revcdt's Photobucket MIddle East Trip album media

Tomb in the Coptic cemetery

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:23 MDT

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Tomb in the Coptic cemetery - 52-CiaroCopticcemetery.jpg

Our felicitous felucca

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:22 MDT

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Our felicitous felucca - 54-felucca02.jpg

Ahmed at the tiller

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:21 MDT

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Ahmed at the tiller - 55-felucca03.jpg

Sunset over Zamalek

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:20 MDT

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Sunset over Zamalek - 56Nilesunset.jpg

Yes, the pyramids

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:19 MDT

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Yes, the pyramids - 58-pyramids.jpg

And the Sphinx

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:18 MDT

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And the Sphinx - 59-pyramids.jpg

The Step Pyramid of Zoser

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:17 MDT

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The Step Pyramid of Zoser - 61-steppyramid.jpg

The entrance to Zoser's pyramid

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:16 MDT

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The entrance to Zoser's pyramid - 62-steppyramidentrance.jpg

A yellow moon over downtown Cairo

revcdt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:08:15 MDT

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A yellow moon over downtown Cairo - 63-cairomoon.jpg

St. James of Jerusalem Armenian Orthodox Cathedral

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:14 MDT

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St. James of Jerusalem Armenian Orthodox Cathedral - 39-StJamesArmenianOrthoCathedral.jpg

Named for the brother of Jesus, not the one of Santiago and Madison Ave. fame - pretty cool doorway, though

Chapel of the Flagellation

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:13 MDT

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Chapel of the Flagellation - 40-stationone-ChapeloftheFlagellati.jpg

The first station of the cross on the Via Dolorosa

Ecce Homo arch

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:12 MDT

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Ecce Homo arch - 41-EcceHomoarch.jpg

Where Pilate is supposed to have brought out Christ to show the crowd, saying "Behold the man" ("ecce homo" for Latin buffs) - could be the second station, but no marker says that

The third station

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:11 MDT

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The third station - 43-stationthree.jpg

where Jesus is supposed to have come upon his mother - or maybe it's the fourth, depends who's telling - usually it's considered the latter, but there's another doorway that is marked as four

The fifth station

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:10 MDT

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The fifth station - 45-stationfive.jpg

Where Simon of Cyrene was forced to carry Jesus' cross

The sixth station

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:09 MDT

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The sixth station - 46-stationsix.jpg

Where Veronica wiped Christ's face - no, I didn't try to see the cloth that is claimed to have an impression of his face...

The eighth station

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:08 MDT

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The eighth station - 48-stationeight.jpg

Where Jesus told the women to cry for themselves and their children - not an impressive marker

The ninth station with a Coptic church

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:07 MDT

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The ninth station with a Coptic church - 49-stationnine.jpg

Where Jesus fell a third time - the marker is beside the doorway

Via Dolorosa

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:06 MDT

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Via Dolorosa - 50-viadolorosa.jpg

A section of the street where the buildings overhead create a low and claustrophobic ceiling

Full moon over the Gulf of Aqaba

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:05 MDT

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Full moon over the Gulf of Aqaba - 51-moonoveraqaba.jpg

A little moonglow on the water, the lights of Saudi Arabia across the Gulf - an evening of R&R

The Ostrowski family

revcdt — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:04 MDT

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The Ostrowski family - 51-Ostrowskisatcanyon.jpg

I meant to include this earlier - my hosts and traveling guides - Vicki, Mar-Jan, young Alastair, and the baby Victoria - in the canyon that leads from the Sinai mountains down to the Gulf at Taba

Al Aqsa Mosque

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:33 MDT

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Al Aqsa Mosque - 25-AlAqsaMosque.jpg

The primary place of worship on the Temple Mount, the Islamic holy site in Jerusalem

The Dome of the Rock

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:32 MDT

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The Dome of the Rock - 26-DomeoftheRock.jpg

The most famous mosque on the Temple Mount, but not the one most used - on Judgment Day, Muslims believe that scales hung from the arches before the Dome will weigh human souls

The Sabil

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:31 MDT

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The Sabil - 28-theSabil.jpg

An ablution tower - a gift from Egypt, notable for having the only carved stone dome outside that country

View of Mount of Olives

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:30 MDT

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View of Mount of Olives - 29-MountOlivesview.jpg

Shot from the Temple Mount, note the Russian Orthodox church at the base of the Mount of Olives

The Dome of the Rock

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:29 MDT

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The Dome of the Rock - 30-Domeview.jpg

The mosaic walls are stunning

Three Domes

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:28 MDT

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Three Domes - 31-Mountdomes.jpg

The one in the middle is green tile

The Wailing Wall with Bar Mitzvahs

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:27 MDT

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The Wailing Wall with Bar Mitzvahs - 32-WailingWallbarmitzvahs.jpg

