Jerusalem/East

East Jerusalem is the part of Jerusalem that belongs to the Palestinian territories. The walled Old City is formally part of it, but is discussed in its own article. Also much of the city outside the walls is ancient.

Many of the important sites in the area are concentrated in the City of David, Mount Zion, and the Mount of Olives.

Understand


The ancient city of Jerusalem was located in today's East Jerusalem. The city began in a small area now known as the "City of David", just south of the current Old City walls, which were built by the Ottoman Turks in 1538. When Jerusalem began to spread outside the Old City in the late 19th century, Jews mostly settled west of the Old City while Arabs mostly settled to the north and south. The 1948 war left Jerusalem divided, with the western neighborhoods under Jewish control, while the Old City and eastern neighborhoods were under Arab control. This forms the basis for the current division between "East" and "West" Jerusalem.

In 1967, after capturing East Jerusalem, Israel decided to annex a large area surrounding the city, to provide room for the city's future growth. This large area included what were the Arab parts of Jerusalem at the time, as well as a number of nearby Arab villages, as well as non-inhabited land. Since 1967, the villages have grown into large suburbs, while new Jewish neighborhoods have been built. During this time, East Jerusalem's population of 66,000 Arabs has grown to a total of approximately 260,000 Arabs and 200,000 Jews.

East Jerusalem is also the location of the first campus of the Hebrew University on Mt Scopus, established in 1925. From 1948 to 1967, the campus was an enclave of Israeli control in East Jerusalem, but did not function as a university. After 1967, the university was re-established on the site.

East Jerusalem remains a major point of contention in Arab-Israeli relations, as Israel has annexed it, but Palestinians claim it as their capital. Peace negotiations typically envision Jewish and Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem becoming part of Israel and a Palestinian state respectively. The status of the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary in the Old City has been harder to negotiate, as both sides have deep theological and historic links to the same location. With the exception of the United States, most foreign countries do not formally recognise East Jerusalem as part of Israel.

There has been periodic violence between Arabs and Jews in East Jerusalem (and on the boundary between the East and West), including the 2015–2016 "Intifada of the Knives".

By bus
East Jerusalem has three central stations for Arab urban and intercity buses. All are close to each other, just north of the Old City. Listed in geographical order, from west to east: Here the stations are named after the street they are on. If you are asking for directions, it may be more useful to tell people your bus destination. For a listing of routes and destinations, see cicts.org. Shared taxis to Ramallah, Bethlehem and Hebron also leave from here.

If coming from West Jerusalem, bus lines 1 and 3 leave from the central bus station on Jaffa Street and circle around the old city, with stops near the old city gates and major sites of East Jerusalem in the vicinity of the Old City. Bus number 84 leaves from the Ammunition Hill light rail stop and will take you to the top of the Mount of Olives.

By light rail
Coming from West Jerusalem, the light rail enters East Jerusalem, stopping first at Damascus Gate next to the Old City. It then turns north, paralleling the boundary between East and West Jerusalem, before continuing north into additional East Jerusalem neighborhoods. Depending on the sites you want to visit, there are several stops you may want to get off at:
 * - this is the last stop in West Jerusalem, and it is the closest stop to Mount Zion and the City of David.
 * The light rail station is near the transportation hub of East Jerusalem outside the Damascus Gate. Use this stop for the Garden Tomb and Rockefeller Archaeological Museum.
 * - for Tombs of the Kings and several hotels, including Grand Court and American Colony.
 * (Giv'at Hatahmoshet) for Ammunition Hill Memorial Site, Dan Jerusalem Hotel, and bus 84 to the Mount of Olives.

On foot
Most sights within East Jerusalem are close to the Old City, allowing them to be explored on foot.

Get around
Close to the Old City, the streets are limited and crowded, and you are best off walking.

If you are visiting the Mount of Olives, keep in mind that it is quite steep. You might want to take a very short cab ride to the top to save you the climbing, particularly in hot weather. It should be easy to flag down a cab near the Old City.

For the few East Jerusalem sites that are far from the Old City, there are buses (separate but overlapping Jewish and Arab networks), as well as the light rail line.

Mount Zion


This hill is located next to the Old City, just south of the Armenian Quarter. It was the only part of ancient Jerusalem that was under Israeli control in 1948–1967. "Zion" is an old name for Jerusalem. "Mount Zion" received its name in the Middle Ages, when it was thought that the original location of Jerusalem was on this hill. However, the original location is now known to be the "City of David", and the present Temple Mount is the biblical Mount Zion. Zionism, the movement to return the Jews to the Holy Land, takes its name from Mount Zion, where the Jews had made their stand against the Roman Empire before being conquered and exiled from the area.



City of David
Located south of the Temple Mount, this area is the oldest inhabited part of Jerusalem. When King David conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites (around 1000 BCE) and made it his capital, the city was limited to this area. David's son Solomon began the process of expanding the city to the north and west, so since then, the original city has been known as the "City of David".

