David’s citadel, Mt. Zion and Christian sites
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The citadel of David
The Citadel of David – a defensive structure that was destroyed and rebuilt over and over!
Jerusalem has been a center of activity for such a long time that wave after wave of different civilizations battled for it. Beit She’an, Akko are few examples. The Tower of David is a defensive fort built on the edge of the old city and it has recorded this flavor. Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City’s defenses, the citadel was constructed during the second century BCE and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by, in succession, the Christian, Muslim, Mamluk, and Ottoman conquerors of Jerusalem.
Citadel of David
The citadel is a cultural center today and is visited by millions of tourists. It offers very clean and beautiful views of New Jerusalem city, predominantly the Jewish areas and that explains its strategic importance during the old times and even as recent as the Arab control over the city before the 6-day war. Every ruler of this place upgraded it, thus leaving a mark of their presence.
Defensive fortifications.
I was in the western side of the old city (Christian and Armenian Quarters) for an entire day because there is so much to see here. Christian pilgrims swamped the whole place, mostly dominated by Russian Orthodox Christians (it was their Christmas holiday). There are several (maybe hundreds of) churches in these two quarters and hundreds of young volunteers work at these religious centers from all across the world.
Hagia Maria Sion Abbey, or the Dormition Church
Mount Zion is a hill south of the Armenian Quarter just outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Mount Zion is the modern name of the hill – the result of a misnomer dating from the Middle Ages when pilgrims mistook the relatively large, flat summit for the original site of the City of David.
Important sites on Mount Zion are Dormition Abbey, King David’s Tomb and the Room of the Last Supper. Oskar (Oscar) Schindler is buried in a cemetery here.
Dormition Church
Situated on the modern Mount Zion, just outside the walls of Old City is the The Dormition Church which was called Abbey of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, but the name was changed in 1998 in reference to the church of Hagia Sion that formerly stood on this spot.
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Room of the last supper:
Christian pilgrims praying in the room of last supper
Among the little joys of exploring a place yourself is finding something that you least expected. I was walking in this area very casually, admittedly in the Christian / Armenian quarter and stumbled at this place. What an amazing piece of Bibical history! I was overwhelmed and wanted to run around screaming “I saw the room of the last supper!” “I saw the room of the last supper!” Yeah, so? Soon I realized that nobody would have cared – it was as if I go to Egypt and say ‘oh I saw the pyramids’. Indeed, everyone else has done the same.
I had already seen so many prominent Christian sites (that most of my information about that religion today comes from Israel), some of them being:
° Church of Nativity, Bethlehem: The birth place of Jesus,
° Via Dolorosa (Stations of the cross), Muslim and Christian quarters, Jerusalem: Jesus’s last walk
° Church of the Sepulcher, Christian quarter, Jerusalem: The site of crucifixion.
° Numerous sites along the Sea of Galilee, Galilee
So this room was another significant addition in my trip seemingly overloaded with Christian pilgrimage sites, haha 
I think religious Christians will have a ball in Israel visiting all these sites (duh, ofcourse!) Several tourist companies bring pilgrims from all over the world. There are endless number of things to see.
Beautiful window in this room.
Next post is about the Jewish quarter.
Pictures and slideshow: Jerusalem Photo Gallery
Note: Beginning now, I’ve adopted a less rigid approach to the travel series. Posts will no longer be titled ‘Scrolls from…’ etc. but will have the same content nevertheless. 
Last Supper: Picture by Leonardo da Vinci (1498)
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The picture of the fortifications is amazing..its quite an achievement to preserve such ancient monuments..its always a great feeling to stumble on a piece of history – ancient, lost or well known
↵The Citadel snapshot looks fantastic!!! I guess, in you last few posts you are overworking writing the text… Just post the snaps man, they talk for themselves…
↵Lakshmi:
↵I agree. When the British were in control of this place during the British mandate of Palestine, that’s when they converted this fort to a cultural center. After the Arabs took over, and until 1967, it was a military center again. Now this place is being renovated and kept.
Swapneel:
I believe that without the story, the pics would be like a photo album (some self imposed quality levels). I already have a photo album and a Jerusalem gallery which doesn’t have descriptions. Do check it out too!
Thanks, but I don’t feel over worked
If you have more suggestions to make it sound better, I am happy to hear!
↵Jerusalem is one of the most fascinating cities on earth. I’m enjoying your series.
↵The thrill and excitement comes through so very well. The snaps are also very sharp and beautiful.
Isn’t it a wonder to be at a place which is considered by three major religions as their holiest, and all within a radius of a few kilometres.
We often hear that this place is always on the boil. Did you get a feeling that all was not well or was it just normal as any other place.
↵Wendy:
There’s more in the archives.
↵Thanks
Mavin:
Indeed, its a strange feeling in the old quarter. Everything right there on your face!
Tensions, well, there are Israeli soldiers present everywhere and religious Jews hurrying through the Muslim Quarter. The divisions between the quarters are stark and noticeable. The place does look very tense and I have heard that flareups do happen. But nothing big has happened in last few years and the situation overall is very peaceful.
In any case, people love tourists. If you are Indian, you are treated even better
↵Again, what can I say? I would love someday to be standing in the room where the last supper was, very cool.
↵Is this a part of the trip you took some time back to Israel, or another one recently?
↵Bob:
↵Cool, when are you going
Shantanu:
↵Hey, its the same trip from earlier this year. I had few stories remaining and Peru took priority ! Now finishing the posts.
[...] Me ← David’s citadel, Mt. Zion and Christian sites : Older post Newer post : Views of new Jerusalem [...]
↵[...] Somewhere in 17th century, Nikon the patriarch decided to show one and all that Russia deserved to be the center of the Christian world. A site on the outskirts of Moscow was chosen to erect New Jerusalem for its resemblance to the Holy Land. The River Istra represents the River Jordan, and the buildings represent the ’sacral space’ or holy places of Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem Monastery, also known as the Voskresensky Monastery (Russian: Новоиерусалимский монастырь / नोवोयेरुसालीम्सकी मोनासत्री), is a male monastery, located in the town of Istra in Moscow Oblast, Russia. They even built the Church of Holy Sepulchre. [...]
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