Jerusalem-the holy city

Jerusalem the capital of Israel, is one of the oldest and most popular cities in the world. It is part of Palestine region and is considered a holy city for muslims, christian and jewish believers.
Among the most important tourist attractions in Jerusalem are included: 

Western Wall or Wailing Wall, with the age of about 2.000 years, located at the western edge of the Temple Mount, is one of the most important and visited tourist attractions in Jerusalem. The wall was built by King Herod in the temple expansion.

Western Wall became a place of pilgrimage for Hebrew mainly during the Ottoman occupation, the Jews lamenting the destruction of the Temple by the Romans - this is why it was called the Wailing Wall.  

The square in front of the Wall is divided by a fence - on the left side is a larger space for man and on the right side is a smaller space for women. Wall Access is free, but the head must be covered and the clothes must be appropriate behavior. 

Dome of the Rock is one of the first major achievements of Muslim architecture. The Arabs believe that here is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven on his fabulous horse, and then to return to the earth and to transcribe visions.
Dome of the Rock along with Al Aqsa Mosque, ranks third place among the holiest places for Muslims after Mecca and Medina. Golden dome, built in four years, is visible from far away, and the interior is coated with bright ceramics and mosaics and arabic calligraphy.
Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a temple that protects under its dome the rock, sacred to muslims, christians and hebrew. 

Al Aqsa Mosque was built less than 20 years after the Dome of the Rock. Al Aqsa Mosque was built by Caliph  Omaiad Walid I  on the place of justinian basilica, dedicated to Our Lady. Crusaders took mosque as the Temple of Solomon, and the Jews call it Solomon School. 

  Al-Aqsa Mosque has a silver dome, here being Islamic Museum, which has in its patrmony islamic artifacts and  relics.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most important place of Christian pilgrimage, is a large building, which lies on the places where it is believed that Jesus was crucified and buried, and then rise again. 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre is not a church, but rather a gathering of churches, each with its chapel and altar . Since the time of Saladin, each orthodox christians, roman catholics and eastern orthodox christians  have a separate area - a church in this building. 

The Orthodox Church is the largest of these churches and is situated in the east of the Holy Sepulchre. Armenians have several smaller shrines and chapels in the building, and a larger church - St Helena and St Gregory. Roman Catholics have two chapels, the ethiopians have a chapel and a monastery located on the roof, and the Copts have a small altar behind the Holy Sepulchre.

Citadel of Jerusalem lies south of Jaffa Gate and is called the Tower of David. The building is not related to King David, being made ​​in order to protect the palace of Herod. The three towers of the citadel are called Phasael after his brother, Mariamne, after his wife, and Hippicus, after his friend. 

Today the Citadel in Jerusalem houses a museum about the history of the city, a folk museum and some interesting archaeological excavations.

Israel Old City is a district with an area of 0.9 square kilometers, bounded by walls, within the modern city of Israel, which began to develop after 1860. In the historical center there are several essential religious monuments : the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. 
According to tradition, Israel Old City is divided into four districts: Hebrew District, Christian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. 
Israel Old City walls framing were built in the first half of the sixteenth century, by sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and have length 4 km. The walls were originally eight gates, seven preserving until today: Jaffa Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, St. Stephen's Gate, Golden Gate, Zion Gate and Garbage Gate.

Israel Museum is the most important place for art, archeology and anthropology in the country. Heritage museum includes paintings by famous artists (Rodin, Monet, van Gogh), and important archaeological discoveries. The piece de resistance of the museum is Shrine of the Book, a round shaped building that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Garden of Gethsemane is the garden of Israel known as one of the places visited by Jesus Christ. Located near the Temple Mount, near Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives, the garden is beautiful, full of greenery and attentive care. Cave of Gethsemane is in the garden of Gethsemane and is where the Savior came to pray. In the Garden of Gethsemane are four places of worship: Tomb of the Virgin, Cave of Gethsemane, catching stone Jesus (here is a Catholic Church) and the Church of the Holy Archdeacon Stefan.

