The tour starts at Sheikh Jarrah, where every Friday a vigil by Israeli and Palestinian peace activists takes place against the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes. We will walk to and learn about the stories behind the refugee camp’s building, Sheikh Jarrah mosque, and the American Colony Hotel. Outside of Nablus Road you will also see a Palestinian school and girls orphanage house and the Mandelbaum Gate on the border line between east and west Jerusalem. You will learn the history of all these places. Back on Nablus Road, we will visit numerous other sites along the journey, including The YMCA building, a Palestinian pottery and ceramics factory founded in 1922 and still run by an Armenian Nishan Balian family, the remains of the fourth wall of Jerusalem built about 64 A.D and destroyed in 70 A.D, the St. Etienne complex which includes burial caves and tombs with about 202 items of different periods of time, the garden tomb, and Freij grocery shop, where we hear the story of a Palestinian Christian family who fled from west Jerusalem in 1948. Before reaching Damascus Gate, we will also take a stop to look at the beautiful scenery from Bab Al Amoud.
Did you know in historic Palestine, Jerusalem was only a small city on the Nablus Road, which connected the major cities of Nablus and Hebron? While this tour will only show you one mile of the Nablus Road, the historic landmarks and neighborhoods like Sheikh Jarrah to the remains of Jerusalem’s fourth wall will transport you into a world of love stories, community life, faith traditions, and rich encounters just outside the Old City. Come to Jerusalem, stay in Nablus Road!
