The Nome daily nugget., 1917-12-12
JERUSALEM; CITY OF
 MANY VIC|SSITUDES

Jerusalem, the chief city of Palestine and the ancient capital of the Jewish of southern Palestine, close to the watershed at an average altitude of 2.500 feet above the Mediterranean and $500 feet above the Dead Sea The city stands on rocky plateau which pro- iccts southward from the mainline of the hills. On the east the valley of the Kidron separates this plateau from the ridge of the Mount of Olives. which is loo or 200 feet higher.
 The Wadi Er Rababi bounds Jeru- salem on the west and south, meeting the valley Of kidron near the lower Pool of Siloam. Both valleys fall rapidly as they approach the point of junction, which lies at q depth of 600 feet below the general level of the plateau. The latter, which covers an area of about 900 acres, has at the present time a fairly uniform sur f2ce and slopes gradually from north to south and east. Originally it's for nation was very different As indi- catcd by Joscphus, d deep valley called in the days of the famous Jewish his torian, Tyropoean. intersected the city from point near the Damascus gate and joined the two main valleys of other shorter valley began near the resent Jaffa gate and extending east
 d until it joined the Tyropoean, while d third ravinc crossed what is now ;hc northern part of the Eiaram enclosure and fell into the valley of the Kidron. These deep valleys, are little known and are practically filled by the accumulated debris of the many cen- tulies passing since the ancient city was in the height of it's grandeur. The early history of the city is very ob- scure. The Tell-el Amalna letters show that. long before the invasion of the prophet Joshua, the Egyptains oc- cupiCd the city. Letters written by an carly ruler of the city were found in the -Amarna excavations showing that the city existed under the form of t'rusalim, of City of Salim" or City of Peace" many years before the ls- raelites under Juhhua entered CInnan.
 At the present time the city is known to the Arabs as Fl Kud, an ab- brcviation of Fl Kuddis, i c. the Sane. tuary." We do not know how the Egyptians were forced to abandon the city buS at the time of the Israelitc conquest 1t was undoubtedly in the hands of the Jcbusites. the native in- habitants of the country. The men of Judah and Benjamin did not succeed in getting full possession of the city and the Jcbusites still held a portion
 he site of the older Jerusalem when David became king of Israel. Some
  cceded after some difficulty in taking Jerusalem. He established his royal the city of David while that portion of the city lying to the west of the Tyropoean valley became the civil city. "f which Joab, David's leading general, was appointed the governor. David surrounded the royal city with wall and built q citadel, probably on :he site of Jebusite fort of Zion. while Joab fortified the western town. Acting un- der Divine guidance David chose a site for the famous Temple of Jehovah, on the north side of the city, the Tenn pie later being erected with great mag nlficance by Solomon. The actual site of the Temple has given rise to much controversy In later centuries, though all authorities are agreed that it must have stood on some part of the area now known as the Haram. On the
 
 cd on the same spot as is TOW occupied by the Dome of the Rock, commonly known as the Mosque of Oular The city reached the high .St ,,p,nt ot it's importance during tle reign ,f Solo, m n, but a short time af;cr h,q death tfc kingdom was |iivdcI v tho yc Jl dah and BenjaG"n. NIth the dectn~ dants of Levi, remained faithful to Re hoboam, the son of Solomon.
 Jerusalem thus lost much of her importance. especially after it was Forced to surrender to Shishak, king of Egypt, who carried off a great pert of tho lipha2 which hnh hnap ls,t