Jerusalem OLD CITY & City of DAVID Walking Tour

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Jaffa Gate

• One of the old city's main historical entrances.
• One of the main symbols of Jerusalem today.
• The German Kaiser (monarch) broke it through in 1898 because he needed enough room to pull his horse and carriage inside.

Tower of David - From the outside.

• The fortress within a fortress meant to protect the King from those already inside
• Has a moat from Crusader times

If you would like to enter the Tower of David, you will also see:

• Amazing Panoramic view of the city from a historic tower (half of the tour is 2100 years old and half is 800 years old 
• Ruins from almost all of the empires who controlled Israel
• Great museum of Jerusalem’s different eras

Ramparts walk tour (optional)- Walk on top of the city walls, and see many impressive views, such as the four old city quarters, Tower of David, the desert, and the Mount of Olives.

Tomb of King David

• Historic complex that Jews and Christians were prohibited from visiting for hundreds of years!
• You will have the opportunity to say Psalms by the grave of the righteous man who authored most of it

Some of the Jewish Quarter sites we can visit include:

  Churva Synagogue

• Perhaps the world's most famous Synagogue. 
• The Churva was used by the Jewish defenders in the 1948 War of Independence, burned to the ground by Jordan, and only rebuilt and completed in 2010 in the exact way it used to look.
• Can be done quickly from the outside or toured more thoroughly from the inside

Four Sephardi Synagogues

• Historically significant building that holds four magnificent synagogues that were established between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
• One of just six synagogues—out of sixty—that remained standing after the Old City was destroyed by Jordan 
• Where the wartime civilian Jewish population sought safety 

Ramban Synagogue 

• The shul where one of the greatest Torah sages founded his Beis Midrash (and wrote some of his essential commentaries)
• Was confiscated and converted into a cheese factory in 1586 by the Muslim authorities. It was once more an active holy spot where the sound of Torah could be heard following the 1967 Six Day War!

Burnt House

• You will go back in time and visit a 2000 year old Jewish home!
• Whoever lived here would have had a direct view of the Holy Temple and seen it being destroyed
• One month later, this house was also burned to the ground

 Cardo

• The main shopping street during the Roman, Crusader, and Muslim Days (their version of 5th Avenue). 
• Today it continues to be the main shopping street in the old city.

​Broad Wall 

• The wall is mentioned in the Book of Kings, Isaiah, and Nehemiah. 
• One of the greatest archeological proofs of the Biblical events.
•  It was built by King Hezekiah to stop the world’s most powerful army at the time, the Assyrians.   
• For more on this site: check out this article I wrote: Hezekiah's Biblical Wall

Western Wall

• Some of the last remaining remnants of the second temple. 
• Touch the stones, pray and put your written requests in the wall.

Some of the Jewish Sites in the Muslim Quarter we can visit include:

Small Western Wall

• Unique place where the Western Wall is exposed in the Muslim Quarter
• The holiness of this site is no less than the Western Wall Plaza
• Can pray to G-d in a more intimate setting
• Gives you a real feel about how the Western Wall was experienced until modern times.

Ataret Kohenim Yesiva

• Hear the story of the Arab who risked his life in 1948 to save the entire building and his contents
• In 1967, he led IDF soldiers to the site and gladly gave them the key
• One of four active Yeshivas in the Muslim and Christian Quarter

Jewish Homes of the Muslim Quarter

• About 100 brave Jewish families live here in scattered buildings
• A Jewish residential building with an incredible rooftop panoramic outlook is among the tallest structures in the Old City.

Some of the City of David sites can include:

• King David’s ancient Palace 
• Homes from the First temple period
• Underground water tunnel mentioned in Tanach (the bible). This tunnel has a wet and dry option. For more on this site: check out this article I wrote: Hezekiah's Tunnel
• Shiloach Pool and Oleh HaRegal (pilgrimage) stairs  

 Tour Details:
 

​* Full day City of David and Jerusalem Old City walking tour, including your very own private tour guide and personalized itinerary, is $650. Admission to sites is not included (but minimal)