Jerusalem - Livin' On A Prayer

Peeling layers of faith, history and archaeology leads an explorer to the stunning core of Jerusalem.

- Kusumita Das

I am standing under the shadow of Jaffa Gate, the imposing entrance to Jerusalem’s Old City. It’s post breakfast hour, the golden hour for all things touristy. On the day’s list is a walking tour of the 3,000-year-old Old City, a walled settlement on the eastern side of Jerusalem, which will take us through its Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian quarters. As I wait for our group’s guide Joshua to flag off the tour, my eyes adjust to the swarm of tourists trundling in and out of the gate, which is among the eight original ones built in the 16th century by the Ottomans.

Like us, the sun too is preparing for a long day ahead, but the cool breeze tempers it slightly. Before we get impatient, Joshua is ready for us. He offers a pithy introduction to the city and its history—with a brief plan for the day that comes with a rather rousing disclaimer: “This is the Middle East, anything can happen.” It’s Joshua’s way of preparing us for ad lib changes in the route due to possible unrest, although he won’t say. There’s another request we comply with: submit all items of clothing or accessories symbolic of any religion other than Islam. I had nothing on me except a Hand of Hamsa keychain, which I let go of temporarily. Granted, the amulet, popular across the Middle East and North Africa can be considered equal parts Jewish, Christian and Islamic, but why take a chance?

A PHOENIX RISING

As we walk in through the gate and step on the cobble-stoned road of Old City, it feels like we are on the sets of a period film. This is a theatre of all things sacred, the only place of its kind where the highest symbols of three faiths—the Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Dome of the Rock for Muslims—stand within a stone’s throw of each other.