Why this Jerusalem square is named for a caliph

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City Daily Photo bloggers are posting today on the theme "Look down."
Here we are looking down on Omar ibn al-Khatab Square, just inside Jaffa Gate.
Enlarge the photo a few times and you can pick out a bagel pushcart, shopkeepers, tourists, police, Arabs, and Jews.
Under the white canopy a bar mitzvah boy is returning from his bar mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall, preceded by musicians with drum, flute, and shofar.

To take the looking-down photos I had climbed many tall stairs to reach the top of  Phasael Tower observatory.
Built in the 1st century BCE,  Phasael was one of three huge guard towers built by Herod the Great close to his palace in Jerusalem's Old City.
Its upper section, with the smaller stones, is a much later Mamluk reconstruction.

All of this is today part of the Citadel,  the Tower of David museum of Jerusalem's history.

In this informative article by guides Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am, we learn why the plaza was named for a Caliph:

One of the Old City of Jerusalem’s liveliest streets is actually a small plaza called Omar iben Al-Khatab Square, named for the second Caliph of the Islamic world.. . .

Brilliant, sensitive, tolerant and an administrative whiz, Omar visited Jerusalem soon after Muslim Arabs conquered the Holy City in 638. Omar revered many of the Old Testament’s most significant personalities, and greatly honored Judaism’s holy sites – including the peak on which Solomon erected the magnificent First Temple.

Thus when he ascended to the Temple Mount and found it overflowing with trash, Omar was enraged. He immediately ordered the rubbish removed — and, say some, he helped clear it out with his own hands.

At one point Jerusalem Bishop Sophronius invited the Caliph to join him for prayers inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Omar is said to have refused, explaining that were he to accept, Muslims might immediately ravish this most important of Christian sites and replace it with a mosque dedicated to Islam. He then proceeded to pray outside the church — exactly where a mosque named for the Caliph is located today.

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Jerusalem, old and new

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View from the Tower of David (the Citadel).
The ramparts of the Citadel in the foreground.
People passing through Jaffa Gate (enlarge the photo to see them).
Continuing to the right of the  gate, the ancient city wall of the Old City.
West of the wall, the new city.
Jerusalem. 
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(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)

A harpist at the city gate

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Walking through Jerusalem's Jaffa Gate, built in 1538,  is like passing between two worlds.
Leaving the Old City and returning suddenly to the new city is like a little culture shock for me, every time.

You never know what you'll find in the thick walls of the gate itself.
A harpist in white, perhaps?

A thin place despite thick walls.
 The girl's soft music was heavenly.
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King David is recognized as a prophet by Islam and one of the Arabic names for this portal is Bab Mihrab Daud,  Gate of the Prayer Niche of David.
David was fond of the harp, strumming as he sang his psalms.
I hope he looked down and enjoyed seeing this young harpist following in his footsteps.
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(Linking to Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors.)
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Z at Jaffa Gate -- a quiz

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This first picture is a test of your Israel knowledge.
No guessing. Either you know what it is or you don't.
Hint: It's inside the Jaffa Gate.
Hint 2: It starts with Z (for ABC Wednesday).



OK, here are the boys mixing a little za'atar and a little salt and twisting shut the pieces of paper (sometimes newspaper) into a tiny bundle.
You get one when you buy a sesame-covered oval "bageleh" from the Arab seller's cart.
He is always at the Jaffa Gate.

Even my toddler granddaughter knows how to dip her bageleh in za'atar before each bite.
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To see a mountain of za'atar, topped by a tiny Dome of the Rock, click here.
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Keeping watch at the gate

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Stand back in the corner, inside Jaffa Gate, for half an hour.
Keep your eyes open.
You will see all humanity pass through.
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(A post for Our World Tuesday, and for Toby's meme, Whimsical Windows, Delirious Doors
and for Louis' Monday Doorways.)
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Curiouser and curiouser

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Over the years I've seen some strange things at the Jaffa Gate, but never anything as curious as this.
On March 9 a motley group was sitting silently, doing some kind of meditation.
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This too is part of my world, for Our World Tuesday.
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Careful up there!

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Oi! Would you trust your co-worker enough to steady your ladder here?
The ladder rests on the slippery slope of Greek Catholic Patriarchate Street, which is just inside Jaffa Gate, in Jerusalem's Old City.
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Hmm . . . this could be for Monday Doorways.
And if you enlarge the photo and look in the mirror on the Franciscan Book Shop door, you also see a reflection of the photographer, for Weekend Reflections.
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Well balanced

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Hello? Did you order a cold drink?
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Tuesday was an unusually warm 21 degrees C in the walled Old City of Jerusalem.

