Friday, May 26, 2006

Armenian Quarter and the Armenian Museum

Armenians were among the first Christians. This is their procession to church on Sunday morning.




We discovered something quite calming and pleasant about the Armenian Quarter, which covered ground from Jaffa Gate to the Zion Gate. The picture above was taken from the ramparts path, and not visible from Armenian Patriarchate Road, which passes below. There's an Armenian Orthodox Monastery and St. James Cathedral as centers of the quarter.

Most peaceful, however, was the Armenian Museum. Armenians are an amazing people with a fantastic and tragic history. The museum (5 NIS) is located in a few rooms of student housing, a beautiful, ancient space with quiet upper floor and sunny courtyard. Armenian hymns play in the background (a boom box by the caretaker's shed). That's where we met Maria, who found solitude and reflection there. (There's a link to her excellent Jerusalem weblog, and I'll thank her for giving me idea of writing this!)




The pictures above feature the Armenian Museum and some of its displays. Below is the first Armenian globe ... but where's Alaska?!



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