The highlights – such as the Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock – are in Jerusalem’s Old City, but modern Jerusalem which surrounds the Old City is more dynamic and interesting than many people give it credit for:

Some of the residential neighborhoods in the hills surrounding the city:

The Mount of Olives is to the left in this picture:

A view out over the neighborhoods of modern Jerusalem:

Jerusalem’s core downtown area:

Along one of the main roads through the city – Jaffa Road:

This is Davidka Square… The crude mortar you see in front of you is part of a memorial to the “Davidka” – a homemade Israeli mortar used to great effect in the forming of Israel in 1948:

On June 11, 2003, a Palestinian suicide bomber dressed as an Orthodox Jew detonated his vest of explosives at this site on bus 14a, which he had boarded at the Mahane Yehuda market. 17 people were killed and more than 100 injured.

Hamas later claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Things quiet down at night, which makes this a great time to visit the highlights without the crowds…

…and to go exploring down back alleys:

Despite their relatively close proximity, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – even modern Jerusalem – are probably less alike than any other two cities in Israel.