In the Muslim Quarter of the Old City, tourists can enjoy the bustling bazaar and visit the Temple Mount to see the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock from the outside

The Bazaar

The bazaar (or suq) of the Muslim Quarter is a must experience. Walk down the crowded narrow alleys, with the young delivery boys running up and down the stony road with trays of tea and coffee and vendors shouting you out of their way while pushing large wooden cartwheels ahead and you’ll get a real taste of the Muslim Quarter in the Old City. This market is in fact an amalgamation of suqs, each specializing in a certain field and catering to different clientele.

The David Street Bazaar, entered through the Jaffa Gate, the tourist bazaar, offers visitors a wide selection of memorabilia, knickknacks and artifacts: Armenian pottery, Hebron Glass items, sheep’s’ skin slippers, fabrics, clay flutes, candlesticks, crosses and what not.

Suq Kan es-Zeit, which you enter directly from the Damascus Gate on the east, is the suq catering to the local community and so features a mix of butcher stalls, clothes shops, spice stalls, craft shops and much more.

These two main markets are attached by the Spice Market (which doesn’t have many spice stalls any longer) and the Butchers’ Market, which is indeed still very much a butchers’ market, with the scent of blood and hanging pieces of meat to match.

The whole area is actually one big bazaar with small overlapping suqs that cater to tourists and locals alike. All through the bazaar, you will find good humus stalls serving freshly prepared humus (some of which are highly-regarded, such as Abu-Gamal and Lina) and small coffee shops that offer small glasses of strong coffee.

In short:
An authentic, fun and slightly hectic experience and a chance to buy some excellent souvenirs and presents.

The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount, or Mount Moriah, is the third most holy site in the Muslim tradition and the holiest site in the Jewish tradition. The Temple Mount, or as the Muslims call it Haram es Sharif (Arab for Noble Sanctuary), encompasses a number of impressive architectonic structures all built after the Old City was conquered by the Muslims in 638 AD. The most prominent of these are the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. Both are currently not open to visitors and tourists, but only to Muslims coming to pray in the mosques. In the past these holy locations in the Muslim Quarter were open, so make sure when you arrive in Jerusalem to find out what the situation is.

For now, you can enjoy the exterior of the mosques and the surroundings of the Temple Mount, which offers beautiful views of the Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives and Mount Scopus. When these two holy sites are open to visitors, it is possible to buy a combined entry ticket to both places. You will be asked to remove your shoes and leave your belongings when you enter the sites, so make sure to place important possessions and money in one of your pockets.

Dome of the Rock

This gilded mosque, the oldest standing Muslim structure, whose round golden cappella stands out in all views on the Old City of Jerusalem, was constructed in 691 AD. It was refurbished in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent, who covered its dome with 80 kg of gold. The Dome of the Rock is the mosque that holds the rock from which, according to Muslim tradition, the prophet Muhammad ascended to the heavens (as described in the Koran). This same rock, according to Jewish tradition, is both the source of the Divine Creation and the place where Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac to test his faith in the Almighty. The tradition claiming that both significant happenings took place on this very spot has led the Jewish faith to consider Mount Moriah to be the dwelling place of the Divine Presence (Hashchina).

Al Aqsa Mosque

The third most holy place to Islam, Al Aqsa Mosque is a beautiful and especially impressive place in the Old City. Built in 720 AD, it boasts an impressive basilica and lofty interiors adorned with Muslim and Byzantine art. Great Marble pillars stretch up towards the ceiling and oriental rugs cover the floors, preparing them for Muslim prayer (and indeed, ma ssive crowds arrive every day to perform the five daily prayers). The impressive wooden staircase, which is over 7 centuries old, has been carefully reconstructed after Al Aqsa was set afire by an Australian tourist in 1969.