Jerusalem

**Jerusalem** (;  <small></small>;  <small></small>) is one of the oldest cities in the world that people have lived in continuously.

Jerusalem is considered the  capital city of both Palestine and  Israel, under their laws. Most other countries disagree with either claim.  Most countries have their embassies with Israel in Tel Aviv. Jerusalem is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a hilly city with many valleys around it.

## History

Jerusalem is a very old city. It has great importance for three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Bible says King David, the second king of Israel, took this city from pagans and settled his palace there. King Solomon, David's son and the next king, built the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. Later, as capital of Judah, Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II, the king of Babylon. The Palace of King David and the Temple of Solomon were burned, and the Jews were captured and taken to Babylon. Seventy years later, the Persian King Cyrus allowed them to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the Temple. Christians consider Jerusalem holy because many events in the life of Jesus took place there. Muslims believe that Muhammad rose to heaven from Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is the first Qibla of Muslims after Mecca.

## Classical antiquity

The area was later colonized by Romans. King Herod the Great, who ruled for the Roman Emperor, made the Temple larger to try and win Jewish favor. The Temple was famous for its greatness and beauty. Jesus died in Jerusalem around 33 CE. In 70 CE, the Jews rebelled against the Romans, but the Romans destroyed the city and the Temple. Jewish people who lived in Jerusalem were caught and became slaves. The Romans renamed Jerusalem with a Latin name. Since then, the Temple has not been rebuilt, and only a part of its wall remains until today. After the Roman Empire was split into two, the Byzantine Empire ruled Jerusalem. Later in 636 CE, Muslims took over the city from them. The Muslims believed Muhammad went to heaven from Jerusalem.

## Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, the Pope in Rome sent the Crusaders from Western Europe to try and take Jerusalem back. They succeeded for a while, but eventually the city fell again to the Muslims. Until the 20th century, Jerusalem was a part of the Ottoman Empire. There were some Jews in Jerusalem all along, even though they were ruled by other people. The "New City" of Jerusalem is the part outside the old stone walls. People started building the new city in the 1800s. Mishkenot Sha'annanim, Mea Shearim, and the Bukharan Quarter are some of the first neighborhoods in the new city.

### Interwar period

After World War I, the Ottoman Empire had been defeated. In June 1922, the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine. This gave control of the area to the United Kingdom. The land west of the Jordan River was known as Palestine. It was under direct British control until 1948. The land east of the Jordan River was known as Transjordan, and was governed by the Hashemite family. Transjordan gained independence in 1946.

### Post WWII

The mandate in Palestine ended at midnight on 14 May 1948. On the next day, the 1948 Arab–Israeli War began. Israel declared independence, the West Bank was annexed by Jordan, and Egypt took control of the Gaza Strip. In 1949, at the end of the first Arab-Israeli War, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan.  Israel controlled the western part of the city. Jordan controlled the eastern section, including the Old City, a walled section of Jerusalem dating from Biblical times. Israel took control of the entire city during the Six-Day War in 1967.

### Today

Jerusalem today is claimed by the state of Israeli as its capital. The United Nations does not agree to Israel saying that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

## Religious significance

Jerusalem has been sacred to Judaism for roughly 3000 years, to Christianity for around 2000 years, and to Islam for approximately 1400 years. The 2000 Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem lists 1204 synagogues, 158 churches, and 73 mosques within the city. Despite efforts to maintain peaceful religious coexistence, some sites, such as the Temple Mount, have been a continuous source of friction and controversy.

### Jewish

According to Jewish tradition, Jerusalem is where God told the patriarch Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to Him.  The Jews built the Temple, the centre of Jewish worship in ancient times, at the site of Abraham's sacrifice on the Temple Mount in the Old City.  Two buildings, one after the other, the First Temple and the Second Temple, stood at the site.  The First Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred box holding the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

The Western Wall is a part of the Second Temple and Judaism's most sacred shrine.  It is a stone wall that strengthened the western side of the Temple Mount in ancient times.  The wall is sometimes called the Wailing Wall because of the sad prayers Jewish people said there to mourn the destroyed Temple.

Other sites in the city that are sacred to the Jews include King David's tomb on Mount Zion, and the Jewish Cemetery and the Tombs of the Prophets on the Mount of Olives, a hill just east of the Old City.  Many sites associated with Biblical figures are sacred to Christians, too.

### Christian

Many monasteries, convents, shrines, and religious seminaries in Jerusalem mark events in the life of Jesus and in the formation of the Christian Church.  According to the Bible, Jesus taught in Jerusalem and performed numerous miracles there.  The Last Supper supposedly took place in a room known as the Cenacle (also called Coenaculum) on Mount Zion.  The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Old City is said to be the place of Jesus's Crucifixion (called Calvary or Golgotha), as well as His burial and resurrection.  Several Christian sects own the church, which was originally built by Constantine the Great, then rebuilt and dedicated by the Crusaders in 1149 CE.  The building stands at the end of the Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows), believed to be the path over which Jesus carried His cross to Calvary.  Jesus was last seen by His followers on the Mount of Olives before He went up to heaven.  All of these sites attract many religious pilgrims each year.

