2000 YEARS LATER JERUSALEM HAS SPENT MILLIONS TO PROPERLY WELCOME THIS YEAR'S CHRISTIAN PILGRIMS JERUSALEM: CENTER OF MANY WORLDS.

Byline: Richard Irwin Staff Writer

JERUSALEM - As I reached out to touch the wall, I felt the presence of God. Tears welled up in my eyes as I prayed for my family and friends at the Wailing Wall here. I began to believe that this was indeed a very special place, where prayers rose straight to the Lord.

I experienced a similar feeling in the Temple of the Mount, one of the holiest sites in the Islamic religion. As I touched the rock from which Mohammed is believed to have descended to heaven, I felt another spiritual presence.

A religious pilgrimage was one of my main reasons for visiting Israel. As a Christian, I had always wanted to visit the places where Jesus walked and taught and died.

The Jewish state has geared up for an influx of tourists in this, the 2000th year since Christ's birth. Only the size of New Jersey, Israel is expecting double, perhaps triple, the usual number of visitors.

``It is the events which took place in my country 2,000 years ago which literally were to change the world,'' said Arie Sommer, Israel tourism spokesman, ``at the same time as it was to transform the way we count time.''

In the last few years, Israel has invested $300 million to improve tourist sites for the new century. Existing facilities have been expanded, and many new restrooms, restaurants and rest areas have been built. Efforts are also being made to extend visiting hours at the many museums and attractions.

All of this is being done, according to Moshe Katzav, deputy prime minister and minister of tourism, because ``the Holy Land, as the birthplace of Jesus and the three monotheistic religions, is expected to be the chosen place for millions of pilgrims to celebrate the beginning of the new millennium.'' The Israeli Ministry of Tourism is anticipating four million visitors.

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, located between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, visitors will find a site completed in the past year, a giant free-form menorah designed by the late Franco-Spanish artist Salvador Dali. Sitting outside the main entrance to the central terminal, the menorah bears Dali's inscription ``I wish you to see in the radiance of these clear and joyous lights an homage to your people.''

Most tourists will then take the 45-minute drive to Jerusalem, a 3,000- year-old metropolis that is being revitalized. As they climb up from the coastal plain, tourists will glimpse a grand city clinging to the Judean Hills.

Sitting at an altitude of 3,000 feet, Jerusalem offers crisp, dry air, with warm days and cool nights. Not quite the hot, arid desert that many visitors expect.

Tourists may also be surprised to find that everything is built from age-old limestone. In 1920, one of the first decrees of the new British regime was that all construction in Jerusalem be of local stone. The law has been retained to this day.

Far from a monochromatic city, the buildings glow with a patina ranging from cream to gold to pink as the sun makes its rounds.

The first images of Jerusalem are often of the Old City, whose 16th- century walls enclose the holy places of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And, indeed, the Old City is still lined with hundreds of busy stores, stalls and bazaars much as it was in the days of Solomon and Jesus.

The Old City was all there was until the mid-19th century. Begun in the 1860s, the new city of Jerusalem now spreads over an area 20 times larger than the original.

The capital of a modern state, it is home to close to three quarters of a million people. Jerusalem truly is unique, with many cultures and religions blending together. Where else would you find black-clad men and boys with long sideburn locks hurrying to synagogue, while in the background church bells and the muezzin call their faithful to prayer?

But it is the history of the city that draws tourists to Jerusalem, a beacon for billions of people around the world.

When Jesus of Nazareth was born 2,000 years ago, it was the year 3760 of the Jewish calendar. King David had proclaimed Jerusalem capital of Israel 10 centuries earlier. And in 2100, Abraham had received the Covenant from God atop the city's Mount Moriah.

Little wonder that the Jewish state calls itself ``The Land Where Time Began.'' The actual dating of Jesus' birth as year 1 was proclaimed in the fourth century at the Council of Nicacea, following the Roman Empire's adoption of Christianity.

As travelers approach the Old City, they can't help but be impressed by the massive ramparts built to protect it. Constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent from 1536 to 1542, Jerusalem's walls are some of the most complete medieval city walls standing anywhere in the world today.

As with public projects throughout history, there were a few problems. When Suleiman discovered that the new city walls left Mount Zion, with its tomb of King David and Room of the Last Supper, outside the ramparts, he was so angry that he ordered the architects and engineers hanged from the new walls.

Soldiers still guard the gates, this time searching for terrorists. During my visit, a bomb went off a few blocks from my hotel, but I only found out about it from the television news and the newspapers.

I had expected a police state with machine-gun-toting soldiers everywhere. Instead, I found soldiers casually manning strategic checkpoints. The police were much more evident.

Everyone just went about their regular business, so I went about mine. Overall, I felt safe. Safe enough that friends and I would venture out at night.

Special lighting has been installed on the walls and monuments of the Old City, making an evening walk breathtaking. The magnificent wall can be seen glistening from many miles away in the soft darkness of a Jerusalem night.

Be sure to walk along the stone ramparts during the day. The stone catwalks give visitors a chance to see what it must have been like for the Crusaders defending the city.

The Ramparts Walk has been renovated, providing new access points at the Citadel, the Jaffa Gate and the Damascus Gate. The footpaths have been refurbished, with loose paving stones strengthened, and handles and ladders repainted.

The views from the towers are spectacular. New signs explain the ancient architecture, which includes spires, minarets and bell towers. Looking outside the Old City, visitors have panoramic vistas of Mount Zion, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane.

Part of the city wall, the Tower of David Museum occupies the superbly restored Citadel that guarded the western entrance to Jerusalem throughout history. This excellent museum illustrates Jerusalem's eventful history through state-of-the-art displays and exhibits.

