The last weekend in March, we went with several of the other Fellows, and with our Director Scott, to the town of Bursa. By the 14th century, Bursa was the first Ottoman capital city, and there are several interesting and important medieval mosques and tomb complexes that still remain. It is an attractive city, set not too far inland from the Sea of Marmara, on the Asian side. It is only about an hour and a half away by fast ferry from Istanbul, which is how we traveled.
PANORAMIC VIEW OF BURSA
The earlier Byzantine walls of the city have been restored, but very poorly, and with no regard for their historical value.
AWFUL. JUST AWFUL.
Our first stop after the walls was the Shehadet Mosque. Originally built in 1365 by the Sultan Murad I, the building was extensively restored in the late 19th century. We did not go in, but stayed outside to inspect an extremely important inscription embedded in one of the walls.
Some scholars of Ottoman history consider this inscription to be the oldest datable example of the Ottoman script. Also, because the word "Gazi", or "holy warrior" appears in it, some historians have used it to bolster a theory that the Ottoman state was founded on the concept of holy war and the spread of Islam, rather than out of more purely political motivations and the desire to expand a state. It is fairly clear why this theory would be attractive to people of a certain mindset, but more current scholarly opinion is leaning away from this idea. Regardless, it is an important inscription for the study of Ottoman history.
From there we walked to the center of the town to see the 15th-century Han, which is still the center of sales of Bursa's most famous product: fine silk.
THE SQUARE OUTSIDE THE HAN
THE INTERIOR COURTYARD OF THE HAN
Our next stop was the Ulu Camii, a mosque constructed in 1399. The much later painting on the interior is quite interesting, especially an illusionistic representation of an arch over the main doorway.
EXTERIOR OF THE ULU CAMII
TROMP L'EOIL PAINTING ON THE MOSQUE'S INTERIOR
That evening we were to make a trip to the historic hamam (Turkish bath) for some relaxation. On the way we stopped at one more medieval mosque but, unfortunately, because we were on the way to the baths we had not brought our cameras. This was really too bad because the caretaker was kind enough to let some of us climb to the top of the minaret! This is a VERY rare occurrence. None of the Ottomanists had even ever been in a minaret. It was not one of the tallest I have seen, but was a good 50-60 feet. As it was so old, the balcony on which the muezzin used to stand to recite the call to prayer was quite narrow -- one person cannot pass another person on it. It also sloped down towards the outside quite steeply, and the stone railing came up only to about mid-thigh, so it definitely was not doing much to ensure safety! It is difficult to imagine climbing the narrow, pitch-black stairway to the top at dawn to stand on that small, high balcony and sing. We were very glad to have the opportunity to be up there, but we did not stay long!
The baths were very interesting. They are served by natural hot mineral springs, so the water in all the soaking pools is quite warm and heavy -- very relaxing. The mens' side is opulent, made up of a forest of Roman columns. The guys were treated to wraps of warm towels (refreshed periodically), cold drinks, and general extreme comfort. The women's side, however, is much smaller and less impressive, and entirely do-it-yourself (unless you purchase a scrub or a massage). No warm towels, no being waited on hand and foot. Of course, the price is the same (naturally). The one interesting aspect of the women's side is the "Lion's Mouth," which is actually a Roman drainpipe spout in the shape of a lion's head. At some point it was mounted on the wall where the hot spring enters the main chamber, and steaming water now pours out of its mouth. I have seen dozens of such spouts on ancient buildings, and lying around archaeological sites, but I'd never seen one in use.
INTERLUDE: A COUPLE OF INTERESTING IMAGES:
A WOMAN INSPECTS MOTORCYCLES OUTSIDE A MOSQUE
ONLY IN TURKEY: A PLAYGROUND CALLED "GUNPOWDER PARK" SET UP IN THE YARD OF A HIGH-VOLTAGE POWER STATION!
The next day, we started with a visit to the Yildirim Beyazid Camii. It is a small but attractive early 15th-century mosque, with later wall decoration. The most interesting aspect of the complex is the tomb of Beyazid I (1360-1403). He is perhaps best known as a character in the play Tamerlane by Christopher Marlowe. He was taken prisoner by Tamerlane (also called Timur) at the Battle of Ankara in 1403. Although he was originally buried near there, his body was later moved to this tomb in Bursa.
INTERIOR OF YILDIRIM BEYAZID CAMII
TOMB OF BEYAZID I
Our next stop was the Yesil Camii, dated 1412-1419. The tilework in that building is just unbelievable. Scott was able to get us access to the Sultan's loge, in the second story of the building. The deep blues, vibrant turqouise, and real gold inlay make a spectacular sight that cannot be adequately conveyed in photographs.
ME IN THE SULTAN'S LOGE
THE BEST PICTURE I COULD GET OF THE TILEWORK. DOESN'T EVEN COME CLOSE TO THE TRUE COLORS
THE VIEW DOWN TO THE FLOOR OF THE MOSQUE
Even the lower area of the mosque, for the use of common people, is covered in gorgeous tilework with inlaid gold:
We also visited the Turkish Islamic Art Museum. It was ok, but didn't blow anyone away. As usual, I was most interested in the mannequins dressed in traditional costumes. The courtyard also made a pleasant place to relax for a bit.
AS ALWAYS, THE MANNEQUINS ARE A BIT CREEPY
SOME OF THE FELLOWS RELAXING IN THE COURTYARD
Our final stop was the Muradiye Complex, a large grouping of tombs of Ottoman nobility. The setting is pleasant, quiet, and green.
Among the most interesting tombs is that of Cem Sultan (pronounced "Jim"), a rather dashing figure in late 15th-century Ottoman history. He was the younger brother of the ruling sultan, who chose to get rid of him by sending him into exile in Rome where he dallied with many women of high society and made quite a name for himself as a ladies' man and a cultured man-about-town. He died mysteriously in 1495, most likely poisoned by his brother. His tomb is incredibly garish on the interior, and one cannot help but think that his brother, while making an attempt to feign honor of his sibling, was also taking a bit of a last dig at him by decorating his final resting place in such an over-the-top and fairly unattractive way.
THE EXTERIOR OF CEM SULTAN'S TOMB
THE INTERIOR OF CEM SULTAN'S TOMB
THE COLORS ACTUALLY WORK IN THE DOME
Another tomb of interest is that of Prince Mustafa, the son of Suleyman the Magnificent. He died in 1553 and his tomb is covered on the interior with Iznik tiles of the highest quality. These tiles are in such high demand on the art market that some thieves with no sense of decency had recently broken into the tomb in the middle of the night and pried some off, breaking several in the process. They will have great difficult moving them, since they will be immediately recognizable to any Ottoman art historian who might be called on to make a ruling on their authenticity for purposes of valuation. Here's hoping they do get caught!
ALYSON, A HISTORIAN OF OTTOMAN ARCHITECTURE, INSPECTS THE RECENT DAMAGE.
Our two days in Bursa drawing to a close, we took the ferry back to Istanbul. Coming into the city from the west, we were rewarded with a view of Sultanahmet that is not often appreciated. Most photographs are taken from the Golden Horn, so images of the familiar skyline of the historic area almost always show Hagia Sophia in front of the blue Mosque. Coming in the way we did, the familiar vista was reversed. This is interesting and important, because it gives an opportunity to really appreciate how massive the dome of Hagia Sophia is. With the Blue Mosque sitting in front of it, closer to the viewer, it is obvious how huge the 6th-century building behind it really is -- even so much further from the viewer, it's dome is clearly huge in comparison to the domes of the Blue Mosque -- and how it effectively dwarfs the later construction.
The other thing we could appreciate from the water, of course, was the disgusting blanket of pollution that sits over the city. Sigh. Home again.