### Islamic

Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest city, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.  According to Muslim tradition, Muhammad originally selected Jerusalem as the qibla: the direction Muslims should face during prayer.  However, he later told his followers to face Mecca instead of Jerusalem when praying.  Muhammad is said to have gone up to heaven from a stone now covered by a golden-domed shrine called the Dome of the Rock.  The Dome of the Rock and the ancient Al-Aqsa Mosque are very important places in the Muslim tradition and are among the holiest sites in Islam.  They are the main buildings on the Temple Mount, which Muslims call _Haram al-Sharif_ (Noble Sanctuary).

## Architecture

Jerusalem's architecture is a mixture of old and new.  The Old City contains architectural examples from each major period in the city's history.  Many ancient historical sites and places of worship stand near modern shopping centers and industrial zones.  Architecture from the late 1800s and early 1900s shows European influences.  Usefulness rather than style characterizes new apartment buildings constructed by the government as housing for immigrants.  Many buildings, old and new, have matching exteriors because all construction is required to be faced with a cream-colored limestone called Jerusalem stone, produced by nearby quarries.

## Religion in Jerusalem

Belz Beis HaMedrash HaGadol is the largest synagogue in Jerusalem.

## Twin towns and sister cities

- New York City, United States <small>_(since 1993)_</small>
- Prague, Czech Republic

### Partner city

- Marseille, France

## Other websites

- Official website of Jerusalem Municipality
- Jerusalemp3 , offers free virtual tours in mp3 format from the Jerusalem Municipality

- Government
- , United Nations document related to the recent dispute over Jerusalem
- _Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel, Government of Israel_, the Israeli law making Jerusalem the capital of Israel

- Culture
- Israel Museum, one of Jerusalem's premier art museums
- Yad Vashem , Israeli memorial to victims of The Holocaust

- Education
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem's foremost institution of higher learning
- al-Quds University, the only Palestinian university in Jerusalem

- Maps
- Modern-day map of Jerusalem, from City of Jerusalem.
- Ancient Maps of Jerusalem , from the Jewish National Library at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

## Infobox (designation list)

- **embed**: yes
- **designation1**: World Heritage Site
- **designation1 offname**: Old City (Jerusalem), Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
- **designation1 type**: Cultural
- **designation1 criteria**: ii, iii, vi
- **designation1 date**: 1981
- **designation1 number**: [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/148 148]
- **designation1 free1name**: Region
- **designation1 free1value**: Jerusalem District
- **designation1 free2name**: List of World Heritage in Danger, Endangered
- **designation1 free2value**: 1982–present


## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Jerusalem
- **settlement type**: City
- **image flag**: Flag of Jerusalem.svg
- **flag alt**: Flag of Jerusalem
- **flag link**: Flag of Jerusalem
- **image shield**: Emblem of Jerusalem.svg
- **shield alt**: Emblem of Jerusalem
- **shield link**: Emblem of Jerusalem
- **shield size**: 55px
- **nickname**: _Ir ha-Kodesh_ (The Holy City),
_Bayt al-Maqdis_ (House of the Holiness)
- **pushpin map**: Israel
- **pushpin relief**: 1
- **pushpin label position**: bottom
- **pushpin map alt**: Location of Jerusalem
- **subdivision type**: Administered by
- **subdivision type1**: Claimed by
- **subdivision type2**: Districts of Israel, Israeli district
- **subdivision name3**: Jerusalem Governorate, Jerusalem
- **established title**: Gihon Spring settlement
- **established date**: 3000-2800 BCE
- **established title1**: City of David
- **established date1**: c. 1000 BCE
- **established title2**: Walls of Jerusalem, Present Old City walls built
- **established date2**: 1541
- **established date3**: 1948
- **established title4**: Reunification of Jerusalem, Reunification
- **established date4**: 1967
- **established title5**: Jerusalem Law
- **established date5**: 1980
- **government type**: Mayor–council government, Mayor–council
- **governing body**: Jerusalem Municipality
- **leader party**: Likud
- **leader title**: Mayor of Jerusalem, Mayor
- **leader name**: Nir Barkat
- **leader name1**: Zaki al-Ghul (titular)
- **unit pref**: dunam
- **area total dunam**: 125156
- **area metro dunam**: 652000
- **elevation m**: 754
- **population density km2**: auto
- **population metro**: 1,253,900
- **population demonyms**: Jerusalemite (Yerushalmi)
wikt:Qudsi, Qudsi/Maqdisi
- **demographics type1**: Demographic history of Jerusalem, Demographics (2016)
- **demographics1 title1**: Israeli Jews, Jewish
- **demographics1 info1**: 64%
- **demographics1 title2**: Arab citizens of Israel, Arab
- **demographics1 info2**: 35%
- **demographics1 title3**: others
- **demographics1 info3**: 1%
- **blank1 name**: Human Development Index, HDI (2017)
- **blank1 info**: 0.704 – <span style="color:#090;">high</span>
- **timezone1**: Israel Standard Time, IST
- **utc offset1**: +02:00
- **timezone1 dst**: Israel Summer Time, IDT
- **utc offset1 dst**: +03:00
- **postal code type**: Postal codes in Israel, Postal code
- **postal code**: 9XXXXXX
- **area code type**: Telephone numbers in Israel, Area code
- **area code**: +972-2
- **subdivision name1**:
 Palestinian Authority