BIBLICAL PLACES OF JERUSALEM (on my own)
Israel Adventures
After returning, there was a whirlwind of all kinds of impressions in my head: from the detention at the airport to the dungeon of Christ, the tomb of the Virgin and the miracle I saw in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher...
But without tiresome descriptions of "biblical truths" let's start from the beginning. And initially I wanted to see and feel at least the main shrines of the three religions without... haste and a “group run” to a souvenir shop with twice the prices. In general, the soul demanded freedom of movement and vivid emotions!
In Israel, basically, only "package" tours are offered, stuffed with a wide variety of excursions. We decided to go not the standard, but an independent way.
Gateway to Israel
Let's make a reservation right away that they were not going to travel all over Promised. The birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem, located on the territory of Palestine, no matter how blasphemous it may sound, also did not particularly appeal because of the deeply religious, but diverse religious buildings above the Cave of the Nativity itself. And the situation around is not very stable... Swimming in the troubled Jordanian water, for which you need to spend a whole day, was also not included in the plans. If only because Israel has one place of the Baptism of Christ, Jordan has another, and different travel companies demonstrate the third. In general, it is always where there is a comfortable descent to the river, shops with "Orthodox" souvenirs and special clothes (long shirts) for $ 20, bought before in bulk for three rubles in the nearest town...
Naturally, for deeply religious people and participants in pilgrimage tours, every fragment related to the biblical story is holy. We don't argue. But this time, our plans outside the Old City of Jerusalem included only the Mount of Olives and the Dead Sea.
So, we have selected flights that are suitable for dates, times and prices. We decided to fly to Tel Aviv on Sunday night, so that from there we could immediately go to the “capital”, where we could rest a bit and walk the path of Christ. After all, there is nothing to do in the whole country on the traditional Sabbath Shabbat. Cafes, shops and even public transport do not work on this day, and an already expensive taxi (gasoline is 1.8 USD, and therefore only a landing is more than three dollars) is growing in price simply shamelessly.
I got under selective check up to socks back in Ukraine - at our airport, politely introducing himself, the representative of the Israeli side with a smile, quickly and professionally checked all things, up to the seams on jeans. I just said thank you, because with such security measures, flights have become calmer.
Three hours later we were greeted by a cozy Ben Gurion airport: clear signs, floating paths and a crowd of compatriots sweeping away everything in their path, trying to be the first to go to passport control. Nothing gave ground for worries. And, in fact, there was nothing to worry about: we had bank cards, return tickets, a hotel voucher and copies of the documents of our parents, who were patiently waiting for us at home... to a construction site, but purely on vacation.
However, a polite girl in uniform, after taking our passports and asking a few questions in English, apparently thought differently. . . Waving her hand to the side where we had just come from, she handed the documents to her colleague and cheerfully said “next”.
p>
We approached a separate metal-plastic room, inside and next to which people of different ages and religions crowded. Arabs, Slavs, parents with small children, and even a Cypriot priest who prayed to the icon. Looking closely, they saw that he had simply fallen asleep with her in his arms... Apparently, he had been here for a long time. Inside the structure, two more doors were found, where the passports were taken. Periodically (sometimes after five, but more often after 15-20 minutes), a visitor would come out and invite the next one.
We were told that in addition to unprecedented security measures, there is a tough fight against illegal immigrants in the country. Many in search of a better life come and... stay. They search and search, and it’s not a fact that they find it, but there are enough precedents... After being bored for an hour, we saw that not everyone passes the “interview”. It was necessary to answer without hesitation, clearly without smiles, smirks, and, God forbid, jokes and rantings. I think there is nothing to say about the fact that you should not change the tone to discontent or irritation...
After some time, we did receive passports and small bluish cards with our photos, a barcode, dates of entry and exit, and a “ban on work”.
Leaving the spacious hall, we found ourselves in front of electronic turnstiles. These “gates to Israel” were opened precisely with the help of the treasured cards received.
Path to the Old City
We left the third terminal a little to the right, since there was a parking lot not only for taxis, but also for Nesher minibuses. These are vans for 8-10 people that take people to hotels for 60 shekels per person (1 USD - 3.5 new Israeli shekels). Moreover, it is unprofitable to pay with dollars, since they are asked for twenty. Having loaded things, we thought that we had correctly refused the transfer for $ 110 one way.
It took us an hour to reach the hotel along the beautifully lit road. The road, often cut straight through the mountains, always went up. JerusalemInn is a three-story smart hotel located a few dozen meters from the local prison. I liked the room: it was spacious and comfortable: high ceilings, a wide bed and a large TV, a refrigerator and an electric kettle, a couple of windows and a balcony overlooking a picturesque alley.
