Photography | Palestine

Holy Week in Jerusalem (al-Quds)

Series: A photographic tour of Palestine narrated by quotes from my book, Fugitive Dreams: Chronicles of Occupation and Resistance.

“Jerusalem was always an exciting place: the center of our religions, the center of our commerce, steeped in history. When we were young, going to Jerusalem was an adventure. It still is, though the adventure has taken a different form.”

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The Old City from the Citadel (Photo by the author, 2011).

Palm Sunday

“I participated in the Catholic Palm Sunday procession from Bethany to Jerusalem, retracing the steps of Jesus alongside pilgrims from all over the world.”

Jesus rode a donkey to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Photo by the author, 2013).

“We left the confines of the church in two columns along the narrow, winding, road connecting the village with Jerusalem. Worshippers carried palm fronds and sang hymns while spectators lined both sides of the road. We first climbed the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives, then descended its western slopes through a vast Jewish cemetery into the Valley of Kidron, then ascended to the Old City. Not too many miles, but the stop-and-go pace, in the hot naked sun, made it more tiresome.”

Palm Sunday procession descending the Mount of Olives, past the Church of Gethsemane and the Tomb of Mary (Photo by the author, 2004).

“By the time we left Bethany, the front of the procession would have reached Jerusalem, slowing down everyone behind as they squeezed, two-by-two, through the narrow Old City gate. In all, it took us about three hours to cover the distance.”

Procession enters the Old City gate (Photos by the author, 2004).

Tareeq al-Aalaam (Via Dolorosa, Way of Torment)