DAVID TOWER, JERUSALEM HISTORY MUSEUM

At the western corner of the old town, just a few metres from the door of Jaffa, the citadel has been a landmark in Jerusalem since ancient times. Today it houses the Tower of the Tower of David, whose exhibitions retrace 5 000 years of the city's history. A set of fortifications erected here on this site for over 20 centuries protected access to the west and obscured the whole city.

The first to build ramparts in this part of the city was Ezéchias, king of Judah, at the end of the th century B.C. The wall was damaged in the th century B.C., at the time of the conquest of the city by the Babylonians. It was restored 300 years later by the Asmonéens who devoted great efforts to expanding the perimeter of the city and étayèrent its defence system. A wall of 4 m thick, still visible at the citadel, date of this period.

Towards the year 24 BC, King Herod encouraged the fortifications in this area of the city and adjoignit 3 massive towers to the original wall. He gave them the names of his brother Phasaël, his friend Hippicus and his wife, Myriam. These towers, close to the Palace of Herod, ensured defence. One of the towers survived the outrages of time and is known nowadays under the tower of David (this name - Migdal David, Hebrew - is probably due to an error of interpretation made by Christian pilgrims in Byzantine times). It stands on a height of 20 m and is one of the most revealing examples of the technique of constructing the period of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

In Byzantine times, the citadel fell into ruins. Rebuilt by the crusaders who established a garrison (the contours of the citadel visible nowadays), it was demolished again by the Mameluk in 1239 and remained dormant until 1335. On that date, the Turks were procédèrent to the restoration of the walls. Soliman le Magnificent added a bridge, a terrace and built a mosque. A minaret was raised on the tower of David.

A British base until 1948, and then Jordanian basis until 1967, the citadel has been used for military purposes since the last date.

The Tower de David museum, located in the medieval citadel since 1989, presents the significant events in Jerusalem. State-of-the-art technology now allows visitors to discover history differently. Finally, the panoramic view of the old town of the Herod tower is among the most beautiful.