A clean bathroom without shampoo, but with liquid soap and a supply of toilet paper, towels, a wide countertop, hot water. In general, everything you need for a comfortable overnight stay.
The friendly staff showed where you can have a kosher breakfast, as it is included in the room price. I was pleased with the variety - olives and peppers, hard cheeses and feta cheese, oranges and grapefruits, eggs and eggplants, pastries and brewed teas. We relaxed… We had a hasty snack. But in vain! Lunch, dinner and all sorts of snacks were waiting for us on the streets in a very interesting, but insanely expensive country. A one and a half liter bottle of mineral water without gas - 10 shekels or 75 hryvnias (you can, of course, look for water and yogurt for 4 in remote supermarkets, but waste time and effort... This is not a residential area - from here to the Old Town 5-7 minutes on foot... ) . But, let's continue accounting: a bun with a lettuce leaf and slices of tomato-cucumber - also ten, shawarma - from twenty, a simple vegetable salad or falafel - 25 each, pizza - starts from 40 shekels. And it's all "takeaway" in cheap eateries. Sitting at a table in a cafe will be even more expensive. Yes, they have high salaries. But their prices “eat up” well…
Of course, on a comfortable and almost silent tram you can go to the market for groceries. There, for example, one tangerine costs "only" a shekel... But, regardless of the number of stops, a ticket will cost as much as six tangerines. You can buy a travel document only in a special terminal, where choosing English is not difficult to understand. It is not worth buying for the future, as tickets are valid only until the end of the day.
On the streets and in cafes, they do not annoy with tobacco smoke. And there are two reasons for this: the ban on smoking in public places and the cost of a pack of cigarettes from 20 to 35 shekels.
We headed to the Jaffa Gate of the Old City. Vacationers on the street terraces were stormily discussing something next to the prison wall... Although, if they hadn’t said what kind of institution it was, we probably wouldn’t have paid any attention to it. Here we must pay tribute to the local architects - in this part of the vast Jerusalem, all the houses are lined with natural stone, which creates a single ensemble with ancient buildings.
The phenomenon of a miracle
Immediately to the left after entering through the Jaffa Gate, you can buy tickets, climb the walls of the Old City and take a walk along them. Although, if you keep to the right side, then below the Zion Gate, in front of the car park, there is a free entrance up...
Despite everything, we followed the plan - we went to the Lion's Gate to go through it and walk along the legendary Via Dolorosa, the mournful journey of Jesus to Calvary.
It's easy to breathe, clean air, clean streets and police patrols and soldiers with weapons everywhere. But this is the historical center. It's not like that everywhere. . .
Here, every stone is imbued with the spirit of biblical events. So, in the Muslim quarter, literally immediately on the right hand was the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Virgin with the miraculous icon of the Queen of Queens.
We descended into an ancient underground dungeon, in which 2000 years ago the robber Barabbas was in a stone well, and Jesus was in a separate niche on a seat carved out of stone. His feet, lowered into the grooved holes, were shackled. From them, a ring hammered into the rock is still preserved, touching which a strange shiver ran through the body...
Then we went through the whole Sorrowful path, replacing the guide with printouts from the Internet about each canonized place - the stop of Christ.
Near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (at the entrance and in itself there are just the last five of the fourteen Stations, which, basically, they offer to see during excursions) are as crowded as always. Inside, the first place everyone aspires to is the 13th stop of the Way of the Cross - the Stone of Anointing. After being removed from the cross, the body of Jesus was placed on it, and the Jewish elder Joseph of Arimathea, who asked Pilate for the body of the executed man, and Nicodemus, the secret disciple of Christ, anointed with myrrh and aloe. I am sure many have heard that this stove is myrrh-streaming. But it must be seen! After standing for just a couple of minutes, they began to observe how the cracks in it began to fill with some kind of liquid. As they ran their fingers, they felt something oily and heard a pleasant sweet aroma. Incredibly, before our eyes, a real world appeared through the stone. People around were baptized, wept, sanctified their belongings. But the main thing is that everyone saw the miracle with their own eyes!
They went up the stairs to Calvary, stood in line to the place of the crucifixion. The entire top of the mountain is under a transparent dome, and you can even touch it if you kneel down and put your hand through a special hole.
Going down to the symbolic Christian center, we saw the "Navel of the Earth", which, according to legend, symbolizes the place of salvation of the entire human race.
Going into Cuvuklia, we lit candles from the non-burning Holy Fire and went to inspect every corner of the great Temple.
