up against the wall

I traveled to a walled city in the eastern part of the country last week.  It was built this way to protect the inhabitants’ religion.  Now, the city has grown out past the original walls.  We drove around the wall, looking at the many entrances (some just for hyenas to come in at night and eat trash).  We also parked and walked through the small city streets and cobble-stoned alleyways.  The architecture here is different in a way than what I have seen in the rest of the country.  The atmosphere of place was as if time had been standing still for centuries.