I had traveled to Jerusalem to attend a conference on Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future held at the Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi Institute. The conference put me up in the Little House in Rehavia hotel, next to the Institute. On my first morning, Sunday July 1, I went to the L.A. Mayer Museum for Islamic Art not so far away, where I had not been since the late 1990s.
Then we had a tour of the Siloam tunnel by Rony Reich. It was very valuable to understand the results of the recent archaeological work in the tunnel, especially the evidence that shows that the southwest corner of the Herodian temple compound around Robinson’s Arch was one of the last parts to be finished.
That evening was a dinner for the conference participants and the opening session of the conference. The conference continued on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday July 3-5. My presentation about Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem during the Abbasid Period was on Wednesday morning.
On Friday July 6, I moved into the Albright Institute for the next ten days. During my stay I mostly worked on Western pilgrim accounts of the Masjid al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem and on revisions to my Masjid al-Aqsa article for Humberto da Silveria’s book. I also met Khader Salameh, with whom I am cataloguing the Arabic inscriptions in the Islamic Museum, but I did not get onto the Masjid al-Aqsa compound on this trip. On Wednesday July 11 I went to the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv to get an entry visa for Jordan.
Among other cultural activities, on Saturday July 14 I attended a recorder and guitar concert at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City and on Sunday July 15 I attended a reception and dinner at the Rockefeller Museum hosted by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
The next morning Monday July 2 I went to the City of David archaeological park in Silwan for a guided tour for the conference participants given by Marva Baluka.
Marva Baluka giving the tour
Then we had a tour of the Siloam tunnel by Rony Reich. It was very valuable to understand the results of the recent archaeological work in the tunnel, especially the evidence that shows that the southwest corner of the Herodian temple compound around Robinson’s Arch was one of the last parts to be finished.
Rony Reich explaining the results of his work below Robinson’s Arch
On Friday July 6, I moved into the Albright Institute for the next ten days. During my stay I mostly worked on Western pilgrim accounts of the Masjid al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem and on revisions to my Masjid al-Aqsa article for Humberto da Silveria’s book. I also met Khader Salameh, with whom I am cataloguing the Arabic inscriptions in the Islamic Museum, but I did not get onto the Masjid al-Aqsa compound on this trip. On Wednesday July 11 I went to the Jordanian Embassy in Tel Aviv to get an entry visa for Jordan.
Among other cultural activities, on Saturday July 14 I attended a recorder and guitar concert at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in the Old City and on Sunday July 15 I attended a reception and dinner at the Rockefeller Museum hosted by the Israel Antiquities Authority.
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