Aerial view of Jerusalem's Old City

Israel Tourism Ministry 

Museums and Sites in Jerusalem's Old City

The Walls Around the Old City

The Old City wall of Jerusalem is one of the most important cultural heritage assets of the city. From a conservation standpoint, the physical state of the Old City wall fluctuates between an unstable condition of part of the wall that constitutes a safety hazard and other parts that suffer from different degrees of neglect, filth and weathering.

The Jerusalem City Wall Project offers conservation, engineering and architectural solutions for the different uses of the wall, as well as for the destructive and weathering processes that affect it.

The Conservation Department of the Antiquities Authority heads a multi-annual program, including documentation, planning and implementation of conservation and rehabilitation measures to the Old City wall.

To this end, the Conservation Department has established a team of architects, engineers and conservators who are experienced in complex conservation work of this kind, while consulting with experts in various specialized fields, for example: Laser-based surveying technology used to provide a three-dimensional model of the city wall; A floral survey that examines the natural elements in the wall, so as to avoid harming rare species while conducting conservation and other treatment measures.

The Old City wall was erected in the sixteenth century CE by Sultan Suleiman; many of its sections were built on top of earlier fortification layers. Extensive secondary use of earlier masonry stones is noted in the wall, some of which still bear the stone chiseling marks.

The wall has a total length of 4,400 meters and it ranges from 5 to 15 meters in height. The wall is c. 2.5–3.0 wide at its base and c. 1.5 m wide at the top, which has a series of crenellations and loopholes.

Tourists can walk on top of many parts of the Old City wall.

Kotel Tunnel Museum- Center for the Chain of Generations 

A new museum adjacent to the Western Wall tunnels.  The museum follows the history of humanity and the Jewish people from Adam through the present. The museum aims to connect the Jewish people of today with the previous generations through exhibits focusing on individuals who lived in generations past.

Group tours can be arranged with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation office at 2-627-1333.

Tower of David Museum       

Walking through the Tower of David Museum is like walking through a space age time capsule. Set in the magnificently restored ancient Citadel first constructed 2,000 years ago by Herod the Great, the Tower of David Museum illustrates Jerusalem's long and eventful history through state-of-the-art displays and exhibits, utilizing the most advanced technologies. Canaanites and Hebrews, Greeks and Romans, Crusaders, Muslims, Turks and Israelis are richly represented and seek harmony within the age-old walls. The panoramic route along the Citadel towers with its most breathtaking views of the city, and the lush archaeological gardens, all add up to an experience you'll cherish. In addition to the permanent exhibition there is an original 19th century model of Jerusalem and in the Crusaders room changing exhibitions show different angles of the City.

Hours:
Sun-Thur: 10 am- 4pm
Saturday: 10 am- 2 pm
Friday: closed.

Tours of the Permanent Exhibition for individual visitors
In English: Sunday- Thurdsay at 11 a.m.
In Hebrew: Monday and Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. 
Phone: 02-6265333.
Cost: 32 shekels

Click here for many more sites and museums in Jerusalem's Old City
Courtesy of myrova.com