Palestine and Syria: Handbook for Travelers
Leaving the Church of the Sepulchre, and ascending the steps towards the W., we pass under a vaulting into the so-called Street of the Christians (Hâret en-Nasâra), one of the principal bazaar-streets of Jerusalem. The shops here are somewhat more in the European style than in the other streets. This is the favourite resort of the pilgrims. On the W. side of the street is the Greek Monastery (P1.57), called Dêr er-Rûm el-Kebîr, the 'great' monastery or Patriarcheion, entered from the Hâret Dêr er-Rûm on the N. side. It is a building of considerable extent and an interesting example of Jerusalem architecture, and is first mentioned in 1400 as the monastery of St. Thecla. Since 1845 it has been the residence of the Greek patriarch. It contains five churches, of which three are parochial. The principal church is that of St. Thecla, which is unfortunately overladen with decoration. To the E. of it are the churches of Constantine and Helena, contiguous to the Church of the Sepulchre. The monastery also accommodates travellers. It is famed for its valuable library and fine MSS.
About halfway down the Christian Street there is a large Arabian cafe on the right, whence we obtain the best survey of the so called Patriarch's Pool (PI. D, 4). By the side of the cafe' is a tavern. The pool is an artificial reservoir, 80 yds. long (N. to S.) and 48 yds. wide. The bottom, which is rocky, and partly covered with small stones, lies 10 ft. below the level of the Christian Street. On the W. side part of the rock has been removed, in order that a level surface might be obtained. In summer the reservoir is either empty or contains a little muddy water only. It is supplied from the Mâmilla pool (p. 81), and the water is chiefly used for filling the large 'Bath of the Patriarch' (PI. 34), at the S.E. end of the Christian Street, whence the name, 'pool of the patriarch's bath' (Birket Hammâm el-Batrak). On the N. it is bounded by the so called Coptic Khân (PI. k). This reservoir formerly extended farther to the N. , as far as a wall which has been found under the Coptic Khân. Its construction is ascribed to King Hezekiah , after whom it is sometimes called the Pool of Hezekiah, but it is difficult now to ascertain whether there is any foundation for the tradition. Josephus calls it Amygdalon, or the 'tower-pool'.
On reaching the S. end of the Christian Street we perceive at the corner of a street to the left the Greek Monastery of St. John (PI. 66), which sometimes accommodates as many as 500 pilgrims at Easter. We now descend the Hâret el-Bizâr, or 'David Street', to the left, which forms the corn-market, as we see by the large heaps of grain and baskets of seed in every direction.
Proceeding in the David Street farther towards the E. , a few paces bring us to the Old Bazaar (PI. E, 4) , consisting of three covered streets running from S. to N. and intersected by several transverse lanes. The bazaar is very inferior to those of Cairo and Damascus, and presents no features of special interest, as Jerusalem possesses neither manufactories nor wholesale trade worthy of mention. There are accordingly but few large khâns here; the largest is situated to the E. of the bazaar.
The prolongation of the E. bazaar street leads towards the S. to the Jewish Quarter (PI. E, 5), a dirty street with brokers' stalls, shops for the sale of tin-ware manufactured by the Jews, and several uninviting wine-houses. Near the end of the street we turn to the left and reach the Synagogues (PI. S), none of which are interesting.