Jerusalem essentials

Simply put, Jerusalem is one of the most interesting cities of our planet.

The incredibly rich and complex history, the endless number of beautiful buildings and the terrific eclectic cuisine… I will let the photos speak for themselves, just occasionally throwing in a sentence or two.

Hummus with chickpeas and olive oil, pitas, falafel, tomatoes, raw onion and pickles – you can’t get more classic than that when it comes to the Eastern Mediterranean. Compare it with what I had in Bethlehem if you will. Same same and so tasty.

One of the oldest cities of the world, and one importance of which has never diminished, Jerusalem bursts at the seams with relics. Canaanites, Israelites, Babylonians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Crusaders, Brits, kings and emperors, soldiers and pilgrims, so many feet have trodden its streets!

I know you know, but let the next three pictures remind you of the fact that Jerusalem is holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

The old town is not the only interesting neighborhood. I photographed the warning board you see above in a district inhabited by Orthodox Jews.

There are so many aspects and sources that characterize the local cuisine: the Levantine Arab cookery, the centuries of Ottoman rule, the European and African influences transplanted here with the settlers together with Hebraic dietary traditions, and then the land itself… A country small in size but blessed with biodiversity, tucked between snow-caped mountrains in the north, the Mediterranean in the west and arid deserts in the south.

The cornucopia of sweets is what still unites the lands of the former Ottoman Empire. This kind of superhoneysweet goodies are one of my favorte guilty pleasure snacks, hands down.

Kabanos is a Polish-style sausage extremely popular in Israel. One tiny little difference though – it’s kosher here while in Poland it’s usually made with pork (as evidenced in the name: “kaban” refers to a hog or wild boar in Tatar, Kazakh, Russian and eastern dialects of Polish).

The three photos below were taken in Ein Karem, a charming village slash neighborhood on the outskirts of the city. Charming cafes and churches, tranquil hillside walks along lemon and almond trees – a visit here is a must while in Jerusalem.

The Israel Museum is considered to be one of the best in the world so I had quite high expectations. It is indeed impressive. The selection of artifacts is splendid: varied but not overwhelming, informative but not overplayed. Apart from those gathered in the country, some represent the broader Middle East region, like the Assyrian relief with a date palm you see below. (The ‘tree of life’ motif haunts me as I travel – I encountered and photographed it in Sichuan and many other places – maybe I will summarize it in one blog entry one day?).