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 Silent Walker
 |  | Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
< on 9/7/2013 4:28 PM >
|  | | | Hey everybody, I've been drawn to old, decaying places since I was a little kid. I always appreciated the mystery and excitement of exploring an abandoned site, and I remember dragging my dad into closed-off building since I was six.
It was also cool of my dad to take all those detours with me back then. Nowadays I'm all grown up (26) and taking UE more seriously, looking more into the history and stories of the places I visit, giving them the proper context when I arrive to unravel their secrets.
So here is my first treat for you. It is a place called Arza - an abandoned estate in the mountains surrounding Jerusalem, in Israel. I got a tip about this place from a local veteran explorer. It's impossible to just stumble upon, unless you know it's there - but when you do, it's very easy to find.
I have also made a short video for the trip. You can watch it here.
Before we begin, please don't be upset about possible mistakes in my writing. My native language is not English, and I'm trying my best for you. Now sit back and enjoy this trip with me 
Coming from the main road of a little settlement in the mountains, a narrow path can be found. Above it you can see the old sign welcoming those who used to come here. A fancy gate, now all rusty and fragile, lays silent on the ground beside the road.
1.
There is a guard booth ahead, and it is manned. Somebody is watching the place. Chatting shortly with the guard, who seems rather happy to see us, we learn that the place will soon be under construction. We came just in time - in two weeks or so, this place will no longer be the same.
He lets us continue with no worries, and we venture forth. We've deep in the estate territory now, and we can see it from the back. It's in an ugly shape, actually, the back side did not handle the passing time very well. Bricks, trash and what seems like construction leftovers are scattered everywhere. But we know that's not what we came here to see.
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We go around the estate, sometimes knee-deep in some dry bushes, until we're facing the front. The mansion wings are actually a bit round, "hugging" the beautiful gardens that used to be right where we're standing. They also work as a soundblock, keeping most noise away. We are now in total silence, hearing only the faint cool wind, the trees and animals. You could never guess that about a 100ft away there's an active road and a small town.
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Right in the middle there is the main circle, which hosts the entrance, the beautiful pillars and a magnificent balcony. We'll get there soon, but first, we explore the territory. It is out custom to get to know the area first, should anything happen, and then delve deeper into the buildings.
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There used to be a lot of buildings here, but they're mostly gone now. You can see signs of old building in the ground, from different times. Looking in my records about the place, I know there should be many more buildings, a pool, a defense post and a unique blv. of trees, planted by famous zionists and presidents. A true landmark indeed, laying all quiet away from the public, known only to a few.
The beautiful defense post has survived, built from large bricks and stones in times when the area knew a lot of tension between the arabs and the jewish pioneers, long before Israel was even a state. We're talking 1920-ish, even prior.
The estate was built at 1923 and designed by an architect called Mr. Berlin. I can look up his full name in my records if you're interested. He decided to go with a neo-classical look, to demonstrate progress alongside good old fashioned luxury. Anyway, his plans turned rather beautifully.
We move on to surround the left wing of the mansion, and that's when we discover the administration building. This little cute building will act as the office for the architects who took over this property, and will turn it into a residential neighborhood. It has already been renovated, though it's closed and nobody's there. More peace and quiet for us.
This entire compound started out as a guesthouse for the rich. Very rich. It was a beautiful and splendid place to relax and enjoy the clean and cool breeze of the mountains. Back when it was active, there were no cities around it. Today you can see the outskirts of Jerusalem crawling up the mountains in the distance.
Walking on, we notice a lovely set of old stairs. I love those places so much. Nature has started to gain control over those stairs, and they are in this perfect state of being usable, but still kind of wild. Some trees and bushes remained from what used to be the most beautiful garden in the middle east, and give the entire path a majestic feeling.
5.
Along those stairs you can find the trees planted by those famous lads from history. I don't know if you've heard of any of them, but if you're interested, I'll tell you. One of the most important trees there was planted by Herzl, the guy who came up with the idea of bringing back all the jews to Israel - and he established the concept of zionism. Actually, he has an incredible story, but that's for another time.
We can see his tree there, or actually, the stump. The tree itself was damaged by an arab raid circa 1948, during the war for Israel's independence. However, there's still a trace of it, protected in a huge box of reinforced glass and metal, which has also been left alone for quite some time. But there's a guard now, so no worries.
More trees are discovered, and under them signs that tell who planted them. Presidents from the 50' to the 70's, all there, some other VIPs too, family members. Some signs are worn and almost unreadable. No more trees from the 80's, when this place was abandoned for economical reasons.
