הוליפאס - Free Sights and Attractions

under construction

Via Dolorosa 37, Tel: 02-627 1463
The Third Station, marking the spot where Jesus fell for the first time, is close by. Ring the doorbell and go up the stairs to the great observation point on the roof of the building. It is advisable to coordinate visit ahead of time.
Also offered: accomodation facilities, and an insight in to Austrian art and culture in the form of concerts, exhibitions and talks.

Batei Mahseh Square

Galed St. Jewish Quarter
Batei Mahse was the first modern Jewish neighborhood built within the Jewish Quarter in the 19th century.

Cairn marking mass grave

The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel 628 8141 ext. 102
During the War of Independence, it was impossible to bury those killed in fighting for the Jewish Quarter outside the city. Until the unification of Jerusalem in 1967, those who fell were buried in a mass grave now marked by a cairn. After 1967, those who fell were reburied on the Mount of Olives.

The Cardo

HaYehudim Street, The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel 628 8141 ext. 102
Main thoroughfare of Byzantine Jerusalem (Illia Capitilina), the Cardo promenade is today dotted with Judaica and souvenir stores alongside impressive archeological remnants and Midba map model.
Shop and Cardo hours: Sun-Thu 08:00-18:00, Fri 08:00-16:00

Chain Gate

The main entrance to the Temple Mount via the Western Wall. The gate is adorned with pillars and inscriptions dating from the 15th century. Under the gate stands Robinson's Arch which once supported a bridge linking the Temple Mount to the lower city.

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

Via Dolorosa, Tel. 02-6273314
April trough September 05:00-21:00, October trough March 04:00-19:00
Also known as the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, this is one of Christianity's holiest sites. According to tradition, the church is built on the spot where Jesus was crucified (Golgotha), and believed to house Jesus' burial chamber.

Cotton Merchant’s Gate

Built in 1336 by the Mameluke Sultan, this is another gate leading to the Temple Mount. The gate is highly decorative and is near the cotton market. Access is by foot only via HaGuy Street which links Damascus and Dung Gates.

Damascus Gate

This ornamented gate to the Old City was built in the Ottoman period by order of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538. Its Arabic name, "Bab El Amud", recalls the tall pillar that used to stand within the gate and can be seen in the Madaba Map.

Dung Gate

Dung Gate, the closest to the Western Wall, was originally a small gate that was widened. The gate derives its name from the Book of Nehemiah. Its' name likely is derived from the fact that it is at the lowest point of the Old City where refuse was once dumped.

Garden Tomb

Nablus Road
The Garden Tomb near the Damascus Gate is believed by many to be the location of the garden of Joseph of Arimathea, outside the city walls, and the tomb where Jesus was laid after the crucifixion.

Gate of Remission

This gate (Bab al Hutah in Arabic) provides access to the Temple Mount from the north. An inscription indicates that the gate was rebuilt by Sultan Almalek Almuatem Issa in 1220. Access on foot from the Via Dolorosa.

Gethsemane - Church of all Nations

Mount of Olives, Tel 02-62883264, Summer: daily 08:00-12:00, 14:00-18:00. Winter: daily 08:00-12:00, 14:00-17:00
According to the Christian faith, this beautiful church is situated where Jesus prayed before the crucifixion.

Golden Gate

According to the Jewish tradition, this is the gate through which the Messiah will enter Jerusalem. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I sealed off the Golden Gate in 1541, allegedly to prevent the Messiah's entrance. Christians believe it is where Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem.

Hanaka Mosque

HaNotzrim Street
A mosque minaret erected in 1417 as well as impressive internal halls.

Herod’s Gate

Located in the northern wall of the Old City, Herod's Gate stands at 755 meters above sea level and leads to the Bab alZahara neighborhood, which is also the gate's Arabic name. In the Crusader period, it was mistakenly believed that a church that once stood in the area was built on Herod's home, hence the gate's English name.

Hurva Synagogue

Hayehudim St.,
The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel 628 8141 ext. 102

The Hurva Synagogue, being rebuilt for the third time in its history, was first established in 1700. In order to build the synagogue, the community borrowed money from Muslim neighbors. By 1721, creditors' patience had run out and a Muslim crowd burned down the synagogue. The debt was only paid in the nineteenth century, when a group of students of the Vilna Gaon arrived in Israel because of a widespread belief that the Messiah would come in the year 1840. The Hurva was again destroyed in 1948 after the Jewish Quarter fell to Jordanian forces. In 2002, the Israeli government decided to rebuild the synagogue as it once had been, thus opening a new chapter in its history.

Iron Gate

One of the gates leading to the Temple Mount from the Western Wall. The gate features an arch designed in the 14th century by the governor Al Kamili. Nearby buildings are built in typical Mameluke style. Fifteen meters north of the gate is located the Small ‘Kotel', venerated by Jews.

Israelite Period 'Broad Wall'

Pelugat Hakotel St., The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel 628 8141 ext. 102
Remnants of King Hezekiah's 8th century BC wall build to guard against attack of Sanheriv, King of Assyria.

Jaffa Gate

Located on the western side of the Old City near David's Citadel and Tower. In ancient times, travelers exited this gate en route to the city of Jaffa. In Arabic it is referred to as Bab el-Khalil (Hebron Gate). Local lore says the graves of the two architects of the Old City wall lie nearby. Access to Ramparts Walk and Mamila shopping district.

Jerusalemp3.com

Even before arriving in Jerusalem, take a tour of Old City using MP3 technology via the Internet from Jerusalemp3.com. Download tours to the city's most impressive sites including the Old City, Mount of Olives and more-FREE. These, along with maps and games can be downloaded to your portable computer, cellphone, PDA and MP3 player-all at no charge.

