Shabat Shalom (Peaceful Sabbath)

June 22, 2013  Saturday

Today is Shabat (the Sabbath).  The Israeli buses do not run today, and we wanted to find a less strenuous way to get to the BYU Center but still avoid paying for a taxi.We decided to be daring and take an Arab bus to and from Mount Scopus.  We had seen Bus #75 last week while we were struggling up the hill on foot.  We set out after breakfast to find the Arab bus station.  After a little extra walking and back-tracking, we found it and also learned that there is a stop conveniently closer to our hotel.  The bus was comfortable and modern, but worn, and the driver was friendly.  He probably wondered what we were doing on his bus!  We still had a bit of a hike after we got off, but it was tolerable.  Church services were again uplifting and familiar.

We took some photos of the building and grounds after church.

The BYU Center has several mosaics on display.  They appear to be on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority, since they all have IAA numbers.  This first mosaic is displayed over a stairway.

There's a sign written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English that describes this mosaic.  Here's what it says:
"Mosaic floor, Jerusalem, Mamilla (Jaffa Gate), Sixth century CE  IAA 95-2496
This mosaic floor segment was part of a floor of a Byzantine-period bathhouse excavated in the Mamilla neighborhood, near Jaffa Gate, Jerusalem.  It is adorned with a light-colored geometric pattern against a red background, creating a floral pattern, which is bordered by a frame decorated in rope and saw-tooth patterns, as well as small flowers.
During the Byzantine period, rooms were constructed of walls that did not meet at right angles.  Therefore, the frame that borders the mosaic has no right angles, as the Byzantine artisans laid the mosaic in accordance with the room layout.  The mosaic is thus exhibited as found, i.e., with no right angles.  Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority."
Here's a close-up of the mosaic.  I guess I would have missed the part about no right angles -- this looks pretty squared-up to me!

Here's another typical mosaic exhibit.

The description for this series:
"Mosaic floor, Be'er Sheva, Bedouin Market.  Byzantine period.  IAA 77-417
These mosaic floor segments once adorned a public building from the Byzantine period, excavated in the vicinity of the Bedouin Market in Be'er Sheva.  The mosaic displays medallions in the form ofof acanthus leaves, in which various animals are depicted:  Giraffe, tiger, snake, porcupine, goat, young deer, lion, bear, hare, mule and cock.  The mosaic is bordered by a frame decorated with a saw-tooth pattern in its upper part and a wave pattern in its lower part.  Courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority."  The close-up shows some kind of spotted animal and a giraffe.

The grounds of the BYU Center are beautiful.

There are numerous educational displays on the grounds, such as this real millstone.  It is 4 or 5' high.

There's a section about grape cultivation, with a reconstructed winepress.

Among the grapes are the cooling towers for the Center's A/C.  Normally these would be the big ugly units you see on top of buildings.

It must be early in the growing season.

This marker explains (in three languages) how the winepress is used.

There is an extensive exhibit about olive culture and the manufacture of olive oil.

First there is the crushing mill and its explanation.  I leaned on that pole and easily moved the stone.

This is a "screw press" for extracting olive oil, and its explanation:

Another method of extracting olive oil is the "lever and weights" method.  Here's the lever and weights press and its explanation:

The freshly-pressed olive oil is put into jugs.

Our shortcut back to the main road took us straight down the mountain on kind of a paved stair-step alleyway.  We waited for our bus near this gate:

We tried to relax and regroup today.  We have a lot of things we still want to see and do.  When we leave the dig site around 1 p.m. each day, we're exhausted and filthy.  Many venues close at 5 p.m., so if we take the time to walk back to the hotel and shower, we're limited in what we can do.  Tomorrow we're going to try and freshen up somewhere in the Old City, grab something to eat, and go see something fun and interesting!  My knee is still a problem, but I'm getting around ok.  I had hoped to be done with the cane by now, but it's still with me.