A visit to Jerusalem

[Balanbam00]

The Garden of Gethsemane

Located at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane is the site where Jesus prayed and his disciples slept, according to Christian tradition, and subsequently became an important pilgrimage site. In addition to its religious significance, a scientific study has shown that the olive trees in the garden are some of the oldest in the world approximately 2,000 years old.
The olive tree here in this photo was planted in 1964

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The other trees are said to be 2000 years old, so there at the time of Christ?



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A study conducted by the National Research Council of Italy in 2012 found that several olive trees in the garden are amongst the oldest known to mankind.
However, "All the tree trunks are hollow inside so that the central, older wood is missing ... In the end, only three from a total of eight olive trees could be successfully dated.

[Balanbam00]

There are four locations, all of them at or near the western foot of the Mount of Olives, officially claimed by different denominations to be the place where Jesus prayed on the night he was betrayed.

The Catholic Church of All Nations,





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The Church of All Nations sits on the Mount of Olives, near the Garden of Gethsemane. Also known as the Basilica of the Agony, it is a Roman Catholic church and is overseen by the Custody of the Holy Land, a Franciscan order, on behalf of the Vatican. It enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before his arrest.

[wanderlust]

Shalom Balanbam! Out of interest, do you happen to work for the Tourist Board?

[Balanbam00]

Wander :
Not really, I am actually a scout for Burnley football club, but they do not pay well ,so as I walk around I observe the surroundings ( for me every nook and corner is worth a visit ,in the hope one day I will hit the jackpot! ) usually I follow a crowd ,I mean people do/did go to football matches! But usually it turns out that they are tourists, and Israeli tourists, you may know that character ,the 'ones that look but don't buy,' rather reminds me of Burnley F C. But really in the hot sun, always now around 30 C plus, who would look at kids kicking a balloon of wind around?? Just walking 2 km's I sweat like I am in a sauna. Many of these places are in the ''pally zone,'' don't worry folks, I keep my eyes open. Strange I have not seen any 'stone throwing' (with the Olympics on, you would think the 'buggers' would practice a little? Hoping folks back home in the old homeland will enjoy all this. I hope I can do more at this rate I could be loosing a few kilo's??
So enjoy my breakfast in the arab quarter.





Falafel, (hebrew פלאפל, Arabic: فلافل Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, commonly served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as taboon; "falafel" also frequently refers to a wrapped sandwich that is prepared in this way. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces.

[wanderlust]

Nice looking breakfast.

Think I've seen those images before on the net 'n' yahoo.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

On a trip to Jordan it was hard to find much else.

[Balanbam00]

Wander: I have been twice now (this month) and it is so interesting I think again I will go next Tuesday. So all these photos I took.

If you lads ,and maybe your wife, girlfriend, child bride, or kids would like more? I willingly oblige

[Balanbam00]

Religious Dogma - Judaism.

The Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall splits into two sections, one area for males and the other for females. It is one of the major highlights in any tour of the Old City.



King Herod built this wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE, the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today

These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall.


Placing notes in the Western Wall refers to the practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers to God into the cracks of the Western Wall, a Jewish holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Sages prophesied that even after the Temple's destruction, the Divine Presence would never leave the Western Wall, and that the Wall will never be destroyed. The Wall is endowed with everlasting sanctity, as the Talmud says: "And I will make your sanctuaries desolate" (Leviticus 26:31) – this means that the sanctuaries retain their sanctity even when they are desolate.
Three thousand years ago, King David purchased Mount Moriah and made Jerusalem his capital. His son Solomon built the Holy Temple, and the entire Jewish nation gathered together three times each year on the pilgrimage festivals.



When King Solomon built the Temple, he specifically asked God to heed the prayers of non-Jews who come to the Temple (1-Kings 8:41-43). In the words of the prophet Isaiah, this was "a house of prayer for all nations."

[Balanbam00]

Along the wall their are other passages:

Three times a day, for thousands of years, Jewish prayers from around the world have been directed toward the Temple Mount.
more dogma!
Kabbalistic tradition says that all prayers from around the world ascend to this spot, from where they then ascend to heaven. The Talmud says: "If someone is praying outside the Land of Israel, he should direct his heart in the direction of Israel. When praying within Israel, direct the heart toward Jerusalem. Those in Jerusalem should direct their hearts to the Temple.



In the Six Day War, Israeli paratroopers entered the Old City through the Lion's Gate. "Har Habayit b'Yadeinu!" – came the triumphant cry – "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" Amidst shofar blasts, grown men wept and danced at the Western Wall. After 2,000 years, Jerusalem was finally united under Jewish control, with free access for all.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

The world is full of crackpots and crackheads.

No wonder Jesus f*cking wept!