The Old City is a maze of narrow cobbled streets that serves as the residential quarters of about 35,000 people and houses innumerable places of historical and religious importance. There is no one route that you can take to cover all the major attractions in the Old City. Which is why I suggest anyone planning to visit Jerusalem to set aside at least two days to visit the sights and experience life in the city.

Here is what I did on one of my visits. I walked through the city’s Christian and Jewish quarters visiting couple of the stations on Jesus’ final journey, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, the Hurva Synagogue and the Western Wall plaza. I covered the Muslim quarter on a separate trip.

Nobody ever tells you to spend shabbath in Jerusalem, because, well, there is nothing much you can do. While that is very much true, you do not come to Jerusalem and miss out on a first hand experience of shabbath. I set out rather early from Tel Aviv (7.30 am) and reached Jerusalem by about 8.30 am on a Friday morning. I advocate more people to head to Jerusalem on  a Friday because I did not regret my shabbath in Jerusalem.

It meant that I waited for an hour for a bus because the frequency is low during shabbath. While shabbath starts only at Friday sundown, the holiday mood sets in by 3pm on Thursday in Tel Aviv. So, I can’t blame the public transposition system. I eventually reached Jaffa Gate around 10 am and shop keepers in the main market were yet to raise their shutters. The streets were empty and I did not have to rush through the main attractions.

As the day progressed, I witnessed the city shut down. I also had the misfortune (self-inflicted) of using a shabbath elevator. For the uninitiated, this elevator stops at every floor (for those following shabbath strictly) for 20 seconds and you can’t manually intervene, because one is not meant to! It tests your patience. Shabbath in Tel Aviv could be an annoyance just because of the lack of public transportation and closed grocery stores, but if you are out on the roads, it is no different from a weekday. People take their dogs out for a walk, the beaches come alive, cars and bikes zip past and the pizzerias are busy making deliveries. Jerusalem on the other hand is simply and seriously shut.

Shabbath gives you the rare opportunity to walk down the streets and tram lines without giving a damn about traffic. Even those heading to the Western Wall, which is the most holy place for the Jews in the world, to offer their prayers walk down the tram line. If you are staying near the Central Bus Station of Jerusalem I would strongly suggest that you spend your evening in the Old City area or even grab a bite near Damascus Gate and walk down the tram line back to your hotel.

Hordes of families with infants in tow marching to the Western Wall on a Friday evening is a spectacular show of faith, something that gives you goosebumps even of you are a non-believer. All that the community has is a piece of a retaining wall of where the Temple of Solomon once stood, and the community has embraced the wall for what it symbolises. I am unable to imagine such an abstract holy place for Hindus in India.

The Muslim Quarter

Tourists of all faiths can visit the Muslim quarter without fear. This disclaimer seems necessary because it is surely the least visited quarter of the four quarters . I am not sure if that is because of the global perception of the community or because there are fewer touristy sites in this quarter. You should visit the Muslim quarter for its bustling markets and great variety of Middle Eastern food. Being the largest of the four quarters, it seems to be accommodating more people than it can. Tourists are few, but shoppers from within the Old City and East Jerusalem come to the markets of the Muslim quarter for the best bargains.

Damascus Gate

The first part of the Via Dolorosa cuts through the Muslim quarter and the path is peppered with numerous churches and holy sites for Christians. There are multiple entrances to the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock in the Muslim quarter; be aware of approaching such an entrance. The gates are manned by Muslim guards who greet you with as-salam-alaikums. They will ask you if you are a Muslim, it is better to not take a chance and say no if you are not one. Some brave souls live to tell the tale, I would rather not. Though the guards do not stop you from stealing a glance at the majestic golden dome, they are prompt to shoo you away if you linger on for too long.

I am told that Israelis prefer not to venture into the Muslim quarter as it can get very uncomfortable. “Even children playing on the roads start yelling and demand Israelis to leave the Muslim quarter. If you are wearing a kippa, you can be easily spotted too. If we are with other foreigners, it is safer but I personally prefer not to venture out,” said a local.

I did not understand his hesitation completely. Maybe I was in denial.

While walking outside the Damascus Gate (East Jerusalem), R was greeted by a 7-8 year old with an unsuspecting ‘Hi’. Soon after, he felt a stone hit him. He turned around to find the same boy hiding and assumed that it was a prank. What he did not expect was for an adult to walk to the boy and reprimand him. The little guy then came forward and apologised to R. When R recounted this incident, we were in great admiration of the adult, who we guessed was not related to the boy but made the effort to intervene and set things right.

Three days later, I read in the news the story of a case of stone pelting gone bad in East Jerusalem. A 10-year-old was found throwing stones at the tram and he was apprehended by the police. East Jerusalemites who were under the impression that the boy was abducted by Jews went on a rampage.

It was not that we felt more threatened after reading the news, but what we thought was a little boy playing a prank and something so innocuous, could be much worse. I am glad that the adult intervened that day and I hope that the little guy was just playing a prank.

If you have only a day to spare in Jerusalem, you could start early, spend about four hours in the Old City and then visit the Israel Museum and Mount of Olives (closes by 5 pm). Later in the evening, walk back to your hotel. On Saturday you could proceed to Tel Aviv, which is surely more alive than Jerusalem could ever be on a weekend. Or proceed to the Dead Sea and Masada for another day trip.