Virtual tour of Yershalaim



Yershalaim

Bulgakov uses Ершалаим [Yershalaim], the Russian transliteration of the Hebrew ירושלים [Yeru-shalayim] for the name of the city of Jerusalem. In general, for the biblical names in The Master and Margarita, Bulgakov has preferred not to use the Russian translations for the names. He used Hebrew or Aramaic transliterations. Aramaic was the lingua franca in the Middle East at the beginning of our era, and therefore Bulgakov chose to use many of the names in the biblical story of The Master and Margarita in Aramaic or Hebrew. Jerusalem thus became Yershalaim, Jesus became Yeshua, Judas became Yehuda, etc. Unfortunately, not all translators took over or did it only partially, so that in some ranslations the Aramaic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew names are used interchangeably.

The Hasmonaea Palace
The Hasmonaea Palace

The City of David

Ir David or the City of David as it is known in English, is the actual location of the Biblical City of Jerusalem captured by King David over 3,000 years ago.  The Ir David Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1986, is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Biblical City of David and its environs. 

The Ir David Foundation is committed to continuing King David’s legacy and strengthening Israel’s current and historic connection to Jerusalem through four key initiatives: archaeological excavation, development of tourism, residential revitalization and educational programming.

When David Be'eri (David'le) first visited the City of David in the mid-1980s, the city was in such a state of disrepair and neglect that the former excavations that had once been conducted were once again concealed beneath garbage and waste.  The site was almost completely off-limits to tourists for security reasons, and in fact the first visit David'le made to the site was as an undercover commander of an elite military unit.  Inspired by the historical record of archeological discoveries made in the City of David in prior years, and by the longing of the Jewish People to return to Zion, David'le left the army to establish the Ir David Foundation in 1986.

The Hebron Gate
The Hebron Gate

Walking with Bulgakov

Also in Jerusalem you can make several trips to the places described in Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita.

Click on the arrow below for an overview of the possibilities.


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English subtitles

All films based on The Master and Margarita have been subtitled by your webmaster in English, French, Dutch, German, Spanish and Italian. Click on the link belw to find them.

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