layers of history: my experience in Jerusalem

The Western Wall and The Dome of The Rock (Golden Dome)
Jerusalem is possibly the most religiously valued city in the world.  Civilizations have battled for control over the city since the first human settlements began in the region around 3500 BC.

The old city of Jerusalem has been recreated dozens of times.  Once conquered, the city's new controllers would often destroy or alter existing structures, subsequently creating Jerusalem in their own image.  In essence, conquerers buried the old to make way for the new.  The city is therefore layered and you can literally see such layers as you descend deep down into its bones.

Notorious figures like Alexander the Great and groups such as the Romans, Persians, Fatimids, Crusaders, Arabs, Egyptians and Islamists (just to name a few!) have conquered and controlled Jerusalem for moments in history.  And the struggle for Jerusalem continues today as Palestinians and Israelis battle of the city's key territories.

I arrived in Jerusalem knowing that it was a religious city.  But I will never fully understand its importance to millions of people across the world.  I walked through the old city's cobblestone alleyways and explored its many changing moods.  There are four quarters in the old city: Christian, Muslim, Armenian and Jewish.  Each quarter smelled, looked and felt distinct.  The beautifully crumbled passages with bustling crowds exuded an energy that, I believe, is unique to Jerusalem.

I was determined to see the Western Wall, also known as the 'Wailing Wall', which is the only remaining section of the original wall that surrounded the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.  True to the city's history, the temple was destroyed and a new temple was created on top of its remains.  The area is now The Dome of the Rock, a prominent mosque where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven.  The Western Wall is often referred to as the 'Wailing Wall' due to its deeply symbolic history.  Every year thousands of Jews make the pilgrimage to pay respect, and often weep, at the remaining piece of the original wall.





Okay, so I have a little rule.  When I venture to see something I have always dreamed of visiting, I approach it silently, usually alone, and observe without taking pictures for at least 20 minutes.  I will always attempt to sit quietly and take in not only the sight but also the world surrounding it.





I am often asked if I am a religious person in this part of the world.  Sometimes I respond with a vague: "not really"--other times an even more ambiguous: "I'm a seeker"

Although I'm not Jewish or a part of any organized religion I felt accepted at the site and even encouraged to participate in an internal prayer.




The wall is separated between men and women.  As I got closer I saw many women with open Torah reading silently to themselves touching the wall in prayer.  A woman was crying quietly while she rocked her tiny infant.  I saw tourists too, looking up in awe at the magnificent yet simple structure.  I sat with my notebook and composed a little prayer, a wish, for myself.  I wrote:

I hope to love myself fully...

 It sounds so incredibly simple.  Yet for so much of my life, I have mistreated myself.  I have said terrible things to myself, things that I would never say to another human being.  I have loved others, gave them entire chunks of my soul while leaving myself behind.

I folded the note into a tiny rectangle and placed it among hundreds of others that were stuffed into the walls' crevices.  I felt the walls' cold, clammy stones.  I closed my eyes and said my little prayer to myself.

I hope to love myself fully.

 After some time I opened my eyes and begun to walk away slowly.  I looked up at the wall and smiled knowing that this prayer will reveal itself in reality with my own persistence.


Jerusalem is the most magical city.  Its multiple layers reflect points in history, both ancient and modern, where civilizations were built on the remains of another's destruction.  I believe that we too grow more amazing as layers of history mold us into more complete beings.  Hopefully, after the walls collapse, we create ourselves over and over again.














References:

Jerusalem.  History.com writers.  History.  March 13th, 2019.  A&E Television networks.  https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/history-of-jerusalem



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