The Muslim Quarter

The Muslim Quarter is the largest of the old city's neighborhoods. It's a confusing array of narrow alleys that are wonderful to wander in, get lost, and stumble upon surprising discoveries.

Despite it's name, the area also houses a large number of important Christian institutions. The Muslim quarter begins at the northern city wall, goes south to the northern and western walls of the Temple Mount, to Hashalshelet Street, where the Jewish Quarter begins. To the West, it runs to Beit Chabad Street, which runs between it and the Christian Quarter.

Arabs moved back into the quarter after the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladdin in 1187. They were joined by Jews from Tsfat in the 1800's and in the late 1800's there were more Jews than Muslims living in the Muslim Quarter. The two populations coexisted peacefully until the Arab riots of 1929, when the Jews fled. Jews began returning to the quarter after 1967, and today the area houses several Jewish educational institutions.

The exciting, bustling shuk - market - is a focal point of the Muslim quarter. In fact, there are several such markets, although they blend together in a confusing maze of alleys. Some of these markets existed already in Crusader times, some in Roman times and perhaps much earlier than that. There is a spice market (a continuation of the Cardo, the commerical boulevard built by the Romans), a butcher's market, the Gold Market - which today sells mostly textile. Although many of the shops cater to tourists, the further in you venture, the more authentic your experience will be.

Here, you'll also find mosques, caranvanserai, travelers' hospices and bath houses that date from the Mameluk period (1267-1517).

The main attraction of the Muslim quarter is, of course, the Temple Mount.

There are several structures on the Temple Mount. The most famous is the Dome of the Rock. Contrary to popular misconception, the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a shrine. Beneath the golden dome is the rock from which Muhammad is said to have ascended to Heaven. According to Jewish tradition, this rock is the foundation stone from which the world was formed.

This is the oldest monument in the Muslim world, built in 691. The original dome of the building was replaced many times, most recently in 1994. The gold-plate covering is .0023 mm thick, weighs 80 kg and cost 15 million dollars. It was specially treated to mute the gold's brilliance, so that the dome wouldn't blind people.

Visiting hours: Sat-Thu 8:30-11:30 and 13:30-15:00 in the summer; 7:30-10:30 and 12:30-13:00 in the winter. There is a fee for entrance to the Dome of the Rock, the al-Aksa Mosque and the Islamic Museum on the Temple Mount.

The Temple Mount is closed on Fridays and Muslim holidays. Note also that Jewish religious law forbids Jews from ascending the Temple Mount.

If you cannot actually enter the Temple Mount, you can get a good view of the complex from the view point above the steps that come down from the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall plaza.

During the Mameluk period wealthy residents financed major construction projects as a way of avoiding the inheritance laws. This resulted in a veritable building spree in Jerusalem. Some of the notable examples of Mameluk architecture you may want to see include: