Armon Hanatziv

The site that most represents the British Mandate’s rule in Israel is Armon Hanatziv (The Palace of the Commissioner). The High Commissioner, the highest ranking British representative in Israel, lived in this building. The British Mandate was effective from 1922-1948. The building was built in 1933 and four commissioners lived there from the time it was built until the British Mandate was dissolved.

 

The palace is located at the edge of Jabel Mukabar in southeast Jerusalem. The building was designed in a Middle-Eastern style with closed courtyards, gardens and vaults. Inside the palace there is a grand ballroom with a huge fireplace covered in Armenian tiling. Over the hall there is a huge octagonal tower which offers a breathtaking view of Jerusalem’s landscape. The courtyard houses magnificent gardens and an octagonal fountain. 

 

A Second Temple period aqueduct in a carved out tunnel runs for 400 meters not far from the palace. The southern aqueduct park is located on the palace’s south side, in which there is a mosaic which describes the method in which water was brought from Solomon’s pools to Jerusalem. The park also has a shaft which leads to the tunnel. 

 

The Haas Promenade was built along the edge of Jabel Mukabar, which offers magnificent, breathtaking views of Jerusalem. The Ethiopian Sigd celebrations take place at the promenade yearly.