A very beige, very old Old City, part two

The second half of our journey through Jerusalem's old quarter would balance our time amongst the three big religions present.

Our first stop was the Armenian Quarter. As part of the walk along its streets, we spied a bit of modern art among the ancient part of town: three figures crawling up one of the walls.

Soon, though, it was back to the old stuff. We came across the room where the Last Supper is said to have taken place.

Interestingly, there were signs of Islam in the room, with a structure that points in the direction of Mecca and some Arabic detailing on the walls.

It was at this point that we decided to ascend the Temple Mount. We thought it would be relatively straightforward. Just head for the highest part of the Old City, through one of the numerous gates that we had seen the day before. Alas, it was not that simple. The gates we could find were shut to all non-Muslims (as there is an active mosque on the mount). We kept getting confusing directions from folks that would send us back the way we had come. Finally, the answer pieced itself together. There was an ascending staircase from just outside the Western Wall through which visitors could enter the mount. The entrance was highly masked and looked like as temporary security installation. The only present sign was one that stated that the rabbinate of Jerusalem had ruled that orthodox Jews were forbidden from entering the mount, on account of the sacredness of the sites within.

Once inside, however, it was worth the effort. The central golden domes building was brilliant, surrounded by a concrete square and some small parks. The detailing in blue and white topped with a splendid golden dome was a remarkable sight. It is also said to contain a rock with a footprint of Mohammed, from where he ascended to heaven.

At 2:30, we were ushered out as visiting hours were over. From there, we headed straight for the Jewish Quarter, which had been dramatically refurbished since 1967.

We spent the afternoon wandering the streets, coming across interesting old doors, narrow hallways, and ancient urban infrastructre. Of the last, there was the Broad Wall, from the years 1000 - 586 BC, during the First Temple period of Jerusalem. I can't recall seeing older urban structures.

With that, our time exploring the ancient holy sites in the Old City was complete.