Fortress Walls of Jerusalem &# 8211; Tourist pearl of the old city

Not only Russians willingly attend Jerusalem. Israel enjoys great popularity from the inhabitants of Misty Albion, which leave at home in England, trying to paint in bright colors their measured life in the UK. So, many subjects of Her Majesty, who are thinking about where to go to Asia, acquire tours to the Holy Land and go to the airports of Great Britain to take a plane, which will deliver them to Israel. Believe me, the British know a sense in good travels and carefully weigh all ; for ; and counter ; &# 8211; their choice is not unrestrained. Why go to Jerusalem?

• explore the old town &# 8211; Map with route can be taken at the entrance for free;
• Write a letter at the wall crying, asking about the innermost;
• Visit the temple of the Merry Coffin, where every Easter comes off the gracious fire;
• visit on sightseeing, to see the city from the height;
• buy traditional food on the market &# 8211; Bread, desserts, snacks, on the eastern market is always Razdar for the stomach.

One of the most popular tourist attractions of Israel is the Old Town in Jerusalem, which is acquired by a fortress wall built by order of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman Magnificent. So I already told about the wall of crying, today we will stop more on the fortress walls of the Old Town.

The history of the construction of the fortress walls of Jerusalem

In 1517, Israel, who at that time was under the rule of Egypt, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The keys to the city were awarded to Sultan Selim, who was the father of Suleiman. However, the keys to the city were only symbolic, since once the mighty walls were almost completely destroyed at that time.

The situation has changed only after the son of Selim Suleiman came to power. As the old legend says, Sultan dreamed of a prophetic dream, in which two huge lions approach him, intending to confuse him. Suleiman appealed to the lions with the question why they want to break it into parts, for which animals replied that Jerusalem is a shrine, but now she is destroyed, so if the city does not rebuild, the enemy hordes are confused by Sultan as well as wild predators can do.

Suleiman regarded the dreaming dream as a sign over and took the city under his personal patronage, ordered to rebuild the fortress walls, which the old town was surrounded. Construction of walls began in 1537 and lasted until 1541. 35 towers were built on the fortress wall, from which the defenders of the city could fire.

Fortress walls in Jerusalem today: what to see?

Today, the fortress walls of Jerusalem are the place of pilgrimage of thousands of tourists who are glad to make exciting walks on them. The length of the walls is about four kilometers. As many travelers celebrate, standing on the wall, you can clearly see the difference between the new and old town. So, what can I see here?

• Yaffian gate &# 8211; This, in fact, the starting point before traveling along the walls (although there are alternative routes);
• Tower of David &# 8211; interest is not only she herself, but also located here the citadel;
• Watchtower &# 8211; protrude above the surface of the walls, tourists can stroll along the roof;
• Stones of walls with old inscriptions, for example, you can see the stamps of the Crusaders.

Before you go on the wall, be sure to download the Audio Guide "Old Jerusalem" on the Internet, which will be a good guidebook for tourists. It should be noted that the street that goes along the fortress wall today is the name of Sultan Suleiman, which indicates that residents of the Jewish state have not forgotten its contribution to the development and protection of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem Old Town &# 8211; Attraction

Old Town Jerusalem &# 8211; it is not only the fortress walls erected by the Ottoman ruler. First of all, tourists attract no less colorful attractions:

1. Gate of the Old Town &# 8211; all of them 11, but not all available for the passage. For example, the Golden Gate is mounted, only the Messiah or the Prophet Elijah will be able to get into them in case of coming. Simple mortal entrance is closed.
2. Christian quarter &# 8211; need to go through damask or new gates. Tourists There are always a lot here, here there is a temple of the coffin of the Lord and a bunch of restaurants. True, visit shops and cafe here &# 8211; Prices are high, among sellers &# 8211; Some Arabs.
3. Arabic (Muslim Quarter) &# 8211; And this is just a good place for shopping, in fact, the whole quarter is an eastern bazaar. To see the true face of this place, walk along the street chain. By the way, inside enough and Orthodox churches.
4. Jewish (Jewish) quarter &# 8211; It will be possible to go through the garbage and Zion gates. Sightseeing here is small, since the synagogues were destroyed during hostilities, but it is here that the wall is located.
5. Armenian Quarter &# 8211; The smallest and cozy quarter of all listed, there are a lot of greens, and the walls are locked on the castle on the night. Attractions presented here include only spiritual objects &# 8211; Temples and monasteries. I also do not advise dining in restaurants, since it is expensive.

Although the area of ​​the old town is small (less than 1 kV.M.), interesting for visiting places here is a lot. If you are going on excursions to Israel, Jerusalem &# 8211; That place that unambiguously be included in the TOP-3 for the visit.

Visiting the old city of Jerusalem, get ready for the sea of ​​impressions &# 8211; Attractions here are found at every step. The city itself is divided into 4 blocks, which is pretty convenient for a tourist &# 8211; However, the division is quite conditional and, for example, in the Christian quarter come across a mosque with minarets. To view the old city required, at least 2-3 days, and the walk through the fortress wall will take at least 4 hours &# 8211; If you go slowly, enjoying opening views.