. The church is said to be built over the areas of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial place and his resurrection. Serving as the heart of Christian life in Jerusalem, the quarter naturally plays the part of home for monks, nuns and priests as well as being connected to both the Greek and Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Besides the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the quarter prides itself in the Mursitan, built over the wreckage of the old Knights Hospitaller hospital, which serves now as a marketplace. Also, tourists can find themselves entering the neo-Romanesque Lutheran Church of the Redeemer or continuing their shopping in the Christian Quarter Shuk which leads into the bazaar of the Moslem Quarter, where they can find many souvenir shops with the same variety on the whole. More about the Old CIty >>

The Twin Cave - attractions around Jerusalem

The Twin Cave - attractions around Jerusalem

The Twin Cave is an ancient cave intertwined with stories and discoveries from the time of the Maccabees and stories about different types of bats that find their favorite cool and dark place. The route leading to the cave lasts less than an hour in each direction and is not particularly difficult, children aged 4 and over will manage without help most of the time. The tour of the cool and humid cave is especially pleasant after the heat outside and you should enter with personal flashlights if you want to see their way. In the depths of the Twin Caves springs a spring that some believe have healing properties for its waters. Up the road, minutes after the cave opens, you can glide on a natural slide made of very smooth rock. The children will be able to spend long minutes of fun there and so will you. The cave is not open to visitors at a time when the bats are sleeping their winter sleep. The cave is not far from the Stalactite Cave a short distance from Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The holiest Christian shrine in the world is situated on the Hill of Golgotha (skull hill), used to be an execution location outside the city walls. According to Christian gospels, and with compatibility to archeological discoveries, this is the real site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection. The beautiful architecture of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a combination of Crusader, Byzantine and Greek structures. In addition, five Christian communities share the Church today: the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, the Armenian, the Coptic and the Syrian Orthodox, each has its own part inside the church. The Holy Sepulchre History: In 335 AD, Constantin, the Emperor of Byzantium, and his mother, Helena, built a splendid church on the exact site where the massive excavations they ran revealed the tomb of Jesus. The church was completely destroyed by Caliph El-Hakim in 1009, partly reconstructed by the Byzantines in 1042, and entirely rebuilt by the Crusaders when they entered Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. However, a big fire in 1808 caused a lot of damaged to the church, which had been repaired by the Greek Orthodox during the last century. The architecture of the church as it exists today is therefore a combination of Crusader, Byzantine and Greek structures. Information: Visitors of all religions are requested to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre modestly dressed. The church is open daily from 5:00am to 9:00pm (4:00am to 8:00pm at wintertime), admission is free. The church can be reached from Jaffa Gate, through the Christian Quarter St., or from the Lions Gate following Jesus' footsteps along the Via Doloroza. Virtual Tours of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Jerusalem - one of a kind
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