Cutting a broad north–south swath, the sunken Cardo Maximus is the reconstructed main street of Roman and Byzantine Jerusalem. At one time it would have run the whole breadth of the city, up to what’s now Damascus Gate, but in its present form it starts just south of David St, the tourist souq, serving as the main entry into the Jewish Quarter from the Muslim and Christian areas.
Originally, the Cardo would have been a wide colonnaded avenue flanked by roofed arcades. Part of it to the south has been restored to something like its original appearance, while the rest has been reconstructed as an arcade of expensive souvenir and Judaica shops. There are wells to allow visitors to see down to the levels beneath the street, where there are strata of a wall from the days of the First Temple and the Second Temple.
Close to the large menorah (seven-branched candelabrum) near the southern end of the Cardo, the Alone on the Walls Museum documents the May 1948 campaign for control over the city through the stories of Jewish residents and fighters. The small but interesting exhibit includes a 15-minute video documentary and a gallery of photographs by photojournalist John Phillips, who worked with Life Magazine and was in the quarter when it fell to the Arab Legion.
You can buy a combined ticket for this museum, the Burnt House and the Wohl Archaeological Museum for 45NIS at any of those venues.
