Jerusalem
Bethleham
Hebron
Beersheba
Gaza
Ashkelon
Ashdod
Tel Aviv
Haifa
Akko
Shchem
Safed
Shilo
Dead Sea
Sea of Galilee
Negev & South
Tzippori
Jordan River
Tiberias
Gush Etzion
The Golan

THE CITADEL

Often referred to as the Tower of David, this fortress located adjacent to Jerusalem's Jaffa gate, has been guarding the entrance to the Holy City since the second century BCE.

The Hasmoneans, descendants of Judah the Maccabbe, were the first to construct this fortress. Each subsequent ruler of the city fortified and rebuilt the citadel, modifying it to fit his needs. A visit to the fortress reveals finds and remnants covering two millennia of rulers.

When the British conquered the region in 1917, the Citadel was little more than "rocks and rubble, "a mere memory of it's former grandeur."
Under mandate rule, extensive reconstruction and preservation took place, transforming the Citadel into a center of cultural and artistic pursuits.

With the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem's Old City and Citadel fell under Jordanian rule. For the next nineteen years, cultural life in the Citadel ceased, and armed soldiers returned to occupy her turrets and towers. Today, the Tower of David Museum tells the History of Jerusalem to visitors far and wide.

The City of David
Area G
Warren's Shaft
Gihon Spring
Hezekiah's Tunnel

THE CITY BEYOND THE WALLS

Mishkenot Shaananim
Machaneh Yisrael
Nahalat Shiva
Meah Shearim
Yemin Moshe

JERUSALEM HIGHLIGHTS

Museums
Yad Vashem
Israel Museum
Bible Lands Museum
Tower of David

Government
The Knesset
The Supreme Court
City Hall

Historical Sites
The Mount of Olives
The City of David