Jerusalem

Jerusalem (Hebrew: ירושלים‬, Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القدس‎, al-Quds, or أورشليم, ʔūrušalīm) is the lairgest ceety o Israel an some kintras merkit it as the caipital o Israel tho it haes nae internaitional kent heidhaund an is merkit as occupiet grund unner internaitional law. It haes a population o 719,900 indwallers. It is the destination o mony veesitors tae Israel. Jerusalem is merkit as a centre o three releegions (Judaism, Christianity an Islam). The ceety haes a lang history, datin back tae the 19t century BC. Mony chiels claim that it shoudnae be kent as the caipital o Israel, as East Jerusalem is supposed tae be the Palestinian caipital. The UN disnae recognise its status as the caipital o Israel as its anerly the caipital unner Israeli law an no internaitional law. Aye branch o the Israeli govrenment is locatit in Jerusalem, includin the Knesset (Israel's pairliament), the residences o the Prime Meenister an Preses, an the Supreme Court. Jerusalem is hame tae the Ebreu University an tae the Israel Museum wi its Shrine o the Beuk. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo haes ranked conseistently as Israel's tap tourist attraction for Israelis. Etymology A ceety cawed Rušalimum or Urušalimum (Foondation o Shalem) appears in auncient Egyptian records as the first twa references tae Jerusalem, in c. 2000 BC an c. 1330 BC respectively. The form Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) first appears in the Bible, in the beuk o Joshua. This form haes the appearance o a portmanteau (blend) oYireh (an abidin place o the fear an the service o God) an the oreeginal ruit S-L-M an is no a semple phonetic evolution o the form in the Amarna letters. The meanin o the common ruit S-L-M is unkent but is thocht tae refer tae aither "peace" (Salam or Shalom in modren Arabic an Ebreu) or Shalim, the god o dusk in the Canaanite releegion. teepically the endin -im indicates the plural in Ebreu grammar an -ayim the dual sicweys leadin tae the suggestion that the name refers tae the fact that the ceety sits on twa hills. Housomeivver the pronunciation o the last seellable as -ayim appears tae be a late development, which haed no yet appeared at the time o the Septuagint. The tradeetion names the auldest settled neighbourhuid o Jerusalem the Ceety o David. "Zion" initially referred tae pairt o the ceety, but later came tae signify the ceety as a whole an as a metaphor for the Biblical Land o Israel. In Greek an Laitin the ceety's name wis transliteratit Hierosolyma (Ἱεροσόλυμα), awtho the ceety wis renamed Aelia Capitolina for pairt o the Roman period o its history. In Arabic, Jerusalem is maist commonly kent as القُدس, transliteratit as al-Quds an meanin "The Holy". Twin touns an sister ceeties New York Ceety, Unitit States (syne 1993) References Freemit airtins Offeecial wabsteid o Jerusalem Municipality Jerusalemp3 Archived 2015-08-01 at the Wayback Machine, affers free virtual tours in mp3 format frae the Jerusalem Municipality Travel guide tae Jerusalem frae Wikivoyage