Tower of David Museum with Friends

Yesterday I met with a handful of friends from around the country, and we toured the Tower of David Museum. The only time I had been there was a half a century earlier, when I was a student in Machon Greenberg, and it was then just an ancient site.

The Tower of David is next to the Jaffa Gate and you can get there by public transportation, any bus to Mamilla Mall or the lightrail stop at Safra Square, the Jerusalem Municipality. Yes, it's a bit of a walk. The museum does require walking including stairs, so it's not for the handicapped or baby carriages/prams/strollers.

Even though it's called The Tower of David, it was built much later by Herod, and it's one of the only two remaining structures he had built. The other one is Maarat Hamachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron. The other Herodian edifices have been destroyed, though sections and foundations remain.

Give yourself a few hours to wander around. There are public toilets at the exit and near the special exhibit section where there is now an exhibition about Har Habayit, the Temple Mount. My friends and I didn't have enough time, since we also had reservations at a nearby restaurant. Our time was much too limited.

Since it's not a planned museum, the rooms are small. Visiting students made it hard for us to see everything, also. One of our friends said that she has brought grandchildren, who really enjoy the Tower of David Museum. As a senior citizen, I only paid NS20 to enter, so maybe I'll be back. Yes, I recommend visiting it.

These photos should give you a good idea, but they don't tell the whole story.