Length: 30 minutes - 3 hours, your call
Mode of Transport: Car, walking, stroller, carrier
Why Go? Because Ramla is the shit.
Toilets: Shuk parking lot & Pool of the Arches
What to Bring: Water, wheely for shuk shopping
Entrance Fee: Scroll all the way to the bottom for pictures of opening hours and prices
I love Ramla. Like, love, love Ramla. I do my shopping there. My doctors are there. And it's legit, authentic, real deal, in yo face, Middle East, ya chabibi. I want to share my infatuation, so here is a pick n' choose your own adventure day in Ramla. As a disclaimer, and to quote Sheryl Crow, "This ain't no rodeo. And it ain't no country club either. This is (Ram)LA". Nothing is shiny or new or designed to win over the hearts of tourists in this town, and that's what's so lovable about the place. Its take-me-or-leave-me attitude is unapologetic. Enjoy, my little bube'lehs.
I suggest two places to park: 1. the entrance to the Shuk by the Great Mosque - paid parking 2. next to the White Tower - free parking. Depending on your day and if you want to walk/drive to your next stop, you chose where to start.
The White Tower and Mosque
Ramla is the first and only Muslim city built from scratch in the land of Israel. It was built under the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman Ibn Abd el-Malik between 705 - 715 CE (brother of El-Walid, who built Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount). Ramla was a HUGE intersection of roads back in the day, like a Kings Cross and Times Square, if you may. So of course there was gonna be a baller mosque to say hey guys, as-salamu alaykum, we are here to run the party. And run the party they did. But a series of earthquakes knocked down the structures, which were rebuilt and knocked down and rebuilt and...you get it.
The pillars and arches we see today are remains of a mosque that date from the 12th century CE. The tower is the minaret of the mosque and was rebuilt last in 1318 during the Mamluk Era - we know because there is an inscription inside the tower. Thanks for doing us a solid, Sultan Muhammad Ibn Khalhoun. It looks like a military structure because the Sultan wanted to flex his muscles at the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem, by way of Ramla to be like...all eyes on you, dear Christian friends.
That's the history in a nutshell. As for visiting, you can enter the compound for free, but to climb the tower, it's 14 shek per adult/12 shek per kid. The climb is 112 steps, and I clocked in at 3 minutes start to finish by myself sans kiddos. With kids, well...depends on how ninja your babes are. The stairs are slippery-ish, and there is no railing, but it's manageable. The view is pretty sweet and you can see Tel Aviv and the hills of Jerusalem on clear days. There is a courtyard at the bottom to run around and slightly shaded ledges next to flower beds and trees.
Opening Hours: Sunday - Thursday 8:00 - 16:00 (*not 18:00 as the sign says) | Friday 8:00 - 14:00 | Saturday/Holidays 8:00 - 16:00 | 08-921-6873
Pool of the Arches
Ramla has no fresh water source, so when the town was established, they had to jerry rig some engineering action. Water flowed in via an aqueduct from Tel Gezer (click for blog post) to create this reservoir we see here. It was built during the Abbasid Era in 789 under Caliph Haroun al-Rashid who ruled during the peak of the Islamic Golden Age - aka he was hot to trot. *Creepy folklore (not to be shared with your toddler, but maybe your tween) claims the pool was built by a rich lady of Ramla who declared, “Just so you know, Allah didn’t bring water to Ramla, I did.” And after she said it, she fell in the water and drowned. Rumor has it if you look from your boat into the water, you will see her body below. Googaly!
There are 42 astro-turf steps leading down to the pool. Life jackets are provided and about 4 people can fit in a boat. Keep in mind, an adult needs to steer the oars, so not the most practical if you are carrying a baby. I would give yourself 10 minutes for rowing your boat gently down the stream, but the whole shabbaz from start to finish will take you 45 minutes by the time you use the loo, get down there, situated, take pics, row, and eat a Milky on the benches in the shade.
Opening hours and phone number are the same as the White Tower. If you want to see both sites, make sure to purchase the combination ticket to save a few shekels.
Shuk Ramla
There's the gypsy lady who only sells mini eggplant and green beans. There's the deli guy who always wants to talk Game of Thrones. There's the crazy guy who has a live parakeet on his shoulder and sometimes sells bananas. And of course, there is the shekel v'chetzi (20 cent) lemonade that's so sweet it will give you a cavity. This place got character, ya'll. No micro-brews on tap, no dim sum, no cafe latte. Just fruits and veg, meats and fish, toilet cleaner and the best in knock-off fashion the Middle East can offer. LOVE. The shuk is open every day except Saturday, and on Wednesday is there a special flea market in the parking lot.
Here are some of my favorite eats:
Nagi's (אצל נאג'י) - Iraqi food at it's finest. Home cooking that warms the soul. Known for their kubbeh, and mom and pop vibe. Jabotinsky 9 and open Sunday - Thursday 8:00 - 18:00. (closed Friday & Saturday)
Borekas Baba OR Borekas Siso - Pick your poison. Practically basta neighbors, these two borekas are both authentic and delish. Life is short, get both. Jabotinsky 3 (and then just down the way)
Halil (חליל) - Every person arguably has their favorite hummus in the Holy Land, and this is mine, hands down. Like Pavlov's dog, I'm salivating as I write this. Khilat Detroit 6 open 6:30 - 16:00 | Saturdays till 17:30.
Mamtakei Shehin (ממתקי שהין) - Khanafeh is the bomb dot com. Fresh, neon orange, 7 shekel party in your mouth. 'Nuff said. Khilat Detroit 2 open Monday - Saturday 9:00 - 17:00 | closed Sunday
There you have it. From the Tower to the Arches, Arches to the Shuk, and Shuk to the Tower are each individually about a 10-15 minute walk and are located in a triangle from one another. Mix and match, or go to all three. There are other sites as well, but this should take up the good part of the morning or afternoon. If you want more info, check out www.goramla.com and enjoy Ramla!
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