Omar ibn al-Khatib Square, just inside Jaffa Gate, is always full of tourists.
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The Irish conquer Jaffa Gate

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I would say that, except for a few drinking green beer in the pubs today, the majority of people in Israel do not know or care about St. Patrick or his day.
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So what is an Israeli blogger to do?
You must be tired of seeing the same totally bright green house posted every March 17.
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So imagine my surprised delight this afternoon when I walked into the Old City's Jaffa Gate and heard this group playing a lively Irish jig!
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Never have I seen buskers within the gate.
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Not sure the locals realized the connection: Irish music and March 17.
But for me the music, remembered from my youth in Chicago, made me feel like dancing a jig.
LOL
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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Santa gives trees at Jaffa Gate

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A Palestinian Santa gives trees to Jerusalem's Christian residents, an annual gift from the Municipality.
This is a photo from last December. You can see the whole happy story at http://jerusalemhillsdailyphoto.blogspot.com/2009/12/santa-claus-at-jaffa-gate.html .


A distorted Jaffa Gate and folks with their new Christmas trees are reflected for James' Weekend Reflections.
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Merry Christmas to all, far and near.
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Looking for looking glass

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Three reflections, all near the Jaffa Gate entrance into the Old City of Jerusalem, for James' Weekend Reflections.
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In the Franciscans' door we see some local men, a tourist, and the Jaffa Gate.

Another door that is an actual mirror, at least on its outside.

The gated entrance to Christ Church is reflected at the Tower of David Museum's entrance gate.

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A bridge into Jaffa Gate

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Unless you look down, it's easy to forget that when you walk from Mamilla to the Jaffa Gate and into the Old City, you are actually crossing a bridge.

Busy Jaffa Road is underneath.
And, like we saw at the Damascus Gate, the bridge to the Jaffa Gate also spans over some antiquities.
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In the old days the road to the Mediterranean port of Jaffa started here, at the Jaffa Gate.
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Proving you don't have to have water to have a bridge. :) For Louis la Vache's Sunday Bridges.
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UPDATE: Please continue to the next post for a further explanation of why the road itself is elevated.
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Re-dedicating the 16th century Jaffa Gate

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Lots of reporters and photographers were on the ground at noon today, just outside the Old City wall.

For several months Jaffa Gate has been shrouded in mystery, in a big black covering.

This morning a shiny clean and restored Jaffa Gate was revealed and re-dedicated.

(It was first dedicated in 1538 by the builder of the walls of the Old City, Sultan Suleiman, ruler of the Ottoman Empire. )

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat asked questions about the conservation work and got answers from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

There were speeches given to the small crowd sitting on folding chairs.
Here IAA director Shuka Dorfman is speaking.

The mayor went on about making Jerusalem more attractive to pilgrims and visitors. In fact, he seemed to use that good -ahem- Hebrew word atraktivi in every sentence.

The ribbon-cutting was done with a golden scissors.

The officials and bosses (the three in the center) insisted on giving photo-ops and credit to the hard-working men who actually did the work on the stones with their hands, up on the scaffolds in all kinds of weather.

As an archaeology fieldworker, I appreciated that very much.

Thanks crew, the Jaffa Gate looks a lot cleaner and safer and stronger now!

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More on the dedication ceremony at the Jerusalem Post.

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Jaffa Gate in black, sky in blue

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After days of cold wet grayness, we in Jerusalem finally got our blue sky back, just in time for Sky Watch Friday and for Tu BiShvat (more on that holiday tomorrow).

The view from Paul Emile Botta Street. Botta was the French Consul General in 1847-57 and was a distinguished archaeologist.
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Jaffa Gate seems to be under wraps. See the black cover? (If not, click to enlarge.)
Must be some restoration work. It was built in 1538.
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On the right is the Citadel or "Tower of David."
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And above is the warm blue sky that is so conducive to a good mood!
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Reflecting on Christmas

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Some Christmas reflections for James' "Weekend Reflections" meme

In my search for signs of Christmas in Jerusalem's Old City, I was lucky to find Santa, two trees, AND a reflection at one restaurant in the Christian Quarter.

The man, table, and interesting fake tree you saw in the glass door were actually across the street.

This truck of the Jerusalem Municipality came loaded with freshly-cut tree crowns.

