The Muslim Quarter
The colorfully hung path of the Arab Market in the Old City opens into the labyrinthine streets of the Muslim Quarter. The Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City is its largest and most populous, with approximately 22,000 residents, of whom the vast majority are Muslims. The Muslim Quarter is also a repository of vital holy sites to Christianity and Judaism.
Since the Arab riots of 1929, the Muslim Quarter has been a mostly homogenous Muslim community. Living in the Old City of Jerusalem used to be a much more difficult proposition than it is today. Until 1967 there was no running water for residents, who were forced to depend on wells that drew from the city’s underground cisterns. Between 1948 and 1967, Jews were expelled from the Old City, including the Jewish Quarter.
Sights of the Muslim Quarter
Islam is a strong presence in the Muslim Quarter. Residents of the quarter observe the longstanding practice of going on a hajj to Mecca and Medina, the holiest cities in Islam. While a Muslim is away, his proud family decorates the façade of the home with a pictorial account of the journey. Visitors can therefore stroll the streets of the quarter and guess which families have sent a representative to Mecca and Medina.
Essential sites to Christianity are also located in this part of the city: The Via Dolorosa begins in the Muslim Quarter. Stone carvings of medieval Christian symbols can be detected in various locations along the path.
The holiest site to Judaism, the Temple Mount, can be accessed from the Muslim Quarter. The Temple Mount is now a compound of buildings dedicated to Islam, in particular the Al-Aqsa mosque.
Another Jewish holy site in the Muslim Quarter is the Little Western Wall, a piece of the Western Wall that runs through the quarter. The Western Wall tunnels—excavations from the Second Temple period--run beneath the Muslim Quarter.
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