In and around Jerusalem

A discussion of the development of modern Jerusalem would be incomplete without consideration of the role of Teddy Kollek, the first mayor of reunified Jerusalem. This walk visits three of the many projects his Jerusalem Foundation initiated - the continuing development of Yemin Moshe, Teddy Park, and the Jerusalem Walls National Park. We will also watch a short movie in the Artists Colony about Teddy's achievements. 

Distance:  4 Km

Time: 2 hours

Type of walk: Circular

Difficulty: An easy walk, mainly on paved roads

Starting point: The intersection of Bloomfield Boulevard with Keren Hayesod, King David St. and Jabotinsky St. There are WC's in the adjacent Bloomfield Park by the water fountain.

Public transport: Many buses pass by the starting point of this walk. Enter "Montefiore Windmill" into Moovit.

Driving directions and parking: Enter "Sderot Bloomfield" into Waze. There is paid parking on Heinrich Heine St. 

 

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OVERVIEWS

TEDDY KOLLEK - THE GREAT BUILDER 

What do the following personalities have in common – King Solomon, King Hezekiah, King Herod and Teddy Kollek? The answer?  All were great builders of Jerusalem. Admittedly, the name Teddy Kollek sounds out of place in this list but in terms of the number of projects he initiated he did more for the physical layout of this city than any of these other historic figures. 

Teddy Kollek (1911-2007) was born in a small town in Hungary. He spent his early years in Vienna. Following his aliya to Israel, he became one of the founding members of Kibbutz Ein Gev, but left the kibbutz to take up administrative positions. He stood for election as mayor of Jerusalem in 1965, a position that at that time was of no great importance. To his surprise, he was elected mayor of this small sleepy town. After the Six Day War and reunification of Jerusalem he suddenly found himself mayor of a large, vibrant metropolitan city, a position he held until 1993. 

Teddy established the Jerusalem Foundation soon after being elected, and this foundation initiated numerous building projects, including 200 parks and gardens, the redevelopment of Yemin Moshe, the Israel Museum, community and health centers, and much more. As mayor of a city in which the three monotheistic faith had a stake, Teddy appreciated that it was his job to reach out to all the citizens of his city and to include them in his projects. 

Teddy was buried on Mount Herzl in an area usually reserved for national leaders - an indication of how highly he was regarded.  

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WHAT'S IN A WALL?

The present Old City wall was built by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent between 1535 to 1538, and it is truly a magnificent structure with battlements and 34 watchtowers. Much of its foundations, however, are from previous eras.  

When King David conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites it was a strongly fortified city, and David made no major changes to the original Canaanite walls. However, King Solomon, who reigned between about 970 to 930 BCE, extended the city northwards to encompass the Temple Mount and the intervening Ophel Hill. 

During the rule of Hezekiah (715 to 686 BCE), the city expanded onto Jerusalem's "Western Hill" and now included Mount Zion and areas of the present-day Jewish and Armenian Quarters. Much of this expansion was due to immigrants arriving in Jerusalem from the Northern Kingdom after its destruction by the Assyrians. Hezekiah therefore extended the walls of Jerusalem to enclose this "Upper City". This new section of the city wall extended from the City of David, enclosed the Siloam Pool which was outside the southern limits of the City of David, and surrounded Mount Zion. It then followed the current western wall of the Old City, and from about where the Jaffa Gate is today it turned eastward to reach the Temple Mount. Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, destroyed Jerusalem, its Temple, and its walls in 586 BCE with great devastation (II Kings 25:9-10).

When Nehemiah came to Jerusalem from abylon in 445 BCE to join the returnees, the population of the city was quite small. Rebuilding the city wall was a priority for him, and the area he enclosed was probably equivalent to that enclosed by King Solomon’s walls. A remnant of his wall can be seen in the City of David (see our webpage "The City of David"). 

During the Second Temple period, the city expanded again to the Western Hill, and the Hasmoneans built what Josephus calls the “First Wall”. This more or less enclosed the same area as Hezekiah’s wall and it included Mount Zion. During the rule of King Herod (37 to 4 BCE), a “Second Wall” was added to enclose an area north of the First Wall in what is now the Arab Quarter, and this extended to the northwest corner of the Temple Mount. The walls of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans during the Great Revolt, including a northern wall that extended to where the Russian Compound is today, and their new city of Aelia Capitolina had no walls around it, a reflection of the security they felt as victors.

The Byzantines built a wall around Jerusalem, but this was destroyed by an earthquake in 1033 CE. It was not until the Muslim Fatimid caliphate that a new wall was built around the city and this city wall did not include Mount Zion or the City of David. Much of the Crusader and Ottoman walls were built on top of the foundations of the Fatimid wall, and therefore these also did not include either Mount Zion or the City of David. Knowledge of the location of the City of David was lost and was only discovered by archaeologists in the modern era. 

Hence, the present western wall of Jerusalem from the Jaffa Gate to Mount Zion has been the city wall since the time of Hezekiah, and this section of the Turkish wall includes foundations from the First Temple, Hasmonean, Herodian, Byzantine and Muslim periods. In one small section of the wall (which will be viewed on this walk in the Jerusalem Walls National Park), remnants of all these historic periods can be seen together.  

