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Rockefeller Museum Jerusalem

The Rockefeller Museum is located in East Jerusalem, opposite Herod’s Gate. The museum was designed by renowned British architect Austen St. Barbe Harrison in the 1930s. In his beautifully impressive architectural design, Harrison successfully merged east and west. The museum, which opened in 1938, exhibits numerous important historical findings from Jerusalem and around Israel, found mostly during the British Mandate period. Among the items on display: A collection of gold jewelry, Megiddo ivory collection, Lachish letter ostracon and decorated wooden doorposts from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The museum’s exhibit halls have high ceilings, inspired by the Roman halls built around a beautiful courtyard with three different levels.

Rockefeller Museum Jerusalem
Address: Sultan Suleiman 27, Jerusalem (near Herod’s Gate, a short drive from Safra Square, parallel to the Old City walls).
Telephone: 02-628-2251

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The Temple Mount Jerusalem

Holy to both Muslims and Jews, the Temple Mount (or Haram ash-Sharif in Arabic) is the most remarkable well-known symbol of Jerusalem, and the most controversial either. For Jews it is the ancient Mount Moriah, where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac, and where the First and Second Temples were built. For Muslims it is their third holiest shrine, as said to be the site from where Muhammad have ascended to heaven on his Night Journey. Visible from almost anywhere around the Old City, the Temple Mount is a wide area with the Dome of the Rock in its center and the El-Aqsa Mosque at its southern edge. The Dome of the Rock: Glowing with its magnificent golden dome, and holding the sacred rock upon Isaac was almost sacrificed and from which Muhammad rose to heaven, the Dome of the Rock was built by Caliph Abd el-Malik in 691 AD, as part of the Muslims attempt to demonstrate their ascendance over Christianity. Traditionally known as the center of the world, the sacred rock inside shows the legendary mark of Muhammad's footprint. El-Aqsa Mosque: Built by the son of Abd el-Malik, Caliph Walid, in the early 8th century, the El-Aqsa Mosque, with its silver-black dome, is far less glorious than the Dome of the Rock, but it serves as the actual place of worship for Muslim pilgrimages coming to the Temple Mount. Its name means "the farthest", referring to the farthest point that was reached by Muhammad on his Night Journey. Information: Entering the Temple Mount is through a gate called Mughrabi Gate, reached from the Western Wall area. Visitors should remember to be appropriately dressed (i.e. with no bare body parts), and to be prepared to sometimes a long queue at the security checking point. Visiting hours are Saturday to Thursday from 7:30am to 11:00am, and from 1:30pm to 2:30pm. The site is closed on Friday. (Notice that these times can be changed as they are based on Muslim prayer times).

Israel Museum, Jerusalem – Buy tickets online

Since its establishment in 1965, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem has become one of the leading institutions in Israel and one of the most important and comprehensive museums in the world. The museum features upwards of 500,000 artistic and archaeological exhibits, including the world’s leading collection on archaeology from the Holy Land, Judaica and Jewish ethnography, and works of art ranging from classical to modern. The collections represent the rich history of human culture, dating back almost one million years, through modern times. The Israel Museum offers a wide range of fascinating exhibits, activities for the entire family and special events at the Shrine of the Book, a model of Jerusalem’s Second Temple, activities in the Youth Department and a 24-dunam sculpture garden. This summer, museum renovations will be complete and it will feature new programs, fascinating exhibits and interesting activities. Special opening hours during the first week after reopening: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday (July 26-28): 10:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M. Thursday (July 29): 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. Opening Hours Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Tuesday: 4:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Friday and Holiday Eve: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Saturdays and Holidays: 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. http://www.inisrael.com/news/?p=1069

The Western Wall Virtual tour – Visit the Kotel

The Western Wall also called the Wailing wall, is the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, the one that was closest to the Holy of Holies when the Temple stood. The holiest Jewish site in the world and a renowned symbol of Jerusalem’s Old City, the Western Wall is a remnant of the retaining wall built by Herod the Great in the 1st century BC, to encompass the Second Temple enclosure. As the only remainder of their sacred, destroyed Temple, Jewish people from all over the world, throughout two thousands years of exile, have faced the direction of the Western Wall on their prayers. It is a Jewish belief that the Holy Presence has never left the Western Wall, thus it became the most significant site of Jewish pilgrimage, where Jews came to mourn the ruin of the Temple. This is how the Wall, “Ha’kotel” in Hebrew, has gained the name – the “Wailing Wall”. The big plaza in front of the Wall is divided into two sections – one for women and one for men. Here you can observe different kinds of Jewish activities and prayers, from orthodox Jews dressed in black reading their bible, to Israeli soldiers and groups of Jewish tourists. Leaning against the Wall and kissing the stones, the prayers’ most famous custom is to insert a note with a prayer to God between the Wall’s bricks, believing in its priority to be answered. The Western Wall serves as a favorite location for Jewish traditional celebrations, and gets amazingly alive on Friday eve (the arrival of Sabbath) and on Jewish holidays. While visiting the Kotel you may see a Bar Mitzvah kid holding the Torah on his traditional ceremony, or an excited bride & groom being photographed before their wedding. Information: The Western Wall is open 24 hours, and requires a modest dress for women and a head cover for the men. Admission is free. The closest gate to enter the Old City directly to the Wall is the Dung Gate. Buses No. 1 and 2 reach inside the Old City to the area of the Wall. http://www.inisrael.com/news/?p=55

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