In mid-March (that's how far I am behind on this blog!), we had our first two visitors stay in our apartment at the Center. First my fellow grad student from USC, Nick, came for a few days. He was at the end of a 5-week or so trip all across Europe to photograph Roman art in major museums. He had not originally planned to visit Istanbul, but the lure of a free place to stay was too great, and I think he was pleasantly surprised by the richness of the collection in the Archaeological Museum here.
A couple of days after he arrived, my cousin Christina came as well, on her Spring Break from teaching middle and high school band in East Texas. For two nights the two of them shared our small apartment, and we all had a great time (at least I think so). Nick was a man on a mission, so he did not have a lot of time to play. But on his last morning in the city, he joined Christina and I for a tour of the Chora church (also known as the Kariye Camii). I have posted pictures of this magnificent church before, I believe. It is, quite literally, the site of some of the most important and well-preserved Byzantine fresco and mosaic work in the world.
While we were there we took the opportunity to stop by a nearby shop and visit our friend Volkan, who works there. He invited us to come to his house for dinner a couple of nights later, which we did do (more on that later).
Nick took off from the Chora for the airport, and Christina and I went on to Yedi Kule, the Turkish prison. Since I've written about that before also, I'm not going to recap it here, except to say that an older Turkish man gave us a "tour" this time. Since he didn't speak any English, he told us everything using pantomime. It was hilarious, even though he was mostly talking about people being shot with arrows, beheaded, and strangled. Between my basic Turkish and his wonderful pantomime, we "learned" that the hole in the floor of the inside of the Golden Gate was used by the Byzantines to throw the bodies of executed prisoners into the sewer system, where they would be disposed of by dogs, or washed out to sea and eaten by fishes (all of which he pantomimed). This is absolutely not true, but it was fun to watch him explain it anyway.
From there we crossed back to the side of the Horn I live on, and went to the top of Galata tower for some amazing view of the city.
CHRISTINA AT THE TOP OF THE GALATA TOWER
Since Christina and I were together the first time I ever visited Istanbul a few years ago, we have both done most of the "big" tourist attractions such as Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace. So once Nick left, we focused on some of the lesser-visited but interesting sites, and just tried to relax and have a good time, which she really needed!
The next day, Peter joined us for a daylong trip to the Prince's Islands, so-called because Ottoman sultans sometimes deposited potentially problematic brothers there to serve exile. In more recent times, the islands have become resorts, a place to escape the crowded bustle of Istanbul. We took the slow ferry from the European side of the city and island-hopped for several hours.
VIEW OF THE LANDING DOCK OF ONE OF THE ISLANDS WHERE WE DID NOT DISEMBARK
On Heybeliada we walked around and took in the view of the other islands and the horses that were wandering freely.
MEN WORK ON THEIR FISHING NETS
AN OLD OTTOMAN HOUSE
Then we climbed to the top of the island to visit the 11th-century Greek Orthodox monastery of Hagia Triada, which the groundskeeper was kind enough to let us into although it is not normally open to the public. We could not enter the buildings, which are now a boys' school, but we could look at all the wonderful animals!
AT THE GATES OF THE MONASTERY
AWWW...
HUH?
On Buyukada, literally the "Big Island," we were greeted by an amazing cacophany of sounds when we stepped off the boat. Although the islands can be very busy in the summer months, with holiday-makers from Istanbul and abroad, we were not expecting them to be so busy this early in the season. But what we did not realized was that with the Turkish elections only a couple of weeks away, all of the major political parties had set up their headquarters on the big island and were blasting their own personal theme songs! The entire island was covered with flags and banners, and it was madness!
ELECTION BANNERS EVERYWHERE
We were able to escape from this a bit by taking a horse-and-carriage ride (only service vehicles are allowed on the islands, no personal cars), around the island to see the gorgeous late Ottoman architecture.
IS THIS ONE HAUNTED?
Then Christina and I traded the horse cart in for donkeys (Peter was not interested, since we discovered in Petra that he is probably allergic) and rode up to the highest point of the island to see the church and monastery of Aya Yorgi, some parts of which date to the 6th century. Unfortunately it was not open, but the views of the islands were nice. They would have been nicer if the weather was clearer, but it was still pretty.
VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE ISLAND
Day three, Peter took Christina to the Pera Museum, a very nice small museum close to our apartment which houses, among other things, the famous "Tortoise Trainer" painting by Osman Hamdi Bey, the most well-known of Turkish artists. I stayed home to get some work done. In the afternoon, Christina and I went to the spice market and the nearby Yeni Camii which, although it is not one of the most famous of the many mosques in Istanbul, is quite beautiful.
Later that day we got on another ferry, this time a fast one, and made the trip to the Asian side to visit Volkan and his girlfriend, Janset. She is an amazing cook, and it was great to have a homecooked meal. For Peter and I, it was the first time in several months! It was also nice for Christina to have a chance to see how the "real people" live in Istanbul.
The following day, because the weather forecast called for steady rain, we went to the archaeological museum, which Christina had not seen because we did not do our research before our first visit to the city, and had overlooked it. Afterward we visited a small textile shop in the same part of town. It was recommended to us by Amanda, the Fellow at the Center who is writing her dissertation on Ottoman cushion covers. The family that owns it is based in Antakya (Antioch), but they have this small shop in Istanbul also. They specialize in silk textiles, and you can watch a man working the loom right there in the shop. Their stuff is amazing, and fairly inexpensive compared to the fake examples you can find in other, more touristy, shops. Christina purchased several souvenirs, and we frustrated the owner by refusing to have tea (we didn't want to take the time).
That afternoon, we took advantage of the awful weather (it was cold and rainy almost the entire time Christina was here, unfortunately) to relax in the Chamberlitas hamam, one of the oldest and most opulent in the city. All I can really say about that is "Aaaahhhh...."
That night, we headed to another area of town to have dinner with our friend Marco, who works for the State Department. He had been very excited for a couple of weeks because a Chili's opened down the street from his house. He tries to pretend like it is his young son who is excited, but it is really him! Unless you have lived outside the U.S. for an extended period of time, it is simply not possible to understand how thrilling the opening of an American chain restaurant can be. Christina said she didn't mind having some American food, so we went there with Marco and his son and daughter. His wife Karen was unfortunately tied up at work, busily preparing for President Obama's visit.
The next day, we visited Dolmabahce palace, which was the home of the last six sultans. It was designed and built, at incredible expense, as a way of proving that the 19th-century sultans were as modern and cultured as their European ruler counterparts. The harem is also famous as the site of the death of Ataturk. The grounds and the buildings are amazing, and the decorations are unbelievably lavish.
THE GATE OF DOLMABAHCE
ONE OF THE PALACE GUARDS
THE FAMOUS CLOCKTOWER. CHRISTINA APPARENTLY HAS THE "CURSE OF THE SCAFFOLDING" AS WELL!
Neither of us paid for the extra ticket that would allow us to take photographs inside (but I won't make that mistake again, when I go with Peter). The most exciting moment of the Dolmabahce visit was when we were walking around the grounds and got a bit off the tourist path. Christina saw some peacocks wandering freely and wanted to go for a closer look. An old groundskeeper came out of a nearby building, probably to shoo us away. I spoke to him in Turkish and he was suddenly very excited, and asked us to come into his building. We had no idea what we were in for, but it turned out to be the Ottoman aviary, still in use! There were thousands of birds of all kinds inside. I have no idea why they maintain it, since it is not open to the public. What are they using the birds for? It is a mystery that none of my Turkish friends have been able to help me solve as of yet.
We picked Peter up for a quick lunch at the Ara Cafe, which is owned by Ara Guler, the most famous photographer of Istanbul. He is known worldwide as the "Eye of Istanbul." His photographs taken in the 1950s and 1960s are iconic. We have even seen him eating in the cafe on at least one occasion, but this time we just enjoyed the yummy food.
Next we visited the fortress of Rumeli Hisar, which was constructed by Mehmet the Conqueror in the 1490s when he was besieging Istanbul. It allowed him to control the waterway of the Bosphorus, and block off supply ships from reaching the Byzantines in the city. Because of its location on the water it is an absolutely gorgeous site to visit, although often overlooked by tourists. Highly recommended.
