Page 18 - Yamin Moshe Inter - Tour Book

18

Intermediate Level – השמ ןימי

Mt. Zion Hotel

The building of Mt. Zion hotel was once an English hospital. In

1948, in the War of Independence, there were only Israeli

soldiers in the building. They transferred their weapons and

wounded people from Mt. Zion via a cable car that passed

through the Gay-Ben-Hinom valley.

Until the Six-Day War the Israelis were afraid to live in the area,

because it was close to Jordan and only after the war in 1968

(they) turned the building into a hotel in a Mid-Eastern style.

Today this place is very popular.

On the lower floor of the building there is a Chamam, built as a

Turkish Chamam. It has hot water faucets in the wall, from

which the water get into the small pools. Near the pools there

are silver jugs from which people used to pour water on their

bodies.

The Chamam is located in the hall with a high and beautiful

ceiling. All this gives the visitor a special, exotic experience. In

the Turkish Islamic society the Chamam serves as an important

place. The bride immerses herself in it before the wedding and

babies are immersed in it at the age of 40 days.

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