TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Take a tour of Jerusalem without leaving your couch
The city of Jerusalem is accessible to virtual visitors during lockdown.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A worshiper prays outside the closed door of the Holy Sepulchre Church during Palm Sunday in Jerusalem's Old City amid movement restrictions due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, on April 5 2020.
(AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)
T
hose of you who are yearning to get away from it all might well consider a virtual excursion to Jerusalem, which is now just a few clicks away thanks to the launch of a digital tours platform that enables you to visit many of the attractions in the ancient city.
In partnership with the East Jerusalem Development Company and Bridgify, the city of Jerusalem has launched a platform offering virtual visits to its ramparts, holy sites, temples and museums. A catalogue of virtual tours, many of which are free, is made available to internet users once they have registered with the service.
Read also: In Jerusalem, Christians mark a sombre Easter
Accessible via the website www.explore.itraveljerusalem.com, the new platform will be especially well-received by travelers who are currently deprived of their usual regimen of excursions, hikes and historical tours. The catalogue of what is available includes both virtual tours and visits to museums. There is also a culinary section, which, however, has not yet been provided with content.
In the run-up to Easter, the new service will also enable people to "attend" religious ceremonies. Internet users can already virtually light a candle in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (for a fee of US$19.90) or leave a message on the Western Wall. There is also a webcam with a live feed showing what is going on at this particular monument. On Sunday, believers living under lockdown have the option of attending the Birkat Kohanim, the traditional Jewish priestly blessing.