For Christina's last evening in town, we took her out to SantralIstanbul, the Ottoman power plant that I have blogged about before.
YOU KNOW US -- ALWAYS GETTING INTO THINGS!
OUR BODY HEAT PORTRAIT
It was an especially fun evening because there was a well-known band playing in Otto (the pizza place). They are called BaBa ZuLa and are very good.
BABA ZULA TAKES THE STAGE
It was a fun night, despite the fact that we had to fight to get on the free shuttle home, and even missed the first one because we were not willing to shove our way on. We were not so nice when the second one pulled up!
Despite the cold, wet weather and the fact that I was very busy with work while she was here, we did find some time to have fun and see some of the sites that neither one of us had experienced yet. Christina, I hope you had a good vacation!
Several weeks ago, we went with a group from the Research Center on a fieldtrip to Konya. Konya is a very religious, traditional city which is best known for its associations with Rumi (lived 1207-1273), also known as the Mevlana. Rumi was the founder of the famous religious order still known as the Whirling Dervishes, and he is buried here in Konya, where he lived most of his life. The religious beliefs that Rumi put forward in his writings are not always the same as those of mainstream Muslims. For example, many of his religious poems show what many Muslims would consider a very lax attitude towards following the dogma of religion, as well as a very open attitude about who might participate in the religious experience of his dervishes. From one of his most famous works:
Come, come, whoever you are. Wonderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times Come, yet again, come, come.
Despite the non-traditional nature of his religious teachings, his tomb is still regarded as an important place of pilgrimage for all Muslims, and the people of Konya, although very conservative in their own beliefs, are proud of their city's role as the home of the Mevlana.
The skyline of Konya , backed by gorgeous mountains, announces its religious devotion in all its interesting confusion. Look closely at the skyscraper in this picture:
DETAIL OF THE TOP OF THE SKYSCRAPER
Skyscrapers are considered by the citizens of Konya to be indicators that they are modern and advanced, so they love to construct them whenever possible. The top of this skyscraper in particular uses the forms of two important buildings: the lower pavilion-like section is based on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, the holiest of Muslim sites, while the smaller section on top of that is the same shape as the tomb of Rumi, whose mysticism is both part of, and at odds with, mainstream Islam.
We took an overnight train from Istanbul to Konya, and when we arrived we found a frozen city, covered in snow. None of the mosques or museums we visited had heat, so by the end of each day we were fairly frozen!
The main point of the trip was to see some of the most important examples of Seljuk architecture. Scott, the Director of the Institute, is a Seljuk historian, so it was very educational to tour the sites with him. The Seljuks were a pre-Ottoman state that ruled much of Anatolia, into Persia, in the 11th-14th centuries. Konya was their capital, and much of their architecture remains.
Before seeing the buildings in town, though, we traveled outside the city to a caravansaray to see a fine example of the buildings that were used by caravans when they were traveling to and from Konya. This one is called Zazadin Han:
Our next stop was to see what is left of the original Seljuk walls of Konya. They are now to be found (and visited, if you have the right connections), in the basement of a "dershane", a center for test preparation. You can see all the college-prep test booklets stacked against them in the pictures.
Next we entered the Karatay Madrasa, (a madrasa, or medrese, as I have mentioned in previous posts, is a school for Quaranic learning). This building has been converted into a museum, and we were not supposed to take photos inside. I had, however, snapped one picture of the amazing tiled dome before they told us that. These tiles are especially amazing because the Seljuks did not have the technology to fire tiles with more than one color on them, so they had to fire each small piece of the design separately, in whatever shape they wanted, then fit them together to achieve the desired pattern:
From there we moved to another Madrasa, the Ince Minare ("Slender Minaret") Madrasa, which is now a museum of architectural elements such as stone and woodwork. Its highly-decorated carved portal is one of the most important remaining Seljuk monuments:
Our final stop of the day was the Alaeddin Camii, in the interior courtyard of which stand the tombs of most of the Seljuk rulers. None of my pictures of this are very good, probably because I was too cold to take anything decent by this point.
That night we were able to meet up at the hotel with a fellow Fulbrighter, Dee Dee from South Carolina, and her husband Michael. We were happy to hear that they love living in Konya, although it is a more difficult assignment because it is so much more traditional and conservative than Istanbul. Dee Dee was also able to join us for our tours the next day, which was nice.
We started our second day with a trip to the tomb complex of Rumi. It's greenish-blue tiled tower is the most recognized landmark of the city. No pictures are allowed inside, but in addition to the actual tombs of Rumi, his father, and various important individuals, we saw many other objects associated with the history of the Whirling Dervishes, such as musical instruments and manuscripts. It is really an amazing place to visit, and we highly recommend it.
After a nice lunch, we visited two more sites in town: the archaeological museum which, although not very well-kept or labeled, houses some very interesting objects, including this sarcophagus depicting the 12 Labors of Hercules:
Another interesting sarcophagus in the museum had an unusual version of the Jonah story. I've never seen him being swallowed headfirst before!
Next door to the museum is the Sahip Ata Kulliyesi, a dervish "convent." As with many of the other buildings we saw in Konya, the inside was beautifully tiled. Although the main central area has been rather harshly restored, the tomb area to the side is remarkable for the beauty of the tiling not only on the building, but on the coffins themselves:
The last goal of our tour was not in Konya itself, but in the nearby town of Beyshehir. Visiting required a drive of an hour and a half or so through beautiful snowy countryside:
The main attraction in Beyshehir is the Eshrefoglu mosque, one of a rare type of mosque with a wooden interior, beautifully painted. It was constructed in the Medieval period, late 13th century, and is in a remarkable state of preservation, considering that the columns, roof, and furniture are all made of wood:
A DETAIL OF THE CARVED AND PAINTED DECORATION AT THE TOP OF ONE OF THE COLUMNS
Beyshehir's other claim to fame is its location on the shores of Turkey's largest freshwater lake (for those of you who are wondering, Lake Van's water is part saline, part fresh), which shares the name Beyshehir. We were able to spend a half hour or so walking by the water and teaching Tsameret and Ilan's children to throw snowballs. Since they are from Israel, it was their first time to see snow!
BEAUTIFUL LAKE BEYSHEHIR
THE CITY SITS ON ITS SHORE, LOOKING VERY EUROPEAN
A HAPPY, BUT THOROUGHLY FROZEN, GROUP OF FELLOWS
Soon it was time to drive back to Konya to catch another overnight train back to Istanbul. We were prepared for a boring night: a little dinner, some chatting, then off to bed. But we found ourselves sharing the dining car with a group of young Turkish soldiers enjoying their last night of freedom before reporting for sniper training in Istanbul the next day. One of them had a guitar, and our "boring night" turned into hours of singing (and even some dancing) as we rode through the frozen Anatolian plain. It was definitely a night to remember!
The final day of our trip was much less hectic, much more relaxing and, consequently, much less interesting than those before. We spent the day in Jaffa (ancient Joppa), which is now more or less a suburb of Tel Aviv. It was nice to be on the waterfront, and to see what there was to see, but it didn't blow us away.
A bit of the more modern history (as opposed to the ancient or Biblical history) of Joppa will set the stage:
There used to be a saying among German and Dutch sailors, when a task was particularly difficult, and there was small chance of survival or success. They would say that to carry out that task was "to go to Jaffa beach." This saying came from the fact that the water around the port of Jaffa is shallow and peppered with sandbars and rocks that it is difficult for ships to avoid. Pilgrims who arrived to the Holy Land via this port were often dismayed to find that their ship had to stop a great distance from shore, and that they then had to ride smaller boats, or even walk through the water, to get to the land. But yet it was an important port, and may well be one of the oldest in the world, used by both the Canaanites and the Philistines.