It brings 4,000 years of history to life - from the life of King David, who united the children of Israel, to his son, King Solomon, who built the First Temple and a home for the Ark of the Covenant. Other exhibits trace the life of Jesus and the adoption of Christianity by the Roman world, while many displays unveil the Moslem conquest of the Middle East and the Crusaders' battles to recapture the Holy City.

The animated film ``Jerusalem'' tells the history through humor and is a good beginning. The 14-minute film is in Hebrew with English translations.

Guided tours are included in the entrance fee, with the English tour beginning at 11 a.m. Sunday through Friday. Personal audio guides are also available in English.

A sound-and-light show is offered in the evenings, presenting 4,000 years of history in 40 minutes in the courtyard. The shows are held Monday, Wednesday and Saturday in various languages.

King Herod's palace once stood on this site, and many scholars believe it was in his palace, now hidden beneath the Citadel, that Jesus was tried and sentenced to death. From here, Jesus walked to Calvary, where he was crucified.

Winding its way through the Old City's Muslim and Christian quarters,the Via Dolorosa follows the route along which the condemned Jesus carried the cross. Fourteen chapels, each called a Station of the Cross, commemorate incidents from the Bible.

The stations have been refaced and special lighting now illuminates the path. While other streets in the Old City have been repaved with modern materials, the Via Dolorosa has been paved with cobblestones.

Paving stones from the Herodian period, unearthed earlier from beneath the surface, have been incorporated in this new surface. Thus, pilgrims walking in the footsteps of Jesus are actually walking on stones from that very age.

Just as in Jesus' day, the route traverses the bustling markets, and it is difficult to reflect on Christ's last journey when children and merchants are hawking cheap souvenirs. I spent more time fending off salesmen than thinking about Christ's last day.

The crowded and narrow streets certainly are not for the claustrophobic. And the streets take so many twists and turns that it is extremely easy to become lost and disoriented. Twice I paid someone to lead me out of the maze.

At the end of Via Dolorosa is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, to many the holiest place in Christendom. Since the fourth century, this has been accepted as the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion, entombment and resurrection.

The Byzantines built the first church. The current church was constructed by the Crusaders in the 12th century atop the ruins of earlier churches.

The vast, three-story stone church is home to six different denominations. The three largest are the Greek Orthodox, the Armenians and the Roman Catholics.

Sadly, the church is crammed with religious icons and visitors. Crowds push in from all around as they attempt to ascend the steep, narrow steps to the site of the crucifixion.

Unfortunately, the church was still a dark, gloomy place when I visited. But after 17 years of construction, a sparkling new dome now floods the interior with sunlight.

Many Protestants and Evangelical Christians consider the Garden Tomb outside the city walls to be the true site of Calvary. An ancient, rock- cut tomb in a tranquil garden gives visitors a quiet place to reflect on Christ's sacrifice.

Other places important to Christians include the Mount of Olives, where Jesus descended the mountain on a donkey on the first Palm Sunday and wept over the city's impending destruction.

At the base of the Mount of Olives is the Garden of Gethsemane, where the Romans arrested Jesus on the morning after the Last Supper, the disciples' Passover Seder. Scientific tests have shown that the gnarled olive trees are as much as 2,000 years old and could have sheltered Jesus at prayer.

Jerusalem is also sacred to two other great religions. The Western Wall of the Temple Mount and the treasures of the Jewish Quarter have special meaning to Jews. Also known as the Wailing Wall, it is here the faithful flock to lift their prayers to the Lord.

According to tradition, Mohammed's night ride to heaven to receive the Koran started from the Temple Mount. The beautiful mosques are built on the top of Mount Moriah.

One word of caution, however: Visitors should dress conservatively. An American couple in my tour group was accosted by a young Muslim man, who apparently was taking issue with the woman's apparel. (Her dress was above her knees.)

Our Israeli guide politely listened to the man rant and rave until mosque officials gently led him away. Nevertheless, the point was made that these holy sites must be revered by all visitors. The requirements are particularly strict for women: long sleeves, dresses below the knee, no shorts, head coverings. Men should not wear shorts.

If you like your history a la Disney, the new ``Time Elevator Jerusalem'' is just the ride for you. The simulator ride is actually a large theater, with seats on hydraulic platforms.

Viewers bump and bounce along as the 4,000-year history of the city unfolds before them. The 30-minute show uses all kinds of multimedia devices to keep the audience entertained. From talking statues to film clips, the action was lively as we tagged along with kings David and Solomon, witnessed the birth of Christianity, the Muslim conquest, the Crusades and finally the rebirth of Israel.

On a much more serious note, the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum offers a chance to see the oldest surviving biblical texts. Shaped to resemble the lid of the clay jars in which the Dead Sea Scrolls survived two millennia until their discovery in 1947, this structure - and its contents - are a highlight of the capital's venerable museum.

My pilgrimage gave me a newfound appreciation for the importance that religion plays in the lives of many cultures around the world.

--For more information, contact the Israel Ministry of Tourism information center in New York at [phone]. The Web site is particularly helpful and will give you the opportunity to sign up for brochure mailings: www.goisrael.com.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos, 2 maps

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jerusalem's Old City glistens in the sun. The city has been revitalized in anticipation of a crush of Christian visitors this year - officials are expecting 4 million tourists.

(2 -- color) The ancient roads and alleys of the Old City are narrow and labryinthine, often confusing visitors.

(3 -- color) The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, has special meaning to Jews, who gather here to pray.

(4 -- 5) Above, a gate near the Tower of David protected the western entrance to Old Jerusalem for centuries. Below, a Jewish scholar looks over Hebrew texts at a book stall.

Map:

(1 -- color) no caption (Israel locator)

(2) Jerusalem/Capital of Israel/The Old City