 

The walk:

For additional information about the windmill, Mishkanot Sha’ananim and Yemin Moshe see the walk "Yemin Moshe to Nahalat Shivah".

• Go down the hill on Yemin Moshe St. You will pass on your right the windmill , the two turreted buildings of Mishkanot She’ananim and the Touro Restaurant. On your left are the beautiful streets and alleys of Yemin Moshe.

Yemin Moshe was established in 1892-1894 with monies from the Montefiore Testimonial Fund. When Sir Moses Montefiore built Mishkenot Sha’ananim with funds from the Judo Touro estate, he also bought the land around it and this enabled his project of settling Jews outside the Old City to be continued after his death. The intention was that Yemin Moshe would become a middle-class neighborhood. However, following the War of Independence, the Hinnom Valley between the Old City and Yemin Moshe became the armistice line with Jordan and Yemin Moshe became a dangerous place to live in because of sniper fire. The residents moved out, immigrants from Persia and Turkey took their place, and the neighborhood deteriorated.

After the Six Day War and the reunification of the city, Yemin Moshe was redesigned as an upscale neighborhood that would include an artists' colony. The artists never materialized. Nevertheless, the immigrants that were living here and in Mishkenot Sha'ananim had to relocate. This was one of the tough and controversial decisions made by Teddy. The residents here had endured a lot living close to the border with Jordan and had formed cohesive communities. However, when the area was upgraded, they could no longer afford to live in their homes. They received some compensation, but the communities separated. There have been no large-scale relocations like this in Jerusalem since that time.

• At the end of Yemin Moshe St. turn left through the green metal gate onto S.U. Nathon St. As you walk along, notice the Sultan’s Pool  in the valley below you on your right and the houses of Yemin Moshe on your left. 

The Sultan's Pool was built by another great builder of Jerusalem, Herod the Great, to ensure water was available for the palace he built for himself next to the Citadel and adjacent to the western city wall. Water accumulated in the pool from a damming up of the Hinnom Valley. The pool was renovated by the Crusaders in the 12th century, who used it for watering their horses, and again by the Mamluke sultan Barquq. The Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent enlarged the pool into a reservoir in the 16^th century (hence the name of the pool). He also built a public fountain (a sabil) on the rim of the pool for the use of travellers coming to Jerusalem from the direction of Bethlehem. To supply this fountain, he diverted water from the Hasmonean-built Lower Aqueduct. This aqueduct skirted the Sultan's Pool (see the walk "The Sherover and Haas Promenades" and the essay "Supplying water to thirsty Jerusalem"). You will see the fountain towards the end of this walk, although it is no longer functional. The pool area is now used as an open-air theatre for concerts.  

• Exit this road through another green gate and you will come to a small parking lot.  Ascend the steps on the far left of the parking lot to Metzuda St. and immediately take the first right onto Pele Yoe'z St. You are now in a small, but very pretty garden (Gan Yehudit) containing olive trees. 

• At the next fork, leave the park using the path to the right and exit Yemin Moshe through another green gate. Continue along this path until you meet Dror Elial St. Cross the road, turn right, and after a short distance there are steps on the left leading down to the "Artists Colony"  in the valley. The soothing sound of Francine’s Fountain can be heard as you descend the steps. 

•  On either side of the central lane are impressive high-end art stores selling silver, jewelry, painting, photography and fabric. The stores are not always open, and this depends on the season and passage of tourists.

• Don’t miss the Teddy Kollek movie . About halfway along the building on the left is a glass door with the sign 'push'. The entrance is not very conspicuous. As you enter the passage, notice the photos of Teddy Kollek on the wall on the left. On the right is a room to watch a 3-D movie about Teddy Kollek. This 9-minute movie is quite inspiring and explains how Teddy contributed to making the city what it is today. The corridor and movie room are open from 10.00 AM-5.00 PM and 10.00 AM-3.00 PM on Fridays. At these times there is an attendant who will select for you the language in which you wish to hear the movie. There is no charge.

• Exit the exhibit room and head towards Teddy Park . This park was established by the Jerusalem Foundation as a tribute to Teddy. Ascend the ramp on the left and you will come to an area with fountain nozzles, the site for Jerusalem's nightime Sound and Light Fountain Show . At fixed times in the evening, synchronized shoots of water come from 256 nozzles accompanied by flashing lights and recorded music by the New Jerusalem Philharmonic. During the day there is a water display only [see below].   

• As you exit the park, you will see an old Turkish building. There is nothing special about this building other than that it found itself in this park and no one was prepared to demolish it. You can walk through it if you wish. There are a number of exits from the park to reach Route 60, the main road paralleling the Old City wall.     

• Cross Route 60 at the pedestrian crossing by Yitzhak Kariv St. and turn right. After a very short distance turn left at the next intersection towards the wall, and then take the right fork, which is Hativat Etsyoni St. You are now in the Jerusalem Walls National Park  that was established by the Jerusalem Foundation and that partially surrounds the Old City walls.

