Jerusalem Archives - Page 155 of 198

Jerusalem Top Tourist Destination

Jerusalem has been named one of the world’s top 10 travel destinations for culture and sightseeing. The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice award for Jerusalem, the only city in the Middle East and Africa to receive the honor, was announced Wednesday. TripAdvisor lists several sites in Jerusalem as must-see for travelers, including the Western Wall, Temple Mount, Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and the City of David. […] Other destinations on the top 10 list include London, New York City, Paris, Rome and Washington, D.C. Also, Florence and Venice, in Italy; Istanbul, Turkey; and Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The full story is here.

Tagged Jerusalem, Tourism

Northern Hinnom Valley Excavations

Tom Powers has written and posted photos on a new excavation in the Hinnom Valley, just north of “Artists’ Lane.” The salvage dig is being carried out in advance of the construction of a park to honor former Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek. The hole is deep and there appears to be a lot of architecture, but the workers were less than happy to be the subject of the paparazzi and quickly chased Tom away.

It’ll be interesting to learn what they find. Historically this area has always been outside the walls of Jerusalem. Somewhere in the Hinnom Valley lies ancient Topheth, where the kings of Judah made sacrifices to foreign gods (2 Kgs 23:10; Isa 30:33; Jer 7:31-32; Jer 19:6-14). I’ve always pictured that being further to the south. When more becomes available, I’ll note it here.

Tagged Excavations, Jerusalem

Barkay on Claim to Temple Mount

Most of what is in this Arutz-7 interview with Dr. Gabriel Barkay is not new, but some things are worth hearing again.

Of the discoveries that have been made in the Temple Mount Sifting Project (unfortunately translated in the article as “Screening the Waste”!):

Barkai explained that despite the conditions, “We have made thousands of amazing finds that have changed the way we understand that period.”
Asked later to elaborate, he told Israel National News, “For instance, we have found many small floor tiles, of different colors, which confirm the Talmud’s description of the floor of the Second Temple as being reminiscent of the ocean.”
Other finds have included fragments of stone decorated with ornaments known to be from the Second Temple Period, arrowheads from Nebuchadnezzar’s army and also from the Romans, as well as coins and decorations from many periods. Among the most exciting finds were bullae (seal rings), ostracons written in ancient Hebrew script, seals, and more.

Of the agenda to rewrite history in order to eliminate a Jewish connection to the Temple Mount:

Barkai explained that in addition to building mosques on the site, the Moslems clearly have the goal of detaching Israel from its past and Holy Temple connections: “They wish to undermine Jewish ownership and bonds to the Temple Mount. They’ve built a giant mosque there in Solomon’s Stables [under the Temple Mount] and another one nearby – but aside from that, they have an ideological goal which is even making inroads to naïve circles in the west, and it is called ‘Holy Temple denial.’ They act as if there never was a Holy Temple. This is very very grave; regarding the Holocaust, there are living people who still remember it, but the same cannot be said regarding the Temple…”
“We must demand that Israeli law and sovereignty be enforced on the Temple Mount,” Barkai concluded.

The full article is here.

Tagged Jerusalem, Temple Mount

Hinnom Valley Bridge Discovered

The Israel Antiquities Authority has uncovered an arched bridge in the Hinnom Valley that was built in the 14th century as a replacement of the Lower Aqueduct bridge from the 1st century. From Arutz-7:

Two of the bridge’s original nine arches have now been excavated to their full height of about three meters.
In actuality, the newly-discovered bridge was built in 1320 C.E. by the sultan Nasser al-Din Muhammed Ibn Qalawun, as evidenced by its dedicatory inscription. However, it was apparently constructed to replace an earlier bridge dating to the time of the Second Temple period that was part of the original aqueduct.
Yechiel Zelinger, excavation director on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said, “The bridge, which could still be seen at the end of the 19th century and appears in old photographs, was covered over during the 20th century. We were thrilled when it suddenly reappeared in all its grandeur during the course of the archaeological excavations.”
“The route of the Low Level aqueduct from the time of the Second Temple, beginning at Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem and ending at the Temple Mount, is well known to scholars,” Zelinger said. “Substantial parts of it have been documented along the edge of Yemin Moshe neighborhood and on the slope adjacent to the Old City’s western wall. In order to maintain the elevation of the path along which the water flowed, a bridge was erected above the ravine.”

The story continues here.

Yesterday Tom Powers posted his observations of the excavation along with a couple of great photos.

He wonders aloud if the earlier foundations of the bridge underlie the present one. Perhaps the archaeologists will pursue this question.

Tagged Discoveries, Excavations, Jerusalem

Weekend Roundup

Aren Maeir reports briefly on some archaeological meetings in Israel this week. He’s also expecting to accomplish a lot at Gath this season with more than 100 registered for the first session.

Leon Mauldin has an interesting post with a map and photos of the city of Haran where Abraham and Jacob lived.

Ferrell Jenkins is back in Israel and posting daily of his travels. Friday’s post included a photo of the restored Jaffa Gate.

UPDATE (5/10): Joe Lauer has noted that the Haaretz story on the Muslim prayer room is three years old(!), and thus I have deleted it.

Tagged Jerusalem, Weekend Roundup

Weekend Roundup

Tours of the ancient sites in Iraq will begin this summer. A nine-day tour costs $3,375.

Hamas plans to regulate the trade of antiquities in Gaza. Of 25,000 gold and bronze coins unearthed since 1990, 14,000 were sold on the black market.

The Washington Post has the best article I’ve read on the restoration of Jaffa Gate.

Christianity Today has a story on the discovery of the “Miracle Boat,” also known as the “Jesus Boat.” (Why not “Galilee Boat”?) The article also mentions the recent campaign to increase the number of visitors to the boat. My suggestion: lower the outrageous entrance fee.

Tourists can now bring their iPad to Israel without fear of it being confiscated by customs authorities.

Israel’s Tourism Minister is vowing to stop the country’s degrading treatment of visitors.

Leon Maudlin has been posting “two views” of Miletus, showing the dramatic differences in the ancient city in different seasons.

HT: Explorator, Paleojudaica, and Joe Lauer

Tagged Galilee, Jerusalem, Tourism, Weekend Roundup