Witness of the condescension of the Holy Fire
Before leaving, we stood at a column with a deep crack, from which the Holy Fire appeared almost five hundred years ago. We talked with the keeper of the keys to the doors of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Muslim Vajih Nuseibe was just about to hit the huge six-meter door three times with a massive ring embedded in it, thereby announcing that it was time to leave the holy place.
He said that when the ruler of the Muslim Empire Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab arrived in Jerusalem, the noble Nuseibe family followed him.
- More than 1370 years ago, Patriarch Safroniy, having greeted the Muslim elders, handed over to Caliph Omar the keys to the city and the main church monastery of Christians. The caliph, in turn, gave the key to the temple to my ancestors. Since then, it has been passed down from father to eldest son from generation to generation, and we proudly and gratuitously carry out the holy mission entrusted to us, - says Vadzhih Nuseibe.
- Every day at four in the morning I come and open heavy oak, iron-studded doors with a half-meter key weighing five hundred grams.
Exactly at 19:00 I inspect the premises for the last time, lock the doors with a key and a massive bolt.
Three times a week I clean the locks, put them in order and adjust each wheel in the mechanisms.
I get more work on holidays, especially on Easter. At this time, the main thing is that there is no crush at the entrance. Before the Jerusalem Patriarch proceeds to pray for the sending of the Holy Fire, I personally seal the stone slab of the Holy Sepulcher. It turns out that a Muslim is a true witness of the condescension of the Holy Fire, - the keeper smiled.
- In addition to my main duties, I am also an arbitrator. In moments when disputes arise between the six denominations of the Christian Church, for which different hours for prayers and their own chapels in the Temple, arise, I take on the mission of a peacemaker. I'm sorry, but I have to go to work. Here's my business card - give me a call if you want to know more. . .
Twilight descended - quiet and mysterious, with a slight touch of mysticism. Every corner of the square in front of the temple was illuminated by a peaceful yellow light, and somehow I did not want to leave at all. Making their way through the narrow shopping streets, they did not notice how night fell on Jerusalem. Almost according to Bulgakov. An unusually large crescent moon was turned upside down and seemed to be nearby. They remembered, seen in the afternoon, at a decent height, a sign in drops of... red paint. Frames from the movie “Jerusalem” came to mind… I felt a little uneasy. Covered, illuminated rows ended, the streets were deserted, we were surrounded only by religious buildings of different eras and religions. A moment came to mind when, already falling asleep in the hotel, someone scratched the glass with their claws. Loud. Unpleasant. Unclear. Sleep?
We left through the Zion Gate and headed towards the hotel. There are a lot of impressions, and tomorrow we will get up early and go, that is, up - to the Mount of Olives.
Golden Menorah
We noticed the observation deck on the Mount of Olives above the ancient and most expensive cemetery in the world yesterday. It was decided to start the day with her, and in order to save energy, we caught a taxi. The journey took just over 10 minutes and cost 50 shekels. The view was more than fantastic!
The whole old city is at a glance: ancient walls, Orthodox and Jewish shrines, as well as the huge Dome of the Rock of golden color, perfectly visible from everywhere and in any weather. This mosque was built in 691 under Caliph Abd al-Malik. Inside is the same legendary rock, or rather, its ledge, which gave it its name. Here, as the legend says, the Ark of the Covenant stood, from here the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac, and in general, it was from this place that the creation of the world began. And yet, Muslims come here from all over the world to see the footprint of Muhammad and 3 hairs from his beard.
After admiring and taking plenty of pictures, we went to the free toilet (by the way, everywhere without money, except for the bus station - there is 1 shekel).
The road down led past the cemetery. There is, of course, something in these same-type graves without flowers. . . Paying tribute to memory, relatives bring only a stone and put it on the stove.
It is considered a great honor for every believing Jew to be buried here, because the holiness of this place is determined not only by its proximity to the Kidron Valley and the Temple Mount, but also by the texts from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah: “At the end of days, the Messiah will ascend the Mount of Olives and from there, according to the sound of Ezekiel's trumpet, the resurrection of the dead will begin. " Therefore, a place in this cemetery is on a par with a cottage by the Mediterranean Sea.
Burials began to appear here several thousand years ago, during the time of the First Temple. Today, there are about 150.000 graves on the mountain, and some of which are even attributed to Old Testament personalities.
In places, the narrow winding road is surrounded by high walls. What is behind them is practically invisible and you need to be careful not to miss the iron gate with a door on the right. They knocked and let us into the most beautiful monastery of St. Mary Magdalene in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is literally buried in greenery and outlandish flowers. To the left of the entrance is a closed grate - they asked to open it and saw the remains of the road, or rather, part of the stairs along which Jesus ascended to Jerusalem. Here the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to the Apostle Thomas.
