Crossing the Jordan: Light in Jerusalem

Just a few words of explanation, then lots of pictures!!

A special exhibition called "Light in Jerusalem" took place from June 9-16th, 2010. This was the 2nd Jerusalem Festival of Light. Experienced and young artists used light to create numerous breathtaking displays. The festival ran from 8:00pm until midnight these seven evenings. I was able to go out and enjoy the lights a couple of these evenings. The first evening I went out by myself around 9:30 and walked around Jerusalem's Old City for a couple of hours. Then, the next night I got to go back out with a friend and revisit my favorite places. That evening we left a little after 11pm and didn't get back until after midnight!! Don't worry, there were crowds of people still out, and I was not in any danger. :-) These are some of my pictures from the two evenings' walks.

The sign and street lights advertising this year's "Light in Jerusalem." (Taken on Hebron Road)

Located immediately outside Jaffa Gate (along the western city wall), these light displays are supposed to "invoke a vision of future greenery." They were extremely tall!

Along the western city wall itself were some pastel lights, intended to convey an urban-rustic look.

Along the northern city wall, somebody had the brilliant idea to use colored light to play a video against the wall. The ingenious piece of this display is that the tree in the middle of the picture is an actual live olive tree that the artists incorporated into the design. Amazing!

This snow scene was my favorite part of the light presentation. They made it look like snow was actually sticking in, and piling up on, the tree.

This pool scene was my friend's favorite part. It was very clever how they made it look like waterfalls were coming down through the gaps in the stone city wall.

The next few pictures are all of Damascus Gate. Located in the northern wall of Jerusalem's Old City, this gate is the most decorative and impressive normally, and the light show at this location did not disappoint.

Large and bright lights panned across the night sky from the Mount of Olives. The dome of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the southwestern corner of the Temple Mount are easily visible.

Visible in between the rows of lights is a very famous Jewish graveyard established on the Mount of Olives.

The Dormition Abbey tower, located on Mount Zion, just outside the southern wall of the Old City. These bells actually swung back and forth, accompanied by the sound of ringing bells.

This picture was "painted" with light against the western city wall. The trees lend some sense of size and scale.

This is looking at the city walls from inside the Armenian Quater. These are actually light sculptures made of plastic and illuminated from within. They are formed to look like people climbing up and over the wall.

This tree in the Jewish Quarter is made from LED lights and illuminated by solar energy.

This is apparently made from transparent plates with light shone onto them. The artist intended it to symbolize pureness and spirituality, as well as creating an environment of peace and relaxation.

This fascinating view was found along Saint James Street. This is a completely artificial window--just light projected against a normally blank limestone wall. What makes it particularly eye-catching is that the people inside the "window" are actually moving, appearing as though they really are enjoying a family dinner.

The exhibit inside Zedekiah's Cave was hands-down my absolute favorite. I had never been in here before and was completely amazed at the vastness of this "cave." It is also known as Solomon's Quarries and apparently covers an area of 5 acres. This cave slopes gently downwards and runsthe equivalent of five city blocks under the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. Archaeologists believe it was carved out over a period of thousands of yars and it is a remnant of the largest quarry in Jerusalem. This cavern runs about 650 feet underground, it is c. 330 feet wide at its widest point, and its average depth is 30 feet below street level.

It is possible that Solomon quarried stone here for the First Temple, but that is not known for sure. Historians do konw that Herod the Great had stone quarried from here for the Temple and Temple Mount construction he oversaw. The cave is called "Zedekiah's Cave" due to the tradition that King. Zedekiah hid here when he was trying to escape the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem.

This underground stone quarry was lit to make a person feel as though they were underwater. The lights were beautiful, and there was a constant sound of flowing water. It really was a place for one's imagination to take flight and a magical experience.