/>In front of the ticket office is a metal staircase leading down underneath the metal mesh floor. This takes you down to the "Large Stone Structure", which is claimed to be part of the building work undertaken by either David or Solomon, perhaps even being King David's palace. This claim, which is not without controversy, makes the site popular with earnest young Zionists. A building above this site houses a free film outlining Jewish history in the area. From the terrace behind the building an excellent view of Silwan and the ancient rock-cut tombs can be obtained.
 * The City of David is the oldest part of Jerusalem, with remains of buildings up to the city's capture by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The ruins include 13th century BC walls, as well as fortifications and fragments of a palace attributed to David, the second king of Israel.
 * The second thing is the Warren’s Shaft, the underground water system named after Charles Warren, its 19th-century discoverer. The system was built by the Jebusites to ensure a water supply during sieges. In the 10th century BC a tunnel (now known as a Canaanite tunnel) was dug to take water from the Gihon Spring to the fields of the Kidron valley. King Hezekiah had a new tunnel built to bring the spring water right into the city. Hezekiah's Tunnel ran 533 m (1,750 ft) from the spring to the Pool of Siloam in the southern end of the city. Now, the visitors have two options. You can either walk through the Hezekiah's (wet) tunnel or take the shorter Canaanite (dry) tunnel. In the wet tunnel, you will have to wade in thigh-deep water (flashlight and proper shoes are required). It takes about half an hour to pass through, and the ceiling is high in most places. The dry tunnel is really dry and quite narrow (in fact, it is a crack in the rock).<br
 * The second thing is the Warren’s Shaft, the underground water system named after Charles Warren, its 19th-century discoverer. The system was built by the Jebusites to ensure a water supply during sieges. In the 10th century BC a tunnel (now known as a Canaanite tunnel) was dug to take water from the Gihon Spring to the fields of the Kidron valley. King Hezekiah had a new tunnel built to bring the spring water right into the city. Hezekiah's Tunnel ran 533 m (1,750 ft) from the spring to the Pool of Siloam in the southern end of the city. Now, the visitors have two options. You can either walk through the Hezekiah's (wet) tunnel or take the shorter Canaanite (dry) tunnel. In the wet tunnel, you will have to wade in thigh-deep water (flashlight and proper shoes are required). It takes about half an hour to pass through, and the ceiling is high in most places. The dry tunnel is really dry and quite narrow (in fact, it is a crack in the rock).<br

Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane


It is recommended that one explore the Mount of Olives from the top down, as the uphill climb is fairly steep. The best ways to travel to the top of the Mount of Olives are bus 84 from Ammunition Hill light rail station (get off at the Seven Arches Hotel), by sherut (shared taxi) from outside the Damascus Gate, or by bus 275 or 255 from the bus station outside of Herod's gate (get off at the Chapel of Ascension).

If you decide to walk from the Old City, the best route is to exit through the Lions' Gate, go up the lane beside the Garden of Gethsemane (Church of All Nations) and turn right, then follow the tarmac road up past the Dominus Flevit church and the Tombs of Zachariah and Malachi to the short flight of stairs which brings you out at the viewing point overlooking the Old City. If you go up and down the same way, use the stairs a little further behind where the lane up starts and walk back down the lane. Be aware that pickpockets are a real menace at this spot and make sure that your valuables are safely stowed away and that you are aware of anyone coming close to you. Photographs and engravings dating back to the late 1700s show three paths leading up over the Mount of Olives which correspond to the two paths and one road in existence today. As the right-hand path is the shortest route to Bethany, it is possible that Jesus really did follow this path on Palm Sunday, as tradition claims.

Steimatzky’s bookstore in West Jerusalem carries a very good pamphlet called "The Mount of Olives" that includes an account of the history of each church, in addition to readings from the Gospels and notes from pilgrims to the area. It also covers Bethphage and the Church of St. Lazarus in Bethany.

The following points of interest are listed from the top of the Mount to the bottom. Once you have finished on the Mount of Olives, it is a short climb to the Old City's Lion's Gate.


 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg
 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg
 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg
 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg
 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg
 * Church of Mary Magdalene1.jpg

Sleep
Most, but not all, East Jerusalem hotels are located a short walk north of the Old City.

Stay safe
As Jews and Arabs live in separate neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, an Arab walking in a Jewish neighborhood or a Jew walking in an Arab neighborhood may trigger hostility. Violence targeting tourists is rare, but there have been incidents of tourists assaulted by Arabs after being mistaken for Jews at the Mount of Olives.

Be aware of pickpockets and be suspicious of any stranger trying to start conversation of offer to sell you something, especially at the Mount of Olives.

Some Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem are seen as "no go zones" by Israeli Jews, who will often even avoid driving through them. These include the Chapel of the Ascension, Bethphage and the Tomb of Lazarus. Jewish taxi drivers from West Jerusalem may hesitate or even refuse to take you to these sites, because they genuinely fear for their own safety. If you do want to get to these sites by taxi, you can take an Arab taxi from outside the Damascus gate.

The City of David, Mount Zion and Gethsemane are generally safe.