When I visited Jerusalem in 2016, it captured my heart, and it has done so again in 2022, even more so as it has changed. The city's green credentials have improved in recent years. When Covid struck, they took advantage of the opportunity to descend on its empty streets and lay out the plan for accessibility and sustainability. And with great success.
Ugly pipes and bins that once ruined the beautiful twisty lanes of the colorful suq and residential areas have vanished into the ecology of the now pristine streets. The overgrown sewage has been upgraded, and there is a daily clean-up; litter is frowned upon by all. There are no distractions from its stunning limestone architecture, which literally shines in the sunlight. It's a joy to see how market traders and locals who live on the suq's side street take pride in their work.
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There are even tactful restrooms, more signs, and four small privately-owned club cars - similar to golf carts - that you can hail as a taxi within the old city limits, making the experience a lot easier.
Away from the old city - the modern city that surrounds the old city - 70 communities in the wider city have invested in gardens that have sometimes risen from the midst of a dump to beautify their neighbors and give them somewhere to chill outdoors while ancient trees are pampered into long term health. Everyone supports the effort.
The Wailing (Western) Wall and the Dome of the Rock
There are many places to visit in this tiny city, but the two most moving in my opinion are the Dome of the Rock, also known as the Al Aqsa compound on Temple Mount, and the Wailing Wall, both of which are wheelchair accessible.
The Dome of the Rock is located in the Jewish Quarter, on the site of the second Jewish Temple (circa 516 BCE). The Wailing Wall, a single wall of that temple, still stands nearby and is dear to the hearts of Jews.
You cannot enter the Dome of the Rock mosque because it is only accessible to Muslims. Nobody, not even the local Jews and Christians, can. Visit the Temple Mount complex to see the golden dome and the magnificent mosaics on its exterior walls.
Anyone is welcome to pray at the Wailing Wall. Men and women are divided into separate sections, each with their own prayers, with many writing their wishes on index cards and inserting it into a crack in the wall. On a Thursday, you will be able to see dozens of Bar Mitzvah boys go through the traditional transition ceremony from 13-year-old boy to man.
The Via Dolorosa (Cross Way) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Via Dolorosa, a popular pilgrimage and tourist route, is now accessible to people in wheelchairs and prams for the first time, thanks to accessibility ramps.
No one is now barred from crossing the half-mile-long winding Via Dolorosa route, which passes nine of the 14 stations where Jesus walked over the cobbled stones wearing a crown of thorns to his crucifixion in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
It begins at Antonia Fotress's Lions' Gate in the Muslim Quarter and ends at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter, which houses the remaining 5 stations as well as the stone upon which Jesus lay. Faithful visitors come to touch, kiss, or stroke the stone in the hope of finding answers.
Chords Bridge
The Israeli Parliament (Knesset) and Supreme Court are located in Jerusalem, and the Chords Bridge, also known as the Bridge of Strings, towers over the city with its needle that pierces the sky. Many people admire its beauty, with its 188-metre mast and 66 cables representing King David's harp; or is it a bow and arrow?
Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect, designed it. It will be used by the Red Line of Jerusalem's new Light Rail (due to open in November 2022), and it has become the main modern iconic symbol and structure of East Jerusalem.
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