Having put some thoughts in the previous posts, I thought I might mention some of the places we've actually been.
The Old City in Jerusalem must be one of the world's great cultural and religious melting pots. Four quarters are gathered within its walls - although the Armenians obviously weren't quite so up on their maths, so their quarter seems to be a fair amount smaller than the Christian, Jewish and Muslim equivalents. A walk around gave us a good impression of the place - one of the striking things is that the quarters are a bit rough and ready in terms of demarcation. Mosques, churches and synagogues can be found in each of the quarters.
We came off the wall and wandered on and stumbled upon the Wailing Wall. There's a sign up confirming that the Chief Rabbi is happy that walking through the scanner does constitute a violation of the Sabbath. However, going up to the Temple Mount is a no-go according to the Chief Rabbi. Not (as I understand it) because the Dome of the Rock Mosque is up there, but rather because you might accidentally step on the Holy of Holies (given that its exact location is unknown).
The Wailing Wall was a little quiet the first time we were there, but a return visit on the Sabbath was (as you would expect) a different matter (the guy at security was also a bit more fastidious, he seemed keen for me to declare that I had a knife with me - I had to disappoint him). A steady stream of people poured into the area in front of the Wall from the three separate entrances. There were very distinct groups gathered to pray and sing. One chap seemed to be some form of youth leader who got a whole bunch of people singing and stood on a chair so the women on the other side of the fence could join in too.
The Old City in Jerusalem must be one of the world's great cultural and religious melting pots. Four quarters are gathered within its walls - although the Armenians obviously weren't quite so up on their maths, so their quarter seems to be a fair amount smaller than the Christian, Jewish and Muslim equivalents. A walk around gave us a good impression of the place - one of the striking things is that the quarters are a bit rough and ready in terms of demarcation. Mosques, churches and synagogues can be found in each of the quarters.
We came off the wall and wandered on and stumbled upon the Wailing Wall. There's a sign up confirming that the Chief Rabbi is happy that walking through the scanner does constitute a violation of the Sabbath. However, going up to the Temple Mount is a no-go according to the Chief Rabbi. Not (as I understand it) because the Dome of the Rock Mosque is up there, but rather because you might accidentally step on the Holy of Holies (given that its exact location is unknown).
The Wailing Wall was a little quiet the first time we were there, but a return visit on the Sabbath was (as you would expect) a different matter (the guy at security was also a bit more fastidious, he seemed keen for me to declare that I had a knife with me - I had to disappoint him). A steady stream of people poured into the area in front of the Wall from the three separate entrances. There were very distinct groups gathered to pray and sing. One chap seemed to be some form of youth leader who got a whole bunch of people singing and stood on a chair so the women on the other side of the fence could join in too.
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