Even nights are hot in Jerusalem this week.
IF my roof were flat, I would prefer to sleep on it instead of in the warm house.
In Biblical days the flat house roofs were like an outdoor room, used for many tasks, including sleeping.
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So the Bible, in Deuteronomy 22:8, gave us a good "building code":
"When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it."
In Jerusalem we still take that law seriously. Here are some examples of parapets:
David's Village, Mamilla
In Romema
Mamilla Hotel
An old synagogue being repaired in Nachlaot
Israel Broadcasting Authority building (formerly Shaarei Zedek Hospital)
In a very Orthodox neighborhood 
Shikun HaRabbanim in Romema
An old hotel near Jaffa Gate, Old City
Apartments over the bastot stalls of Mahaneh Yehuda market
Christian Information Center near Jaffa Gate, Old City
St. Vincent de Paul hospice, Mamilla.
I hope you enjoyed your roof tour for That's My World Tuesday. Shalom!
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The example where the building is being repaired with a tunnel to pitch the debris in reminded me of fire escapes. In 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the hotel we stayed in on the second floor had a large rope, coiled up on the floor by the only window. The rope had knots tied in it. This rope was used in the event of a fire. You threw the rope out and climbed down the rope holding onto the knots along the way.
ReplyDeleteI'm having a serious case of deja vu here, of a book I read years ago that was set in Israel where the characters slept on their roof. But I can't remember the title or anything. Weird.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that the flat roofs have their roots in the Bible. Once again you taught me something new :)
Abraham, yes! You remind me of the rope we had on the 2nd floor of the old monastery in Switzerland where I volunteered 2002-3. But the window in the slanted roof of the attic where the rope was tied was so small, I always wondered how I would climb up and out in case of fire.
ReplyDeleteJedediah, you can see how the houses looked here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bible-architecture.info/Housing.htm
And an interesting Christian take on the railing is
http://christianclassicalliberalist.wordpress.com/2009/07/10/build-a-rail-around-your-roof/
Thanks for the tour. I enjoyed the variety of parapets you show, from stone to metal, and utilitarian to decorative.
ReplyDeleteA complete different world than my world, nice to see your photos
ReplyDeleteRegards, Bram
Seen on My World Tuesday
Oh my gosh! This is so interesting. We couldn't sleep outside on the roof here in Hawaii because the mosquitoes would eat you alive. Also... with our rainfall, we'd get leaks all the time. This bible building code must have been for dry areas.
ReplyDeleteSurely a joy to see something I never thought of much. Thank you as well for those nice impressions of your environment. Please have a good Tuesday.
ReplyDeletedaily athens
Hi Dina! Interesting parapets!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! After the odd post, Blogtrotter Two has a bit of Catalonia in Sardinia... ;)
Take pleasure in it and have a stunning week ahead!
Very practical, really!
ReplyDeleteA great theme: I love this parapet parade. Deuteronomy has still more sense (at times!) than most of our city councils.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post this is! Very nice photos of wonderful buildings.
ReplyDeleteI certainly DID enjoy your roof tour, Dina. Thank you! (And reading the comments, too.)
ReplyDeleteMakes a lot of sense. Though I didn't know it was in the Bible either.
ReplyDelete