Jerusalem Marathon 2012~Maps and Information

Course Map (pdf)

The Jerusalem Marathon takes place on Friday, 16 March 2012. There is a comprehensive site where you can get full details HERE, including start times, various course lengths and registration.

A full sized Course Map can be down loaded in PDF format  HERE.

There is a clip at the bottom of this post that will take you on a visual drive through the course. I have summarized some of the main points along the route.

Jerusalem is a city packed with history. If you are interested in the historical information on the sites along the course you can follow this LINK~just click on each of the headers there and it will open up with facts.

There is a very good interactive course map that combines the different tracks, along with heights graph, toilet spots, gels and isotonic drinks, food and points of interest at this LINK.

Israeli Knesset

The starting point of the 2012 Jerusalem Marathon is on Ruppin Street, in front of the Israeli Knesset.

At the entrance to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the runners will turn left and circle the Givat Ram Campus returning to Ruppin Street via the Israel Museum.

From the Israel Museum, the runners continue in the direction on Netanel Lorch Street and climb in the direction of Yitzhak Rabin Boulevard.

The runners will pass the Supreme Court Building toward Bezalel Street. On 22 July 1948, the organization that heads the judicial authority was established by then-Minister of Justice Pinchas Rosen, as the highest legal institution of the State of Israel.

Mamilla Mall Entrance

On Bezalel Street, runners will pass the Gerard Bechar Center to the end of the street, where they turn left onto King George Street. They will follow King George Street to the intersection with Jaffa Road and continue on Jaffa Road toward the Generali Building, aking the right-hand fork down Shlomzion Hamalka right to the end of the street to Yitzak Karib Street in Mamilla.

Mamilla is an old neighborhood of Jerusalem and is also the name of a new shopping, hotel, and prestigious residential complex that bears the name of the neighborhood in the valley that links Jaffa Gate of the Old City with the New City.

Continuing to the end of Yitzhak Karib Street, runners clime the approach to Jaffa Gate, one of the eight gates of the Old City. After entering Jaffa Gate, they will turn right onto Armenia Orthodox Street and continue to the exit at Zion Gate.

Zion Gate is another of the Old City gates. It is also called David’s Gate, the Jewish Quarter Gate or the Jews’ Gate, and serves as the entrance to the Jewish Quarter. The runners will leave Zion Gate and run along Maaleh Hashalom to Sultan’s Pool.

Sultans Pool

The Sultan’s Pool is a Jerusalem’s water storage reservoir. The runners will cross Sultan’s Pool and go up Hativat Jerusalem Street to the intersection with Hebron Road, past the Israeli Cinemateque and Menachem Begin Heritage Center.

The Israeli Cinemateque is a cinemateque and film archive. The result of George Ostrovsky's dream, it officially opened in 1981.

The Menachem Begin Heritage Center, dedicated to Israels sixth prime minister. The runners will continue toward the Khan Theater on David Remez Street.

The Jerusalem Khan Theater is housed in a 19th century building from the Ottoman Era, built on the ruins of a Crusader Era inn. At the end David Remez Street, the runners reach King David Street and pass by the Liberty Bell Garden. They will continue to the Yemin Moshe intersection, turn left onto Jabotinsky Street, and climb to the end of the street where it joins President Street.

President's Residence

The Residence of the President of Israel is located on President Street in the Talbiyeh neighborhood. The runners will pass the President’s Residence, and continue along the street where it joins Chopin Street towards the Jerusalem Theater.

The Jerusalem Theater is located in the heart of the Talbiyeh neighborhood. The runners pass the Jerusalem Theater they will continue toward Dubnov Street, to its end, where they turn right to Gretz Street and descend to Emek Refaim.

Emek Refaim is a geographical area in southern Jerusalem which slopes down toward the Nahal Refaim river, one of the tributaries of Nahal Soreq. From the Oranim intersection, the runners turn to Pierre Koenig Street as far as the intersection with Yehuda Street. They continue up Yehuda Street to its end at Hebron Road, which they follow to the Armon Hanatziv Daniel Yanovsky Promenade.

The Armon Hanatziv Promenade is actually the name of three promenades located in southeastern Jerusalem: the Gabriel Sherover Promenade, the Daniel Haas Promenade, and the Richard Goldman Promenade. Runners wil make a U-turn at the end of the promenade and return to Yanovsky Street until Hebron Road, and from there they turn left, following the street, past the Pillbox toward Mar Elias Monastery. They pass the monastery to the Gilo intersection, where they make another U-turn and return up Hebron Road to the Oranim intersection. They pass the intersection to Elazar Moda’i Street, which they take to Kovshai Katamon Street and continue to the end of the street and turn left to Palmach Street.

The runners will follow Palmach Street to Fichman Street, turn right and continue directly to Tchernichovsky Street to the Emek Hamatzlava (Valley of the Cross) intersection. They will pass through the intersection up Haim Hazaz Boulevard to Ben Zvi Boulevard. At the intersection with Bezalel Street, the runners turn right and climb the street to King George Street. They run along King George Street to Jaffa Road where they will turn right and continue to Safra Square and the Jerusalem Municipality.

Safra Square

In the 1980s, the various offices of the Jerusalem Municipality were consolidated into a single site at Safra Square, near the historic municipal building. Runners will pass the Jerusalem Municipality to Hatzanhanim Street (Paratroopers Street), turn right, and continue up the street to the intersection with Hayal Hahandasa Street (Engineering Corps Street) opposite Damascus Gate, then continue along the street to Haim Bar Lev Street as far as Ammunition Hill and the Israeli Police National Headquarters.

Entrance Ammunition Hill

The story of Ammunition Hill is where one of the toughest battles of the Six-Day War to liberate Jerusalem was waged. The story of the 55th Paratroopers Brigade and the capture of the hill is inscribed on the monument at the site. Once past Ammunition Hill, the runners will continue past the Ramat Eshkol intersection and the White Statue on the right, then turn right to Lehi Street, which will take them straight to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus Campus. They will circle the campus to the intersection with Benjamin Mazar Street, turn right and continue to back to Winston Churchill Boulevard, turn left and return to Haim Bar Lev Boulevard.

Paris Square

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was Israel's first university, founded in 1925. At Bar Lev Boulevard, the runners turn left and return to Hatzanhanim Street, past the Jerusalem Municipality and continue on King Solomon Street.

From King Solomon Street runners follow Agron Street, which leads to Paris Square.

Runners will then cross the square to Gaza Street, which they will follow to  Emek Hamatzlava. There, they make a left turn to go through the Ruppin Street underpass to Sacher Park and the Finish Line.

The video below will take you through the entire route (starting around 0:36), and gives a good view of the many sites this year's marathon will pass. Good luck to everyone who is running and I hope you find time to enjoy the beauty of Jerusalem!