It was conquered by Napoleon on March 7, 1799, during his conquest of the Holy Land. He was so angered by the residents' resistance that when his soldiers finally broke into the city, he slaughtered its inhabitants. Many of his own soldiers then died of plague they contracted through proximity to all of the rotting corpses. Two years after that horrible event, visitors to Jaffa said they could still smell the stench of decaying bodies. Lovely place indeed!
But for a town that has seen so much violence, its modern incarnation is very pleasant and peaceful. It prides itself on being a home to contemporary artists, and expensive showrooms line most of the small streets. The restaurants along the water are popular hangouts for locals, and we had one of the best meals of our trip there.
LOOK, I'M A HISTORICAL SITE!
In fact, the first thing we did there was eat. We had breakfast at a well-known local establishment, the Aboulafia Bakery. I had a doughnut. A real doughnut, warm and rolled in granulated sugar. That may sound like a simple pleasure, but it was the first time in months I had had one, and eating it while sitting on a bench overlooking the sea was just wonderful.
Our first visit was to the Visitor's Center in Kedumim Square, where some ruins of Roman houses have been excavated and filled with amusing mannequins:
There was also an extremely entertaining film shown there.
Another other building of note in the square is the Monastery of St. Peter, built in 1891 over the ruins of a Crusader fortress:
Just off the square, up a small hill, is the Wishing Bridge. It is decorated with bronze images of the 12 signs of the zodiac, and if you stand clasping your sign and make a wish while looking out towards the sea, it is supposed to come true. I can verify that it does not work. Or maybe it didn't work for me because I could not reach far enough to touch both of my signs, Sagittarius and Capricorn, since I am one of those rare people born on a day that falls between two signs. We will have to go back to see if Peter's wish came true, because he wished that they would make a better-looking image of his zodiac sign (the ram) to put on the bridge.
Other sites in Jaffa include this interesting living statue:
A SUSPENDED ORANGE TREE IN THE ARTISTS' QUARTER.
Since the late 19th century, oranges have been the main export of Jaffa, and many of you have probably had some of the famous Jaffa oranges at some point.
Jaffa (Joppa) was also the port from which Jonah embarked when he tried to flee from God, and was eventually swallowed by the big fish (Jonah 1:3). A whimsical statue commemorates this event:
Joppa was also one of the places where the apostle Peter stayed for some time, at the house of a man named Simon the Tanner (Acts 9:43). The house is still there (sure), but it was locked when we went by.
For those more interested in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the port of Joppa was famous as the site where Andromeda was chained up as an offering to a sea monster, and where Perseus swooped in with the head of Medusa and saved her. Here is the actual rock:
YES, THAT LITTLE ROCK OFF TO THE RIGHT OF THE PICTURE. WOW, RIGHT?
It's really not very impressive at all, especially when you consider how shallow the water is around it. Some seamonster!
It was a pleasant day, and just what we needed to unwind from the intense touring we had been doing for almost two weeks.
A JAFFA MYSTERY: WHAT IS THIS MACHINERY? ANYONE? DAN PERHAPS? FOY?
THIS IS IT IN A VERY DEEP HOLE
But we had one more task to complete before making it back to the Research Center that night. We were bringing Tsameret's two children back from Tel Aviv to Istanbul. I was slightly surprised that we were even allowed to leave the country with them, since they have Israeli passports and we do not.
SHEKED IN THE AIRPORT.
ILAN AND YUVAL.
Their father, Ilan, was able to come with us to the gate, but even so I would have thought security would have been tighter. But of course we are all glad it was not. The plane ride home was VERY bumpy -- much more than usual, even with some weather turbulence. The kids thought it was great fun, but Peter and I were quite nervous. Of course the littlest, Yuval, fell asleep only about 10 minutes before we landed, so for a few hours we were very busy entertaining two kids that we don't even share a language with! But it was fun, and we came out of it with a new respect for parents traveling with small children.
We finally made it back home, completely exhausted, but with much to contemplate. History, religion, politics -- the trip changed or augmented our understanding of many things. It was a very valuable experience indeed.
THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, SCAFFOLDING AND ALL. VIEW FROM THE BELL TOWER OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REDEEMER.
A MONK IN A DOORWAY INSIDE THE CHURCH
Our last day in Jerusalem started very early. We wanted to be back to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where we had finished our previous day, early enough that there would be few people there. It opens at 4:30, and we managed to make it by about 5:30.
As I mentioned in the last post, the final Stations of the Cross are inside the church itself, which was constructed on the presumed site of the crucifixion and burial of Christ. So, in effect, the church was built on top of Golgotha, and encompassing the tomb at the foot of it.
After passing through the external courtyard, if you turn right inside the door and climb the steep stairway there, you find yourself atop Golgotha. There are three further Stations here:
STATION 11: CHRIST IS NAILED TO THE CROSS. THIS CHAPEL IS OWNED BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
TO THE LEFT OF THE CATHOLIC ALTAR IS A SMALLER ALTAR CALLED THE "STABAT MATER," WHICH IS PLACED TO THE RIGHT OF THE SPOT OF THE CRUCIFIXION, MARKING THE PLACE WHERE MARY STOOD AND WEPT.
STATION 12: CHRIST DIES ON THE CROSS. THIS BEAUTIFUL GREEK ORTHODOX ALTAR IS PLACED DIRECTLY OVER THE SPOT DESIGNATED AS THE ONE WHERE THE CROSS WAS PLACED. YOU CAN APPROACH THE ALTAR, KNEEL, AND REACH UNDERNEATH TO TOUCH THE ACTUAL ROCK OF GOLGOTHA, AS I AM DOING HERE.
THE ROCK OF GOLGOTHA. LESS IMPRESSIVE IN PHOTO FORM.
Back downstairs, directly beneath the chapel at the top of Golgotha, there is a smaller chapel, built up against the base of the rock. It is called the Chapel of Adam (early Christian tradition held that Christ was crucified over the spot where the skull of Adam was buried), and you can see there a fissure in the rock of Golgotha that some believe was caused by the earthquake that occurred as Christ died:
THE ALTAR IN THE CHAPEL OF ADAM
Outside this chapel is the Stone of Annointment (or the Stone of Unction), a slab that commemorates the wrapping and preparation of Christ's body for burial. The marble that is there now dates only from 1810, but the spot has been revered at least since the Medieval period. Many visitors display a lot of emotion when viewing this spot, with many kneeling to kiss the stone:
Going another story below the church to the Chapel of St. Helena (the mother of Constantine, the one who discovered the "True Cross" of the crucifixion in the early fourth century and convinced her son to build the first Holy Sepulcher on this spot), you can see not only the scant remains of the first church that remain on this spot, but also many examples of graffiti carved over hundreds of years by devout pilgrims.
THE STAIRS DESCENDING TO THE CHAPEL OF ST. HELENA
THE WALL ON THE WAY DOWN IS COVERED WITH THOUSANDS OF CROSSES CARVED BY PILGRIMS
THIS CROSS ON THE FLOOR MARKS THE SPOT WHERE ST. HELENA DISCOVERED THE "TRUE CROSS"
The rest of the church is filled with small chapels, some of which were open and some of which were not. As I mentioned in the last post, each is owned and maintained by a different denomination. The morning that we were there, early as it was, there was already a mass going on on the spot of the 11th Station, as well as another service that was making full use of the impressive pipe organ. I will try to attach a video below so anyone who is interested can hear it.
We were very glad that we had been able to enter the Tomb of Christ the day before, as it was closed for a service this morning. There were four or five monks inside chanting, although we could not of course see what they were doing.
THE FRONT OF THE SHRINE OF THE TOMB, WITHOUT ALL THE TOURISTS OF THE DAY BEFORE
PETER BESIDE THE SHRINE BUILT AROUND THE TOMB
On the back of the tomb is the smallest chapel in the entire church -- the Coptic chapel on the back of the square shrine. The Copts claim that a stone inside is part of the original tomb, but this is highly doubtful as it is granite and the interior of the tomb is limestone. There is always a monk sitting here, and visitors may light a candle.
