Jerusalem
Rather plain (and much less crowded) than the other Old City gates, Herod's Gate stands just 100m east of the point at which the Crusaders breached the city walls on 15 July 1099. The gate's name was derived from a mistaken belief held by 16th- and 17th-century pilgrims that a nearby building was at one time the palace of Herod Antipas.
In Hebrew, the gate is called Sha’ar HaPrahim, and in Arabic, Bab Al Zahra; both names mean Flower Gate (note the floral design near the top of the gate).
0.39 MILES
Four magnificent arches, their lintels richly decorated with Crusader crosses, herald the entrance to one of Christianity's most sacred sites. The church…
Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif
0.41 MILES
There are few patches of ground as holy – or as disputed – as this one. Known to Muslims as Al Haram Ash Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Har…
0.43 MILES
The air is electric at Judaism's holiest prayer site, where worshippers recite scriptures, lay their hands on 2000-year-old stone and utter impassioned…
1.86 MILES
More than 5000 years of cultural treasures are assembled around the vast Israel Museum's indoor and outdoor galleries. Highlights are the titanic statues…
23.77 MILES
This reserve consists of two roughly parallel canyons, Wadi David and Wadi Arugot, each of which has its own entrance complex and ticket office. It is…
7.86 MILES
A must-see on any journey through the Holy Land is Mar Saba Monastery, a bleak and beautiful 20km drive east of Bethlehem (beyond Beit Sahour).
0.63 MILES
As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…
3.52 MILES
Israel's official memorial to the six million Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis is powerful, poignant and a masterpiece of design. The museum's name…
0.16 MILES
The Rockefeller Museum doesn't ride high on must-see lists for Jerusalem, but it's calm, uncrowded and only a short walk from Herod's Gate. The atmosphere…
0.17 MILES
A good chunk of the limestone used to build the city above came from this 9000-sq-metre underground cavern. Used on and off from the Second Temple period…
0.17 MILES
The road leading from Lions' Gate into the heart of the Old City is known as Via Dolorosa or the Stations of the Cross. It’s the route that many…
0.18 MILES
Yet another high-quality archaeology museum in the city, this one run by the Franciscans and showcasing their New Testament–period collection of artefacts…
0.18 MILES
The 2nd Station is in the Franciscan Church of the Condemnation, to the left after you enter the church compound. This is where it is believed Jesus…
0.18 MILES
The 1st Station, where Pontius Pilate is said to have condemned Jesus, is inside the working Islamic Al Omariyeh school near Lions' (St Stephen's) Gate…
0.22 MILES
The sights and sounds of the Muslim Quarter intensify on the approach to Damascus Gate, on the northern wall of the Old City. The gate's triangular…
0.22 MILES
The finest example of Crusader architecture in Jerusalem, St Anne's was completed in 1138 on a site thought to have been the home of Joachim and Anne,…