Jerusalem Travel Guide Israel: City Environmental Guide

Jerusalem Travel Guide Israel. City Environmental Guide. Both Israel's capital and largest city, Jerusalem lies alongside the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and is a very spiritual centre for all things Jewish, whilst also containing a number of highly important Christian and biblical sights, such as the Dome of the Rock. The holy city of Jerusalem is especially sacred and roughly carved up into three main areas, the Old City, Arab East, and West. Surrounded by an ancient wall, the aptly named Old City is of most interest to tourists looking for history and is now a World Heritage Site, with rich tourism offerings and endless information about its religious heritage being spread around its Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters. Also of note is the region known as Arab East Jerusalem, as well as West Jerusalem, which is a very modern part of the city and has seen much economic development over the past 50 years. The main attractions of Jerusalem are both old and new, and visitors to this truly unique city will be able to take an actual simulator ride through history at the enjoyable Time Elevator, or spend an afternoon exploring the animals found within the popular Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, which comes complete with a building resembling Noah's Ark itself. Those with an interest in Christianity will be sure to want to visit the Garden Tomb, which is reputedly the actual spot where Christ died and then rose again. Both the Ammunition Hill Memorial and the Church of St. Anne are also much visited. It is the religious landmarks of Jerusalem that serve as the primary reason why so many tourists frequent the city, and the ancient sites of the Temple Mount (Noble Sanctuary), the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Tomb of the Virgin Mary all fall into this category. Also in Jerusalem is the revered Chapel of the Ascension, where Christ is believed to have ascended into heaven around 2,000 years ago. For those with an interest in Jewish architecture, the Belz Synagogue is the city's biggest and capable of accommodating some 6,000 worshippers. Read more