Jerusalem Tour Suggestion 2:
The Eternal Holy City
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Mount of Olives Observation point
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Tour: “Temple Mount and the Ophel”
(Tour can be tailored if there is a preference not to go up to Temple Mount) -
Ramparts Walk
Other possibilities related to this theme:
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Machon HaMikdash/Temple Institute (recommended if not going up to Temple Mount)
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Little Western Wall/ Kotel Katan (recommended if not going up Temple Mount)
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Davidson Archeological Park
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Kotel Tunnel tour (needs booking in advance)
“Temple Mount and the Ophel”
Temple Mount is probably one of the most controversial places in the world, with a 3,000 year history of conquests and monumental building and holiness claimed by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Tradition holds that under the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount is the Foundation Stone, the rock from which the world was created, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed and where the High Priest conducted the services on Yom Kippur. For 2,000 years, Jews have been praying toward Temple Mount. It is here that King Solomon built the First Temple and his palace, where he greeted leaders from distant lands who came to hear his wisdom. It is here that Herod the Great expanded the Second Temple, refurbishing the Jewish place of worship to become one the world’s largest and glamorous edifices of the time.
On our tour, we will discover more about the history by walking alongside the current monuments and the remains of its glorious path. We will begin by going up to an observatory for a bird’s eye view of Temple Mount to understand how the topography played an important role in the construction and pilgrimage. We will enter through the Mughrabi Bridge and be feet away from the Al-Aqsa mosque and right across the magnificent Dome of the Rock – where the Temple stood. We will imagine the singing of the Levites, the priests at the altar, and the dramatic entrance of the High Priest into the Holy of Holies pointing out where this took place. When exiting, we will walk in the footsteps of the brave paratroopers who liberated the Temple Mount in 1967 and cite from Brigadier General Rabbi Goren’s address to the soldiers.
Tour on Temple Mount will be via the “Halachic route”.
In the second half of the tour, we will encompass the mountain from East, through the scenic Ophel path, overlooking the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley. We will reach the Southern Wall for a close look at the architectural wonders created by Herod, the first Jewish high tech entrepreneur and recreate the pilgrimage to Temple Mount on the Jewish festivities.
Throughout the tour, we will discuss the sensitivities of the current political situation in the perspective of the history and various traditions.