THE JERUSALEM POST

Labyrinthine lanes,church domes,sun-bleached stone walls and a heady mix of spices wafting through the airthe city of Jerusalem takes you back in time

Labyrinthine lanes,church domes,sun-bleached stone walls and a heady mix of spices wafting through the airthe city of Jerusalem takes you back in time
In this city of stones,there are moments when even die-hard sceptics become believers. Walking along the Via Dolorosa in the old city of Jerusalemthe route considered to be Christs final path on his way to Calvary it is easy to understand why you cannot escape divinity in the Holy City,central to three monotheist faiths: Judaism,Christianity and Islam. Hours earlier,we had made our way into the cavernous old city through the Jaffa Gate,steadily ambling downhill and making our way to the Western Wall and Temple Mount. The walls,a legacy of Suleiman the Great,in the sixteenth century,had seven gates,including the Damascus,the Dung and the Zion Gates. The eighth gatethe Golden Gate on the southern side of the Temple Mount was built in late 19th century. Inside,it is a sensualists delight. Wandering through the labyrinthine lanes lined with splintered,sun-bleached stone walls and a steady stream of tourists and locals,the mingled smell of freshly baked bread and spices from the Arab Market wafting in the air,the sound of clanging church bells merging with the friendly banter rising from the bazaars,its easy to give into a sense of timelessness.

Located between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern fringe of the Dead Sea,Jerusalem has been one of the core issues in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Although Jerusalem is Israels capital and acts as the seat of the national government,most foreign nations have their embassies in Tel Aviv.
The Old City is divided into four quarters Christian,Jewish,Armenian and Muslimand people dredge out a daily communal life despite the frequent unrest in the city. We bump into several groups of gun-toting soldiers,most of them barely in their twenties. It was probably the look of alarm on our faces that prompted one of them to tell us that it was their weekly off from the mandatory military service in the country,which they were spending sightseeing in the Old City.

We walk through the Jewish Quarter,a primarily residential area,before moving on to the Western Wall,and behind it,the Temple Mount,known as the Haram-Al Sharif among Muslims. The first sight of the huge plaza ahead,with its ancient paved stones and intermittent cypress trees is awe-inspiring. The Dome of the Rock,a huge yellow semi-circle,glistens high above the city in the afternoon sun. Built over 2,000 years ago,primarily as a support to the outer portion of the Temple Mount,the Western Wall became a holy site in itself when the temple was destroyed around AD 70 and the exact location of it was lost.

The Jews,who had been exiled,returned to pray near the wall,scared to go beyond it for fear of stepping on the holy precincts,and the wall slowly became a place of pilgrimage where they came to mourn. Today,it is segregated into two areasa small southern section for women and a larger section for men. Standing there amid masses of women,pressing their foreheads against the Wailing Wall,their low murmur of prayers creating a steady hum,for a moment,I feel out of my depth. Next to me,a Slovak journalist is sobbing audibly,as she pens down a prayer and inserts it in a crack in the wall. Later she tells me how,according to Jewish lore,it is believed that prayer notes stuck in the Wall usually come true.

We chance upon the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,nestled among other ordinary-looking edifices,after wandering through the serpentine alleys of the Christian Quarter. From the outside,it does not look as grand as some of Europes most well-known churches,but its significance in Christian history as the Biblical Calvary where Christ was crucified is indisputable. We queue up behind pilgrims from across the world to take in the chapel of Adam and Christs final resting place. Post the entrance,a narrow staircase on the right leads us to the first floor,the spot of the Calvary,where Christ was crucified. Standing in front of the main altar there,we take in the Rock of Calvary,housed in a glass case. The sense of awe is difficult to overcome throughout our time in the church,but more so when we stand in front of the Altar of the Crucifixion.

Its almost dusk when we come out and weave our way through the Muslim Quarter,with its rows of pushcarts selling everything breads to bagels to vegetables to nuts and falafel. There are rows of souvenir shops with its wares of Dont worry,be a Jew Tee-shirts,hand-made mosaic plaques and antique candelabras and trinkets and spices of all order. The vendors call out to us in their sing-song voices,overtly persuasive and ready for a good bargain. Many of them are familiar with Indiaand ask you if you are from Goa or Pondicherrywhile inviting you to a hot cup of tea. By the end of the day,our bags are bulging with various knick-knacks.

The Old City is compact enough to be taken in in a day,but its difficult to savour all of it in one go. We had already firmed up plans to spend another day roaming around the city,so as evening catches up with us,we make our way back,savouring our experiences of the day,watching out for the next quaint eatery along the way where we can share our collective experiences over some sumptuous shish-touks,pita bread and hummus.
Dining in Jerusalem is an incredible experience as it will be tough to choose from the plethora of eateries around the Old City. We dig into our falafel rolls at a roadside eatery,sitting under a canopy of stars,the lights in the Old City glimmering brightly in the distance.

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FAST FACTS
Getting there: There are no direct flights. Turkish Airlines,Indian Airlines,Jet Airways and Gulf Air have regular flights from New Delhi to Tel Avivs Ben Gurion airport. From Tel Aviv,you can rent a car or travel by bus or train to Jerusalem. It takes about an hour to reach the city by car.
Best time to visit: Summer is a good time,the temperature then varies between 20 and 26 degree Celsius.
Must-see: Take a few days to take in the Temple Mount,the Wailing Wall,the Citadel of David,the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the four quarters of the Old City.
Food: Tuck into shawarmas,falafel rolls,kebabs and the likes. Apart from the roadside eateries in the Old City,check out the Armenian Tavern on Armenian Patriarchate Road or Moses Art Cafe in the Omar-Ibn al-Khattab Square.