LIGHTING A CANDLE IN THE COPTIC CHAPEL. YOU CAN SEE A MONK BEHIND ME.
Behind the square shrine is the entrance to yet another chapel, the very interesting Syrian Chapel. The Syrian Orthodox church maintains this area, which many visitors miss. It is of great archaeological interest because inside, along the back walls, are several tunnels whose sides are covered with Jewish rock-cut tombs that date from 100 BC to 100 AD. This of course proves that this area was used for burial, which somewhat shores up the assertion that Christ's tomb may have been in this area. It also indicates the limits of the area that Constantine dug out of the rock to build his church:
THE ALTAR IN THE SYRIAN CHAPEL
A NOT-VERY-GOOD PHOTO OF SOME OF THE TOMBS. FLASH PICTURES INSIDE DARK CAVES NEVER TURN OUT WELL.
All in all, the Holy Sepulcher is not only the holiest site of all for Christian believers, it is one of the most important religious sites in the world. It is a case study in archaeology, religious history, and the mediation of modern conflicts between religious groups. Definitely a not-to-be-missed site.
From the church, we went back to the Jaffa Gate and walked the second section of walls, the one we had not had access to the day before because it passes the Muslim section of town. Some views:
A VIEW ALONG THE WALL TOWARDS THE DOME OF THE ROCK
SOME CHILDREN ON THE PLAYGROUND AT A SCHOOL. YES, THEY ARE WAVING AT US.
THE CHAOS OF JERUSALEM
The place where we came down from the wall is very close to the church of St. Anne's, which I mentioned in an earlier post. The archaeological excavations that are ongoing on the grounds of this church are fascinating. Archaeologists have determined that this was the site of the Bethesda pool, where the Bible says that people afflicted with various conditions would lie and wait for the waters to move (because they were stirred by an angel). When this happened, the first one into the water would be healed. Here, Christ healed a lame man who had gone to the pool every day for many years, but had no one to help him into the water. The site is most interesting not only because it matches up with the story in John 5, but because excavations below the Byzantine and Crusader churches built on top of the site have revealed an ancient temple to Asclepius, the Roman god of medicine, indicating that the water at the site continued to be utilized for its healing qualities in the centuries after Christ:
THE EXCAVATIONS AT THE SITE ARE IMPRESSIVE. THE TALL RUINS SEEN HERE ARE OF A CRUSADER CHURCH ON TOP OF A BYZANTINE CHURCH
AT THE POOL OF BETHESDA
After St. Anne's, we stopped briefly for a photo op at the Ecce Homo arch, part of a Roman triumphal arch that Christian tradition says is the spot where Pontius Pilate showed Christ to the crowd, who then called for his crucifixion. "Ecce Homo." "Behold, the man." The arch is actually datable to a later period than the crucifixion of Christ, so there is nothing but tradition behind its identification as this spot, which was more likely near the Citadel discussed in an earlier post.
THE SO-CALLED "ECCE HOMO ARCH"
We worked our way slowly out through the Muslim market to the Damascus Gate. There, we paused outside the city to contemplate the sheer number and diversity of the people passing in and out of that famous gate. It really does give one the feeling that everyone, sooner or later, comes to Jerusalem. Knowing that it has been just this busy, with trade and pilgrims, for many hundreds of years, makes it even more interesting:
Having left the Old City, we visited the nearby Rockefeller Museum. The collection here is astounding. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed. The objects range from the first known mask in the world, a painted limestone face found in a Judean cave and dated to ca. 7000 BC, through Canaanite and early Hebrew objects, and into the Christian period. The carved lentils from the doorway of the Holy Sepulcher as it stood before a disastrous fire in 1808 are remarkable. The collection is fairly superb, but a lack of organization and explanatory labels, so common in this part of the world, mar the experience. Still, it should be visited.
From there we caught the servees to Bethlehem. Most of that experience I have already detailed in the first post about this trip, an account of our time in the West Bank. What I did not do in that original post, however, was discuss the Church of the Nativity and the Milk Grotto in any detail, and show pictures of them.
The Church of the Nativity obviously marks the supposed site of the birth of Christ. This is one of the earliest surviving Christian churches in the world, built in the fourth century, although various sections of it were reworked over the centuries. The nave itself dates to the time of the emperor Justinian, in the fifth century. It's interior is fairly astounding, including 44 pink limestone columns, most of them original to the 4th-century church, which were painted with images of saints during the Crusader period.
PETER SNAPPED THIS GREAT SHOT OF PALESTINIAN SECURITY FORCES PATROLLING THE SOUTH AISLE OF THE CHURCH
ONE OF THE CRUSADER-ERA PAINTINGS ON A PILLAR OF THE NAVE
Of course, the highlight of a visit to the church is the grotto beneath the altar, the site of the manger. The precise spot is marked by a silver star on the floor, and tourists (like us) take turns kneeling there.
WE WERE IN THE GROTTO WITH A GROUP OF PILGRIMS FROM NIGERIA.
In the smaller St. Catherine's church next door, stairs lead down to a grotto that is said to have been the study, and the burial place, of St. Jerome, and the site where, in the late fourth century, he completed the Vulgate, the definitive edition of the Bible, translated from Hebrew and Greek into Latin.
As we walked through the town, we stopped to watch some local workmen creating the olivewood sculpture that is prized all over the world:
The Milk Grotto, which I also described in an earlier post, is a modern building (1872) built on the site of another 4th century church. Although the story of Mary hiding in a cave with the infant Christ before fleeing to Egypt is not in the Bible, it was clearly important enough in the mythology of early Christianity to warrant a church. The building there today is somewhat bizarre because of its super-modern appearance:
EXTERIOR OF THE MILK GROTTO
A CHAPEL IN THE MILK GROTTO
THERE IS ALWAYS A NUN PRAYING IN THE GROTTO, DAY AND NIGHT
Since I have discussed the rest of our experience in the West Bank already, I will just take the chance to say again that our trip to Bethlehem was a powerful and moving experience, and I would urge others to take advantage of the opportunity to do so if it arises.
From Bethlehem it was back to pick up our bags at the hospice, then we caught the sunset bus to Tel Aviv (because Saturday is the Sabbath, the buses do not run until sundown). There we were picked up at the station by Ilan, the husband of Tsameret, my fellow Fellow here at the Research Center. Because we would be doing them the favor of escorting their two small children back to Istanbul from Israel the next day, her parents were kind enough to put us up for the night in their home. Tsameret's brother and sister-in-law came over, and we all had a nice family meal and discussed the upcoming Israeli elections (yes, politics over dinner. I know it is risky, but SO interesting!). It was nice after so many nights in hotels and on the move to relax in a family atmosphere.
There's only one more day of our time in Jerusalem to write about, but I thought before I did that it would be nice to share some of the photos I took that are not OF any one particular thing. They capture the streets of Jerusalem, some odd things we noticed, even some interesting people. Hope you enjoy them!
A LITTLE BIT OF HOME IN THE HOLY CITY. UNLIKE HOME, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOLDIERS AND HEAVILY ARMED POLICE EVERYWHERE.
MANY OF THE STREETS IN THE OLD CITY ARE NARROW AND COVERED, AND THERE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTING AREAS TO PHOTOGRAPH.
SERIOUSLY, WHOEVER THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO RENT SEGWAYS IN JERUSALEM MUST HAVE BEEN INSANE. THE ENTIRE CITY IS COVERED IN STAIRS. AND LOOK -- EVEN ONE OF THE GUYS ON THE BILLBOARD ISN'T HAVING FUN! MAYBE BECAUSE HE KEEPS FALLING DOWN STAIRS?
ON THE OTHER HAND, THIS KID WAS DOING PRETTY WELL ON HIS ROLLERBLADES.
