Walking into the Old City feels like stepping inside a history book. The walls surrounding it were built hundreds of years ago and are thick enough that you could park a car on top of them. Eight old gates let visitors in, each one with its own name and story.
Inside the walls you find narrow covered markets called souqs. Stalls overflow with spices in every shade of yellow, red, and green, along with hand-painted pottery, glass lamps, and sweet pastries. The smell of freshly baked bread mixes with cardamom-spiced coffee.
The stones of the Old City have soaked up thousands of years of footsteps. Some of the paving slabs in the lanes are so worn and smooth from centuries of sandals and boots that they shine like mirrors after rain. Builders here have always used the local limestone - called 'Jerusalem stone' - which means almost every wall, arch, and staircase glows the same warm cream colour.