Jerusalem Attractions

The Western Wall, sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall is all that remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem and is an important Jewish religious site located in the Old City of Jerusalem. Just over half the wall, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, being constructed around 19 BCE by Herod the Great. The remaining layers were added from the 7th century onwards. Thousands of Jews every year come to pray, and push prayer notes and messages of goodwill into the cracks of the wall. The wall is divided into two sections, the left for men and the right for women. The wall is also sacred to Muslims who believe that the wall marks the place where the prophet Mohammed tied up his winged horse, al-Burak, before ascending to heaven.

The Church of the Nativity, located in Bethlehem, is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that is believed to mark the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth, and it is considered sacred by followers of both Christianity and Islam.

The Temple Mount is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is referred to as the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims and is believed to be the site of some very significant historical events. It is believed to be the site of the holy rock where Abraham offered his son Isaac for sacrifice. It is also believed to be where Solomon erected the First Temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, which had been brought to Jerusalem by his father David, and also the area from where Mohammed ascended to heaven. At the centre of Temple Mount is the Dome of the Rock, completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world. The Al Aqsa Mosque rests on the far southern side of the Mount, facing Mecca.

The Holy Sephulchre is a Christian church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It lies at the end of the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) and is where the New Testament says that Jesus was crucified, was buried and also the site of the resurrection of Jesus. The early Christian community of Jerusalem held celebrations at Christ's tomb from the time of the resurrection until the city was taken by the Romans in 66 AD. Less than a century later, in 135 AD, Emperor Hadrian filled the quarry to provide a level foundation for a temple to Aphrodite. The site remained buried beneath the pagan temple until Emperor Constantine the Great converted to Christianity in 312 AD. He soon showed an interest in the holy places associated with his new faith, and commissioned numerous churches to be built throughout the Holy Land. The most important of these, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre...