The Christian Quarter

The Christian Quarter of Jerusalem includes the Souk al Bazaar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, among other places. The souk is an incredible warren of stores and shops; the more distant from the Jaffa Gate the more likely the stores are to cater to local folks instead of tourists or travelers.


The Jaffa Gate (Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Square) is dominated by the Citadel and Tower of David which we toured and features a great film of the history of Jerusalem. We attended Christ Church on the Sunday we were there, and it faces the gate as well as does the post offices and a handful of cafes and other buildings.

I was totally worked over by the traders. They are ruthless, and at one point I realized I'd paid about $100 for three T-shirts. My advise: take small demonination bills of the currency you are most familiar with and stick to those. You start to lose ground when you mix currencies as I did one time or use a credit card. If you work at it, you can get a good deal -- maybe. Some tricks they will use: 1. they will not tell you the price as they wrap it up for you to take, 2. they will confuse you with total price for multiple items, 3. they will add fees when they add the total. 4. they will offer tea or coffee and then pressure you to buy, 5. they will physically pull you into their shop or block your way. Do not make eye contact, and do not engage in conversation.

If you get ripped off ... remind yourself, as I was reminded by a Jewish shop clerk who had set prices and a peaceful atmosphere, 'well, they have to eat, too.'

Our first stop was the Church, where it is said Jesus was placed in a tomb and where his body was washed after he was crucified by the Romans. We were kind of roped into paying a guide 100 NIS for a tour of the church. I could have easily negotiated 50. They guy was a retired professor from the Sorbonne and, yep, Berkeley and Columbia Universities as well. Architecture and Archaeology, if I recall. Still he was pleasant enough and brought us through the ancient church, passing prostrated pilgrims and crowds in line for different places said to be tied to key moments of the life of Jesus. The church has a number of sections, each maintained by a different denomination: Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, for example.

We found a few good places to eat at the Jaffa Gate. One was the Armenian Tavern, which was below ground level, cool and pleasant with a little fountain on one side, and polite service and good food. The other place we liked was on Latin Patriarchate Road, the second restaurant back on the right side. There's a nice courtyard in the back, good service, and the "schwerma" was excellent.


ATOP POST: 2 view of David Street (Souk al Bazaar) ... amid text: Lily observes the spot where Jesus body was laid after he was crucified (l), crusader crosses carved into stone (r), Lily on an Old City streetcorner.