A wild scene on Thursday mornings with several bar mitzvahs at once, huge crowds, and much dancing, singing, and drumming

Old Jerusalem street

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:26 MDT

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Old Jerusalem street - 33-OldCitystreet.jpg

Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:25 MDT

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Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem - 35-ChurchofNativityBethlehem.jpg

The entry facade of the church

The Door of Humility

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:24 MDT

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The Door of Humility - 36-DoorofHumility.jpg

The only doorway was likely lowered to prevent soldiers from riding in - now, of course, it's been turned into a lesson in piety

Star marking spot of Christ's birth

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:23 MDT

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Star marking spot of Christ's birth - 37-Nativitystar.jpg

Under the church, in what is now a grotto, rock against which a stable was built, and this star marks the spot where Christians have believed since the fourth century that Christ was born

The Manger

revcdt — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:22 MDT

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The Manger - 38-mangerspot.jpg

A chapel with lanterns marking the spot where the manger was believed to be

Old Jerusalem market

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:24 MDT

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Old Jerusalem market - 13-Jerusalemmarketview.jpg

Note the dome of the Church of St. John the Baptist at the end of the street

A bride dancing in the Cardo

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:23 MDT

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A bride dancing in the Cardo - 14-brideincardo.jpg

On the way to her wedding, accompanied by singing bridesmaids, this young woman danced by the wall and columns of the ancient marketplace in the Jewish Quarter.

The Wailing Wal

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:22 MDT

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The Wailing Wal - 15-TheWailingWall.jpg

The door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:21 MDT

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The door to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - 17-HolySepulchredoor.jpg

This church is on what was then Golgotha, the hill that was then outside the city walls where Christ was crucified - scholarly disputes aside

Mosaic in the Chapel of Calvary

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:20 MDT

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Mosaic in the Chapel of Calvary - 18-HolySepulchremosaic2.jpg

The Chapel of Calvary

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:19 MDT

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The Chapel of Calvary - 19-Calvarychapel.jpg

This portion of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is Greek Orthodox - the silver lamps and silver decorations are overwhelming

The Rock of Golgotha

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:18 MDT

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The Rock of Golgotha - 20-Golgotharock.jpg

In the glass to the right of the altar you can see the rock from the hill onto which the church was built - under the altar you can kneed and reach down to touch it

The chapel of the tomb

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:17 MDT

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The chapel of the tomb - 21-sepulchrechapel.jpg

Under a huge dome is this "church within the church," a tiny chapel that is built over where they believed, many centuries ago, they had found Christ's tomb

Byzantine mosaic

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:16 MDT

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Byzantine mosaic - 22-StHelenaChapelmosaic.jpg

This detail from a possibly 4th century mosaic shows Noah's ark

Minaret and cross in Old Jerusalem

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:15 MDT

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Minaret and cross in Old Jerusalem - 23-minaretandcross.jpg

Old Jerusalem rooftop view

revcdt — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 23:49:14 MDT

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Old Jerusalem rooftop view - 24-OldJerusalemrooftopview.jpg

Old Cairo alleyway

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:13:00 MDT

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Old Cairo alleyway - 01-OldCairoalleyway.jpg

Moses' spring

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:59 MDT

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Moses' spring - 02-Mosesinbullrushes.jpg

Behind Ben Ezra Synagogue, who claim this to be where the infant Moses was found by Pharaoh's daughter

St. Barbara's Church

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:58 MDT

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St. Barbara's Church - 03-StBarbaramass.jpg

Mass in this Coptic church in Old Cairo

The Great Pyramid

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:57 MDT

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The Great Pyramid - 04-pyramidgolf.jpg

Shot from a golf club at the pyramid's base

Cairo market street

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:56 MDT

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Cairo market street - 05-Cairomarket.jpg

view from Bab Zuwayla minaret

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:55 MDT

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view from Bab Zuwayla minaret - 06-minaretview.jpg

I heard the call to prayer from all of these minarets simultaneously!

Bab Zuwayla minarets

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:54 MDT

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Bab Zuwayla minarets - 07-BabZuwaylamosque.jpg

This mosque's minarets were incorporated into a city gate, the Bab Zuwayla.

Tentmakers' alley

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:53 MDT

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Tentmakers' alley - 08-tentmakersalley.jpg

Mohammed Ali Mosque mihrab

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:52 MDT

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Mohammed Ali Mosque mihrab - 09-MohammedAlimihrab.jpg

Marble prayer niche that indicates the direction of Mecca - the 19th century mosque is the centerpiece of the Citadel

Qala'un Mosque dome

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:51 MDT

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Qala'un Mosque dome - 10-Qalaunmosquedome.jpg

Mosque al-Hussein door

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:50 MDT

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Mosque al-Hussein door - 11-al-Husseindoor.jpg

an open-air shave

revcdt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:12:49 MDT

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an open-air shave - 12-open-airshave.jpg