A Most Amazing Day

Today has been a day full of stones and realising that some times it is appropriate to take pictures of one’s feet (this was a revelation to me as I normally do it by mistake!) We began the morning (leaving at 7:30 am – after prayers and breakfast) in the Old City of Jerusalem beside the Western Wall. The plaza in front of the Wall was busy with Jews coming to fulfil their morning prayers, with their families running and playing, with tourists (doing what tourists do – be guided, take photos, try to absorb the sights and atmosphere and generally get in the way!). All of this was observed by the tourist police who went around handing out shawls, asking “I’m sure you would like to cover up?” to the immodestly dressed; and the young army recruits who almost pass a tourists apart from their uniform and guns!

After watching for a while we were gathered and with our Jewish (with a strong USA accent) guide Alan, we headed into the tunnels under the Western Wall of the Herodian temple. We were shown amazing models of the building of the Temple, but the most stunning was the real thing - a 40 foot long, 600 tonne stone, beautifully dressed (cut), which had be added to the Temple before the time of Christ and which (unsurprisingly) despite several attempts none of the various invading armies since had been able to shift.

As we walked on we came upon a number of women – deep in fervent prayer. They are not permitted to pray at the main section of the Western Wall, but have been allowed by both Jewish and Muslim religious authorities (both whom have a say in the access to the Wall at this point) to pray here. Many therefore come down into this more ancient and private place to offer their prayers. It was a deep privilege to share this sacred space with them, before as quietly and unobtrusively as possible, we moved on.

Next came a foot-photo moment as we walked on over paving stones which would have been part of one of the main streets close to the Temple in the 1st century BCE.

We walked on past colonnades from the same period and through a disused aqueduct which used to supply water to the Temple. All of this, many tens of feet below the Muslim Quarter of the city, which exists built over the ruins and wonderfully saved bits from ancient times.

Walking out into the daylight a short while later, I felt exhilarated at actually being able to see and touch a tiny part of such an important and complex history. Knowing a little of the various conquests of this city, I did not realise that anything concrete (excuse the pun) from the time of Christ still existed. But much more was to come.

We walked for a short while around the Jewish Quarter of the city, watching children playing football and setting up a stall of material raising awareness of the village of Chomesh, an evicted village, climbing up onto the roofs and looking out over the city and seeing a new basketball court being laid in the shadow of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – this is a city of contrasts and crazy juxtapositions.
That is all for tonight (more tomorrow). Despite the amazing technology of their forbears today they sometimes seem to struggle (i.e. the internet regularly tends to collapse around 10.15 pm – just as I am about to upload my thoughts onto this blog. Do you think it is trying to tell me something?)

Ah well – to be continued!