Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls, Fortified heritage site in Jerusalem, Israel.
The Old City of Jerusalem with its Walls is a fortified enclosure containing four distinct quarters, each with its own character and purposes. Stone-walled passages create a maze of narrow streets that connect residential areas, markets, and major religious structures throughout the settlement.
The walls as they stand today were built in the mid-1500s and surround an area inhabited for thousands of years before that time. Beneath the current streets lie remains of earlier settlements and periods of rule that shaped the character of the place.
The place houses holy sites for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Armenians who worship and gather there daily, each maintaining deep spiritual connections to their surroundings. Visitors can observe pilgrims of different faiths sharing the narrow streets and sacred spaces, creating a layered spiritual geography within the walls.
Visitors typically enter through one of eight gates in the wall, with different entrances providing better access to specific quarters. The steep and narrow streets require comfortable shoes and time to walk slowly through the different areas.
The ground beneath the streets holds multiple layers of different periods that archaeologists uncover when excavating, revealing several phases of habitation stacked one above another. These hidden structures tell stories of civilizations that lived here long before the current walls were built.
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