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East Jerusalem

Jerusalem's eastern side holds religious sites that are holy to more than half the world's population. The Western Wall of the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Garden of Gethsemane, Room of the Last Supper, the Mount of Olives, Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock draw millions of pilgrims and visitors every year.

Loosely-defined, eastern Jerusalem is the area incorporated into the city after the 1967 Six Day War, when Israel took back the Old City and neighborhoods occupied by Jordan between 1948-1967.

Today you'll find the best baklava and knafe (tasty Arab sweet desserts) in the eastern Jerusalem streets just outside the Damascus Gate, and an array of cultural institutions worth visiting, including the venerable Rockefeller Museum that houses one of the best collections of Middle eastern antiquities in the world. Take in a free Sunday night concert in the magnificent auditorium at the Jerusalem campus of Brigham Young University on Mt Scopus, or visit some of the lesser -known religious sites on this side of town--the tomb of Shimon HaTzaddik--a contemporary of Alexander the Great, and the adjacent cave of the Sanhedrin.

The residential neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem aren't quite so interesting, but you'll find a good shopping mall in Pisgat Zev and some decent cafes and bakeries in Ramat Eshkol. A few minutes walk will take you to Ammunition Hill, the site of a major battle in the Six Day War, where a museum and trenches will help you understand the strategic importance of eastern Jerusalem.

East Jerusalem

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