The trip from Amman to Jerusalem involved a land-border crossing. It was the third one of the trip and they are never quite as easy as entering the country through an airport. The two cities are only 50 miles apart, but the whole process took us almost eight hours; it involved three buses and four different taxis. Part of the problem was access to cash at the Israeli border station. We traded in the last of our Jordanian Dinars at the only currency exchange place available, which took an outrageous 17% commission, but that wasn’t enough for the bus to Jerusalem. The good news is that we did get enough for the bus to Jericho, so off we went to the West Bank less than an hour after promising the border guards that we wouldn’t go there.

We eventually made it all the way to Jerusalem and found a pretty amazing city. It is much more active then Amman, and the diverse mix of people keeps it interesting. There is very large Muslim population, but there were also enough Christians and Jews to give us a break from certain inconveniences of Ramadan. We even found some beer. Luckily, we didn’t miss out on if-tar either. There were plenty of carts out in the Roman Plaza around sunset, and we got our fill of pita sandwiches.

The thing that impressed us most about the city is the incredible amount of important historical sites that can still be visited. This is the historic City of David where the Jewish people were first united, it’s the place where the first two temples were built, the Foundation Stone from which the world was created is also here, this is the place where Jesus was crucified, and where Muhammad ascended to Heaven. The story does not end there either, Jerusalem still has a prominent role to play according to many end-of-the-world prophecies. If you want front-row seats, try and reserve a spot for yourself in one of the world’s oldest continually operating cemeteries. People pay big money to be buried on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the old city of Jerusalem.

We took a few tours and tried to visit a bunch of these historic places. There was a very nice park complex built on Temple Mount, including the Dome of the Rock. At the base of that hill is the last remaining part of King Herod’s temple, known as the Western (or wailing) Wall. We also visited Mount Zion and saw the room where Jesus had his Last Supper, this same room was also a mosque for a while. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was also an interesting place. It is a confusing collection of churches and includes the spot where Jesus died, as well as the cave where he was buried. Just as it’s interesting to see how all the religions get along in the city, the various Christian churches also have to cooperate in this one building.

Although there are a few issues in the old city, the three religions seem to get along fine there. Orthodox Jews and traditional Muslim women in burqas pass each other on the same streets without incident. It is unfortunate that non-Muslims are not allowed inside the Dome of the Rock, but there are stories of cooperation. That famous dome was designed by a Catholic architect, and a Muslim family holds the only set of keys to the holiest Christian site, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Despite the ominous presence of heavily-armed Israeli police, this relatively friendly situation does not exist everywhere in the country.

We took a short trip to Bethlehem the day before we left Israel, the atmosphere outside Jerusalem is much different. Getting there was no problem, but we had to pass through a ‘checkpoint’ on the way back. This checkpoint is a massive wall that looked like it belonged at a maximum-security prison. In general, the only people allowed through are Palestinians who live in Jerusalem, people with special permits, and foreigners. Israelis are not allowed into the West Bank, and Palestinians are not allowed out. The city of Bethlehem was fine and generally friendly between the Christians and Muslims there, but the border situation reminded us of another famous wall in another previously divided country.

Tags: border crossing · food · history · Israel · Palestine · temples