THERE IS ONE AREA WHERE LITTLE JEWISH BOYS ARE ALWAYS PLAYING DODGEBALL (ABOVE AND BELOW). DANGEROUS FOR TOURISTS!
THIS KID JUST REALLY WANTED TO HAVE HIS PICTURE TAKEN.
WE WERE A BIT SURPRISED TO SEE SANTA CLAUS.
OLD MEETS NEW IN A SIDE ROOM OF THE MEDRASA IN THE DOME OF THE ROCK COMPLEX.
THERE ARE SO MANY INTERESTING ASPECTS TO THE COSTUMES MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT GROUPS WEAR IN JERUSALEM. THESE JEWISH HATS ARE REALLY UNUSUAL.
I'm looking back at my notes on what we did on our second day in Jerusalem, which was a Friday. If I hadn't written it all down I would say that it was impossible, that I was somehow misremembering. But there it all is, in a nice, numbered list in my little notebook:
We got up early in the morning and had breakfast in our hospice. I mention that because I wanted to show this picture of Peter. Doesn't every man dream of being alone in a roomful of women? Ha!
First, we visited the cathedral of St. James. This church, in the Christian Quarter, is an Armenian establishment. It is built over the supposed site of the tomb of James the Apostle. It was not open, but we were able to enter the courtyard.
PETER AT THE GATES OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. JAMES
Our goal for the morning was to see the sites on the Mount of Olives. This famous hill lies directly east of the city, and of course was the location for many of the events of Christ's time in Jerusalem. A cab driver took us the LONG way up to the top of the hill. Rather than trying to visit the various sites and churches in any sort of chronological order, it makes the most sense to start at the top and work your way down. The hill is steep, and even in February it was fairly warm!
Our first stop was, a bit ironically, a mosque. The Mosque of the Ascension was built over the top of an earlier Crusader church constructed on top of an even earlier church of the fourth century, to mark the supposed site of Christ's ascension to heaven after the Resurrection. The basis for this association is a "footprint" in marble, supposedly the footprint of Christ. This is apparently not a very visited spot, and poorly upkept. Because Jesus is also considered a Prophet in Islam, it is a site for veneration in that religion as well, but obviously not a popular one. Besides the small dome built over the site of the footprint, you can also identify some nice Crusader column capitals that were stuck in willy-nilly when the later Muslim construction was done.
THE MOSQUE OF THE ASCENSION.
THE "FOOTPRINT OF CHRIST" INSIDE THE SMALL MOSQUE.
Based on that site and the neighborhood immediately surrounding it, our first impression of the Mount of Olives was that it was dirty and rundown, full of litter. Luckily, as we worked our way downhill it became much more pleasant and picturesque.
Our next stop was the Church of the Paternoster (Our Father). This church was constructed in the late 19th century by a French princess. Interestingly, there was a church constructed here by Constantine's mother, Helena (St. Helen), because the site was believed to be where Christ ascended to heaven. Wait a minute...? Yes, there are many competing claims for lots of the Biblical narratives. It's something you just come to terms with when visiting the Holy Land. At any rate, by the time the present church was constructed, the grotto it was built over was considered to have been the site where Christ taught his Disciples to pray. Hence the name "Paternoster" ("Our Father, who art in heaven...").
THE SO-CALLED GROTTO OF THE PATERNOSTER
The church is very pretty. The main attraction is the fact that the Lord's Prayer is mounted on beautiful painted tiles all around the church and cloister, inside and out, in more than 60 languages, some of which we had never heard of.
I was particularly happy to see this one:
The next church we visited was the Dominus Velit ("The Lord Wept") chapel. It is situated in a gorgeous grove, overlooking the Golden Gate of the Old City. It marks the spot at which Christ wept over the future fate of Jerusalem before he made the Triumphal Entry (Luke 19:41). The view from inside the chapel is spectacular.
PETER CAPTURED THIS GREAT IMAGE OF TWO OF THE CHAPEL'S NUNS. THEY WERE SITTING ON THE WALL, LOOKING OUT OVER THE OLD CITY AND SINGING A SONG ABOUT JERUSALEM.
THE VIEW OF THE OLD CITY FROM THE DOMINUS VELIT CHAPEL.
On our way down the hill, we passed many Jewish cemeteries, located here as I mentioned before because the Valley of Jehoshaphat, at the foot of the Mount of Olives, will be, according to Jewish tradition and an Old Testament passage (Joel 3: 1-17), the site of the Resurrection of souls on the Day of Judgment. We did not go into any of the cemeteries.
A MAN VISITS A TOMB ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
The Garden of Gethsemane was our next goal. Although no one can be sure where on the Mount of Olives stood the actual grove that Christ prayed in, and where he was arrested, the trees in this grove are old enough to have been standing in the time of Christ. Because they are fenced off, the effect is somewhat sterile, but I suppose it is also important to protect them from people (like me) who want to pull off a twig to take home. Nope, you can't reach any of the branches!
Just past the grove stands the modern Church of All Nations (built using donations from 12 different nations, in 1924), which is built (supposedly) on top of the rock where Christ knelt and prayed (it is sometimes also called the Church of the Agony). As usual, there was an earlier Crusader church here, on top of an even earlier church of the 4th century. It is an impressive building, but I found the mosaics on the pediment too modern and jarring. Inside, the rock is surrounded by a cast-iron crown of thorns. We did not get to see it because there was a service going on at the time we visited.
We left the Garden of Gethsemane and crossed the road to the Tomb of the Virgin which is obviously revered as the site of the burial of the Virgin Mary. This site also has a long history. It is a subterranean burial grotto which lies in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (recall it's associations with the Day of Judgment). There are tombs inside the walls of the church that date to the 1st century AD. The main crypt area was carved in the Byzantine period from solid rock. There was once an upper, above-ground church which was built by the Crusaders, but Saladin destroyed it when he conquered Jerusalem in 1187. Today, ownership of the crypt is shared by Greek, Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic Christians. We were totally unprepared for what we would see there. It is without a doubt one of the most lingering impressions of our days in Jerusalem. Descending the steep stairs, past tombs carved into the walls, the crypt is mostly dark, but lit faintly by hundreds of lamps hanging from the ceiling, and by candles. The air is completely filled with incense, and singing and chanting is continuously performed. While we were inside, there were two competing services going on -- we know one was Greek and think the other was Armenian (maybe). They were definitely trying to out-sing one another! I will try to attach a video at the bottom of this entry for those who are interested in trying to sort it out.
THE STAIRS DOWN TO THE TOMB OF THE VIRGIN
From the Tomb of the Virgin we decided to walk back to the Old City through the floor of the Valley of Jehoshaphat (also called the Kidron Valley in the New Testament -- Jehoshaphat is the Old Testament name). Jehoshaphat means "God judges." I don't think, from the looks of it, that many people choose this particular route. There are interesting things to see there though, including three rock-cut Jewish tombs dated to the 1st and 2nd centuries BC, although one of them was thought in Medieval times to have belonged to David's eldest son, and was so called the Tomb of Absalom. One of them we know from inscription was the burial place of a family of priests.
THE "TOMB OF ABSALOM"
The Valley spit us out at its southern end into a somewhat depressing Muslim neighborhood. From there we climbed up to the oldest part of the Old City (that is, the area where the oldest settlement of Jerusalem is known to have existed), to see the City of David. The City of David is really the name for the whole area, since it is known to have been the site of the original founding of the city. Now a super-touristy archaeological area, it is worth seeing, but not very well interpreted. There are remains of a palace that "may" have belonged to David, as well as walls dateable to as early as the 13th century BC. But the main attractions are subterranean: the first is now known as Warren's Shaft, for the 19th century Englishman who discovered it. It is a tunnel dug by the Canaanites to reach a pool that is naturally replenished by the Gihon spring. You can walk through the tunnel and down to the pool, where you can see remains of the 18th century BC (!) Cannanite wall.
