Holy Sepulcher Domes from the Tower of David
Today was a normal class day in the morning but we had the afternoon free. I took advantage of the free time to visit what is known as the Tower of David Museum also called The Citadel. This is an old fortress built into the city walls that was originally built by Herod the Great. However, this museum is not just a tour of ruins. Within the ruins of The Citadel they have created a museum of the history of Jerusalem. They have different rooms for each period in the history of the city. For me, the best part about this was seeing the large 3D scale models of how the city looked at various times. This city has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times that it’s hard to picture it. I took a ton of pictures of the models so I can use them in future presentations to people. One of my favorite things was a model of how the Holy Sepulcher church looked when Constantine built it. It was more than twice as big as the present day church (which is still quite large). The Crusaders only rebuilt part of it after it was destroyed. As I looked at all the different artifacts and models of the various rooms, all the ruins we are seeing started to make a little more sense. I could actually see what the Byzantine church looked like before the Crusader church was built on top before the modern church was built. There was also a nice view of the city from the top of the tallest tower. I spent the whole afternoon at the museum and I think I may try to go back later since the place closed before I finished my tour. You can check it out online at http://www.towerofdavid.org.il
The Original City of David
2nd Temple Period Jerusalem
Constantine’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher
19th Century Jerusalem