Sounds of the Old City,
is an annual music festival
held at night in Jerusalem, Israel.
This year the weather was cold and wintry,
but at least the heavy rain stopped for opening night.
Walking to the starting point at Jaffa Gate,
Mamilla Mall was not busy as usual.
For the festival, musicians performed
on a large stage outside on Jaffa Gate Plaza,
and inside along the Tower of David wall.
There are nine large stages with various performances.
Traverna was inside the Tower of David – in the moat.
The musical styles and instruments were varied,
from Kelzemer and religious music to DJs and pop songs.
Along the route through the Old City,
musicians played alone,
or as a group.
The festival is free and open to the public,
but this harpist was looking for donations.
As every year,
one of the most popular performance locations is the Cardo.
Yitzhak Meir was singing
to an enthusiastic crowd.
Who could imagine on those streets of old,
that one day Jews would be singing and dancing to Hebrew songs,
and the powerful Roman Empire would be ancient history?
Next on to the plaza
by the Hurva Synagogue,
this large stage was dark between shows,
but I had to share with you the size of the crowd.
Thousands of people were out enjoying the music.
The sounds of music have now spread outside the walls of the Old City,
and for the first time a stage is located at Zion Square.
The festival runs from Monday to Thursday,
7:00 – 11:00 pm, so there is still time to see and hear.
As I went to leave, some streets were too quiet.
Though cold and damp weather and security concerns
may have kept some away,
it was still a beautiful sight,
as the sounds of music filled the Jerusalem streets.
