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Jerusalem

Proclaimed capital of the Kingdom of Israel 3,000 years ago by King David, Jerusalem is – three millennia later – the capital of the modern State of Israel. It is the largest single city in Israel, home to close to a million inhabitants.

Source: Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Noam Chen

The heart of Jerusalem is the square-mile walled Old City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) that contains the holy places of the three monotheistic faiths. And the heart of the heart is the Temple Mount. Beneath the turquoise tiled, golden domed Dome of the Rock is the rock where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and atop which both the First and Second Temples were constructed. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 – which led to the expulsion of most Jews from their homeland. In the ensuing centuries Jerusalem became holy to Christians and Muslims too, but it was the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount enclosure that became the focus of Jewish pilgrimage for close to 2,000 years. The mournful prayers of the faithful caused it be dubbed “The Wailing Wall.”

Source: Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Noam Chen

Historically divided into four residential quarters, the Old City’s historic Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim Quarters still retain the sense of their individual heritage. The Jewish Quarter, dramatically restored since the city’s unification in 1967, is home to thousands of Jewish Israelis, yeshivas, museums, ancient shopping streets and the grandly rebuilt Hurva Synagogue.

Source: Israeli Ministry of Tourism and Noam Chen

The contemporary city of Jerusalem began its growth in the mid-19th-century, and the early 20th-century buildings of central New Jerusalem are redolent of small-town and Bauhaus Europe. The modern city dwarfs the ancient walled town: elegant boulevards lead to dozens of residential neighborhoods, shopping areas, museums, the government complex that includes the Knesset (Congress) and the Supreme Court, and the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum.

MUST SEES:

  • City of David
  • Davidson Center & Jerusalem Archeological Park
  • Hurva Synagogue
  • Israel Museum
  • Knesset
  • Mamilla mall
  • Mount of Olives
  • Nahlat Shiva-Ben Yehuda pedestrianized quarter
  • Old City Gates
  • Tower of David Museum
  • Western Wall
  • Western Wall Tunnels
  • Yad Vashem

IF YOU HAVE MORE TIME:

  • Bible Lands Museum
  • Biblical Zoo
  • “Burnt House”
  • Chagall Windows at the Hadassah Ein Karem Medical Center Synagogue
  • Church of the Holy Sepulcher
  • Great Synagogue
  • Hebrew University Campuses
  • Italian Synagogue
  • Jerusalem Botanical Gardens
  • L. A. Mayer Museum of Islamic Art
  • Machane Yehuda Market
  • Mea Shearim
  • Menachem Begin Heritage Center
  • Mount Herzl
  • Mount Zion
  • Old City Ramparts Walk
  • Old Yishuv Court Museum

You may be interested in the following tours, that include a visit to Jerusalem

Israel in Brief

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6 Days / 5 Nights

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4 Days / 3 Nights

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Bible Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

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Classic Israel

8 nights / 9 days (Tue departure) & 7 nights / 8 days (Sat departure)

Experience the wonders of this magical country with a visit to Jerusalem's ...

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12 Days / 11 Nights

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Heritage of the Holy Land Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

Join us on this 8 Day Tour to Israel and visit the main ...

Bibleland Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

Visit the sites of the Bible on this 8 day Guaranteed departure tour ...

Holyland (8 Day) Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

See the birthplace of Jesus with your own two eyes, and walk ...

Holyland (9 Day) Tour

9 Days / 8 Nights

See the birthplace of Jesus with your own two eyes, and walk ...

In the Footsteps of our Lord

8 Days / 7 Nights

The scripture will come alive as you visit the homeland of Jesus. ...

Living Waters Catholic Tour

7 days / 6 nights

Trace the footsteps of Jesus with this magical Catholic tour that takes ...

Israel Family Tour

9 Days / 8 Nights

Take in the best of the best of the Holyland surrounded by ...

Israel Pilgrims Tour

8 Days / 7 Nights

See the birthplace of Jesus with your own two eyes, and walk ...

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8 Days / 7 Nights

Visit Israel's splendorous key cities and attractions. Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba, ...

Israel Wonders

8 Days / 7 Nights

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Jewish Heritage

8 Days / 7 Nights

Explore Jewish heritage from both a personal and public perspective, as you ...

Jewish Heritage in Depth

10 Days / 9 Nights

Explore Jewish heritage from both a personal and public perspective, as you ...

Past to the Future – Highlights of the Jewish State

11 Days / 10 Nights

Explore the best of Israel with this incredible 11 day tour that takes ...

Israel Prelude Tour

5 Days / 4 Nights

Explore the rich city of Jerusalem, enjoy the wondorous Masada and Dead ...

Mini Holy Land Tour to Jerusalem & the Dead Sea

3 days

Bathe in the eclectic mix of history, religion and nature with this ...

Mini Holy Land Tour to Jerusalem and the Dead Sea

3 days

Jerusalem – Old City and New City and Bethlehem Dead Sea/Jerusalem Guaranteed ...

Mini Jewish Jerusalem & Dead Sea

3 Days

Experience some of Israel's best with this mini 3 day Jewish tour to ...

Mini Jewish Galilee

3 Days

Experience some of Israel's best with this mini 3 day classic tour that ...

Mini Classic Tour to Jerusalem & Dead Sea

3 Days

Experience some of Israel's best with this mini 3 day classic tour to ...