Festival of Lights

Another Friday ... the weather is still hot, the sun can get even devastatingly savage ... I think I was dehydrated as I was feeling giddy all morning and nausea. Mind you I only had one meal since yesterday morning - a brunch of Shaqshuqa. Don't feel hungry though but feel very giddy under the heat.

The Dome

Last night I went to see the Festival of Lights in the Old City. It starts at Jaffa Gate Square where the Dome of Lights is. It's a very impressive structure ... the dome represents the Old City as it has the dome of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, the Dome of the Rock for muslims and the dome of the Hurva synagogue for Jews. It's the symbol of religious unity ... I think.

Then entering the Old City, there are 3 routes to follow: green, red and blue.

Damascus Gate become a pinball
machine!

The green follows the City walls from Jaffa Gate down to Damascus Gate with exhibitions in the park all along the walls up till the cave of Zedekiah where there is a pyrorama spectacular. The park offers some 5 different light exhibitions from various countries around the world. Damascus Gate is lighted up like a pinball machine. The ball spins up and down and "enters" into the turret window right in the middle of the Gate. Very ingenious.  It then turns inside Damascus Gate through the Suq and back to Jaffa Gate.

Dancers with illuminated tentacles
at Tancred's Pool near New Gate

The red line is the shortest and leads around the Armenian Quarter. The blue line goes around the Christian Quarter and has lots of performers at various street corners, and graffiti in light on house walls along the route. This event draws lots and lots of locals to come into the Old City ... it's a very ingenious propaganda tool. It sure brings alot of fun but the tension is constantly reminded by the heavy presence of soldiers every 10 metres of each route.