Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kings' Tombs y
Salah ed-Din St. Map 1 C1 . @ 23,
27. # 8am-5pm Mon-Sat. &
architect Austin Harrison
designed the building along
Neo-Gothic lines. It is vaguely
reminiscent of the Alhambra
in Spain and runs around a
central courtyard. Constructed
from the white stone typical
of Jerusalem buildings, the
Rockefeller has Byzantine-
and Islamic-type decorative
motifs. It was once one of the
most important museums in
the Middle East and the first
to make a systematic collec-
tion of finds from the Holy
Land. These days, it is a branch
of the Israel Museum (see
pp132-7) , but still houses a
very impressive collection.
Among its many remarkable
objects are the stuccowork
from Hisham's Palace in
Jericho, beams from the Holy
Sepulchre church and
wooden panels from El-Aqsa
mosque. Other exhibits worth
seeing include a fascinating
portrait modelled on an 8,000-
year-old cranium discovered
in Jericho; a lovely Bronze
Age bull's head; a Canaanite
vase in the shape of a human
head; sculptures from the
time of the Crusades; and
Hellenistic and Roman objects
found in Judaean desert caves.
The museum also holds a
number of the Dead Sea
Scrolls (see p137) .
Despite the name, this single-
but elaborate tomb is thought
to have been that of Queen
Helena of Adiabene. In the
1st century AD she converted
to Judaism and moved to
Jerusalem from her kingdom
in Mesopotamia. The tomb
was named by early explorers
who believed that the
magnificent tomb housed
members of the dynasty of
David. A small entrance leads
A
down into a dimly lit maze of
chambers with stone doors.
The tomb is one of the
places of interest on the East
Jerusalem walk (see pp146-7) .
The Rockefeller Museum courtyard
which it remains today. If you
cannot afford to stay here, it
is definitely worth coming for
lunch, taken out in the tree-
shaded courtyard.
Rockefeller
Museum i
27 Sultan Suleyman St. Map 2 D2.
Tel (02) 628 2251.
l
@ 1, 2.
# 10am-3pm Sun, Mon, Wed,
Thu, 10am-2pm Sat. & 7
This museum was made
possible by a substantial
financial gift made in 1927
by the American oil magnate
John D Rockefeller. British
Well-worn steps leading to the
deceptively named Kings' Tombs
American Colony
Hotel u
2 Louis Vincent St. Map 1 C1.
Tel (02) 627 9777.
@ 23, 27.
This elegant hotel (see p258)
built in 1865-76 has long
been a favourite of diplomats
and journalists. It started life
as the home of a rich Turkish
merchant. The name American
Colony came about in the late
19th century when Anna and
Horatio Spafford of Chicago
bought the building and made
it the centre of an American
religious community dedi-
cated to good works. When
the community broke up in
the early 20th century, a
Baron Ustinov, related to the
actor Peter Ustinov, suggested
converting the building to
accommodate pilgrims to the
Holy Land. Soon after, it was
turned into a beautiful hotel,
The delightfully secluded courtyard of the American Colony Hotel
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