Already below, in front of the road, on the left, there are 2000-year-old olive trees, under which Jesus preached, and the beautiful Catholic basilica of Borenia, where there is a piece of rock, on which, according to legend, the prayer for the cup took place. Nearby, in the Gethsemane grotto, pilgrims remember the kiss of Judas.
Slightly lower, opposite, in the cave is the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in which the tomb of the Virgin Mary is located. Unusual, deep and beautiful working underground temple with a sarcophagus…
We came to the Old Town on foot in about ten minutes, successfully overtaking a traffic jam. We watched with interest the excavations of the first local settlements. Archaeologists worked at a fairly decent depth almost directly under the mighty walls.
We entered the Temple Mount through the Garbage Gate directly to one of the main shrines of Judaism - the Wailing Wall. Naturally, through the frame of a metal detector with a check of all personal belongings. The so-called female part of the wall is completely visible, while the male part goes under the roof, where the library, prayer rooms and other rooms are located.
Locals say that it is correct to call it the Western Wall - after all, this is the only surviving part of the Second Jerusalem Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. It was erected on the site of the First, built by Solomon, the son of King David.
We bought a traditional Jerusalem bagel for ten dollars and ate it with pleasure!
Road to the sea
A little tired, we decided to relax a bit at the Dead Sea. On one's own! Without tourist groups.
After following a few stops on the tram, leaving the shuk, that is, the bazaar, on the left hand, we got out near the large building of the central bus station. Noise, dirt, beggars, military and police patrols, inspection at the entrance.
Climbing up to the 3rd floor, we bought tickets back and forth without seats for 21 shekels each for the regular bus number 486, which runs exclusively on schedule almost every hour from Jerusalem to all the resorts of the Dead Sea. We didn’t know where exactly to go, so we chose the nearest resort, Kalia, as our final destination. We stood in line before going to the platform. Five minutes before departure, we were invited to a clean and comfortable bus, which quickly filled up. For those who did not have enough seats, the driver offered to ride standing.
The journey was only 40 minutes, but how things have changed! Mountain-desert landscape, scorching sun and the absence of police, and indeed of armed people.
We got out on the highway with a few more tourists and headed towards the sea, following the signs. The secondary road was deserted, but every minute large and small tourist buses and cars scurried around. It was a little creepy that there were abandoned buildings around, in which window and doorways ominously gaped like black holes. Behind them, the Bedouins were tending their camels. Twenty minutes later, they were already approaching the ticket office: they had to pay 55 shekels per person for entry (children and students with a student card - at a discount). For this money, a fenced, well-maintained beach is offered with sunbeds and umbrellas over them, a shower and therapeutic mud coming directly from the bowels of the earth. And all this on the coast, which is the lowest area on earth - 430 meters below sea level.
Immediately behind the beach, there is a no-man's-land with bright "Mined" signs. But this somehow didn’t scare.
Smeared with mud and lying on the sea to the fullest (you can hardly call awkward movements in the oily water that literally pushes you to the surface), took a shower and headed to the stop. As it turned out later, it was possible to use the shuttle, but we did not know. The last bus from here is at 15.40. We drove and fell asleep after an incredible relaxation of the natural SPA.
The rest of the time was devoted to what we did not have time to see in the Old City. It is interesting to return to this mysterious and alluring place again and again, and each time it reveals new secrets.
So, having wandered around the Upper Room of the Holy Supper, which was built over the tomb of King David, we climbed to the top floor, and from there to the roof. And again, the night covered Jerusalem, drawing a stunning picture - a low starry sky above your head, before your eyes - the main symbols of the three religions, and in the distance - an endless city...
Behind the red card
On the way to the airport, we discussed an independent trip with adventure notes, which was a success! After all, we saw more than the guides would show, and the time was unlimited...
A checkpoint loomed up ahead, and at the same moment people in camouflage waved their baton. They introduced themselves, politely asked for passports, checked their identities and luggage, asked questions and wished them a safe trip.
Before the flight, as it turned out, even before check-in, you need to go through the "security control" where they will go through not only things, but also ask about, as it seemed to us, strange things and about very distant and even deceased relatives...
And although we left the hotel in advance, but by the time we had passed all the cordons, we had already announced the landing... And here is the last resort: everyone looks at the camera, and the computer looks for a 100% match of the entered and leaving physiognomy, after which it issues a red card for leaving the Promised Land.
Andrey TSURKANOV,
photo by Irina TSURKANOVA
