The Middle East city of Jerusalem, the so called ‘City of David’, is located between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the World and has been destroyed, attacked, besieged and occupied throughout history.
In Roman times there was a Sports Hippodrome, built by Herod the Great near the Synagogue of Freedmen at the Huldah Gates, which was used for horse racing and chariot racing. The ruins of the Hippodrome were never discovered, totally destroyed by the Romans. Today the Huldah Gates, formerly two sets of gates, are now blocked but can still be seen in Jerusalem’s Old City in the South Wall of the Temple Mount.
After the Battle of Jerusalem in 1917 the British Army captured the city and in 1922 the League of Nations entrusted the city to the United Kingdom, a situation which continued until 1947 when the UN Partition Plan was proposed. Although there is no evidence of horse racing taking place between 1917 and 1947, horse related activities were certainly staged.
The programme below is shown courtesy of Vincent Hinde and provides an insight into a particular Equestrian sports event staged at Jerusalem Sports Ground in October 1946.
