Christian Quarter

This guide to the Christian Quarter in Jerusalem centers on a wooden ladder propped against a window above the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, untouched since before 1728. It traces the Ottoman-era decrees that froze the church's six resident denominations in a permanent standstill, and the monks who reportedly once climbed the ladder for fresh air, dodging fees charged at the door. Look up at the ladder itself before you step inside the crowded stone alleys that have grown around this church since the fourth century.