Locals will tell you that air conditioning ruined the profitability of this place. People didn't need to pay nicely to enjoy the cool breeze anymore, when air conditioning became more common.
We reach the end of the stairs. This blv. used to be the main road to the mansion. It was used in the 1920's when people came here from overseas, riding horses and donkeys in convoys through the mountains. A beautiful bench calls me to just sit down and relax. This place is so tranquil. I occasionally take some pictures, but not plenty. I'm actually here to make a video. I wanted to try it for a change.
6.
And so we all go inside the mansion, finally. Most of the place was cleaned up, but we can still find some interesting periodical stuff. We found an old vault, hidden in the wall. We found a huge tube that we have no idea what it used for, but there seemed to be some sort of sand scattered beneath it. Trying to think of an explanation, we came up with nothing.
7.
We could notice some of the place was adjusted with time. I'm sure there were no florescent lights back in the 1920's. Those were added later, as were a lot of little sockets for lightbulbs and electrical ventilation. One of my favorite sights is a vent that has now turned into a bird nest.
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The hallways are somewhat round, which is unique and fun to explore. Like most old places, the place is alive with little sounds. The wind howling through the empty rooms, some windows moving, birds calling. The place is absolutely hypnotizing.
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There are old remains of Jewish Mezuzah on the door openings. Those are some sort of good-luck charms used in judaism on most doors, there's a prayer in leather folded inside. We find beautiful, old double doors, that led to the back entrance. Perhaps a servant's access. My records tell me the kitchen was actually in another building, which is gone now, but we did come across an impressive, even if not too big, staircase.
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Climbing up, we see some of the old furniture still there. We know it's original because it was build custom for the round room. You can't buy those in Ikea. Some numbers are still marking the furniture, and we can see different layers of colors on the walls. It was painted multiple times, and we bet the orange-y color was the original.
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There are coffee cups everywhere, and little signs of people. You can tell the place isn't maintained, but not entirely abandoned. Like I said before, they will process this place into a neighborhood soon. I think they want to keep the old mansion and renovate it, and you can tell someone has been around in there.
The large round room used to be the nursing room, from what I've heard. I talked to someone who's mother worked there as a nurse. Anyway, there used to be a fireplace there, and there's an interesting pattern on the ceiling, but the real deal here is the balcony.
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Going out to the round balcony, you cannot avoid falling in love with this place. The air is amazing, the view is great. Along with the garden that used to be here, this must have been paradise. So quiet, and peaceful, beyond what many well-maintained hotels provide today. I guess this is a good lesson in how important is the right location and architecture, that keeps it quiet. What a master class.
I shoot some videos, and we go on to discover smaller details. We find a book that seems not-that-old, but still in pretty bad shape. It's a Bible in Italian. Who knows that's the story behind that book. A page of notes rests in one of the long, quiet hallways. Ironically, it's the 1940's jazz bit called "Long Ago and Far Away". I couldn't have planted something better if I tried.
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Found notes gave us a faint hope of finding a piano. They probably had something of the sort, but it's long gone. Instead, we found a beautiful balcony, overgrown with plants that slowly crawled inside the hall. It was beautiful.
22.
We split up and searched for interesting things in pairs. We found a lot of small interesting stuff, but I don't want to bother you with all the tiny details. That's why I made a video, after all. What I will tell you is that this place has a great feeling to it. It was old, decaying and abandoned, yet still peaceful, inviting and majestic. You just feel like taking a good long rest there.
I have returned there several times in August, bringing a handful of explorers with me every time. And every time, my friends would find another corner to stop, have a little chat and take a break. There are little nooks like that all over the place - that's the way it was designed, and the character of the estate is still very prominent. They all fell in love with the place.
In the winter, the garden turns all lush and green. I have seen pictures, but didn't go myself in the winter. And I won't get to, because by this winter, it will be a construction zone. But at least I got to visit, and get lost in the charm of this amazing place.
If you read this far, way too go my friend. I hope it wasn't too much. I numbered the photos for your convenience, if you want to talk about them.
I'll try to post more stories, pics and videos. I have so much to share! Have a great weekend everyone. Here are some more pictures for the heck of it.
An interesting breaker room with hebrew signs, telling which does what. This taught us what facilities the place held.
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Windows!
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[last edit 9/7/2013 4:36 PM by Silent Walker - edited 1 times]
My latest contribution:
Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem and also a Video
Surprise in an Abadoned Central Bus Station |
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Send4Help
     
Location: A biology lab far, far away...
Gender: Male
No time for the old in-out, love.
