Two Quarters, One Essence – A Walk Through Palestinian Jerusalem (?)
There are four quarters in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Jewish, the Armenian, the Christian, and the Muslim Quarter. By default one could think that these four quarters each have their own character, and that it would be clear when passing from one to another. And while this is true, when it comes to the Jewish and the Armenian Quarter, passing from the Christian to the Muslim Quarter isn’t so clear.

The main gate leading straight into the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.
Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Both quarters offer outdoor serving, having tourists enjoying the local coffee and cakes. Both places attempt to be open to tourists, without making any statements or demands.


Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Come early enough and it will be possible to see the closed shops before opening hours, allowing the observant passer-by to pay attention to the smaller and more interesting details of the quarters.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
But as the time goes shops open, and both tourists and locals grow in numbers.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Soon the small visible signs of the passing from the Christian to the Muslim Quarter becomes visible, the only real way to know that we went from one quarter to another.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Now we can enjoy the walk down Al-Zytoun El-Shafa street, taking in the sights and wonders of the small and narrow street, typical for the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Finally we reach the end of the street, and we access Al-Wad street, which leads us into the market in front of the Damascus Gate.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
Going through the Damascus Gate we exit this amazing place, the Old City of Jerusalem. Here history is created every day, and it’s a history we all can become part of.

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov

Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov
These two quarters are both different and the same, being clearly connected and never separated. There definitely are signs, Christian symbols and icons in the Christian Quarter, as well as the tourist shops catering to Christian tourists, and the lack of the same in the Muslim Quarter, and the latter feeling slightly more busy depending on where one finds oneself. But it’s never clear. There are mosques in the Christian Quarter and churches in the Muslim Quarter. And it is never clear who is Christian and who is Muslim.
It is as if they are Palestinian more than anything else. It is as if the two quarters are of the same essence.

Or is it the beginning? As we move away from the Damascus Gate we can see a continuous stream of people entering the Old City of Jerusalem through the gate. Should we turn around and follow them back into the heart of Jerusalem?
Credit: Shmuel Aryeh Koltov