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Muslim Quarter Of The Old City Of Jerusalem

31 46'51 "N 35 13'57" E / 31.78083, 35.2325

Map of the Muslim Quarter of the Old City (circled in green) and the Temple Mount

The Muslim Quarter is one of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. The district is located in the northeastern part of it and covers 31 hectares for a population of 22,000 inhabitants.

Several lanes are open air markets ( souks ), lively and colorful street with "el-Wad" (the valley), which runs from the Damascus Gate and followed the old course of Tyropoeon. This contract also extends outside of the door (except Friday , the day of prayer for Muslims, where everything is closed).

You can find this area by three doors: Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate (or "gate of flowers"), Lion Gate (or "Porte de Saint-Etienne" in reality, the animals carved on the door are not lions, but leopards).

Main sights

Apart from some mosques , the main Muslim places of worship, the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa mosque , located outside the traditional boundaries of the neighborhood on the Temple Mount ( Temple Mount ).

It also provides for Jews and Christians from places with some religious significance.

For Christians

Arch of Ecce Homo

The Via Dolorosa passing through the neighborhood, ticks off the successive stations of the cross: the Church of the conviction , the Convent of the Flagellation , the Ecce Homo arch , etc..

Near the door of the lions, is the church of Sainte-Anne (the location of the house of Anne and Joachim , parents of the Virgin Mary ), which is a territory belonging to the French State, located at heart of the Old City of Jerusalem.

There is also the pool of Bethesda (which contains more water).

For Jews

Finally, we also find in this "Muslim quarter" several important sites for Judaism, whose Hakatan Kotel, the little wailing wall, located to the left of the "iron gate", which is frequented regularly by ultra-religious Jews and guarded by Israeli police.

Another important site is the Western Wall tunnel , which is under the Arab Quarter, whose northern end lies under the school Omariya (the opening of this outlet in 1996 has caused unrest and caused dozens of deaths).

Under the Muslim Quarter are also the " cave of Zedekiah , "also known as the" career of Solomon, whose entrance is near the Damascus Gate.

There are also several yeshivas ( Ateret Cohanim , Yechezkel Chazon).