MEA Weekly Picture from Israel

Pictures from Israel

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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.

MEA Weekly Picture from Israel

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.