Christian Quarter - and the cross atop the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the 19th-century German Church of the Redeemer, Mary Magdalene Church on the Mount of Olives, Mt. Zion and Dormition Abbey (traditional site of the Last Supper). Then tour the museum, where the history of the city can be traced, from the City of David to modern times. Christians will want to pay particular attention to the Second Temple Room (with displays on Jesus of Nazareth, the Last Supper, the trial and the crucifixion), the Late Roman and Byzantine Period Room and the Crusader Room, where the focus in on the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. Just outside Dung Gate, right near the Western Wall and the Davidson Center, is the magnificent and fascinating City of David. Along with other sites in this immediate area, there is almost no doubt whatsoever that Jesus would have walked in this area, visited the Siloam Pool and would have climbed the steps discovered here on His way up to the Temple Mount. The Siloam Pool has long been considered a sacred Christian site. According to the Gospel of John, it was at the Siloam Pool where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1–11). The newest offering at the Tower of David Museum, based on recent archeological finds unearthed beneath the Museum, provides Christian groups with an opportunity to explore Jesus’ life on earth within its historical, archeological and geographic context by viewing portions of King Herod’s grandiose palace while reading biblical verses about relevant events in Jesus’ life. Entitled “Bookends of the Gospels,” the tour, for groups, includes access to the southern part of Jerusalem’s historical moat that surrounds the Citadel, where excavations of archeological remains have revealed an ancient quarry,
a ritual bath from the Second Temple, a hewn water channel, secret passageways and a giant stone staircase and pools from the Hasmonean and Herodian eras. The moat also includes passage to the Kishle, the Ottoman Prison which was excavated over the last decade and contains remains detailing the history of Jerusalem from the First Temple period to the establishment of the State of Israel. The Christian Information Center, situated at Jaffa Gate near the museum, provides a wealth of specific information on Christian activities and sites in Jerusalem - and throughout Israel. Christian visitors to Jerusalem also will want to experience the sites sanctified by their being a part of the early history of their faith, and exploring the Western Wall area, including the Temple compound in which Jesus preached, and spending time wandering around the Second Temple Archeological Garden, a part of the Davidson Center, and treading on the original stones where Jesus stepped, at the corner under Robinson’s Arch, is a good way to begin. The money lenders He upbraided sat there, and the markings separating the different stalls are still visible. Visitors may climb up the steps leading to Hulda Gate, which Jesus would have used to enter the Temple. In a separate room, the Center features a computerized three-dimensional model of the Temple Mount in Herodian times, but it must be booked prior to arrival.
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