The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and therefore are subject to special preservation rules designed to present the city and its heritage to its visitors, while developing and upgrading it to the benefit of its residents and employees. The Old City is the most visited place in Israel with about 10 million visitors each year.

The accessibility of the Old City is an innovative and groundbreaking project that enables the disabled to enjoy the historic and cultural wealth of the city. Among other things, four kilometers of streets in the Muslim, Armenian and Christian quarters were adjusted, and about 2 kilometers of handrails were installed alongside staircases. The accessibility is carried out with the cooperation of the merchants and the residents of the area. For the first time in years, residents of the houses within the walls are enables to move around the narrow and steep streets and alleys, while significantly improving the quality of life.

There is a relatively small number of historical cities in the world that combine archeological findings, tourist sites and human activities that continue for thousands of years, and as far as is known, there is no historic city that is also defined as a World Heritage City that has carried out a large-scale access project like that in Jerusalem.

The accessibility of the picturesque alleys of the Old City is intended to ease the congestion in the main streets and to enable the users of freight carts (including strollers), wheelchairs and other handicapped people, to visit the city's tourist attractions.

The Old City accessibility project is being funded by the Jerusalem and Heritage Ministry and the Jerusalem Development Authority, together with the Ministry of Tourism, the Accessibility Department of the Jerusalem Municipality, the National Social Security Agency and the Israel Antiquities Authority, carried out by the East Jerusalem Development Company and accompanied by accessibility consultants according to local topographical restrictions, at a cost of over 20 million NIS.

Topography: Old Jerusalem is originally a Jewish city, with Roman streets grid, covered by Mamluk building and Ottoman borders, serving residents and tourists with needs of the 21st century. The height difference between the highest and lowest points in the Old City is about 55m. The unique fabric of the Old City, which is characterized by uneven measurements, uneven angles, sometimes excavated space and high or low street entrances, is a challenge to contemporary professional standards. The main purpose of the project is to make the open space accessible to every person, while strictly maintaining the character and uniqueness of the city for future generations, an additional layer in the construction and repair of the Old City.

Facilitation includes: Roads fixing; Fixing and renovation of public services (including accessible); Adding direction and explanatory signs to the main sites and spatial maps along the main tourist routes; Upgrading the current cleaning and garbage collection system; Replacement of stone cladding; Highlighting historical or archaeological findings of public interest; Installation of infrastructure cladding for water clocks and a garbage collection point in the tourist area; Renewal of business complexes, facades and facilities along the route; And the completion of promenades from Zion Gate to the Dung Gate along the northern outer wall.

In order to complete the process, the East Jerusalem Development Company also produced a printed accessibility orientation map along with a dedicated application in 8 languages that enables real-time navigation between the alleys and sites.

In addition to these projects, complementary projects were implemented to make holistic solution to the city accessibility: The Old City can be reached by means of the free P&R shuttle to the Old City, which runs from the First Station Compound to the Dung Gate and back daily. 

Benny Sassy, CEO of the East Jerusalem Development Company: "We operate in a wide variety of areas, including the development of tourist areas and the improvement of the residents and tourists experience in the Old City. Accessing a historic city is always a complex matter, certainly in a city like Old Jerusalem. We see great importance in making homes and sites accessible to all residents and visitors, and have been intensively working in recent years to upgrade, access and develop the Old City on its varied routes. The general public is invited to take part in this celebration, and we hope that all the visitors in the city will join as its ambassadors."

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