Lions’ Gate

Lions' Gate is the only functioning gate in the Old City's eastern wall. It faces the Mount of Olives above the Kidron Valley, along the eastern boundary of the Temple Mount. This area is known as the Valley of Yehoshofat.

Mosque of Omar

St. Helene Alley, Christian Quarter
This mosque, located in the Christian Quarter, features a minaret built in 1465. It is located just south of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Mount of Olives Viewpoint

This vantage point offers breathtaking views from the Mount of Olives and the surrounding timeless landscapes.

Mount Zion

Located between the Old City and the Ben Hinom Valley, Mt. Zion is holy to the three monotheistic faiths. Muslims and Jews revere it as the burial place of King David; Christians as the location of the Last Supper as well as other important events described in the New Testament

Mugrabi Gate

This gate leads to the Temple Mount from the Western Wall. It measures 3.8 meters tall and 2.2 meters wide. It derives its name from a neighborhood inhabited by North African refugees that once stood nearby.

New Gate

The New Gate was breached in 1889 in the wall surrounding the Old City to enable easier access between Catholic institutions inside and outside the wall. Unlike other gates to the Old City, New Gate is comparatively simple without the adornments and angles typical of the other gates.

Ramban Synagogue

Hayehudim St., Jewish Quarter
The oldest synagogue in the Jewish Quarter, named for Nachmanides, better known as the Ramban, one of the greatest Spanish rabbis. He arrived in Jerusalem in 1267, at the age of 73, and found the city devastated and neglected. The Ramban united the few Jews remaining in the city, founded a synagogue, and sent letters with his impressions to his family in the Spanish city of Gerona.

Tiferet Israel Synagogue

Hakaraim St., The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel 628 8141 ext. 102
The ruined Tiferet Israel Synagogue was established in the nineteenth century by one of the Hassidic leaders in Jerusalem. After the Lithuanian Jews built the magnificent Hurva synagogue, the Hassidim built this landmark synagogue to compete with it. When Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Jozef asked why it had no dome, Rabbi Nissan Bek responded diplomatically: "Your Majesty, the synagogue has removed its hat in your honor," prompting a generous donation allowing completion of the dome.

Room Commemorating Jewish Quarter Fallen

The Company of development of the Jewish Quarter, Tel: 02-6288141 ext. 102Corner of HaYehudim and Lochamei Tashach Streets
This site commemorates those who fell in the defense of the Jewish Quarter during Israel's 1948 War of Independence.

Replica of the Temple Menorah

A golden menorah, or seven-branched candelabra, stands at the southern viewpoint overlooking the Western Wall. This half-ton replica made of 45kg of 24-karat gold recreates the one that stood in the Temple before its destruction in 70 CE. The model was built by the Temple Institute, an organization that researches and reconstructs artifacts of the Holy Temple. The original menorah stood in the "Heichal" or Holy Place, the middle chamber of the Temple, which only high priests could enter.

Rockefeller Archaeological Museum

27 Sultan Suleiman St., Tel. 02-6282251
Sun-Thu 10:00-15:00, Sat. 10:00-14:00, Fri. closed.
Established in the 1930s, this museum has one of the country's most important collections of antiquities uncovered during the British Mandate (1920-1948). Artifacts tell the story of human habitation in Jerusalem from prehistoric times to the 17th century.

Rooftop Promenade

Access at the metal stairs at corner of Chabad and St. Marc Streets; open 24/7, 365 days
This rooftop promenade above the Old City market place not only links the Jewish and Muslim Quarters, but offers a unique perspective on ancient Jerusalem.

Sheikh Lulu Mosque

Sheikh Lulu Street, Muslim Quarter
Located in the A-Sadiya neighborhood of the Muslim Quarter, near Damascus Gate, this mosque was consecrated by Emir Badr aDin Lulu in 1385.

The ‘Small’ Kotel

Bab elHadid Street
Along a small plaza near the iron gate, you will find an exposed portion of the Western Wall (Kotel).

Temple Mount/Al –Aqsa Mosque/ Dome of the Rock

Tel. 02-6281248, 02-6274199
Sun-Thu 07:30-11:00, 13:30-14:30, Fri and Sat - closed
Judaism's holy temples stood here. Today, more than 100 structures from various periods dot the site including the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock (Islam's third-holiest site after Mecca and Medina.) Muslims believe this is where Muhammad ascended to heaven to receive the teachings of Islam. This sacred Muslim site is the largest mosque in Jerusalem. Tours available of mosque compound. No access to prayer halls.

Tzemach Tzedek Synagogue

Chabad St. 31, Jewish Quarter
The Chabad Tzemach Tzedek Synagogue was founded at the end of the 19th century.

Wall Painting, Tanners’ Gate

Located at Tanners' Gate, near Dung Gate
Always open. This painting recreates the bustling life of Jerusalem's main street 1,500 years ago.

Western Wall

Western Wall Plaza, Westrn Wall Heritage Foundation, Tel. 02-6273111
The Western Wall, or Kotel, is Judaism's most significant holy site. The last remnant of the holy Temple. Jews from around the world gather here to pray.

Western Wall Viewpoint

Enjoy unparalleled views of the Western Wall and surrounds from the northern and southern viewpoints overlooking the plaza. New at the southern viewpoint: the golden model of the Temple Menora, recently moved here from the Cardo, beautiful night lighting.

Via Dolorosa

According to Christian tradition, Jesus followed this route in the Christian and Muslim Quarters while carrying the cross. The ‘Way of Tears' is marked by the 14 stations of the cross, the first near Lions' Gate.