Herod's Gate/Flower Gate in a van window

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For James' Weekend Reflections here is Jerusalem's Flower Gate (aka Herod's Gate) reflected in a van window.
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Funny how the glass makes the straight Old City wall curve on top, almost like the springing of an arch.
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The Flower Gate's metal outer staircase also makes a fancy shadow for this weekend's Shadow Shot Sunday.
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The gate was refurbished and rededicated last June.
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Look Ma, no hands!

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The newsmen were focusing on Jerusalem Mayor Barkat at the recent rededication of the Old City's Flower Gate (aka Herod's Gate).

But I found it more interesting to watch the photographers instead.

This was new to me.
A kind of video camera stabilizer, I suppose?
Can some of you tell me what it is called or more about it?
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Jerusalem's Gypsies

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The most interesting new thing I learned at the June 28 rededication of Herod's Gate was this:

The man delivering a speech in this photo is gypsy mukhtar of the Old City, Abed-Alhakim Mohammed Deeb Salim, whose community resides in the Muslim Quarter’s Bab al-Hutta section near Herod’s Gate.

Who knew?? Not me!
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Apparently somewhere between 600 and 1000 gypsies live inside the walls of the Old City.
Larger populations live in Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and the West Bank.
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Some think that the Domari (the name for Middle Eastern gypsies) migrated from India over a thousand years ago, while some say from the Arabian Peninsula.
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Here they have assimilated to the extent that they are now Arabic-speaking Muslims.
Only the elderly still remember the Domari language.


This present mukhtar (being interviewed above) is the grandson of the mukhtar who led the community in the early 20th century when they were still nomadic, traveling between Jerusalem and towns in the West Bank, holding occupations such as blacksmiths, silversmiths, horse dealers and trainers, singers and street musicians, dancers, and animal healers, belt makers and tattoo artists.
But also, it is said, some excelled as pickpockets and beggars.
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The Dom then settled in a tent encampment in Jerusalem, just north of Damascus Gate.
In the early 1940s the British military administration suspected them of hiding weapons used in the Palestinian resistance against British rule, and their encampment was dissolved.
The gypsies began to find rented accommodations within the Old City, turned to paid occupations, and became sedentary.
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Many of the women and children were beggars until 1967. Those who did not flee during the Six Day War soon began receiving some Israeli social benefits when the Old City came under our administration.
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However, there is still poverty. Apparently because they are poor and are "different," the Dom kids feel discrimination and humiliation (e.g. called to the front of the classroom to be called "nawar," or dirty Gypsy, in front of all the students) in the Arab schools and many drop out. The illiteracy rate within the community is almost 40%!
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The Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem was founded in 1999 and strives to help the community and to keep their handicrafts, customs, food, and language alive.
They have a wonderful website. Please pay them a visit.
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Haaretz has a good article about the community called "Linguistic embers of a colorful past."
And an American student who spent several months with the Domari Society blogs about them here and here.
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UPDATE Oct. 27, 2013:  A good new Ynet article about the Jerusalem Gypsies today.
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The Flower Gate rededicated today

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The cleaning and restoration of the Old City's gates continues.
(Remember the Jaffa Gate post in April?)
Today, just in time for That's My World, Jerusalem had the re-dedication of a third gate.

As seen from inside the Old City, this is Herod's Gate or the Flower Gate.
In Arabic it is Bab iz-Zahireh.
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Turkish ruler Suleiman the Magnificent built the two and a half mile wall around the city in 1539.
Today, seven gates in his wall give access into the Old City.
The Flower Gate was originally an east-facing postern, a narrow gate only wide enough for a pack animal and a person.

A bigger opening was breached in the gate's northern facade in 1875 to let bigger vehicles get through.

Like this golf cart-type vehicle.

The posters in Hebrew and Arabic show the before and after and the work plans.

You can read the story in English in the press release of the Israel Antiquities Authority.

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My favorite part is this:
"The rehabilitation work on the gate took four months to complete and was conducted in cooperation with the local residents and merchants so as not to disrupt the bustling urban activity that is characteristic of the place."

You see the men in blue? They are the ones who did the actual work.

The Arab employees of the Antiquities Authority are always given well-deserved recognition at these dedications.

As a sometime-archaeology worker myself, I appreciate that the big directors say thank you to them.

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Mayor Nir Barkat spoke of the 800,000 Jerusalem residents welcoming 2 million tourists per year.

Within a decade he aims for 10 million tourists per year.

After the speeches we were all invited into the nice clean Flower Gate for a guided tour.

I have never seen such steep steps up to the top of the wall. Oi!

It was a nice mix of Old City and east Jerusalem Arab residents and Jewish Jerusalemites taking interest and pride in the beautiful restored gate.

The view from the top was worth the climb!

Below is Sultan Suleiman Street, of course!, named for the builder of the city wall.

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UPDATE: Please see my post about the Gypsy population of Jerusalem. I first learned that they exist when their mukhtar gave a speech at this gate dedication.

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