A great way to start any J’lem visit
LAST UPDATED: 01/09/2012 16:30
Sights and Insights: Dr. Wayne Stiles discovers treasures in the Tower of David and Herod's original Citadel.
Citadel of David by night Photo: BiblePlaces.com
Wayne Stiles has never recovered from his travels in the Holy Land. Follow him on Twitter (@WayneStiles) or on his blog at www.waynestiles.com.
Whenever tourists ask how to spend their “free day” in Jerusalem, I usually
steer them away from shopping malls and point them towards the Tower of
David—also called the Citadel Museum. In just a few hours’ time, one can catch a
glimpse of Jerusalem’s entire history as well as observe archaeology from the
city’s various periods.
The Citadel dominates the western side of the Old City.
The location served as the palace of Herod the Great, a structure so lavish that
Josephus wrote, “[It] exceeds all my ability to describe it” (Wars 5.176).
Herod’s sprawling palace extended from the area near the Jaffa Gate through most
of the Armenian Quarter.
In A.D. 6, shortly after Herod’s death, the Romans
began to govern Judea. Not surprisingly, Roman procurators chose Herod’s posh
palace as their Jerusalem residence. Normally, they resided in Herod’s beautiful
seaside palace in Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea.
Because Pontius Pilate
stayed at the Jerusalem palace, or Praetorium, he likely held the trial there in
which he condemned Jesus. The identification of the Antonia Fortress as Pilate’s
Praetorium finds its basis in tradition, not history. Josephus indicates that
the Roman governor not only resided in Herod’s palace, but set up his judgment
seat before it (Wars, 2.14). Moreover, Philo flat-out says Pilate stayed in the
palace (Leg. in Caium, 38, 39). Even though history points to the Citadel as the
Praetorium, tradition often overshadows truth.
A number of regrettable
misnomers stemmed from the fifth century as Byzantine Christians misidentified
the Western Hill as biblical Mount Zion—a name the hill still bears today. This
misidentification also caused the Byzantines to mistake Herod’s palace for King
David’s, and the name “Tower of David” stuck. In the 1800s the designation moved
to the 17th-century minaret in the Citadel’s southwest corner. I always get a
kick from the historical and geographical contradictions of this minaret:
Turkish rulers built the “Tower of David” on a hill that had nothing to do with
the Jewish monarch. (In fact, the alleged “Tomb of David” also rests on the same
wrong hill, as does the gate called Bab Nabi Daud, “Gate of the Prophet
David”—the Zion Gate.)
The Citadel museum offers an unparalleled history of
Jerusalem and a microcosm of Israel’s history. Housed in various sections of the
restored ruins, the museum traces the major periods of Jerusalem’s past. From
the Canaanite period, to the First- and Second-Temple periods, as well as the
Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman periods, the
museum uses high-tech displays to trace Jerusalem’s history and archaeology from
its beginnings all the way through the British Mandate and the founding of the
State of Israel. The magnificent exhibitions—in Hebrew, Aramaic, and English—are
entertaining as well as educational. More than forty volunteers guide visitors
through the exhibits. An audio guide is also available. The museum really helps
untie the knots of Jerusalem’s tangled history.
The Tower of David also hosts a
number of temporary exhibits, lectures, and educational programs. There’s even a
nighttime sound and light show. King Herod would be proud.
A stroll through the
outside grounds offers a taste of Jerusalem’s rich archaeological past.
Stretching through the courtyard lies a section of Hasmonean wall from the
second-century BC—part of the wall Josephus called “the first wall” (the first
of three) that surrounded Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. A round
Muslim tower dates from the seventh and eighth century BC. Herodian stones with
their signature relief (just like at the Western Wall) are found here and there.
Other archaeological finds abound—all worth noticing.
Herod’s original Citadel
had three towers that he named after his wife Miriam, his friend Hippicus, and
his brother Phasael. The Phasael Tower still stands, with additions from the
Mamluk period, and offers the best panoramic view of the Old City from its
western side. Couples often get engaged on the tower. In fact, one travel guide
designates the museum as one of the most romantic places in the world. (I’m not
sure I get that.)
My wife and I stood atop the Phasael Tower one afternoon and
enjoyed reading the events of the Passion Week as recorded in the gospels. Most
of the events’ locations we could find in the contours of the city that
stretched below us in broad panorama. It was especially meaningful to know that
Pilate tried Jesus in the Citadel itself before condemning him to crucifixion at
the nearby site of the present Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Most of the time, a
visit to the Citadel Museum occurs on a visitor’s last day in Jerusalem—a good
review. But I think it should happen on day one—for a good preview. Either way,
the overview of Jerusalem’s history offers valuable hooks to hang information
on.
What to Do There:
Plan at least three hours to visit the museum and the
grounds. Enjoy a meal at the cafe. Climb the Tower of Phasael and skim the
events recorded in Matthew 21-28.
How to Get There: Enter Jerusalem’s Jaffa Gate
and cross the footbridge that spans the Citadel’s moat.
Wayne Stiles has never recovered from his travels in the Holy Land. Follow him on Twitter (@WayneStiles) or on his blog at www.waynestiles.com.