David's Tower

David's Tower is one of the oldest buildings you will see, above ground, in The Old City of Jerusalem.

The Jewish historian Josephus Flavius gave it that name nearly 2000 years ago probably because he thought that King David's original palace had stood there, nearly a thousand years earlier, although he plainly declares that the builder was Herod the Great, the Nabetean king whom the Romans placed to rule over the Jews in about 40 BCE.

He is also purported to be the builder of the Temple of which the Wailing Wall and the other outer perimeter walls which remain to this day as evidence of his enormous building operations.

Today the City of Jerusalem houses an excellent museum in this ancient tower depicting the history of Jerusalem from the days of father Abraham's meeting here with Melchizedek about 2500 years BCE to the days of the British Mandate of 1917 - 1948.

The building as seen from the outside is another example of another great builder of beautiful buildings, Suleiman the Magnificent in 1538. He was being true to his namesake, KIng Solomon, another great builder.

The Tower of David was a very scary place for the poor Jews of the Old City during many centuries of Moslem rule from the days of Saladin who conquered Jerusalem from the Crusaders to the days of the British Mandate of 1917 because the city's Moslem government and court sat in judgement where the Jews had less standing than the governor's ass or dog. Jews were thrown into prison there at the slightes pretext.

Here's a good site for David's Tower http://www.towerofdavid.org.il/English/Night_Spectacular