Top 20 most beautiful cities in the world (Part I )

This top is my own opinion about the most beautiful cities in the world. My choice was based on beauty, history and architecture of the buildings, the daily life of these cities as well as the beautiful landscape that gives each city included in this top.

Let's start with number 20:

20. Athens, Greece

Athens, capital of Greece, known as the city of gods and heroes, has greatly expanded cultural and economical since the time of Ancient Greece. The city takes its name from the Greek goddess Athena, who symbolized wisdom. The capital city is crossed by the River Kifissos which then flows into the Gulf of Thessaloniki and Faliro.

Today Athens is Greece's economic and cultural center, with many historical monuments included in the UNESCO heritage among which are found: the famous Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon, the Temple of Hephaestus, Agora, Piraeus Port and many other attractions that we recommend you visit .


19.Bern, Switzerland

Berne, capital of Switzerland, is one of the most visited swiss cities, considered the most beautiful medieval town in Switzerland. Located in an area full of hills and large forests, this city has a charm besides dream landscapes that offers, is also a very quiet town.The old town, full of narrow cobbled streets with old houses, has a special glow, give it by the landscape provided by the beauty of the Alps.

Among the major tourist attractions in Bern include: 
-Federal Palace, which houses the parliament and federal council; 
-Fountains from Bern that are known by their statues from the sixteenth century; 
-Clock tower in Bern, which is the symbol of the city,built in 1530, working as astronomical clock; 
-Cathedral of St. Vincent; 
-Boulevard Marktgasse-this street was built in the thirteenth century beeing very old and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage; 

-History Museum is the second largest museum in Switzerland, built in 1894 by architect Andre Lambert Neuchatel;

18.Jerusalem, Israel

Jerusalem the capital of Israel, is one of the oldest and most popular cities in the world. It is part of Palestine region and is considered a holy city for muslims, christian and jewish believers.

Among the most important tourist attractions in Jerusalem are included: 
-Western Wall has existed for about 2,000 years and was built by King Herod in order to extend the temple; 
-Dome of the Rock is a temple that protects under its dome the sacred rock of the hebrew, muslims and christians; 
-Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built on the spot where it was believed that Jesus would be buried; 

-The Citadel of Jerusalem, known as the Tower of David, was built by the kinh Herod in order to protect his palace ;

17.Dresden, Germany

Dresden, Germany, capital of the federal state of Saxony, situated on the shores of the river Elbe is considered the fourth largest city in Germany and more than half of its surface is represented by forests and green spaces, including four nature reserves . 

Among the most important tourist attractions in Dresden, are: 
-Albertinum museum, whose name comes from the Saxon King Albert, mainly hosting art museum in Dresden; 
-Church of Our Lady is one of the masterpieces of Baroque religious and huge dome set on a smaller square base known as Bell Rock, was the inspiration of George Bhar who designed the church as like a single piece from top to bottom; 

-Zwinger Palace in Dresden, is a baroque building, that houses an art collection;

16.Vienna, Austria

Vienna, Austria's capital , is located in the eastern extremity of this country and is crossed by the Danube. Viena is a typical European city,very compact that's why is very easy to visit all the major sights, that are located in the city center .

Some of the most important are:
- The Museum of Art is housed in a building that resembles a palace, is one of the most important museums of decorative art in the world ;
- House of Mozart-Mozart lived in this house most years, here composing The Marriage of Figaro and Impresario ;
- Rathaus , Vienna City Hall, is one of the most beautiful architectural buildings in Vienna , built in Gothic style ;
- Aquarium, Ocean House has over 3,500 aquatic species and is open daily living, in a kind of air defense bunker from World War II ;

- Vienna State Opera is one of the most important works in the world, here are presented a variety of opera and ballet of the highest artistic level;

15.Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city in Brazil, and its location on the Atlantic coast of South transform everything surrounding the spectacular attractions. 

