Hidden secrets of Ramle

Churches, mosques, an ancient underground pool and a bustling market are just some of the surprises you’ll find in Ramle.

By MEITAL SHARABI
ramle 521 (photo credit: Yuval Mendelson/Wikimedia Commons)
ramle 521
(photo credit: Yuval Mendelson/Wikimedia Commons)
I’ve always loved wandering around the streets and finding hidden corners in cities that I’ve never been to before. And the average Israeli has probably never been to Ramle.
We often hear the city mentioned in the news in a less flattering context, but if we can forget for a moment the city’s stigma, we can avail ourselves of the wonders it offers.
Ramle, a multicultural city in which Christians, Muslims and Jews live side by side, has a very rich history. In the eighth century, the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik built a thriving city on top of the sand dunes, and traders from neighboring countries flocked to its markets. In the 11th century, the city was destroyed and abandoned following raids by Beduin and two earthquakes. Even though it was rebuilt by the Seljuks just a few years later, it never regained its greatness.
The Ramle Municipality has been making great efforts to attract tourists, and to this end has created a very useful GPS-based application (it’s free!) which offers detailed explanations of historical and modern sites throughout the city and directions for perusing the small side streets.
I recommend touring both the new and ancient sections of the city. We will begin in the central fruit and vegetable market. Park your car in the open parking area on the outskirts of the market on King Solomon Boulevard next to the Great Mosque. You will see the Ramle Museum on your right. If you’re not pressed for time, it’s worth going in to see the museum’s main attraction: gold objects that were found in excavations around the city.
When you exit the museum, turn left toward the beautifully manicured President’s Garden, which was built by the British and was named for Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann. From there we will continue to the shuk.
The moment you enter the bustling market, you will begin to feel the atmosphere of the real Ramle.
The sounds and smells will draw you in, and this is a great opportunity to indulge yourselves in Ramle’s culinary history: the burekas, Tunisian sandwiches and rich fruit juices are the perfect way to get a taste of the past.
When you’re satiated, turn left and then right into a small alleyway.
At the end, next to the bustling fishmonger, turn right and then right again into another alleyway, until you reach what used to be the city center. Take a moment to look around here. In the middle of the street, you can see stone doorways with Armenian Church symbols on them. The church is not open to visitors, but you can peek through the large, impressive doors and catch a glimpse of its interior.
Next, continue until you reach the intersection that leads to the small street where you will find the Franciscan church called Terra Santa, inside which once existed the Franciscan Hospice of St. Nicodemus and St. Joseph of Arimathea. Inside the hospice you will see the impressive high ceilings and a 500-year-old painting by Italian artist Titian. (Visits to the hospice are by appointment only.) Next to the church is an inn that according to legend was once visited by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Let’s go back to the main road and continue on until we reach the mosque called the White Tower.
There are three subterranean pools under the structure, which was originally built in the eighth century.
I highly recommend making the effort to climb all the way to the top of the 30-meter tower, since the view from the top is spectacular. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Tel Aviv.
Pool of the Arches. Turn left and then right – there should be signs – and then continue until you reach the entrance of the pool, which was built in 789 by the Abbasid caliphs. At first glance, the structure looks plain and simple, but when you descend into the underground area, it suddenly feels like you’ve reached a faraway magical world. The huge underground pool was cut into the stone and the ceiling is held up by beautiful giant arches. You can even move around the pool on a rowboat.
When you’re done visiting the pool, climb back up to the street and walk north until you hit Trumpeldor Street. There, turn right and follow the signs until you reach the shuk and the parking area where you left your car.Translated by Hannah Hochner.
I’ve always loved wandering around the streets and finding hidden corners in cities that I’ve never been to before. And the average Israeli has probably never been to Ramle.
We often hear the city mentioned in the news in a less flattering context, but if we can forget for a moment the city’s stigma, we can avail ourselves of the wonders it offers.
Ramle, a multicultural city in which Christians, Muslims and Jews live side by side, has a very rich history. In the eighth century, the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik built a thriving city on top of the sand dunes, and traders from neighboring countries flocked to its markets. In the 11th century, the city was destroyed and abandoned following raids by Beduin and two earthquakes. Even though it was rebuilt by the Seljuks just a few years later, it never regained its greatness.
The Ramle Municipality has been making great efforts to attract tourists, and to this end has created a very useful GPS-based application (it’s free!) which offers detailed explanations of historical and modern sites throughout the city and directions for perusing the small side streets.
I recommend touring both the new and ancient sections of the city. We will begin in the central fruit and vegetable market. Park your car in the open parking area on the outskirts of the market on King Solomon Boulevard next to the Great Mosque. You will see the Ramle Museum on your right. If you’re not pressed for time, it’s worth going in to see the museum’s main attraction: gold objects that were found in excavations around the city.
When you exit the museum, turn left toward the beautifully manicured President’s Garden, which was built by the British and was named for Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann. From there we will continue to the shuk.
The moment you enter the bustling market, you will begin to feel the atmosphere of the real Ramle.
The sounds and smells will draw you in, and this is a great opportunity to indulge yourselves in Ramle’s culinary history: the burekas, Tunisian sandwiches and rich fruit juices are the perfect way to get a taste of the past.
When you’re satiated, turn left and then right into a small alleyway.
At the end, next to the bustling fishmonger, turn right and then right again into another alleyway, until you reach what used to be the city center. Take a moment to look around here. In the middle of the street, you can see stone doorways with Armenian Church symbols on them. The church is not open to visitors, but you can peek through the large, impressive doors and catch a glimpse of its interior.
Next, continue until you reach the intersection that leads to the small street where you will find the Franciscan church called Terra Santa, inside which once existed the Franciscan Hospice of St. Nicodemus and St. Joseph of Arimathea. Inside the hospice you will see the impressive high ceilings and a 500-year-old painting by Italian artist Titian. (Visits to the hospice are by appointment only.) Next to the church is an inn that according to legend was once visited by Napoleon Bonaparte.
Let’s go back to the main road and continue on until we reach the mosque called the White Tower.
There are three subterranean pools under the structure, which was originally built in the eighth century.
I highly recommend making the effort to climb all the way to the top of the 30-meter tower, since the view from the top is spectacular. On a clear day, you can see all the way to Tel Aviv.
Pool of the Arches. Turn left and then right – there should be signs – and then continue until you reach the entrance of the pool, which was built in 789 by the Abbasid caliphs. At first glance, the structure looks plain and simple, but when you descend into the underground area, it suddenly feels like you’ve reached a faraway magical world. The huge underground pool was cut into the stone and the ceiling is held up by beautiful giant arches. You can even move around the pool on a rowboat.
When you’re done visiting the pool, climb back up to the street and walk north until you hit Trumpeldor Street. There, turn right and follow the signs until you reach the shuk and the parking area where you left your car.
Translated by Hannah Hochner.
Location: Ramle Type of hike: Circular Recommended season: All year long Level of difficulty: Easy, appropriate for familiesLength: Half-day
Directions: From Road 44, turn into Ramle and continue until Herzl Boulevard. From there, follow signs to the shuk.
To make an appointment to visit the Terra Santa Church, call (08) 925-2907.