JERUSALEM - Despite being 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the coast, Jerusalem is about to get its first beach.

Mayor Nir Barkat will later on Monday open Holy City beach, including lounge chairs and beach volley ball courts, in a park in central Jerusalem, his office said in a statement.

"This is the first beach in the history of Jerusalem," it added.

The Jerusalem attraction mirrors the popular Paris Beach, a free summer event held in the French capital since 2002 in which parts of the Seine embankment are transformed into beaches.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.