The Ramparts Walk follows the top of the Old City walls, offering a perspective on Jerusalem that no other experience provides. From the walls, you look down into the city on one side and out across Jerusalem on the other, seeing the Old City’s four quarters, its rooftops, its hidden courtyards, and its relationship to the surrounding hills from above. The walk is divided into two sections: the northern route (from the Jaffa Gate to the Lions’ Gate) and the southern route (from the Jaffa Gate to the Dung Gate, near the Western Wall).
Northern Route
The northern section passes above the Christian Quarter and the Muslim Quarter, with views down into the domes and courtyards of churches, monasteries, and mosques. From above, the density and complexity of the Old City becomes clear: buildings piled on buildings, rooftops used as walkways, gardens hidden behind walls, and the chaos of the market streets visible as narrow canyons below. The route passes above the Damascus Gate, the busiest gate, offering a bird’s-eye view of the crowds entering and leaving the city.
Southern Route
The southern section passes above the Armenian Quarter and the Jewish Quarter, with views of Mount Zion, the Kidron Valley, and the City of David. The view from the southern wall toward the Mount of Olives places the entire biblical geography of Jerusalem in a single panorama.
The Walls
The walls themselves were built by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent between 1535 and 1542. They are 4 kilometers long, average 12 meters high, and include 34 watchtowers and 7 open gates. Suleiman built them on the foundations of earlier walls, some dating to the Roman and Crusader periods, and the occasional Roman column or Crusader stone is visible in the Ottoman construction.
Walls During the Division
From 1948 to 1967, the Old City was under Jordanian control, and the walls served a military purpose that Suleiman would have recognized. Jordanian soldiers patrolled the ramparts and manned positions along the walls, particularly on the sections facing Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem. Snipers on the walls occasionally fired at Israelis on the other side of the armistice line, and residents of border neighborhoods like Musrara lived in constant danger. Bullet holes from Jordanian fire are still visible in buildings along the former border. The walls that tourists now walk for panoramic views were, within living memory, a military firing line. Walking the ramparts today, looking down at the neighborhoods that were once in the line of fire, is a reminder of how recently Jerusalem was a divided and dangerous city.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Ramparts Walk is an underrated experience that provides orientation, perspective, and photography opportunities that no street-level walk can match. Hoshen Tours recommends the northern section for first-time visitors and the southern section for those interested in the Temple Mount area.