Among these are: 
-statue of Christ the Redeemer, located on the Corcovado Mountain at a height of 2300 meters, is popular among tourists as a symbol of the city; 
-Mount Sugarloaf, which reach up to 1,300 meters above Guanabara Bay waters; 

-Copacabana Beach is one of the most famous beaches in the world, because the beach is bordered by the crystal clear waters of the ocean on one side, and the Copacabana boardwalk and all the modern facilities of the city on the other side:
-Maracana stadium is the largest football stadium in Brazil and the continent, with more than 82,000 seats. It was built in 1950 and was used primarily for soccer tournaments, major cultural events, concerts and other games;

14.Hong Kong 

Hong Kong is a special region of the Republic of China, which has autonomy. In the world, Hong Kong is known for its skyscrapers and his very deep harbour.  It is one of the most populated places in the world, the Hong Kong's population beeing represented in the large majority by the chinese. 

Some of the major tourist attractions are: 

-Buddha Temple of 10 000, is one of the most beautiful temples in Hong Kong. There are 12,000 statues of Buddha and monkeys and a pagoda that you can climb and in the end of these stairs beeing located a restaurant;
-Flagstaff House, the oldest colonial building in the city, houses a museum dedicated to tea culture in China, and its collections include about 600 pieces of earthenware and porcelain, from the seventh century to the present;
-Tsim Sha Tsui Cultural Center is one of the most ambitious projects of the city and consists in Museum and Planetarium Space and a concert hall of 3,000 seats, a theater with 1,500 seats, exhibition halls and lectures, the Art Museum and the cultural department of municipal administration;

13.Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul, called in ancient Byzantium, the former capital of the Roman Empire two short periods, is a city at the confluence of several cultures. After the mixture of civilizations, that have left their mark on the city, remained a number of tourist attractions and historical monuments that attract annually thousands of worldwide tourists.

City on two continents, Europe and Asia, Istanbul has a multitude of objectives and tourist attractions from witch I've decided to present you the two most important objectives:
-Blue Mosque, built by Sultan Ahmet between 1609 and 1616, is one of the most beautiful attractions in Istanbul with six minarets (towers) unlike other mosques that have four minarets, three or even one minaret;
-Topkapi Palace, built by Sultan Muhammad II after the conquest of Constantinople, housed all the Ottoman sultans. The palace has an area of ​​700 000 square meters on which was added a wall of 1400 meters. After Muhammad II, palace has developed gradually, becoming a complex of buildings and annexes. 

12.Cairo, Egypt

Cairo, called Umm al-Dunya, translated meaning mother of the world, is the largest city of Egypt and the largest city speaking arabic language, is inhabited by about 20 million people.

The city is located near the Nile River delta. Over time, the city has received several nicknames, the most interesting being the "City of 1,000 Minarets" because of Islamic architecture known for its towers.

 The most two popular tourist attractions in Cairo are:
-Cheops Pyramid meets three special qualities who multiply its value: it is the oldest, is the only one that has survived until today, and his name appears in various legends and controversies that have surrounded the entire construction in mystery;
-Sphinx was named by the Greeks, because of the amazing similarity with a mythical creature with a lion's body and a woman's head that engulf bystanders who not responding properly on his riddle. Carved from limestone outcrop in front of the Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx measures 50 meters in length and 22 tall. Some archaeologists attribute this monument to IV Dynasty of the pharaoh Cheops, but others suggest that the Sphinx dates back long before this dynasty.

11.Singapore

Singapore, the island city-state, is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit, Singapore has become the most expensive city in the world, displacing Tokyo. 
Some of the major tourist attraction are: 
-Singapore Flyer, the highest observation deck in the world for lovers of adrenaline; 
-Botanical garden, with exotic vegetation which covers 52 acres, is the most beautiful oasis in the world with thousands of orchids and other tropical plants and birds; 
-Zoo where animals and birds are well cared for, many of them being in freedom; 
-Temple and Museum "Tooth of the Buddha" - a collection of rare asian artifacts;

-National Museum of Singapore - the country's history from the 14th century to the present;


Tomorrow i will present the second part of the list that includes the top ten cities of the world, in my opinion. In future I will present in detail what each city can offer, to be able to give you an idea about what tourist destination to choose for your next vacations.