(Remember the post on the distribution of free Christmas trees?)

In the front of the rearview mirror you see the Old City through the Jaffa Gate opening.

And here is the other direction: the other half of Jaffa Gate, which continues on as the City Wall that encircles the Old City.

See the happy people standing with their new trees?

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Christmas blessings to you from the Holy City.
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More "improvements"

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Like it's not enough that the Jerusalem Municipality has been tearing up our streets for years to build tracks for the light rail. Now they are tearing up Omar Ibn Khatib Square too!

This is what I found at noon today just inside the Jaffa Gate.
Jaffa Gate is, or was, a main entrance into the Old City for vehicles and people.

When I left the Old City at 4:00, the paving stones were already wrapped and strapped on pallets and being loaded onto a truck.

There goes the truck out of Jaffa Gate.

They plan to improve the square's infrastructure, add street furniture, etc., working 24 hours a day for the next 18 months. The Municipality's flyer on the project is here if you want details.

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Hmm, maybe I should apply for work at the preliminary archaeological dig that will surely start soon . . . .

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Light art in Jerusalem!

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Free art!
The first-ever Jerusalem Light Festival is taking place from June 10-16 at almost 30 locations around and in the Old City, featuring artists from Israel and abroad.

Just outside Jaffa Gate are Gil Teichman's dynamic light cubes, "Miskhak HaKubiot."
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Click to enlarge!

Leave it to the Israelis! This father couldn't resist setting his toddler on top of a cube. It was weird seeing her glow orange color.

This particular light art installation made a pleasant place to hang out--or hang OVER.

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Camel at the gate

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Welcome to the Jaffa Gate, last rebuilt in 1537 by the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, during the Ottoman rule.


Just inside the gate the "bagel" seller is always ready to sell you a sesame seed-covered roll with a little folded paper full of za'atar spice to dip it in.

The gate opens into the enchanting Old City of Jerusalem.

The only chance to get a photo of Jaffa Gate without tons of people is just before sunrise.

Once in a while a camel will be sitting just outside. Jaffa Gate is the only opening in the western part of the Old City wall. So what you see behind the camel is the western, Jewish part of Jerusalem, sometimes called the New City.

I didn't see the Arab camel "driver" anywhere around when I walked by. This father just started piling his kids on the (fortunately!) patient animal.

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For a short history of the Jaffa Gate you can click on BibleWalks.

And there is a really cool 3-D panoramic presentation of the gate and the Citadel here!
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(That's My World Tuesday is a growing new meme where friendly bloggers give you a free tour of their local world. Join us, it's fun!)

Looking east

Yesterday I thought only cats were cat-napping in the warm sun. Today this human did the same, just outside the Jaffa Gate.
What do you suppose? Was he
1. A Northern European "sun-worshipper"?
2. A tired tourist?
3. A patient husband waiting for his wife to finish shopping in the Old City bazaar?
We were lucky today to have good visibility.

From the Tower of David at Jaffa Gate we could see all of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, and clear over to the mountains of Moab and Edom in the Kingdom of Jordan. Over there is Mt. Nebo where Moses died.

In the deep Rift Valley between Jordan and Israel lies the Dead Sea.

If you click on the photo you can see the faint line of mountains just at the level of the crane arm.

Elegant motorcycles inside the Old City

Yesterday I felt a strange need to visit the Old City of Jerusalem. Immediately upon entering the old Jaffa Gate, I understood what had "called" me there. Look at these BMWs!!

(You see, when in college in America my mode of transportation was a Honda 50. I loved it and always dreamed of crossing the country, ala John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley, on a black BMW.)
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I circled the bikes, trying not to drool on them. I sat next to them, took pictures, read the stickers, wondered about the license plates, marveled at the helmets. Then finally I figured out that man in black was the rider.

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Click on the photo and you'll see the Austrian eagle and the name of Innsbruck.
The American man leaning on the post explained he and a small group were touring Israel with these and six other motorcycles with Edelweiss Bike Travel (http://www.edelweissbike.com/). Because motorcycles cannot be rented in Israel, they had to be brought in from Austria for this first-of-its-kind-in-Israel trip.
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They had wanted to ride to Petra also but the Jordanians did not allow the bikes into the Kingdom.
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The lucky man gave me permission to post this and I wished him happy trails. His lucky lucky wife returned from her shopping spree in the bazaar along with the second couple.
And off they drove.
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The powerful purr of the BMW engines was just as I remembered it from the 1960s.
Sigh. . .

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