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 1 on 9/7/2013 4:34 PM >
| | | | Welcome to UER! This is a spectacular first post, though you have posted it in the wrong section. A moderator will most likely move your post into the "Photography" section, or one of the many regional forums. You can let them know which you prefer if you like. The "Main" forum is for general, non-location specific, discussion of UE topics, themes, or news (along with a lot of other things).
A helpful thread to start reading is, "A Rookie Guide to using your UER account"
http://www.uer.ca/...1&threadid=66255
The site creater, Avatar-X, also put together his basic guide that you can find here:
http://www.uer.ca/...1&threadid=27619
I would also recommend browsing through this part of the forum as well so you can get a feel for how things run around here:
http://www.uer.ca/...p?fid=1&catid=1089
Again, GREAT first post, excellent photographs, and be sure to keep them coming
[last edit 9/7/2013 4:38 PM by Send4Help - edited 1 times]
The Durango '95 purred away a real horrowshow - a nice, warm vibraty feeling all through your guttiwuts. And soon it was trees and dark, my brothers, with real country dark. |
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Send4Help
Location: A biology lab far, far away...
Gender: Male
No time for the old in-out, love.
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 3 on 9/7/2013 4:49 PM >
| | | | Posted by Silent Walker
Oh no, I'm sorry. I guess I got confused, now see it really should have been in the Photography section.
So if the moderators see fit, please put this thread in the right place. Terribly sorry for that
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Dont feel bad, this is one of the best "first posts" I have ever seen. Most people just start out with, "My name is _________, someone tell all the locations to explore in my town"
[last edit 9/7/2013 4:50 PM by Send4Help - edited 1 times]
The Durango '95 purred away a real horrowshow - a nice, warm vibraty feeling all through your guttiwuts. And soon it was trees and dark, my brothers, with real country dark. |
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Silent Walker
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 4 on 9/7/2013 4:51 PM >
| | | | Posted by Send4Help
Dont feel bad, this is one of the best "first posts" I have ever seen. Most people just start out with, "My name is _________, someone tell all the locations to explore in my town"
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Thanks buddy. I'm also really glad you liked the post, it took a while to write and match the pictures. Make sure to check out the video!
My latest contribution:
Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem and also a Video
Surprise in an Abadoned Central Bus Station |
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Maglyte
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 5 on 9/7/2013 6:19 PM >
| | | | Cool to see something like this from that place very interesting
mmmm. mandias....... |
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Harvestman
 
Location: Somewhere in SORTA/TANK Territory!
Gender: Male
Everything about me has a poker face.
| |  | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 6 on 9/7/2013 7:15 PM >
| | | | Breathtaking place, and an excellent introduction.
Oh good, my slow clap processor made it into this thing.
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Maybe
Location: Central Ontario
Gender: Female
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 7 on 9/8/2013 5:48 AM >
| | | | <standing ovation> AWESOME first post. Thanks for sharing!
I understand that UER would get messy fast if we didn't keep some sort of a filing system, but then again I'm very, very happy I saw this post. If it was in a "correct region" forum, I likely would never have seen it.
I don't know how it would work, but I'd love a pinned thread somewhere for "best new content from the forums you rarely get to."
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EVmAN
Location: Mississauga, ON
Gender: Male
and I-- I took the path less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 8 on 9/8/2013 2:26 PM >
| | | | Posted by Maybe
<standing ovation> AWESOME first post. Thanks for sharing!
I understand that UER would get messy fast if we didn't keep some sort of a filing system, but then again I'm very, very happy I saw this post. If it was in a "correct region" forum, I likely would never have seen it.
I don't know how it would work, but I'd love a pinned thread somewhere for "best new content from the forums you rarely get to."
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Yeah really! So glad this was posted to the wrong section.
Amazing photos and write-up! What a gem you found. Nice looking mansion in the desert. And the history! A tree that was planted by Theodor Herzl himself! And, I assume Ben-Gurion. Hopefully they keep this thing standing.
The sign said "Anybody caught trespassin will be shot on sight"
So I jumped on the fence and I yelled at the house,
"Hey! What gives you the right?" http://www.flickr.com/photos/evman/ |
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SlateGrayAmazed
Location: Western NC
Gender: Female
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 9 on 9/8/2013 7:06 PM >
| | | | Cool location! I love your photos of this place. You seem to have a great eye for detail and you really know how to take advantage of the light! Welcome to uer.
www.flickr.com/photos/jln1025 |
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Therrin
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: North of Chicago, IL
Gender: Male
*Therrin puts on the penguin-suit
| |  | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 10 on 9/8/2013 7:55 PM >
| | | | Very nice for your first post!
