Muslim Quarter

Today’s tour takes us to the other side of the Old city we have only before scratched the surface on: The Muslim quarter. We began our tour by meeting our guide for the day and lining up to go on top of the temple mount. Since the Al-Aqsa intifada in 2000, the Muslim Waqf that controls the space only allows non-Muslims to be on the Harem Al-Sharif for one hour on two separate days and are not allowed to enter the Dome of the Rock or Al-Aqsa Mosque as punishment for what had happened. As a consequence of this, what I expected to see in this place became very different than the atmosphere I observed. While I expected there to be a serious and reverent tone by everyone in the square, the large majority of Muslims and saw seemed to feel relaxed and comfortable in their surroundings. Our guide explains that the Muslim community in Jerusalem feel that the Harem Al-Sharif is one of the few places that the Muslim community of Jerusalem feel really belongs to them and therefore use it as a public space as you would a park or community center. Inside the Dome of the Chain, a smaller open structure next to the dome of the rock there are two Muslim families picnicking inside, giving apprehensive looks to our small tour group. They have spread their blankets and chairs inside of the dome in an attempt to escape the midday Jerusalem sun. As I look over to the Dome of the Rock, a pride of Muslim architecture and calligraphy, I see a young boy bouncing a soccer ball against the ancient wonder, oblivious that this small area is the center of so much meaning and conflict. To him it is just a part of his small world, a friend to bounce his ball back to him. On the temple mount, public fountains, arches and other structures pay homage to the various Muslim rulers of Jerusalem, each bearing the symbol of the specific dynasty and leader. After the hour allowed to non-Muslims to visit, we were promptly asked to leave by the Waqf authorities.


One of our next stops was to be among the most memorable of my time in Jerusalem as well as the honor to meet one of the most positive people I have ever encountered. Within the Muslim quarter of the old city, we are taken up stairways through narrow courtyards to the home of the Naqshabandi Sufi (Uzbek) center in Jeruslem. Here Sheikh Buhkari’s family came from Uzbekistan in 1616 to establish a place for sufi teaching and meditation and to welcome travelers. The house has remained in the hands of the Buhkari family to this day. The Sufi Order of Islam is the Mystic branch, emphasizing interpretation of dreams and meditation to feel G*d’s prescence. The focus is on the heart and that you should feel G*d with you heart rather than analyze with your mind. We sat with Sheikh Buhkari in his living room, filled with creaky old furniture from the Ottoman era. The Sheikh explained he felt most comfortable surrounded by the things of his family, as the furniture was purchased by his grandfather. Pictures of the famous line of Sufi teachers adorned the walls, as we sat in a type of living museum. There was a warmth and welcomingness to Sheikh Buhkari on the scale of which is rarely seen. In addition to being a scholar and teacher of Sufi Islam, Sheikh Buhkari is also a peace activist, believing most strongly that interaction between the various religious and ethnic groups will lead to greater understanding and peace among the residents of Jerusalem. The Sheikh along with other clerics of Judaism, Christianity and Islam participated in a project called Face 2 Face which shows a lighter side and to promote the idea that we are all people and not that different from one another. The Sheikh’s house was a testement to the rich history of the Buhkari family, with versions of the Koran and commentaries dating back 1000 years. At the end of our time, the Sheikh charged each one of us to be ambassadors of peace, and that through even small individual efforts we can accomplish great things. With all the feelings of hopelessness in regards to the conflict the Sheikh and his home serve as a sanctuary of promise in a city with its share of problems.

We stopped to have lunch at a small hummus restaurant with excellent food. On the wall was a copy of a medieval document of Muslim decree that banned Jews from visiting the Temple Mount within the print of the document. Although it had this divisive content, our guide explained most Muslim patrons of the restaurant just enjoy its historic ties. Touring again through the Arab markets and narrow streets we see the remnants of Mameluke architecture and Muslim Jerusalem. Our guide points out a poster above the doorway to a home, marking that the occupant had made the Haaj to Mecca, and received the poster upon their return.

This tour really helped to get a better hold on the relationship of Muslims in the old city to the Haram Al-Sharif and to notice the more subtle aspects of the Muslim influence in Jerusalem.