THE CANAANITE WALL AND POOL, DATING FROM THE 18TH CENTURY BC.
The other attraction we were not prepared for. In the 10th century BC, the Hebrew king Hezekiah famously built his own tunnel to bring the water from the spring all the way into the city, a much-needed resource in time of siege. The prepared traveler can bring (or buy there for a more-than-modest price) water shoes and a small flashlight and wade in water (which would have been thigh-high on me even in the midst of this dry season!) through the entire tunnel and out to the pool. The two tunnels start as one, then Hezekiah's tunnel branches off, so we were able to peek in. It is completely, 100% pitch black, and the water was REALLY rushing through it by the sound of it! I wanted to go, but we were both wearing jeans, and Peter was really not interested in walking around wet for the rest of the day. I know he was right, but I really really wanted to do it! But not by myself! So who will volunteer to go back with me and have that little adventure?
Believe it or not, or day was not even half over at that point. Back in the Old City, we happened to spy a spot that our guidebook had told us provided an access to a "shortcut" over the city -- along the roofs. We went up, and were rewarded with a really unique perspective on things. Markets below us, church towers at almost eye-level -- and lots of traditional Jewish men and boys crossing the city that way. We came out by a Jewish school, practically through their courtyard, which was a bit awkward.
Back on the ground, we walked back to the Christian Quarter, to the Syrian Orthodox church of St. Mark's. It is a pretty little church, built supposedly on the site of the home of Mary, the mother of Mark the Evangelist. The main attraction is an old, old, old icon of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child that tradition says was painted by Luke, from life! Of course that is impossible, but even a non-specialist can clearly see that it is an incredibly old icon, and painted on parchment, which is unusual. No photos of it are allowed, but the nun inside gave us handfuls of prayer cards with the image on it to take away. Also, the cellar room below the church is where some scholars do believe that the Last Supper actually took place.
THIS IS A SHODDY COPY OF THE REALLY OLD ICON. THIS ONE HANGS ABOVE AN ALTAR IN THE CELLAR WHICH MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE ROOM IN WHICH THE LAST SUPPER TOOK PLACE.
Our next visit was to the Alexander Hospice. This is the most important church in Jerusalem for the Russian Orthodox believers. It is also extremely important archaeologically. Inside this church lie some of the scant remains of the original Church of the Holy Sepulcher, constructed by Constantine on the site of the crucifixion and burial of Christ. I will share later about our visit to the "modern" Holy Sepulcher church (itself quite old) which lies next door, but we wanted to see what we could of the fourth-century building -- which, unfortunately, is not much. But the ruins of the church and other monuments excavated inside the Alexander Hospice are extremely important. I'll walk you through a few pictures of the site so you can see what the great importance is:
TRIUMPHAL ARCH FROM HADRIAN'S FORUM, CA. 135.
IN THIS ROOM OF THE CHURCH, THE ONLY ONE WHERE PHOTOS CAN BE TAKEN, LIE SOME REMAINS OF WHAT IS PROBABLY AN ALTAR FROM ONE OF THE MANY CHAPELS IN THE ORIGINAL HOLY SEPULCHER. YEP, UNDER THAT RED CLOTH!
YES, I ASKED FOR PERMISSION BEFORE SNAPPING THIS. THE PICTURE DOESN'T SHOW MUCH, BUT IT'S SOMETHING.
The other important archaeological find within the church is something that they will not allow pictures to be taken of, unfortunately. It's the remains of a Herodian-era wall with a large gate in it (so, late 1st century BC- early 1st century AD). To one side of the major gateway in the wall is a much smaller opening with a tapering top. This may be the "Eye of the Needle" (as in, it's easier for a camel to pass through it... (Matthew 19:24)). Whether or not that is the case, the discovery of this wall proved once and for all that the site of the Holy Sepulcher, and therefore of the supposed tomb of Christ, was outside the city walls at the time of the Crucifixion (a fact which many scholars had previously doubted). Although this does not prove the location of the tomb, it does lend credence to its identification. That would also make this particular gate the famous Gate of Judgment through which all condemned criminals were led to execution.
From there we popped across the street to the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. Not to be deterred by a little exhaustion, we climbed the 177 steps to the top of the belltower, to look out on the city:
NOW WE WERE LOOKING DOWN ON THE PEOPLE WALKING ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS, AS WE HAD BEEN A FEW HOURS BEFORE!
FROM UP THERE WE GOT A REALLY FINE VIEW OF THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, WHICH I WILL TALK MORE ABOUT BELOW. OH HEY -- IS THAT SCAFFOLDING?
177 steps back down (very dizzying!), we decided to take advantage of another opportunity to see the city from a high angle. By the Jaffa Gate there is a tiny entrance that leads up to the top of the Old City walls. For a reasonable fee, you can walk two different stretches of the wall. Together, the two routes almost completely circumnavigate the city, and walking them is a fantastic way of grasping the layout of the often confusing city. However, it requires going up and down several small but steep flights of stairs, and in most places the only safety guard on the interior side of the wall is one of those ridiculous railings that hits you at just about the height where if you fell against it it would cause you to fall off the wall, rather than stop you. If anyone is prone to vertigo, this is probably not the activity for them. But for the rest of you, it is highly recommended! Because it was now a Friday afternoon and time for Muslim prayers, we had to avoid the section of the walls that passes near the Dome of the Rock, and above the Muslim Quarter. So we walked along the Christian and Jewish quarters instead, from the Jaffa Gate to the Dung Gate, near the Western Wall. So we saw mainly sites on the west and south sides of the Old City:
I WAS COMPLETELY UNAWARE THAT THERE WAS A WINDMILL IN THE MODERN CITY. IT WAS BUILT BY SIR MOSES MONTEFIORE, A RICH BRITISH JEW WHO FOUNDED THE FIRST JEWISH COMMUNITY OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF THE OLD CITY IN 1891. HE CALLED IT MISHKENOT SHAANANIM ("DWELLINGS OF TRANQUILITY"), BUT PEOPLE WERE AFRAID TO MOVE THERE BECAUSE THEY WERE AT THE MERCY OF BANDITS IF THEY LIVED OUTSIDE THE WALLS. MONTEFIORE WANTED THE RESIDENTS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT AND MILL THEIR OWN FLOUR. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WIND IN JERUSALEM TO DO THAT! NOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS VERY UPSCALE, AND IS CALLED YEMIN MOSHE.
When we got back down, we did what all guidebooks and US consular personnel advise against: we walked smack through the middle of the Muslim Quarter after noon prayers. And guess what? No problems whatsoever. Of course this is not always the case, and you have to be on your toes and very aware of the vibe in the area. But don't allow the overly cautious to keep you from doing something you really want to do, and we had a goal: to walk the Via Dolorosa with the Franciscan friars, who traverse the route every Friday afternoon.
But before meeting up with the friars, we visited briefly the Church of St. Anne. It was so amazing that we had to go back the next day and take another look, so I will save the description of the church and grounds until that point. But this first visit was interesting because I fell into a conversation with a priest who had been a parish priest for many years at a church not a mile away from my old apartment in North Hollywood. And there we both were in Jerusalem. ********************************
Walking the Via Dolorosa, the path that Christ walked on the day of his Crucifixion, should be a highlight of anyone's trip to Jerusalem, whether they are Christian, or religious at all, or not. Although the walk can of course be made on your own, every Friday at 3 pm, the Franciscan friars lead a group in the walk, and in prayers and song along the way (if you don't know the Catholic mass in Latin, you are out of luck for following along though!). I was surprised by the size and diversity of the crowd that walked with us. In many ways what we saw during this hourlong experience encapsulated the experiences and tensions of living and worshiping in Jerusalem, home to so many faiths. Again, I hope some pictures and captions can tell the story.