• Take the concrete ramp on your left, which will bring you closer to Suleiman's city wall. Look at the first sign on your left by the far corner of a protruding tower. This sign explains that the foundations  in front of you contain First Temple, Hellenistic, Herodian, Byzantine, early Islamic (Fatimid), Ayyubid and Ottoman components, and identifies each of the sections.

• The concrete path becomes a gravel path, and you will soon come to an observation area from where you can view the other side of the Hinnom Valley. There is also a sign to help identify the landmarks. 

• At the end of the gravel path look for a sign indicating that an entranceway into the city that was close to Herod’s palace was covered over by the Turks when they built their city wall. This "Hidden Gate"  was identified by the presence of steps. Go down these ancient steps to another lookout  on Hativat Etsyoni St. There is a recording in English, Hebrew or Arabic, and another sign identifying the various buildings across the valley.  

• Continue along Hativat Etsyoni St. and opposite the corner of the Old City wall you will see a path called Ma'alot Benny that descends into the Hinnom Valley. Follow this path framed with thyme as it winds down to the Hinnom Valley. Just before the main road, notice a bunker-like structure on your left . This is the remains of a tunnel built after the 1948 War of Independence that linked Mount Zion to Yemin Moshe and allowed safe access to Mount Zion. You will recall that Mount Zion remained an Israeli enclave after the War of Independence, with the Old City being in Jordanian hands.

• Cross Hebron Rd. and walk on the sidewalk that crosses the valley. The Sultan’s Pool will be on your right and a grass-covered park on your left - the Hinnom National Park. Notice the sabil (water fountain)  on your right built by Sulumein the Magnificent when he renovated the Sultan's Pool. 

• Ahead of you is a stairway leading to Yemin Moshe. At the fork, turn to the right. Adjacent to the green gate turn left onto Yemin Moshe St. and this street will lead you back to your starting point.

 

Nearby places of interest:

Sound and Light Fountain Show in Teddy Park. There are only short water shows during the day and it is worth coming back at night to see the full display. The times of the shows during the summer are as follows: Daytime (water display only) - 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. Nighttime (water display with lights and music): 8:00 PM, 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM. There are reduced hours during the winter.

Begin Museum at 6 S.U. Nahon St: This museum is definitely worth a visit. Menachem Begin exudes Jewish pride and the story of his life and political activities is quite inspiring. The museum is in the form of an experiential multi-media exhibit that takes you on a time journey. It is open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9.00 AM-4.30 PM, Tuesday 9.00 AM-9.00 PM, and Friday and holidays 9.00 AM-12.30 PM. Tours have to be booked in advance. You can fill in this form online or call 02 565 2011. The museum commentary can be heard in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic, French or Spanish.  

Tower of David Museum is by the Jaffa Gate. The exhibits are in the medieval guardrooms, and present the main events of the city’s history in a chronological sequence beginning with the Canaanite period and continuing until Jerusalem became the capital of the State of Israel. The museum is open 9.00 AM-4.00 PM (9.00 AM-5.00 PM in August), 9.00 AM-2.00 PM on Friday (until 4.00 PM in August), and 9.00 AM-4.00 PM on Saturday (until 5.00 PM in August). Tours are offered in English on Sundays to Thursdays at 11.00 AM, and on Fridays at 11.00 AM in July and August. There are no tours on holidays or holiday eves. The tour is included in the admission price and you can sign up on line for this. In the event there is no escort guide, visitors are provided with a complementary audio guide. A large part of the exhibition is accessible for people with mobility problems and wheelchairs. Admission is 40 NIS for adults, 20 NIS for seniors, and 18 NIS for children. A reduced-price combined ticket is available for the Night Spectacular and can be used within a year of purchase of the ticket. The Sound and Light Night Spectacular at the Citadel shows the story of Jerusalem through virtual reality images. It runs for 45 minutes. To avoid disappointment, reserve in advance by calling 972-2-626 5333 (from outside Israel) or *2884 in Israel. Times of the show are also provided at this phone number. Tickets on the night of the show are subject to availability. The show is wheelchair accessible.

Cable Car Museum at 17 Hebron Rd. is one of Jerusalem's lesser-known museums. It is in the most northern building of the Zion Hotel although everyone is entitled to visit it. Mount Zion was captured by the Israel Defense Force during Israel's War of Independence but it was dangerous to supply this position because of firing by the Arab Legion. A cable car was therefore set up over the Hinnom Valley and used at night to deliver supplies. The present cable is new, but the cart, which was big enough to transport soldiers, is the original. The museum is open from 9.00 AM-5.00 PM Sunday to Thursday, and 9.00 AM -1.00 PM on Friday, but your visit needs to be arranged in advance. Their number is (02) 568-9569 or (02) 460-9540. There is no admission charge.

  

 

Yemin Moshe and Montefiore's windmill from the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park.

 

As explained in the adjacent sign, the base of this part of the Turkish wall is of First Temple, Hasmonean, and Herodian origins, while the base of the watchtower is from the Muslim Ayyubid period. 

 

These steps in the Jerusalem Walls National Park indicate the presence of a gate to Herod's palace. The gate was covered over by the Turks when they constructed their wall.