The Grand Tour
Jerusalem
(via the port of Ashdod)
"All sects of Christians (except Protestants)
have chapels under the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and each must
keep to itself and not venture upon another’s ground. It has been proven
conclusively that they cannot worship together around the grave of the Saviour
of the world in peace... Not far from here was a niche where they
used to preserve a piece of the true Cross, but it is gone now. ...The Latin
priests say it was stolen away, long ago, by priest of another sect. That seems
like a hard statement to make, but we know very well that it was stolen,
because we have seen it ourselves in several of the cathedrals of Italy and
France."
" (The tourist)... looks at all these places
with interest but with the same conviction he felt in the case of the Sepulchre,
that there is nothing genuine about them and that they are imaginary holy places
created by the monks. But the place of the Crucifixion affects him differently.
He fully believes that he is looking upon the spot where the Saviour gave up his
life...."
"Renown Jerusalem itself, the stateliest name
in history, has lost all its ancient grandeur and is become a pauper
village."
Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad, 1869
The area known as Jerusalem has been inhabited for
about 5,000 years. Practically from the moment King David, established
Jerusalem as the capitol of his kingdom about 3,000 years ago, Jerusalem became
perhaps the most important of holy site in the world. Today, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam all count Jerusalem as an essential holy site. The
Temple Mount is the epicenter of Jerusalem for all three religions. For
Jews and Christians, it is the site of Solomon's Temple; for Jews, Christians,
and Moslems it is the site of where Abraham is said to have nearly
sacrificed his son Isaac; and for Moslems, it is the site where Mohammed
ascended into heaven.
Never-the-less, until about 150 years ago Jerusalem was
still a relatively small town, and at times even a backwater. During the mid
19th Century Jerusalem expanded for the first time
outside its ancient
walls. And, today Jerusalem is more healthy and fascinating than Twain
could have predicted. However, even now Jerusalem is not a very large city, with
a population of about 500,000. What is left of old
Jerusalem, as defined by the city walls, and is divided
into four
quarters: Christian, Jewish, Moslem, and Armenian. Many of the narrow streets of
old Jerusalem are lined with hundreds of stalls and crowed with people seeking
everything from souvenirs, to spices, to antiquities, fresh vegetables. Almost
anything can be bargained for in the Souk.
During its long history Jerusalem has been conquered by
King Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, the Romans (who established Herod as
King) with Constantine eventually transforming the city into a Christian center
( In fact, it was Constantine's mother, Helena, who established many of the
Christian holy sites in and around Jerusalem.), Moslem armies under
Caliph Omar in the 7th Century (Shortly thereafter the Moslems built the Dome of
the Rock on the Temple Mount.), the Crusaders in 1099 (who massacred everyone
living in the city), the Mamluks from Egypt, the Ottoman Turks, and
the British Army (led by General Allenby). When the State of Israel was created
by a United Nations resolution in 1948, Jerusalem, Israel's capitol
was divided by war with the surrounding Arab
countries. In 1967, the part of
Jerusalem not under Israeli control was captured from Jordan and the city has
remained united for more the last three decades. For years prior to this the
Jews had no access to the Temple Mount. As a result the Western Wall of the
Temple Mount became the site where Jews gathered to bewail (thus the name Wailing
Wall) this injustice and to pray. Today, while the Temple Mount is
accessible, it remains under Moslem control and is occupied by the Dome
of the Rock, or the Mosque of Omar.
Just as Twain alluded to, there are sites in and around
Jerusalem which
commemorate virtually every aspect of Christ's life and it may
be hard for all but the truest of believers to accept the idea that anyone can
actually know where these places were. However, two sites established by
Constantine's mother are arguably the most interesting and important. The Church
of the Nativity, the traditional birth place of Christ, is located in
Bethlehem, very close to old Jerusalem. Pilgrims can descend into the lowest
level of the Church of the Nativity to witness a Greek Orthodox mass at what
many believe is the precise site of Christ's 
birth.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the traditional
site of the tomb of Christ, is located in the Christian quarter of old
Jerusalem. Within the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
are
a stone believed to be the stone upon which Christ's body was prepared for
burial and the tomb of Christ. It was the destruction of this church which
caused the Pope to encourage Europe's knights to take back the Holy Land from
the Moslem infidels beginning in 1099. And, many second and third sons of
nobility who had no prospects of inheriting land and wealth heeded the
call. 
To the east of Jerusalem is the Mount of Olives where
the Garden of Gethsemane is located, memorialized by the Church
of All Nations, and 
where for more than 2,000 years Jews have buried their
dead on it's slopes awaiting the coming of the
Messiah and the resurrection to follow.
The Dead Sea
"We had had a glimpse, from a mountaintop, of
the Dead Sea, lying like a blue shield in the plain of the Jordan, and now we
were marching down a close, flaming, rugged desolate defile, where no living
creature could enjoy life except, perhaps, a salamander. ...It was the
"wilderness" where John preached, with camels hair about his
loins--raiment enough--but he never could have got his locusts and wild honey
here. ... It was a funny bath. We could not sink. One could stretch himself at
full length on his back, with his arms on his breast, and all of his body above
a line drawn from the corner of his jaw past the middle of his side, the middle
of his leg and though his anklebone would remain out of water. ..No position can
be retained long; you lose your balance and whirl over....A horse is so top
heavy that he can neither swim not stand up in the Dead Sea...Some of us bathed
for more than an hour and then came out coated with salt till we shone like
icicles. We scrubbed it off with a coarse towel and rode off with a splendid
brand-new smell...."
Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad, 1867
Located about an hour's drive from Jerusalem, the Dead
Sea is the lowest point on the surface of the earth, at 1300 feet below sea
level. This depression created by the Syrian-African fault collects the water
which flows from the Sea of Galilee and through the River Jordan. The water is
at least ten times saltier than the Mediterranean. Today the Dead Sea mined for
phosphates and minerals used to make fertilizers and cosmetics. And, a few
hotels and spas have sprung up around the south end of the Dead Sea patronized
by those who believe the high salt and mineral concentration of the Dead Sea has
medicinal advantages.
The Dead Sea area has become even better known since Twain visited due to the
discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (some 800 manuscripts) between 1947 and 1956,
in a series of caves in the Wadi Qumran. The scrolls
contain early biblical texts, Essene writings which date from 250 BC to 50 AD.
19th
Century Photographs of Jerusalem
e-mail
the Flagler Museum
For more information, please visit the following
websites.
outside its ancient
walls. And, today Jerusalem is more healthy and fascinating than Twain
could have predicted. However, even now Jerusalem is not a very large city, with
a population of about 500,000. What is left of old
Jerusalem, as defined by the city walls, and is divided
into four
quarters: Christian, Jewish, Moslem, and Armenian. Many of the narrow streets of
old Jerusalem are lined with hundreds of stalls and crowed with people seeking
everything from souvenirs, to spices, to antiquities, fresh vegetables. Almost
anything can be bargained for in the Souk.