THE MEETING-PLACE FOR THE VIA DOLOROSA WALK IS A MUSLIM SCHOOL COURTYARD. HERE, A CATHOLIC NUN GAZES OUT THE WINDOW OF THE COURTYARD AT THE NEARBY DOME OF THE ROCK, WHERE FRIDAY'S PRAYERS, THE MOST IMPORTANT OF THE MUSLIM WEEK, ARE BEING CARRIED OUT.
OUR GROUP INCLUDED NOT ONLY CHRISTIANS, BUT OTHER INTERESTED INDIVIDUALS. YOU CAN SEE FROM THE HEADGEAR OF THE CROWD THAT IT INCLUDES MUSLIMS AS WELL.
THE MONKS GATHER. NOTICE THE MUSLIM MAN ON THE RIGHT.
SEE WHAT HE IS CARRYING? A WHIP? HE ACCOMPANIED US THE ENTIRE WAY. WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIS SIGNIFICANCE AT THE TIME, ALTHOUGH WE WONDERED ABOUT IT. ONE OF OUR FRIENDS HERE IN ISTANBUL WHO LIVED IN JERUSALEM FOR MANY YEARS TOLD US THAT HE IS THERE TO KEEP THE PEACE. BECAUSE THE ROUTE OF THE VIA DOLOROSA PASSES THROUGH THE MUSLIM QUARTER, AND FRIDAY IS A PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE DAY, HIS WHIP ASSURES THAT NO ONE WILL BOTHER THE MONKS OR THEIR CROWD.
AS WE MOVED ALONG THE ROUTE, WE WOULD STOP AT EACH STATION OF THE CROSS, AND THE FRIARS WOULD RECITE, OVER A LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM, A READING OR A PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE RELATED TO THAT STATION (SOME STATIONS ARE NOT MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE). THEY RECITED FIRST IN SPANISH, THEN IN ENGLISH. AS WE MOVED BETWEEN STATIONS, THERE WAS SINGING AND CHANTING IN LATIN. INTERESTINGLY, AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE "TERRITORY" OF OTHER CHURCHES AND MONASTIC GROUPS, WE WERE JOINED BY MORE AND MORE MONKS AND NUNS OF DIFFERENT ORDERS. THEY WOULD BE STANDING READY AT WHICHEVER STATION WAS INSIDE THEIR CHURCH, THEN WOULD CONTINUE WITH US.
EACH STATION IS MARKED BY A SIGN AND INSCRIPTION. HERE YOU SEE THE TITLE "ST (WHICH STANDS FOR STATION): FOLLOWED BY THE FRANCISCAN "JERUSALEM CROSS" THAT IS MADE UP OF FIVE SMALLER CROSSES. THAT IS THEIR WAY OF INDICATING THAT THIS IS THE FIFTH STATION, THE SPOT WHERE CHRIST FELL AND SIMON OF CYRENE WAS FORCED TO CARRY HIS CROSS. FROM THIS POINT, THE VIA DOLOROSA ASCENDS THE HILL TO CALVARY. THE ACTUAL STATIONS ARE INSIDE SMALL CHAPELS OR CHURCHES. WE COULD NOT ALL FIT IN, SO MOST OF US STOOD OUTSIDE WHILE THE MONKS WENT IN, THEN PEEKED IN THE DOORS AS WE WALKED ON ALONG.
THE FINAL FIVE STATIONS ARE INSIDE THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER. APPROACHING THE CHURCH, ONE OF THE LAST STATIONS OUTSIDE OF IT IS STATION NINE, WHERE CHRIST FELL FOR THE THIRD TIME. SOMEONE HAD LEANED A CROSS AGAINST THE WALL.
WHEN WE ENTERED THE COURTYARD ON THE BACK OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER, WHERE STATION TEN IS LOCATED, WE FOUND A LARGE NUMBER OF MONKS AND NUNS WAITING SILENTLY FOR US TO ARRIVE. IT WAS A VERY DIFFICULT AREA TO WALK INTO!
WHILE WE WAITED FOR THE LARGE GROUP OF PEOPLE TO FILE INTO THE COURTYARD, WE ADMIRED THE BUILDINGS ON THE ROOF. THESE SIMPLE STRUCTURES ARE ACTUALLY AN ETHIOPIAN MONASTERY. MULTIPLE RELIGIOUS GROUPS "OWN" VARIOUS PARTS OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER (MORE ON THAT LATER), AND THE ETHIOPIANS GOT BOOTED UP TO THE ROOF ON THE BACK WHEN THEY COULDN'T PAY THEIR TAXES TO THE OTTOMANS IN THE 17TH CENTURY, AND HERE THEY STAY!
TWO OF THE ETHIOPIAN MONKS
WE PASSED THROUGH THEIR CHAPEL ON OUR WAY INTO THE CHURCH (THE BACK WAY). IT IS MUCH MORE COLORFUL THAN ANY OF THE OTHER CHAPELS IN THE CHURCH.
I'm not going to describe the Stations inside the Holy Sepulcher at this point, because we went back the next morning, very early, to look around the church when there were not hundreds of people inside and I would rather "narrate" it and show you those pictures in another post. I am glad that we went twice though, because the first time it was a hive of activity and we needed to see it that way, too. Each of the monastic groups that owns one small portion of the church was trying to carry on a service, or a procession, all at the same time, and they kept bumping into each other! At one point I am certain that the Armenian monks organized a procession JUST BECAUSE the Roman Catholics were holding a mass in front of the tomb. There seemed to be no other reason for the Armenians to suddenly line up and march from one side of the church to the other, chanting loudly! The disagreements over who owns what part of the church have been so extreme that back in November, a fistfight broke out between the various groups of monks, and they started hitting each other over the head with chairs! Nothing like that happened while we were there, but they were definitely trying to outdo each other.
AN ARMENIAN ORTHODOX MONK PREPARES TO JOIN THE PROCESSION ACROSS THE CHURCH (WHERE THE CATHOLICS ARE HOLDING A SERVICE)
But we did have a very special opportunity on this first visit. As you can see in the pictures below, there were dozens and dozens of people lined up waiting to see if they would be allowed to go into the actual tomb of Christ.
THAT LARGE BOX IN THE CENTER IS THE SHRINE ENCLOSING THE ACTUAL TOMB. I WILL INCLUDE BETTER PHOTOS OF IT IN THE NEXT POST.
The rock of the mountain where the tomb was said to be was cut away by Constantine in the early 4th century, leaving only the tomb itself as a free-standing structure. Over the years, the box enclosing it became more and more ornate. All of the denominations own it in common, and take turns holding services inside and manning the door. Today, if you receive permission to enter that box-shaped shrine in the center of the church, you pass through a small antechamber and into the actual tomb itself, which is tiny: maybe seven feet long by three feet wide. Of course everyone wants this experience, but the monks who tend the tomb do not allow everyone to go inside. We were very dismayed when we saw how many people were waiting, and how few were going in. I walked over to one of the Armenian monks standing to one side and asked him if we would be able to go inside if we came back very early the next day, when there was not such a crowd. He just said, "I will take you in. I will tell them you are Armenian." So before we knew it, he swept us up past all of those people, spoke to the two monks guarding the door, and we were inside!
The first small antechamber inside holds a piece of rock that tradition says is part of the stone that was rolled away from the door of the tomb by an angel. Through a second small door is the actual burial chamber. There is just room to kneel by the side of the shelf that was carved for a body to be laid on it. There is no doubt that this was a tomb of roughly the 1st century AD, although the marble slab here now, which was intentionally cracked to make it unattractive to Ottoman looters, was only installed in 1555. While we may never know with certainty that it is actually the tomb in which Christ was placed, the experience is still a powerful one. Hanging a few feet above your head, if you look up, are dozens of red glass lamps, which give the effect that there is no ceiling, only a dark expanse with tiny lights. We only stayed inside for a minute or so, but we were allowed to touch the rock-cut shelf the way countless thousands of pilgrims have done for 1700 years before us. It was truly the experience of a lifetime!
