A Jerusalem night in 2022 seemed touched with wonder.
We had only the one night to ourselves during a busy 16-day tour.
Indeed, that very day, we’d walked on the Temple Mount, visited Lion’s Gate, saw the pools of Bethseda, hiked Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and still had another tour at nine o’clock.
I’d altered my clothing three different times (out of one backpack), and we ended up walking nine miles.
But then, there was the Jerusalem night.
Before Jerusalem Night fell, we retraced our steps
We started at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where I’d been distracted on a visit the day before.
I wanted to walk through the huge vaulting spot where Jesus allgedly was crucified and then buried.
It was just as crowded on a Jerusalem night as it was during the day.
It probably didn’t matter since, yet again, I began to cry as soon as I entered the church.
Seeing the stones where Jesus’ blood may have spilled was very emotional and I felt nearly undone.
Such a sobering, yet uplifting, place.
Always shopping, of course.
The northern side of old Jerusalem is lined with shops.
COVID policies had closed many for too long, and the sellers were eager to engage in conversation and, hopefully, sell us something.
This was our shopping opportunity, and we sought small, only-from-Jerusalem gifts for our family.
We had plenty of options–as well as encouragement.
(We also had to buy another suitcase the next day to get everything home).
As night fell, crowds thinned and a hush filled the narrow streets. Voices sounded muted as all the different people who live in the ancient city headed home.
Incongruous travelers and citizens passed each other and I had to snap a picture.
Beautiful lighted walls on a Jerusalem night
The lights against the ancient stones made them seem even more romantic.
Zion Gate, which we exited to visit the Upper Room, felt dramatic and historical as we walked through.
A window from the Upper Room (which was built during the Byzantine era, so obviously wasn’t where Jesus and the disciples dined on Maudy Thursday), also shone in the night.
In early November 2022, the night felt warm and comfortable. I wore a light jacket over a short-sleeved shirt and Keen sandals. (I wore those sandals earlier in the day through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The cool water felt terrific!)
Eventually, we stopped in a coffee shop to ease our feet and prepare for the final event–a walk along the Western Wall.
The Wailing Wall on a Jerusalem Night
Our group gathered at what is known as “the Wailing Wall,” the only spot along the western wall of the Temple Mount where Jews are allowed to pray.
We’d walked past it earlier in the day, and it looks just like all the photos.
The wall is open 24-hours a day for people to pray; women on the south side, men along the north side.
I joined several women in our party, and prayed in the women’s section.
I put up my hand on the still warm bricks, listened a moment, then prayed for the women around me.
Then I sat down to wait for everyone else to finish their prayers.
Gazing up at the wall on that warm night, I saw a demarcation between the golden wall itself and the black night above.
Surprised, I took a picture.
That Jerusalem night felt timeless in early November, 2022.
God seemed so close.
Pray for the peace.
Tweetables
A timeless 2022 Jerusalem night–with photos. Click to Tweet
Golden walls, ancient skies; photos of Jerusalem in 2022. Click to Tweet
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