Armenian quarter - the small, quiet and deserted of the four quarters of the Old City. For many tourists it becomes a favorite place in Jerusalem. There are no street shops with T-shirts and carpets, sellers do not stick without the hubbub of the crowd. Silent stone streets if transferred to hundreds of years ago. No tourist can walk everywhere - most of the quarter, and already fenced wall from the outside world, is closed to visitors. Infiltrate into the internal space can be only by invitation of a local resident. At 22.00 the gates are locked at night quarter, as the door of the house, the tenants who want to feel safe.

Cohesive Armenian community was born here in the southwest corner of the Old City, where once the Roman legion camp was located at the beginning of XI century.

In general, the Armenian presence in the Holy Land goes back to the III century - had already arrived here many pilgrims from Armenia, the world's first country to formally adopt Christianity. Many of the pilgrims were in Jerusalem for ever - at the time the diaspora reached 25 thousand people. Compatriots built housing, churches, monasteries throughout the Holy Land; Armenian church strengthened its influence: in the VII century in Palestine, there were 70 Armenian monasteries. Now the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is one of the three main guardians of Christian holy places in the Holy Land along with Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches.

Muslims expelled the Crusaders from Jerusalem, very loyal to Armenians, not a threat to them. In the XIV century, when the Mamelukes, the Armenian community were allowed to protect the wall of the quarter. Entering through the main (western) gate in the wall can be seen engraved in Arabic, stating that in 1488 the sultan's decree prohibited harm to this holy place.

Of course, in the XX century, a kind of laissez-passer has not worked. Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and the Six Day War of 1967 greatly reduced the community: many killed, many fled to Israel. Now the Armenian quarter according to various estimates, there are between one and a half to three thousand Armenians.

For a powerful stone wall slowly flowing their days. There are schools, shops, hospital, seminary, convent, the magnificent Cathedral of St. Jacob church, the residence of the Patriarch, the richest library of Calouste Gulbenkian, the oldest printing house in Jerusalem. Patriarchate owns the entire property in the quarter, including residential buildings, giving community members the right of residence. Medical services are provided here for a nominal fee, and the elderly and needy residents of the quarter fed for free.

Once here, tourists come to the delight of local products ceramics (tableware, vases, souvenirs with a predominance of blue) and by taverns put a lot of historical and even antiques. However, the evening comes, the tourists are removed, the gate locked: Quarter live their lives, not intended for prying eyes.