The Four Quarters of Jerusalem

Based in New York City, Hany Awadalla is a managing director at National Securities Corp., where he maintains responsibility for a team focusing on healthcare investment banking. Hany Awadalla’s travels have taken him to Antarctica, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and Israel.

Known as the Holy Land, Israel offers a compelling draw to many travels for a variety of reasons, from historical and religious to cultural and natural. One of the most popular destinations in the country is the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Old City is contained within towering stone walls and divided into four residential quarters. Settled in the 4th century AD, the Armenian Quarter is the smallest. It is home to the St. James Cathedral. Next is the Christian Quarter, which houses more than 40 churches and monasteries, including the famous Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was crucified and buried. The Christian Quarter also features the Via Dolorosa and a colorful market.

The Jewish Quarter includes the Wailing Wall, also known as the Western Wall, which is of utmost significance to the Jewish religion. This quarter also contains the Burnt House, the remains of a home destroyed by the Romans 2,000 years ago. Finally, the Moslem Quarter is the largest in the old city and home to the Dome of the Rock on Mount Moriah.

The French Influence on Vietnamese Food

A financial executive based in New York City, Hany Awadalla serves as a managing director with National Securities. In his free time, Hany Awadalla enjoys cooking Vietnamese food and French-Asian fusion.

Vietnamese food in its modern form owes much to the influence of French colonization, which began in the 18th century and lasted until the middle of the 20th century. Perhaps the most famous Vietnamese menu item, the banh mi sandwich, is served on a crusty French baguette. However, the bread is where most of the similarities end. The banh mi includes distinctly Vietnamese fillings such as grilled pork, pickled carrots, cilantro, and sardines.

Another famous Vietnamese dish is a soup known simply as pho. Pho features a combination of traditional Vietnamese rice noodles and French meat broth. According to one historical theory, Vietnamese cooks used the scraps of slaughtered cattle to assemble the signature components of pho, which often include tripe, tendon, and beef meatballs.

La Ferrassie - A Rock Shelter Gives Evidence of Neanderthal Life

A longtime New York financial executive, Hany Awadalla has an interest in travel that explores the ancient cultures and archaeology of destinations from Spain’s Galicia to Ethiopia. Hany Awadalla was particularly interested to visit the Dordogne valley in southwestern France, which is known for the rock shelter La Ferrassie.

The shelter was in use between 22,000 to 70,000 years ago, making it significant in unearthing evidence about the lives of Neanderthals and early humans. Early 20th-century excavations revealed the remains of male and female adult Neanderthals and proved that sexual dimorphism existed among them. Intentionally buried remains of infants, children, and fetuses further provided critical details about Neanderthal growth rates and processes.

The adult male “La Ferrassie 1” was a particularly important find, as he provided a ‘classic’ template of Neanderthal anatomy. His feet and leg bones indicate an upright gait that is nearly the same as modern humans, which refuted earlier theories. In addition, there is evidence that he may have used his heavily worn teeth as a tool. This could have involved holding a hide in place with the front teeth while he scraped i