Getting There: Accessible by appointment only, the Bird Mosaic can be found on the eastern edge of Jerusalem’s Musrara neighborhood (just north of the Old City). Visitors to the neighborhood may also want to stop by the ruins of Jerusalem’s oldest Armenian monastery (c. sixth to eighth century A.D.). Unearthed just ten years ago, the monastery is still being excavated, but so far archaeologists have identified the remains of several tombs, a chapel and a mosaic-lined residence hall. The discovery of the monastery, right next to the Bird Mosaic, has led some scholars to conclude that the Musrara district was the site of Jerusalem’s original Armenian quarter.
