The beauty of Jerusalem

As Palestine and Israel agree a hugely welcome ceasefire, I won't attempt to analyse the highly complex conflict but instead want to share an insight into my first ever visit to this beautiful land. Hopefully I'll be able to give an insight into how Jerusalem is a land with a rich history, remarkably preserved millennia-old buildings and the most hospitable people on Earth.

I've been very lucky over the years to have spent Ramadan in Jerusalem, Christmas in Bethlehem, summers in the 40 degree heat of the Jericho desert and many memorable days in Hebron in the West Bank. 

All these repeat visits stem from the first memorable visit, lasting just 24 hours, that I outline below.

My first visit was via Egypt in the early days of the Arab Spring just after Hosni Mubarak was removed from power after 30 years as President. I had just climbed (walked up) Mount Sinai overnight to see the sunrise from the summit (which was an epic once in a lifetime experience in itself) and discovered that I was able to travel to Jerusalem via the Taba border crossing only a few hours away. 

I immediately signed up to join a tour group of Orthodox Christians from Russia who wanted to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.  The hope was that whilst they walked the Via Dolorosa, I would visit Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.

We travelled first by minivan from Sharm-El-Sheikh and then 150 miles by coach to the Taba border crossing. After extensive security checks in Egypt, we faced a strange sight of having to walk through a UN neutral zone in the pitch black darkness. After this, the checks were only beginning as we were then questioned by five different layers of security. First by a voice coming from a literal hole in the wall, then separately against the aforementioned wall by an armed Israeli soldier and then three further sets of checks inside the border checkpoint by Israeli border security over a number of hours. 

Mild inconveniences of routine checks are more than offset by #happiness when one arrives in Jerusalem.

After all these checks were completed, we travelled the final 200 miles to Jerusalem in yet another coach. It was a long but enjoyable journey, for we didn’t mind any obstacles on the way to vising this amazing place. And this is my prevailing message … no matter the number of checks, the hours of delays or the hundreds of miles travel by road, all of that is forgotten when one arrives in Jerusalem.

The Old City in particular is a land where history is preserved. There is not a #corporate name in sight, no space for big #business, no Starbucks or Zara or Hilton or McDonalds that are ubiquitous in other cities. Instead, the thousand year old walls stand preserved, timeless and unchanged as witness to all they have seen. 

The land benefits from the blessings of time. What one cannot do in a week in any other city in the world, can be done in part of a day in Jerusalem and its surrounding cities. It is said that time itself slows down so visitors can enjoy the place for longer. 

On this one (very short) trip, we visited the Western Wall, the Mount of Olives, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square, the Separation Wall and the Dead Sea. However, although I got within a few hundred yards of Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, for numerous reasons that were out of my hands, I was not able to go inside Al Aqsa. The closest I got was to touch the railings as seen in this picture here - and that was when I vowed that I would visit again.

On subsequent visits, I've been able to see the friendly nature of the people of Jerusalem. Stallholders will offer coffee for free in the streets to all who pass. Shopkeepers will provide food and drink for free if you have forgotten your wallet. People will guide you through the Old City to your destination and go over and above to make your experience all you want it to be. Christians will ring bells to wake Muslim neighbours up to eat their pre-dawn meal in Ramadan.

On one trip just before our flight home, we visited Masjid Umar - a remarkable historical mosque - but it was closed. We thought we wouldn't have a chance to pray inside, when a friendly nearby Jewish shopkeeper saw our predicament and informed us that he held the keys and would open it for us exclusively - as you can imagine, this was an eye-opening experience.

Once the situation improves and Covid restrictions allow, if you want to benefit from the blessings of time in a perfectly preserved land and meet the most friendly humble people - unlike any people on Earth, then add #Jerusalem to your ‘must visit’ list. There is no place like it. 

 #travel #positivity #Friday #mentalhealth