Ramparts Walks

The ramparts are such a prominent feature of the Old City skyline that why wouldn’t you want to walk them? The entry fee is only 18 NIS. The ticket office is at the Jaffa gate near the starting point for both the north and south walks (it’s not continuous), and your pass is good for two days. All you need is a pair of sturdy shoes, ability to climb a lot of stairs, a good Hollywood imagination, and enough curiosity to look down into other people’s back yards. We chose to take the Northern walk from Jaffa Gate to the Lion’s Gate. “Zing! Zing!” I heard my wife calling as she unloaded her crossbow through the loopholes. I wasn’t sure if she was shooting Saracens or Crusaders; but given her choice of weapon, it wasn’t early Roman conquerors or modern-day Jordanian snipers. There have been only a few centuries in its 5500-year run when Jerusalem was not defended by walls. It is surely the most fought over city in history. I was hoping to look out and see Richard the Lionheart riding over the horizon and was disappointed to see automobiles, students conversing under trees and laundry hung up to dry. But Richard would have been there over 900 years ago, and these walls are only half that old. Built by Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, they were an expensive hedge against the possibility of Charles V, the fearsome Holy Roman Emperor, launching the tenth crusade. And walking them gives a real sense of what it must have been like to be on guard duty against the invaders of any age. Charles never came. Once you start, you must walk to the end, turn back or go down at one of the gates (without being able to re-enter). There are no amenities along the way; no toilets, watering stops or seating and precious little shade. By the Damascus gate we had had enough; we got the idea, had shot all our arrows and wanted some pomegranate refreshment at Café Hemo, a few stairs away in the Muslim quarter below. Settling in, we agreed the walk had been worth it. One note: the ticket office closes at 2:00 on Fridays.

Ramparts walk has to be one of the most memorable experiences during this visit to Israel. I will be honest I knew nothing about it even though I had seen it advertised during my last two visits. I enquired at the information office and once they explained the tour to me I decided to visit within days and I am so glad I did. I took the entrance from Jaffa gate and from there on the views which I have seen before were breathtaking from such a height. The highlight for me was seeing the Mount of Olives, Russian Orthodox Church and Al Aqsa Mubarak. I would really would encourage others to take this value for money trip because you if you want a leisurely stroll with outstanding scenery you will be in for a treat!