Inside the Shadow in Jaffa Gate

You have entered another world, a world where ancient architecture and stone commingle with modern and traditional sights and sounds. It is place where people and animals outnumber vehicles. You are in a plaza with small shops and restaurants to the left, and David’s Citadel to the right. Nearby streets are narrow, and you can hear your footsteps hitting stone. If you proceed straight ahead from Jaffa Gate, you enter one of the many long and partially covered bazaars. This is the David Street Bazaar. If you proceed to the right you enter the Armenian Christian Quarter. The Old City has four ethnic and religious quarters: an Armenian Christian Quarter, a Western Christian Quarter, a Moslem Quarter and a Jewish Quarter. On both sides of the bazaar, storefronts of all types coexist in a colorful array. There are also intersecting streets leading to other bazaars and quarters. On a typical day, a visitor moves along with hundreds of people, some who are visiting and some who are residents. Your travel is frequently interrupted and you have no choice but to move slowly.