Mishkenot Sha'ananim

When this complex was built in 1860 as the first Jewish neighborhood outside Jerusalem's Old City, it stood virtually alone in the landscape. The builder, Sir Moses Montefiore, had the roof designed to imitate the tops of the nearby Old City walls, and gave it the Hebrew name peaceful dwellings (Isaiah 32:18), so the new residents would feel secure. The quarter's landmark windmill now houses a museum dedicated to Montefiore. Nearby stands a replica of Montefiore's carriage. Once on divided Jerusalem's border and restored after the Six Day War, Mishkenot Sheananim is now a guesthouse for artists.