Inhabited since around 5000 BCE and considered the historical heart of Palestine, this tiny district (just over a third of a square mile) includes Jerusalem´s UNESCO World Heritage Old City, surrounded by 16th-century Ottoman-era walls (on whose ramparts you can walk); with a population of around 31,000; and divided into a Muslim Quarter (the largest and most populous), a Christian Quarter, and Armenian Quarter, and a Jewish Quarter. Unsurprisingly, therefore, most of the city´s most iconic sites are found here, such as the Western Wall (aka the Wailing Wall), the only remaining part of the Jewish temple that was standing on Temple Mount 2,000 years ago, the late-7th-century Al-Aqsa Mosque with its Dome of the Rock (the world´s oldest surviving example of Islamic architecture); the 4th-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre, considered Christianity´s holiest site; the Tower of David (aka the Citadel), built in 1310 under Egyptian Mamluk rule and now home to a museum of Jerusalem history and engaging nighttime light shows; and the early-16th-century Damascus Gate; Then of course there are many picturesque streets, lanes, and alleyways to explore, as well as other attractions such as the Arab Market (Souk) and the remains of the Cardo, the commercial center of ancient Roman Aelia Capitolina, with archaeological sites sitting next to shops and boutiques.
Read more in my post The Top 10 Musts in the West Bank of Palestine - Plus 1 More.
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