Jerusalem and the Four Quarters of the Old City
The Old City of Jerusalem is enclosed by high walls within which four neighborhoods coexist: Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian. The four neighborhoods constitute the essence of Jerusalem.
Four worlds very different from each other but contiguous, which trespass one into the other without the limit of any real physical barrier.
The Muslim Quarter
The Muslim quarter is the largest and most densely populated in the Old City; it is the most chaotic, dirty and busy area, but for this very reason, more lively and animated. Paradoxically, in the Arab quarter begins the Via Dolorosa (ie the path of the Via Crucis ), full of shops crammed with souvenirs of various kinds and religious objects: from olive wood cribs to plastic crucifixes.
The Jewish Quarter
Absolutely unmissable in the Jewish quarter is Haram esh-Sharif – “enclosure of the noble sanctuary” – or Temple Mount, better known as the Esplanade of the Mosques, a place of worship disputed by the three main monotheistic religions.
In this area there are the two symbols of Jerusalem, the two most evocative and exciting places: the Western Wall – the famous Wailing Wall – crowded with faithful at every hour of the day and night, and the sparkling Dome of the Rock, third holiest place for Muslims after the Ka’ba in Mecca and the mosque of the Prophet of Medina.
At the time of Herod the area of the Jewish quarter was occupied by the clerical elite; in the late Roman period Jews were prevented from living in Jerusalem, but, under the more tolerant Arab rule, a small community of Jews re-established here. The neighborhood definitively became a Jewish majority during the Ottoman rule.
The Jewish quarter is undoubtedly the most orthodox and conservative.
The Christian Quarter
The Christian Quarter, the most visited area of the Holy City, is a melting pot of commerce and spirituality. Once you enter the Old City through the Jaffa Gate, you go down a very long and narrow street downhill where there are endless little shops offering all kinds of trinkets. This long road leads to the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher , the holiest place for Christians. The Church is rather complicated to visit due to its particular structure; it is in fact made up of a series of chapels and churches spread over two floors. At the center of the building is the most sacred and revered place by believers: the Holy Sepulcher.
The Armenian Quarter
The Armenian quarter, being small and lacking in monuments of particular importance, is the least known and considered. For this reason, especially if you have little time available, you often avoid visiting it.
The mixture of peoples, creeds and religions that characterizes Jerusalem is something that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Regardless of your belief, the emotions you feel are really intense and difficult to express in words.