Jewish Quarter Jerusalem: A Guide to the Quarter, the Cardo and the Hurva Synagogue

Where It Sits and How Big It Is

The Jewish Quarter lies in the southeast of the Old City, and the sources give its size as roughly 28 to 29 acres. The walled Old City itself covers 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi) and is divided into four quarters. Zion Gate is on the southern wall in the Jewish Quarter, and Dung Gate, widened for vehicles in 1952 and again in 1984 and 1985 to a 4.5 m opening, is the access point for buses to the Western Wall.

The quarter had about 3,240 residents in 2020, against about 21,850 in the Muslim Quarter, and 3,870 in the Christian Quarter. Those figures come from the Old City's population counts.

1948 and What Was Lost

The Jewish Quarter surrendered on 28 May 1948. Chief Rabbi Herzog said afterwards that 22 of the Old City's 27 synagogues had been razed. The great Hurva Synagogue, built in 1864, was destroyed on 27 May 1948, and the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue, built in 1872, was destroyed the same year.

The Batei Mahse housing complex was built between 1860 and 1890 and includes the Rothschild House of 1871.

The Rebuild After 1967

After 1967 the quarter was rebuilt on top of its own ruins. Nahman Avigad began the Jewish Quarter excavations in 1969, and the digs found the Burnt House, the Broad Wall, the Herodian Quarter, the Israelite Tower, the Byzantine Cardo and the Nea Church. By 1980 a building project had constructed 37 housing units and 35 shops around the finds.

The Broad Wall turned out to be an 8th-century BCE fortification built against the Assyrian threat of 701 BCE. If you want this whole story told on foot, the Jerusalem Old City Walking Tour covers the route from Jaffa Gate to the Western Wall in 4 hours for $57 per person, and the private Old City Four Quarters Tour runs 5 hours for $500 per group.

The Sights at a Glance

The table below gathers the quarter's main sights in one place. Entry is given only where a price is published, so read the other rows as not stated rather than free.

The Cardo

The Cardo was laid out around 120 to 130 CE and extended by Justinian in the 6th century, and the Madaba Map shows it.

The street was about 22.5 m wide, with a 12 m central roadway and two colonnaded walks, and the columns stood 5.77 m apart. The original pavement lies several metres below the present Jewish Quarter Street, and the restored Cardo is now a shopping street and tourist site.

Among the guided tours on this site that include it: the Jerusalem Old City Tour from Tel Aviv lists Roman Cardo remnants among its stops at $90 per person for 10.5 hours, and the Private Jerusalem Holy City Tour lists the Cardo at $190 per person for 3 to 5 hours with a hotel meet-up.

Hurva Synagogue

The Hurva Synagogue is the landmark of the quarter, about 24 m to the top of its dome. The 1864 building was designed in Neo-Byzantine style by the Ottoman court architect Assad Effendi, and one source dates the original synagogue on the site to 1701. The synagogue was destroyed on 27 May 1948. A single commemorative arch stood at the site from 1977 until the rebuild, which took five years and finished on 15 March 2010.

The rebuilt hall holds about 250 worshippers, against 450 in the original. Entry prices for a visit are not stated here, so ask at the door.

Ramban Synagogue and the Four Sephardic Synagogues

The Ramban Synagogue dates from 1267.

The Four Sephardic Synagogues date from the 1600s . Neither has an entry price listed here.

Burnt House and the Excavations

The Burnt House belonged to the priestly Kathros family and was destroyed in 70 CE. It was found in the post-1967 digs.

The Wohl Archaeological Museum, also called the Herodian Quarter, holds the remains of a palatial Herodian mansion, with a carved Temple menorah. The Broad Wall, the 8th-century BCE fortification, the Israelite Tower and the Nea Church were also found in the digs. Prices and opening hours for the Burnt House and the Wohl Museum are not stated here, so confirm locally.

Zion Gate and Dung Gate

Zion Gate, built in July 1540 with the Arabic name Bab an-Nabi Dawud, is on the southern wall of the quarter. Its key was handed over on 13 May 1948 when British forces left, and the gate was restored in 2008.

Dung Gate, built between 1537 and 1541 as a pedestrian opening about 1.5 m wide, was widened for vehicles in 1952 and again in 1984 and 1985 to 4.5 m. It is the main vehicle exit from the Old City and the access point for the buses to the Western Wall, which the Foundation lists as routes 1, 2, 3 and 83. The Western Wall itself has its own guide on this site.

What You See There

The Jerusalem Archaeological Park and Davidson Center opened in April 2001 and reopened in 2023 after renovation. Its headline find is the Herodian paved street, about 750 m long and 8 m wide, which led pilgrims to the Temple's western entrance. Benjamin Mazar's team uncovered four Umayyad palaces here, and palace number 2 once had a bridge to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Opening hours for the Davidson Center are not stated here, so confirm before you go.

Davidson Center Ticket Prices

The park charges ₪40 for adults and ₪22 for children, students, soldiers and Israeli seniors. A guided tour costs ₪55 per adult and ₪45 per child, with entrance included in that price.

The table below sets the two ways in side by side so you can compare them at a glance.

Going with a Guide Instead

If you want the underground Jerusalem story in one day, the City of David and Underground Jerusalem Day Tour covers the City of David, the Gihon Spring, the Pool of Siloam and the Pilgrimage Road for $89 per person over 9 hours, with entry fees, hotel pickup and drop-off included. It does not list the Davidson Center among its stops, so a visit there is a separate stop on your own day in the quarter.

What Changes on Friday and Saturday

The Western Wall plaza is open all day, every day of the year. On Shabbat and Jewish holidays the Western Wall Heritage Foundation asks visitors at the plaza not to use electronic devices or amplification, not to take pictures and not to write. Eating, smoking and lighting candles are not allowed at the plaza, and the Foundation also bans alcohol, balloons, signs, sharp tools, musical instruments and animals other than guide dogs from the plaza.

The light rail does not run a daytime Shabbat service, with trains resuming after Shabbat ends, so build your return trip around that. Keep your visit simple and respectful, and check the days and hours section of the homepage comparison before you set out.

Seeing It with a Guide

The Jerusalem Old City Shabbat Tour is built around exactly this window. It runs 2.5 hours for $47 per person, meets at Jaffa Gate, and walks through Jaffa Gate, the Tower of David, the Jewish Quarter markets and the Hurva Synagogue before reaching the Western Wall as the sun prepares to set and returning to Jaffa Gate. Entry fees are not listed as included and food and drinks are not included, so it is a guided walk only.

The tour's listed quarter is the Jewish Quarter, and the route covers its markets. It is the shortest guided walk on the site's comparison table, and it carries a 4.9 rating from 10 reviews, so read those reviews as a small sample before you book.