Introduction to Geography of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, (Hebrew: Yerushalayim; Arabic: Al Quds), one of the most ancient cities in the world and a holy city to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The western section has been part of Israel since 1949; the eastern portion was part of Jordan until the Six Day War of 1967, when Israel took over the entire city. Few countries, however, recognize Israel's claim to the eastern portion. Jerusalem is Israel's capital but many nations refuse to maintain embassies there, conducting their diplomatic business in Tel Aviv instead.
Jerusalem is holy to Christians primarily because it was the site of numerous events in the life of Jesus Christ, including his crucifixion. Jews revere the city because of its long role as the political and religious capital of the Jews during Old Testament times. To Muslims, Jerusalem is the holiest city of Islam after Mecca and Medina because the city is associated with important events in the life of the prophet Mohammed.
Jerusalem is situated in the Judean Hills of Palestine at an elevation of roughly 2,400 feet (730 m) above sea level. The Mediterranean Sea is some 35 miles (56 km) to the west; the Dead Sea is about 16 miles (26 km) to the east.
Tourists, attracted by Jerusalem's holy sites, are of major importance to the economy of the city. Manufacturing consists mainly of making household furnishings and appliances and such personal items as jewelry, clothing, and shoes. The cutting and polishing of diamonds and the printing and publishing industries are also significant. Many handicraft goods are produced.
Jews make up about three-fourths of Jerusalem's population. Palestinian Arabs account for most of the rest. Hebrew and Arabic are the languages of the city.
City Plan
Jerusalem consists of three main sections —the Old City, East Jerusalem, and the New City— and large rural areas, added after 1967, to the north, east, and south. Only the New City was part of Israel prior to the Six Day War of 1967.
The Old City, the ancient core of Jerusalem, is a maze of narrow streets. It is surrounded by high walls and is accessible through eight gates. Four traditional ethnic areas make up most of the Old City the Jewish, Armenian, Christian, and Muslim quarters. The Muslim Quarter is the largest of the four. Within the Old City are most of Jerusalem's holy sites and shrines.
East Jerusalem is the modern Arab section and is primarily residential. It extends eastward from the Old City, with the principal built-up area in the north. Since the late 1960's large Jewish settlements, including apartment complexes, have been built in or near East Jerusalem.
The New City, sometimes called West Jerusalem, extends westward from the Old City and is the principal Jewish section. Though parts are more than a century old, the New City has been largely built since the establishment of Israel in 1948. Located in the New City are the chief government buildings, numerous educational institutions, museums, and large residential areas.
Points of Interest
On the edge of the Jewish Quarter stands the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, the holiest shrine of Judaism. Also highly revered by Jews is King David's Tomb, on Mount Zion just south of the city wall. The building that houses the tomb is also holy to Christians, who regard its second floor as the place where the Last Supper was held.
On what Jews call the Temple Mount and Muslims call Harem esh Sharif, in the Old City, are the Dome of the Rock and Aksa mosques-the main Muslim shrines in Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock, topped by a glistening gold dome, is built over a rock from which Muslims believe Mohammed ascended into heaven.
In the Christian Quarter is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, marking what is believed to be the area where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried. The present church dates from the 11th century. Nearby is the Via Dolorosa, the street on which Jesus is thought to have carried the cross on his way to crucifixion. Just east of the city wall, beyond the Valley of Kidron, are the Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives.
The New City is the site of the Knesset (Israel's parliament), Hebrew University, the Jewish National and University Library, and the Israel Museum. The Israel Museum, the nation's largest museum, houses ancient and modern art collections and major archeological treasures, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.
In East Jerusalem is the Rockefeller Museum, featuring extensive collections of Holy Land artifacts. The Museum of Islamic Art is in the Old City near Aksa Mosque.
History
The Ancient CapitalJerusalem probably began as a hill fortress on an ancient trade route. In the 14th century B.C., when Palestine was ruled by Egypt, Jerusalem was a Canaanite city-kingdom. (The earliest mention in the Bible of Jerusalem may be Genesis 14:18, which refers to a “Salem” ruled by King Melchizedek. He briefly met with the Hebrew patriarch Abraham.) About 1000 b.c. the Hebrews under King David captured the city and made it their capital. On the ridge of Zion, called Mount Zion, David built his palace, and here his son Solomon later built the Temple.
After the revolt of the 10 northern tribes about 922 B.C., Jerusalem was the capital of Judah (Judea), the southern kingdom. The Babylonians captured and briefly held the city in 597 B.C. They captured it again in 586 B.C. This time they destroyed the city and took its people to Babylon. Jerusalem lay in ruins until the exiles returned in 538 B.C. and rebuilt the city and the Temple. In 168 B.C., when Judah was held by Syria, King Antiochus IV began to persecute the Jews. This led to the revolt under Judas Maccabaeus, and Jerusalem became the capital of independent Judah.
Jerusalem fell to the Romans in 63 B.C., when Pornpey conquered Judah for Rome. Herod the Great, whom the Romans installed as king in 37 B.C., rebuilt much of the city, including the Temple,
Foreign RuleIn 6 A.D. Judah was made a Roman province. After a Jewish revolt Jerusalem was retaken and laid waste in 70 a.d. by the Roman general Titus. There was another revolt in 132; it too, was put down. The old city was leveled, a new city was built, and Jews were excluded.
About 326 Constantine the Great built the first Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. In 638 the city fell to the Arabs in the Muslim conquest. It was taken in 1099 by the Crusaders, who set up a Christian domain called the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. The city was recaptured for the Muslims by Saladin in 1187. In 1517 the Ottoman Turks took it. During the Ottoman era, the population was mainly Arab. After the mid-1800's, however, Christian tourists became common, and Jews began returning in ever larger numbers. About 1860 some of them began building the New City.
From Mandate to IndependenceIn 1917 during World War I British troops took Jerusalem from the Turks. After the war the city became the capital of Palestine under British mandate. The Zionist movement brought many Jewish settlers into the land, and there was frequent fighting between Jews and Arabs. In 1947 the United Nations adopted a plan of partition, with Jerusalem an international city lying in the Arab portion of Palestine. The proposal was rejected by the Arabs.
The British withdrew from Palestine in 1948. War followed, with the Arabs losing the New City to the Israelis; the Old City was annexed, with the surrounding Arab territory, by Jordan. Following the Arab-Israeli Six Day War of 1967 the victorious Israelis annexed the rest of Jerusalem, reunifying the city. Barriers dividing the two sectors were demolished, public-service facilities combined, and an Israeli municipal government installed. Access to holy places was guaranteed to persons of all faiths. An ambitious archeological program was undertaken. The Arab-Israeli war of 1973 left Jerusalem still in Israeli control.
Population: 524,500.