Dome of the Rock!

When I first saw Jerusalem the first thing I noticed was the Dome of the Rock.  You can't miss it, even if you try to avoid it.  The whole city is basically made out of white and gray materials, and then BANG this huge gold dome pops out of nowhere.  Today was an entire free day, to do whatever my heart desired.  So a group of us planned a day-o-fun in the city which included getting close and personal with this beautiful mosque.  
Historical note according to Wikipedia:
According to Sunni Islamic tradition, the rock is the spot from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. Further, Muhammad was taken here by Gabriel to pray with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

Ya we had to get a jumping picture..don't judge:)

It's huge!!!!

This is what happens when you hand off your camera...

The tile work is incredible.  There are so many colors and patterns that for some reason all work together.

It's an interesting building because so many religions have ties to it, and view it as holy.  Some highlights of that temple courtyard was of course people watching, the girls in my group taking these Arabic kids on in soccer, and being able to touch the tiles and columns of this amazing building!

So this one guy in the BYU-Jerusalem group has been taking portraits of very distinct/unique people that he meets in the city, so I decided to take my own spin on that idea.  So I will be posting excerpts on some of the people that I meet in my adventures in the old city.

First contestant is this guy who was sitting by the Dome of the Rock.  He was surprisingly happy for me to take his picture.  I wish I knew his life story..just look at that smile:)

Next was a guy that met us on the stairs leaving the Dome.  He wanted us to kiss the top of his cane stick thing...sanitary I think not haha.  But he ended up trying to talk to us, which I had a hard time understanding his english (not sure if he was speaking english actually).

We were lost which is a frequent happening, and this group of jewish men walked by, and basically I liked his beard so I took a picture.

 Okay so this was while we were still lost in this intersection area...these two men were playing that board game (forgot the name of that game) and being the curious person I am, I asked if I could take a picture of their game..but actually I just wanted to take a picture of them! I know I'm just so sneaky...not.

 The kids here are the cutest by far!  This boy was just chillin' eatting a pita.  I introduced myself and told him my name, and he was more than willing to pose for the camera.

 This girl was on the same street as the boy.  She was so cute.  I think she was actually advertising (she had her hair in a updo and henna on her arm) for her mom who was a hairdresser and a henna artist.  We were talking with the girl and then her mom came asking if we wanted henna done....maybe another time?!?

You will not find a more loving and caring people then here in the streets of Jerusalem.  First of all, they put up with me and all the other students wanting to take their pictures.  But also they are always willing to help (aka when you're lost) and a smile here really goes a long way.