Pictures from Israel
Click to Enlarge
Picture 160817 Avir on Mt of Olives overlooking Jerusalem
The Mount of Olives, where Avir is today, (with green backpack) is the site of many important biblical events, and offers expansive views of the city of Jerusalem. The Mount of Olives, which rises over 60 metres above the Kidron Valley, is one of three peaks of a mountain ridge that runs for 3.5 kilometres just east of the Old City across the Kidron Valley, in this area called the Valley of Joshaphat.
This is an important place to pause and consider that the Mount of Olives is not only a geographical link between the desert and the fertile Jerusalem hills, it is where many of the most important people of the Bible, walked at some time in their life. King David fled over this Mount to escape from Absalom’s rebellion (2 Samuel 15:30). When King Solomon became corrupted by his pagan wives, he built pagan altars in “high places” here (1 Kings 11:7). By the time Josiah was made King, this place became known as the Hill of Corruption (2 Kings 23:13-14). It was here that Ezekiel had his vision of the glory of the Lord and the flying cherubim (Ezekiel 11:22-23). The Jewish people gathered olive branches here for their first Feast of Tabernacles in the Promised Land after their return from their 70-year Babylonian Exile (Nehemiah 8:15)
In the New Testament Yeshua (Jesus) regularly went up onto the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39). Yeshua began his famous donkey-ride into Jerusalem over and down from this Mount (Luke 19:28-44), and He appeared to the disciples here after His Resurrection (Acts 1:1-12).
Pictures from Israel
Click to Enlarge
In the foreground, Avir can be seen sitting under the shade of a date palm at the Jaffa
Gate entrance to the Old City. The Jaffa Gate is one of many gates, each with its own unique
story. Avir is resting and waiting for his friends to arrive after a two-kilometre walk from the
famous Old City markets commonly known as “the Shuk”
If one was to retrace Avir’s steps and walk back up the path, they would find the shop
and offices of the Bible Society of Israel, which is situated near the front of the modern
building in the middle of the picture.
The Jaffa Gate was built in the 16th Century by the Ottomans. It is located on the
western side of the old city, facing in the direction of Jaffa and Tel Aviv. It’s a very busy
thoroughfare, which leads to the Jewish Quarter, the Kotel (the Western ‘Prayer’ Wall) and
the Christian Quarter. In front of Avir, there are also several open-air vendors selling fresh
bread, juices and other delights.
The high stone walls in this part of the city were first built by the Hasmonean kings in
the 2nd Century B.C. The city sits on Jerusalem’s highest point which is 773 metres above sea
level. The reconstruction on this side of the Old City was necessary in order to strengthen
the expanded western side of the ‘upper city’ which had no natural defences, whereas the
Kidron Valley on the other side provided a natural defence line.
In 1948, during the War of Independence, the Israeli Forces attempted to enter the old
city through the Jaffa Gate. Numerous bullet holes can be seen in the walls as a result of
heavy fighting around the gate during this time. After this skirmish, the Jordanian army was
able to hold their position, take the Gate and shortly afterwards, seal up the entrance. The
Israelis would have to wait another 20-years before they would win back the Jaffa Gate
during the 1967 war. They then re-opened up the gate to once again unite the city. A major
road was constructed on the southside of the gate, which is a busy thoroughfare into the Old
City.
Over the next few weeks we will show more pictures of Jerusalem and the travels of
Avir.
Pictures from Israel
Click to Enlarge
This is the entrance to the City of David, however this is not King David playing the harp ! ….it is Avir.
He is about to do the walking tour of the City of David, including passing through the underground tunnels through which the city was conquered and residents fled and he is also going to the hidden spring where kings were crowned. Walking in Hezekiah’s Tunnel, is quite exciting. This is an area where water has flowed since the time of the prophets.
The City of David is the birthplace of the city of Jerusalem, the place where King David established his kingdom, and where the history of the People of Israel was written was located on a narrow ridge south of the present-day ‘Old City’. It borders the deep Kidron Valley to the East, where the Gihon Spring, the city’s main water source, is located.
King David finally captured the city at about 1,000 BC. David’s soldiers entered into the city of the Jebusites through the gutter, probably the tunnel of the Gihon spring (2 Samuel 5 6-9). This archaeological park is one of Israel’s most important historical landmarks, a must-see site for all tourists, including Avir.
