Floodlights on the Citadel

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We looked at this bridge in an earlier post for Louis' Sunday Bridges.
But that was in the daytime.

Take a look at night!!
The Tower of David (the Citadel) is even more glorious at night.
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On the right is the 16th century gatehouse.
The dry moat was built earlier, probably in Crusader times (12th C.).
The moat originally reached the entrance and was partly spanned by a wooden drawbridge.
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The people you see on the present wooden bridge were lined up waiting to go in to the sound and light show inside the courtyard.
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Here is the continuation of the bridge up to the big heavy entrance gate.

The Citadel has something nice for Hey Harriet's Shadow Shots Sunday too.

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Floodlit from below, the rusticated stones throw sharp shadows.

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Rustication (leaving the center of the stone rough and projecting) has a military purpose.
It protects the joints of the masonry and when struck by projectiles, it is more likely than smooth masonry to dissipate their force by fracturing harmlessly.
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Imagine yourself a Crusader attacking the Citadel, looking up at these tall walls with those fearsome arrow slits and machicolations!

That wall is on the left in this photo, the bridge and entrance are on the right, and in between, behind the low wall is a lovely garden with a bubbling fountain and benches and little trees.

The garden is my favorite secluded place for a picnic in Jerusalem's Old City.

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