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Jerusalem Light Festival 2012
by Diana Rowe, April 30, 2012 | Jerusalem News

Walk the Old City alleys and streets and be enchanted by the nighttime exhibits from world-renowned sculptors during the Jerusalem Light Festival 2012, brought to you by the Jerusalem Development Authority and Ariel Municipal Company. In addition to the Old City, the fourth annual festival features light exhibits in major tourist sites and public spaces. Be sure to include a visit to the Light Fixture Design Fair at The Archeological Park, Davidson Center. Continue reading...

With a history reaching as far back as what may seem to be the beginning of time itself, Jerusalem has been a center for religious tourism and the destination of many a traveler. Conflicts over the years, and the machinations of the region notwithstanding, this Capital of Israel, with its timeless beauty provides the setting for some of the most important meetings of heads of state, worldwide business magnates and religious leaders. Thousands upon thousands of Christians, Muslims, and Jews have embarked on spiritual journeys to this holy city, as well as countless photographers, journalists and vacationers from across the globe, who have at one time or another made Jerusalem their destination accounting for the almost two million people that visit Jerusalem each year.

The City of Gold as it has come to be known in Hebrew is sacred to the three Abrahamic sects, offering a rich religious and cultural diversity spanning the millennia. There is no better display of the physical manifestation of this cultural timelessness than the numerous examples in Jerusalem of some of the oldest buildings in the city standing side by side with twenty-first century architectural additions. It is amazing that some have stood for over one thousand years as Jerusalem has known more than its fair share of conflict. It has been attacked, captured, recaptured, besieged, and sacked more than one hundred times combined, while being completely destroyed twice. Historians would be hard pressed to name another city anywhere in the world with such an impressive albeit violent past. Counting nearly twenty-five different historical periods spanning over four thousand years it is easy to understand the interest Jerusalem holds for so many travelers around the world today.

With the Western Wall and the Old City drawing the majority of visits in Jerusalem, it is the religious landmarks that continue to be the mainstay of tourism in the city. Marking the spot where Jesus was killed is the Garden Tomb on Nablus Road-also near the Old City just outside the Damascus Gate, and walking distance from many of Jerusalem's hotels. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built late in the eleventh century by the crusaders is the holiest Christian spot on earth. Also in the Old City is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is believed to be where Mohammad ascended to heaven; and the Qubbat Al-Sakhra or the Dome of the Rock-situated opposite the mosque-is probably the most widely known landmark in all of Jerusalem.

Home to the Dead Sea scrolls and a large scale model of what Jerusalem was like in ancient times, the Israel Museum on the Temple Mount attracts over three hundred thousand tourists each year and close to a million visitors. Some of the other relatively new additions to the city are the Yad Vashem-the national holocaust memorial-housing the world's largest library of holocaust-related material, the Biblical Zoo, and the Rockefeller Museum. Most of the hotels in Jerusalem provide bus tours to some if not all of the major attractions and historical landmarks. As with any major metropolis, Jerusalem also has a vibrant nightlife. Take to the streets again after a day of sightseeing and explore what the city's busy nights have to offer.