Part II. Jerusalem: The Old City

After crossing the Qalandiya checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem in an Israeli approved taxi (I had to leave my West Bank taxi just before the check point and get into an Israeli taxi before making the crossing), the landscape changed immediately: congested, arid, part abandoned and part bustling-energetic gave way to clean, organized, landscaped and daily-fertilized. I was appalled by the disparity in conditions; even the neatly painted, six-inch standard-sized and uncracked curbs seemed to quietly smirk at their own good fortune. Location, location, location.

Simultaneously, and antithetically, I began to notice that I enjoyed being in a neatly organized, well-funded city. Women jogged outside. Green grass grew from the ground. Public transportation systems worked efficiently. Street signs marked every street.

The taxi driver was friendly. A young native Israeli, he was eager to welcome me to Jerusalem. We chatted en route to the Old City and then he made an aggressive move to pass a car and make it through a light -- an act which ultimately resulted in an unexpected chance to walk through the city. As soon as we pulled through the light, sirens blared and we were pulled over.

Apparently, the driver had a few problems with his license and after this latest move, and a heated debate with the officer who pulled us over, he was arrested. I had a nice little stroll before finding another taxi - this time the driver was an older Christian man, with a running, grumpy commentary, who upon each sighting of an Israeli guard would roll down his window and pray in loud rasps while simultaneously kissing his cross. I started saying a little prayer of my own that his car would actually make it to the old city...though he changed gears in name and location, the car didn't actually seem to respond and stayed at about 20km/hr.

Finally, I made it to the Jafa Gate of the Old City. Thankfully I had a guide book with me which enabled me to find the three key sights (among literally hundreds) I wanted to see that day. Below, you'll find pictures of:

1.The Church of the Sepulchre (which houses the Cavalry where Jesus is said to have been crucified and the Stone of the Anointing where Jesus was prepared for burial).

2. The Wailing Wall

3. The Dome of the Rock

Please enjoy and let me know if you have questions. k

The Tulbeh and Adventures in Holy Lands

Hisham, his mother and I went to the West Bank last weekend to see about a girl.

Hisham's brother Fawzi lives in Ramallah, has been dating his girlfriend for about a year, and is ready to get married. So, in following with tradition, the to-be groom's family traveled to the to-be brides family to do the initial asking for her hand in marriage. The asking is really meant to happen between head of the groom's family (usually his father) and the head of the brides family (yep...usually her father). Hisham's Dad wasn't able to go so Hisham and a friend of the family in Ramallah served that purpose.

It is very important to note that the Tulbeh is more than just the asking, it is the point at which negotiations take place regarding the timing of the formal "ask" known as the Jaha (when the entire groom's family/tribe travels to the bride and formally asks for her hand in marriage, marking the beginning of the engagement (the introduction of this article gives a good description of the Jaha and its significance), the duration of the engagement and the brides dowry. Rather than valuable possessions the bride brings to her marriage (along with, of course, herself) serving as the dowry (as defined here), in the Levant, the dowry is a sum of money and gifts (usually gold) given to the bride from the groom's family ( what is described as the "bride price" in the former definition).

In our case, the Tulbeh took place in two stages:
1. a talk between Hisham's family friend and the to-be brides father, and
2. a lunch with the to-be brides family and our family

Before the lunch, however, we had a free day so I set off to explore Jerusalem while Hisham finished some work in Ramallah. Additionally, we made a trip to Bethlahem the day after the Tulbeh.

From here, I will leave you with my experience in images posted by location. I cannot present all the images together; each experience was uniquely powerful, and, deserves its own space.

Part I. Leaving Ramallah: The Wall

Blank Spaces

Hi there. This is a brief entry. My photo essay about Amman's architectural landscape was just published in JO magazine. Please check out the online version (which has more, and, higher quality images than the print version).

Cheers, K