At first I was pretty sure you UE'd the White House. 
That place is amazingly beautiful. Nice work with the pictures too.
I wouldn't have guessed that English wasn't your first language, you 'speak' it better than some people I know who were born here in the USA.
Looking forward to seeing some more of your stuff!
Give a person a match and they'll be warm for a minute, but light them on fire and they'll be warm for the rest of their life. =) |
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casinine
Location: Virginia/Florida/Georgia/Around
Gender: Female
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 11 on 9/8/2013 8:48 PM >
| | | | Absolutely beautiful! This makes me even more excited to visit Israel this winter. Thank you for sharing!
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Therrin
This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: North of Chicago, IL
Gender: Male
*Therrin puts on the penguin-suit
| | | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 12 on 9/8/2013 10:06 PM >
| | | | Silent Walker,
After what casinine said, it got me to wondering.
How safe is it in Israel these days for Americans / Foreigners ?
That region seems to be a bit unstable (but then, Chicago isn't a very safe place to be either...)
Are there plenty of American tourists around there still, or has tourism dropped off a bit lately?
Give a person a match and they'll be warm for a minute, but light them on fire and they'll be warm for the rest of their life. =) |
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Silent Walker
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 13 on 9/9/2013 2:27 PM >
| | | | Posted by Therrin
Silent Walker,
After what casinine said, it got me to wondering.
How safe is it in Israel these days for Americans / Foreigners ?
That region seems to be a bit unstable (but then, Chicago isn't a very safe place to be either...)
Are there plenty of American tourists around there still, or has tourism dropped off a bit lately?
|
If you ask me, it's been very stable for a long time.
There's a large jewish community in the US, and they visit often. So absolutely, there are a LOT of Americans in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv - you can't go outside without hearing some English, any given evening of the week. The christian travel locations were also fully booked all summer (as I've personally seen about a month ago).
There has been talk about the US getting involved in Syria, which shares a small border with Israel, but it didn't have a serious effect over here outside the media... Everything's pretty much normal. But if you're concerned, just wait and see how the Syria situation plays out. Nobody over here is very stressed about that.
| Absolutely beautiful! This makes me even more excited to visit Israel this winter. Thank you for sharing! |
I'm so glad you liked it. And winter is a great time to visit - it's very hot here in summer, but just right in winter. Message me and we'll see if Arza is still accessible when you arrive, if you want to go there.
| At first I was pretty sure you UE'd the White House |
Haha, there are some similarities, but it's a lot smaller. Some people do call it The White House as a nickname. Thanks for the kind words, too.
And thanks for the warm greetings everybody! I'd love to answer any other questions. I guess you don't run across a lot of explorers from my area.
[last edit 9/9/2013 2:29 PM by Silent Walker - edited 2 times]
My latest contribution:
Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem and also a Video
Surprise in an Abadoned Central Bus Station |
|
yokes
Location: Toronto
Gender: Male
I aim to misbehave
| | | | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 14 on 9/9/2013 2:33 PM >
| | | | Great first post. Welcome aboard.
And your english is better than most of what gets posted here.
"Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men." - Richard Nickel |
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Vampirequeen
Location: Connecticut
Gender: Female
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 15 on 9/9/2013 3:06 PM >
| | | | This is amazing! I'm sure this place was gorgeous when it was still occupied.
Welcome to UER!
Seek and ye shall find... |
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ZenCanadian
Location: High Park, Toronto
Gender: Male
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 16 on 9/10/2013 11:07 PM >
| | | | Nice work, Israel has some awesome abandonments I haven't been in quite a few years but am dying to get back soon.
Zen and the art of infiltration...
http://www.flikr.com/photos/zenslens
Zen is an uber explorer, a demi god of craning and purveyor of the finer things in life. |
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ahhntzville
Location: Boston
| | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 17 on 9/11/2013 7:48 PM >
| | | | Posted by Silent Walker
Before we begin, please don't be upset about possible mistakes in my writing. My native language is not English, and I'm trying my best for you.
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Your English is better than that of 95% of native speaking college graduates, and better than 99% of UER.
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tiffers
Location: Texas
Gender: Female
...
| | | Re: Abandoned Mansion near Jerusalem [My First Share]
<Reply # 18 on 9/15/2013 12:54 AM >
| | | | Holy cow. Shut up and take my money. This is perfect. Beautiful place, dude.
Posted by arntzville
Your English is better than that of 95% of native speaking college graduates, and better than 99% of UER.
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