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The Ramparts Walk is a great way to experience the UNESCO World Heritage listed Walls of Jerusalem. It takes you atop the historic walls that surround the Old City.
Introduction to the Walls of Jerusalem
The Walls of Jerusalem were built between 1535 and 1540 by Ottoman Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. They were built partially on the remains of ancient walls. The walls are 4,018 meters (2 ½ miles) long. They have and average height of 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). There are 34 watchtowers and 7 open gates.
Taking the Ramparts Walk
The Ramparts Walk is divided into two routes. The northern route follows the walls around the Christian and Muslim Quarters, and the southern route follows the Armenian and Jewish Quarters. This post is about the southern route.
The entrance to both routes of the Ramparts Walk is near the Jaffa Gate. The northern route starts just inside the Jaffa Gate and is open Sunday through Thursday. The southern route is across from the Jaffa Gate on the outside of the walls and is open daily.
Adult admission is ₪25 (as of November 2023) for a two-day pass allowing time to do both routes. Only cash is accepted. There are lots of stairs and the path can be uneven so good shoes are recommended. Walks are one-way only and there are no toilets. Give yourself about 45 minutes to an hour to complete either route. Visit the official website for more info.
Tower of David
After paying admission, we walked up a spiral staircase to the top of the walls where we got a good view of the citadel, or Tower of David. The current citadel dates back to the Mamluk and Ottoman eras. It was built on the site of older fortifications by the Hasmoneans, Herod the Great, Byzantines, and Ayubbids. The Byzantines named the tower in the 5th century, believing it was the site of King David’s palace.
Today, the Tower of David Museum occupies several chambers inside the original citadel. It opened in April 1989 and chronicles 4,000 years of history in Jerusalem.
Looking up, we noticed a minaret atop the Tower of David. Some mistakenly believe the minaret is the Tower of David, but it actually belonged to an Ottoman mosque.
Qishla
Next, we walked on the rooftop of the Qishla, which was originally built as the summer palace of Muhammad Ali (1769-1849). He ruled the Holy Land from 1831 to 1840. The Ottomans later used the building as a barracks, or kışla in Turkish, which gives it its name. During the British Mandate of Palestine and Jordanian rule, the barracks were used as a prison. Since 1967, it has been used by the Israel Police.
Jordanian Military Position
From the Qishla, we started walking along the narrow sections of the ramparts. Our first stop was a watchtower used by the Jordanian army as a military position from 1948 to 1967.
The watchtower also afforded great views of some landmarks outside the Old City, such as the Montefiore Windmill and Mamilla Mall.
Armenian Quarter
The Ramparts Walk continued south along the Armenian Quarter, where we could spot some of the buildings in the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
This section of the walls contained of lots of stairs going up and down a couple towers.
Mount Zion
At the southwestern corner of the walls, we were able to get great views of Mount Zion and Dormition Abbey. Greek and Armenian cemeteries on Mount Zion were also visible.
On the inside of the walls, we got more views of the Armenian Quarter, mostly of the Armenian Patriarchate and a parking lot.
Zion Gate
The Ramparts Walk then continued east until we arrived at the Zion Gate, which was built in July 1540. In May 1948, Israeli forces broke into the Old City through the gate, but they failed from keeping the Jordanian army from taking the Jewish Quarter. It stayed blocked for 19 years, until Israel captured the Old City from Jordan during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Church of the Holy Archangels
On the inside of the Zion Gate, we could see the Church of the Holy Archangels, which is inside the complex of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Also known as Deir Al-Zeitoun, according to Christian tradition, it was built on the location of the house of High Priest Annas.
Jewish Quarter
After a short bit of walking, the Jewish Quarter came into view, with the dome of the Hurva Synagogue in the distance.
Looking straight down, we noticed some ancient foundations. At this point, there was also a group of children rappelling down the walls.
Mount of Olives
As we continued south, the Mount of Olives and the neighborhoods of East Jerusalem became visible.
We started to walk down several stairs and the Ramparts Walk came closer to street level. Turning back, the dome of Dormition Abbey could still be seen.
Temple Mount
Near the end of the Ramparts Walk, we were able to get great views of the Temple Mount. From there, we passed through the exit gates, walked by entrance to the Western Wall, and up through the Jewish Quarter.
