![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.livingstonespilgrimage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_20171019_102150752_HDR-300x169.jpg\")
Dome of the Rock, Al Aqsa Mosque<\/p><\/div>\n
Today we visited Muslim, Jewish, and Christian holy sites in Old City Jerusalem. We began in the\u00a0Al Aqsa Mosque compound, where we had the true honor to enter inside the Dome of the
\nRock, one of the holiest sites in Islam and Judaism. The Dome of the Rock, in particular, is at the\u00a0center of conflict between Israel and Palestine. The dome was built above exposed bedrock,\u00a0which is thought to be both the site of Abraham\u2019s near-sacrifice of Isaac and the origin of\u00a0prophet Mohammed\u2019s night journey. Access to the mosque has been strictly limited since the Second Intifada, the year 2000 when Ariel Sharon led Zionists to enter and attempt to destroy the Mosque, so it was an\u00a0extra honor to be given permission as a non-Muslim group. Within the Alqsa Mosque, our\u00a0second stop for the morning, our guide pointed to bullet holes in the structure\u2019s walls and\u00a0pillars, evidence of this recent violence.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.livingstonespilgrimage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_3967-300x200.jpg\")
Our group at Al Aqsa Mosque<\/p><\/div>\n
Our tour continued through the Old City. We visited the Pools of Bethesda. We saw the Wailing\u00a0Wall. We followed the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We walked down the\u00a0Mount of Olives, through a Jewish cemetery, to the Garden of Gethsemane. In many ways, the\u00a0itinerary would seem to mirror that of many religious pilgrimage tours.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.livingstonespilgrimage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/IMG_20171019_151244810_HDR-300x225.jpg\")
Mount of Olives – Palm Sunday walk<\/p><\/div>\n
However, I\u2019m not here\u00a0for a religious pilgrimage. For me, the value of seeing these sites was hearing the political and\u00a0historical and personal context from our Palestinian guides.
\nI\u2019m thankful we had great tour guides, Aouni and Michael, who summarized the political histories of\u00a0the places we visited– ancient and current tensions, and changes in architecture or structure or\u00a0use of space that are associated with the changing of power throughout history. Our guide\u00a0emphasized many times that the importance of the places we visited is more about the\u00a0meaning people make there with their stories and beliefs, rather than facts that stand outside\u00a0of people\u2019s experiences or interpretations. In A\u2019s words, \u201cit is the holy land, not the holy\u00a0structures and buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n
~Grace Graham<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
19 October Today we visited Muslim, Jewish, and Christian holy sites in Old City Jerusalem. We began in the\u00a0Al Aqsa Mosque compound, where we had the true honor to enter inside the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest … Continue reading