A Day at the Market & Exploring Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter
Our second full day in Jerusalem took us back to the Mahane Yehuda market for a very late breakfast at a more permanent vendor stall called Manou Bashouk. It is a small restaurant, described as a hotspot for food that "tastes like your Middle Eastern grandmother's." Sold. We ordered vine leaves, grilled eggplant with tahini and falafel, taboule, and fresh mint tea and felt a lot lighter given the fresh ingredients and minimal hummus associated with the meal.
Afterwards we wandered further from the old town to see the Knesset, the Israeli parliament building and the centre for one of the most interesting and convoluted political structures I've heard of. Unfortunately we were ill-prepared and didn't realize you can only tour during certain times of day but it was still a good stroll after a big meal.
That afternoon we wove back through Jerusalem's suburban neighbourhoods towards the old city and into the Muslim quarter which we hadn't yet explored. Similarly to the Jewish quarter of the city, the Muslim quarter is buzzing like a beehive, with tons of activity and lots of varied shops. I found the Muslim quarter to have larger stores and less of a focus on tourist wares, with more food stalls and larger storefronts filled with antiques or spices.
I had read a tip online that the Austrian Hospice, now converted into a hotel of sorts, has a fantastic view from its roof, open to the public for only a 5 sheckel pricetag. If you've read any of my past travel blog posts, you know that when I'm visiting a new city I really enjoy finding the best lookout locations. Given that we were really hoping to find a great view of the Dome of the Rock, or Temple Mount, it was a must-do. However, we struggled to navigate our way to the Hospice and ended up on what seemed like a side road - the Via Dolorosa - but is in fact one of the most important streets in Christendom. We learned the Via Dolorosa is believed to have been the path Jesus walked to his crucifixion and thereby, the site of several of the initial stations of the cross.
Along this road we met a shopkeeper, Joe, who pointed to a blue door. He told us we came at a fortuitous time. The blue door is typically locked, a children's school behind it. Today, however, it was open and we could walk through to one of the best views of the Dome of the Rock in the city without actually entering the site, which can be a bit tricky for non-Muslims with long waits, limited visiting hours, limited entry numbers, and closure on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays (although totally doable if it’s on your bucket list!).
I was ecstatic and blown away by the view of the shrine, tiled extravagantly in blue, yellow, and white tiles, with the shining gold dome on top and a grove of olive trees with their silvery leaves framing the grounds. The Dome of the Rock is significant to Muslims as the place where God created the world. It is where Muhammad was believed to have ascended to heaven and is the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. It is also a highly contested site, with both Israel and Palestine laying claim to it, although in today’s Status Quo, it is managed by the Muslim Waqf - Palestinian guards paid for by Jordan.
A few minutes after our serendipitous encounter with Joe, we happened to stumble onto the front steps of the Austrian Hospice. Although we were lucky enough to have already gotten a great view of the Temple Mount, we were happy to shell out the 5 shekels to check out another lookout. It was a cool bird's eye view of the incredible city and a good spot to visit if you don't have the same chance we did to see the Dome from the schoolyard.
That evening we walked back to our hostel, exhausted and sore still from our adventures in Petra which manifested in an utter inability to walk without a waddle. We decided to head out to a little shwarma spot around the corner for dinner, along a lively street with lots of performers, gelato shops and lounging locals. Walking around, we stumbled onto a little bar offering a 10:30PM happy hour special? Similar to the Spanish, the Israelis really enjoy late dinners so perhaps 10:30 was early. We each ordered a drink, around $6 Canadian and got a free shisha to enjoy for the evening. As we walked back to bed, we ran into a couple friends who were also staying in our hostel room and who had come to Israel to busk around the country. We were really impressed at the crowd they had attracted - they were fantastic performers!
Want to read more about my time in Jerusalem? Continue the journey by reading the next blog post here.
