Jerusalem/Al Quds/yerushalayim

Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
Church of the Sepulchre
Garden of Gesthemane
A cross in the Ethiopian camp on the roof of the Church of the Sepulchre


This past Friday I took a walking tour of Jerusalem's old city and surrounding sites, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gesthemane. It is incredible how close everything is--the Dome of the Rock is immediately next to the Wailing Wall, is next to the Al-Aqsa mosque, and most churches are accompanied by mosques. And all of these religions and cultures--Jewish, Muslim, Armenian, etc.--are nestled together in a square mile. As one of my co-workers said, "who says we can't all live together?" The location of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount remains an unresolvable issue of contention. However, as one story goes, in ancient times two Christian sects could not decide who should hold the key to the church door so it was given to the mosque next door to keep the peace.