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The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
The Metropolitan Jerusalem Master Plan
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The Mikvaot Project
exhibits the importance
of water in the Temple
services and in the lives
of Jerusalem’s inhabitants
in Temple times.
The Jerusalem 5800 vision is underway, and its first initiative can already
be seen on the ground – a park that integrates the archeological endeavor
into an attractive and cutting edge tourist experience.
The Mikvaot Project is the Jerusalem
5800’s first project, and will serve as
the prototype for the tourism initiative,
blending exploration of the past and
contemporary tourism. This project spans
around one acre of land and its initiators
and planners were among the planners for
the Jerusalem 5800 project.
This project exposes the archeological
layers yet unknown to the public that are
found tens of meters under the Temple
Mount, in the Gan HaOphel area (the
Temple Mount excavations). It focuses on
the link connecting the City of David and
the Temple Mount, on which the temple
built by King Solomon was constructed.
The project costs approximately NIS 8
million, and other than a pedestrian route,
is completely accessible for those with
disabilities. Conventions and concerts for
hundreds of people will be able to take
place there, with the City of David and the
Temple Mount in the background.
The Mikvaot Project exhibits the
importance of water in the Temple
services and in the lives of Jerusalem’s
inhabitants during Temple times. It also
showcases the centrality of the Mikvah
(ritual bath) as a place of purification in
Jewish life everywhere and its particular
importance in the environs of the
Temple. Jewish Law dictates that without
immersing in the Mikvah, one could not
enter any part of either the First or Second
Temples. Excavation and revitalization of
this area, seldom visited by tourists despite
its close proximity to popular sites like
the Western Wall and the City of David,
actualizes two of the Jerusalem 5800
Plan's goals. It both restores abandoned
zones that were once central to the city’s
inhabitants and creates an additional
tourist attraction, which will enable the
tourist to fully experience life in Temple
times.
This project will connect two existing
points of attraction: The Western Wall
and the City of David. In this way, a
sightseeing expanse will be created that
covers one unified tourist site.
Hotels and Tourism
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The Mikvaot (Ritual Baths) Project
Hotels and Tourism