The Open Market

One of my favorite things to do in any new city and culture is to experience the cities open markets. Today we went to a market just shy of the new building districts. It had both covered and non covered streets from which vendors of all kinds, veggies, fruits, meat, fish, grains, candy, trinkets, and all, would sell and bargain down prices.

Many different views, and smells (some good some bad). There wasn't so much order walking through the market but there was a sense of progression of purchases. And what I mean by this is that, even though it has not been designed in such a way as to formulate and distinct routine for buying products but it does have a series of areas.

For example, when you enter the market, the produce is the first street and stall, to be able to pick up the freshest picked fruits veggies and spices, next came a series of smaller connecting streets that had lined with meats and fish, these connected you in turn to trinket stalls to by kitchen appliances or household needed products, and then when you have made the full circle you end back at the original perpendicular street you started on and that street is lined with the bakeries so that you can pick up fresh goods, and also pick them up last so that they do not get all banged up as you go shopping previously.

Some markets are better, some are not, but each market you visit tells you and shows you the culture of the particular area. but what it also shows you is how markets connect the world in these public social bazaars, and every culture has these. They date back thousands of years and continue to link the world through a microcosm of economic and social fusion.

Modern Jerusalem Map

I had mentioned and showed some models of the ancient Jerusalem model in the Israel museum. Well there is in fact an enormous model in the basement of the city hall building which is of the new city and growth. it is constantly worked on and continues to add new projects and changed renovations. it shows everything from the old city to the new Calatrava bridge, as well as the different colonies such as German, Russian, American, and the new business districts with growing buildings and higher limits.

It was a quick introduction to the growth and limits of current day Jerusalem. As well as a PowerPoint by the city architect himself on the different districts and phases of the city. We were allowed to go into the city hall meeting room and

through which we exited out onto a nice terrace area of the building which gave extraordinary views of the city.

Western Wall

Today we went to see the western wall. Considered to be one of the most holiest places for the Jewish faith. The reason behind it is because it is the last remaining part of the original temple grounds which had been destroyed twice and never rebuilt. it is the wall leading up the the fortress but not the temple walls themselves. The Holy of Holies was kept in the temple and therefor the Jews pray at the closest part of the fortress wall to where the H of H would have been.



We took an underground tunnel tour that led us actually to the closest part of the wall that was the closest to the H of H. but since it is a tunnel and not enough room for even 10 people the mass of Jewish faith pray on the outside where it is easily accessed. The stones at the base of the wall in this tunnel that had been excavated are over 30 feet in length and easily 15+ feet in height. Starting at this point you can see these are Herodian walls, then Turkish wall when the ottomans took over and rebuilt some walls for fortification, and also crusader period walls.



The area surrounding the western wall is flanked by the Jewish quarter and the Muslim quarter. markets of all sorts and covered streets filter you into the space. however there is no formal entry into this holy place. And that's when I decided maybe as my project I can device a way to create a series of spaces and journeys that lead up to the wall for the experience of the ancient times.



When people used to see the temple mount from afar, enter the city, see large walls and steps, ascend the steps into a courtyard that led to another series of walls hiding the temple, until you finally ascended into the space and saw the full expanse and height of the temple. Working with this I am taking a series of stairs, where currently security control is placed, and possibly redesigning the entrance at this one location where it actually descends now into the area rather then in ancient times where it ascended.



There are many other entrances into the western wall plaza so for those not wanting to take the story route they have options, but i plan to create a sense of anticipation and wonder as you transition from the busy crowded market spaces to the calm open area in front of the wall. by showing glimpses of the wall but not in its entirety as you continue i hope to evoke the feelings of long awaited suspense as people in the ancient times used to travel to make there required visits to the temple. there is this idea that when you see a piece of the vertical through a sliver between two building you might remember a postcard you once saw, by seeing the top Crest of the wall you wonder how tall it actually is and the small glimpse reminds of books you used to read in school, by framing out a large stone using vegetation and windows one might think of how people way back when used to look out there windows and see these large walls but maybe not see the entire wall.



It needs some fleshing out but as far as space is concerned i think it would be a much deserved entrance to the holy site rather then just walking down straight steps into a small tight security box and then coming out right on to the hoards of people praying.

(The fotos didnt load for some reason check the following blogs for fotos of this day)

The Flowers of Jerusalem

Every where you turn there's a new plant or flower that you see. I don't know which ones are indigenous or which ones have been brought here. but they seem to do well in this very hot climate with little amount to no rain at all. which I'm impressed. although I have noticed all the lawns around town and the outskirts of the city. irrigation must be a huge deal here considering there's a shortage of water and most of the water comes from desalinisation plants along the sea of Galilee.

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Modi'in was an interesting city as well. it is a fairly brand new city, built in an arid area outside Jerusalem on a couple of valleys and hills. but when you go there its like an oasis. trees and grass and plants everywhere. its interesting to see how these steep hills have garden terraces that connect you through a series of spaces on your way from the top of the hill to the bottom or other way around. There are some intimate lawn spaces through out the city that over look the downtown and valley areas which are interesting and seem to be appropriate for the individual neighborhoods that you see through the city.

The concept behind leaving the hill tops as open spaces and the valleys as the community centers is interesting. normally its the other way around with the public or civic buildings with the prime location on the top of the hills. but our tour guide explained to us that by building centers on the hill you begin to separate all the neighbor hoods. but if you build schools and markets and churches and theaters and etc in the valley it brings all the different people from several hills down to one common area. At first i thought you know "people don't normally build in valleys because of the fear of floods and rain, but now i see it can happen here because it doesn't rain and when it does its so minuscule that probably not even a stream would form.