The Walls of Jerusalem part 2

On Friday, I walked the walls of the Old City from Jaffa Gate in the west all the way to the Western Wall Plaza on the southeast side of the city. I had tried to go back and walk the stretch from Jaffa Gate to Lions Gate but that part of the walk was close on Friday. I went back to finish my circuit of the city walls Saturday afternoon. (The part of the walls that border Temple Mount in the southeast corner is closed for 'security reasons'.)

The above picture is from on top of The Jaffa Gate, as one enters the Old City. It's under construction right now, it looks to me like they are expanding the road as it runs into the Armenian Quarter.

The views from to the west of the Jaffa Gate were of modern Jerusalem. This part of the wall was very important in the Six Day War, as the Jordanian Army held the Old City and was able to fire into Israeli held West Jerusalem without impunity. The Israeli Army eventually to back the Old City in this war, as well as all of the West Bank territory they hold today.

It was hot (94 degrees) and having chosen to do this right when the sun was at it's mid-day peak probably wasn't the brightest move. The southern part of the walk had no shade, but I'd done it in the morning on a day where it was considerably cooler (mid 80s). I passed the New Gate (the scene from here entering the city as seen above). As you can surmise from the name, this gate, cut out of the wall in 1887, is the newest of the city's gates, and was closed during the Jordanian occupation of the old city from 1948 to 1967.

I reached Damascus Gate after a few minutes more of walking in the blazing heat. The chaos both inside and outside this gate which borders East Jerusalem, is not dimished being viewed from above.

The view from up top of the Damascus Gate over the Muslim Quarter was impressive, framed by The Dome of the Rock at every angle.

There were also good view of East Jerusalem, which is a predominantly Arab part of the modern city.

The walk from Damscus Gate to Lion's Gate all the way around the city was scenic, but this part of the walk was also much dirtier, both with the amount of weeds and trash that covered the promenade. Of particualer intrest on this portion was the Stork Tower, the defensive point at the northest corner, which was important because the eastern side of the wall has always been considered the weak point in the defense of the city. Many of the city's conquerers have come from this direction, including the crusaders, who breached Herod's Gate in 1099.