crown

Subscribe Now

FOLLOW US

Sign in

Photos: Beyond conflict, life within Jerusalem’s ancient Old City walls

Jerusalem’s Old City offers a glimpse of the city's richness but its ancient walls are at the heart of a renewed conflict --both Israel and the Palestinians lay claim to the 215 acres bound by them. AP photographer Oded Balilty looks at daily life along the disputed site.

Updated on: Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM IST

Share via

Copy link

1/12

What would Jerusalem be without its walls? These walls are at the heart of a renewed conflict -- both Israel and the Palestinians lay claim to the 215 acres bound within. But in its shadows, day-to-day life flourishes. Families picnic, worshippers pray, hawkers peddle souvenirs and snacks, and artists use the sand-hued stone as their canvas. A glimpse at daily life behind the historic Old City walls. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

What would Jerusalem be without its walls? These walls are at the heart of a renewed conflict -- both Israel and the Palestinians lay claim to the 215 acres bound within. But in its shadows, day-to-day life flourishes. Families picnic, worshippers pray, hawkers peddle souvenirs and snacks, and artists use the sand-hued stone as their canvas. A glimpse at daily life behind the historic Old City walls. (Oded Balilty / AP)

2/12

Armenian school kids play in the soccer field adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City Walls at the Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School. The iconic Old City walls have been a symbol of the city, and successive waves of conflict surrounding it for centuries. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Armenian school kids play in the soccer field adjacent to Jerusalem’s Old City Walls at the Sts. Tarkmanchatz Armenian School. The iconic Old City walls have been a symbol of the city, and successive waves of conflict surrounding it for centuries. (Oded Balilty / AP)

3/12

People walk next to Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. The current golden limestone walls date back to the 16th century. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the ramparts built after his father, Selim the Grim. The city remained under Ottoman rule for 400 years, until British Gen. Edmund Allenby marched through the Jaffa Gate on December 11, 1917 --the start of 30 years of British rule. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

People walk next to Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. The current golden limestone walls date back to the 16th century. Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent ordered the ramparts built after his father, Selim the Grim. The city remained under Ottoman rule for 400 years, until British Gen. Edmund Allenby marched through the Jaffa Gate on December 11, 1917 --the start of 30 years of British rule. (Oded Balilty / AP)

4/12

Over the course of its tumultuous 3,000-year history, Jerusalem’s Old City has had many masters, from the ancient Persians and Babylonians all the way up to the modern states of Jordan and Israel. There have been almost as many walls, some torn down by wars or earthquakes. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Over the course of its tumultuous 3,000-year history, Jerusalem’s Old City has had many masters, from the ancient Persians and Babylonians all the way up to the modern states of Jordan and Israel. There have been almost as many walls, some torn down by wars or earthquakes. (Oded Balilty / AP)

5/12

Israelis carry national flags outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, during Jerusalem Day which marks the 50th anniversary of Israel’s capture of the city’s eastern half from Jordanian control during the Six-Day War in 1967. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Israelis carry national flags outside the Old City’s Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, during Jerusalem Day which marks the 50th anniversary of Israel’s capture of the city’s eastern half from Jordanian control during the Six-Day War in 1967. (Oded Balilty / AP)

6/12

People coursing through Jerusalem’s Old City seen trough the city walls at Jaffa Gate. Today, the 2.5-mile (4 kilometer) circuit around the Old City brings visitors face-to-face with Jews, Muslim and Christian Arabs, Armenians, men and women of the cloth and tourists from around the globe. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

People coursing through Jerusalem’s Old City seen trough the city walls at Jaffa Gate. Today, the 2.5-mile (4 kilometer) circuit around the Old City brings visitors face-to-face with Jews, Muslim and Christian Arabs, Armenians, men and women of the cloth and tourists from around the globe. (Oded Balilty / AP)

7/12

Both Israel and the Palestinians lay claim to the 215 acres bound by the walls. After capturing the Old City in 1967, Israel annexed the entirety of east Jerusalem, a move which the international community doesn’t recognize. Palestinians seek east Jerusalem and the Old City as the capital of a future state. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Both Israel and the Palestinians lay claim to the 215 acres bound by the walls. After capturing the Old City in 1967, Israel annexed the entirety of east Jerusalem, a move which the international community doesn’t recognize. Palestinians seek east Jerusalem and the Old City as the capital of a future state. (Oded Balilty / AP)

8/12

Palestinians ride horses during the Eid al-Fitr holiday outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. These conflicting claims have erupted into violence numerous times in the past. On December 6, 2017 President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital enraged Palestinians and much of the Muslim world. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Palestinians ride horses during the Eid al-Fitr holiday outside Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. These conflicting claims have erupted into violence numerous times in the past. On December 6, 2017 President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital enraged Palestinians and much of the Muslim world. (Oded Balilty / AP)

9/12

A man prays facing Jerusalem’s Old City walls between Jaffa Gate and Zion Gate. Although Trump said his declaration did not prejudge the outcome of negotiations on the city’s final borders, it was seen by the Palestinians as siding with Israel and has led to several weeks of clashes. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

A man prays facing Jerusalem’s Old City walls between Jaffa Gate and Zion Gate. Although Trump said his declaration did not prejudge the outcome of negotiations on the city’s final borders, it was seen by the Palestinians as siding with Israel and has led to several weeks of clashes. (Oded Balilty / AP)

10/12

Palestinians pray as Israeli border police officers stand guard at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City. Dozens of Muslims on July 25, 2017 prayed in the street outside a major Jerusalem shrine, heeding a call by clerics not to enter the site until a dispute with Israel over security arrangements was settled. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Palestinians pray as Israeli border police officers stand guard at the Lion’s Gate in the Old City. Dozens of Muslims on July 25, 2017 prayed in the street outside a major Jerusalem shrine, heeding a call by clerics not to enter the site until a dispute with Israel over security arrangements was settled. (Oded Balilty / AP)

11/12

Israeli Arab Christian school kids play in De La Salle School’s basketball yard surrounded by the Old City walls next to the New Gate. Amid prolonged political conflicts spanning decades, day-to-day life continues to flourish within these historic sand-hued stone walls. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

Israeli Arab Christian school kids play in De La Salle School’s basketball yard surrounded by the Old City walls next to the New Gate. Amid prolonged political conflicts spanning decades, day-to-day life continues to flourish within these historic sand-hued stone walls. (Oded Balilty / AP)

12/12

People buy items from a grocery store located between Damascus Gate and the Flowers Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. As Israelis and Palestinians remain enmeshed in a tussle for territory and dignity, the walls of Jerusalem speak of a culturally rich and diverse city. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Updated on Jan 01, 2018 12:43 PM

People buy items from a grocery store located between Damascus Gate and the Flowers Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City. As Israelis and Palestinians remain enmeshed in a tussle for territory and dignity, the walls of Jerusalem speak of a culturally rich and diverse city. (Oded Balilty / AP)

Related Photos

Home/Photos/News/Photos: Beyond Conflict, Life Within Jerusalem’s Ancient Old City Walls

© 2026 HindustanTimes