Supplement to the Notes:
Jerusalem--the “City of Light”

As a supplement to the notes for this unit, I would like to briefly sketch the history of Jerusalem because of its crucial role both in the history and the current conflict.  Jerusalem predates the Biblical conquest by David; the city had an estimated population of 2,000 around 3,400 years ago.  Then came the Hebrew conquest; ~3000 years ago David conquered Jerusalem, which until then was controlled by the Canaanite tribe the Jebusites, who called it Orsalem, the “city of light.”  David changed the history of the city and the region by making it the capital of his growing kingdom.  He did so for several reasons: 1) its central location made it ideal; 2) it was a conquered Canaanite city and thus was not directly associated with any of the constantly quarrelling 12 tribes of Israel (this promoted unity among them all because the choice of this city as capital was not showing favoritism to one or another group); 3) it was built on a steep hillside that could be defended by stout walls; and 4) it was supplied with water by a nearby spring (Gihon).  (One of the most important developments described in the Old Testament was when Hezekiah had the waters diverted from outside the city walls inside via an aqueduct that protected the city’s water supply from an Assyrian army that had laid siege to the city). Left: Jerusalem in 2000

Solomon, as noted earlier, built the First Temple in the city.  When the Kingdom of Israel split after his death Jerusalem became the capital of the two tribes of Judah in the South.  The sacred Temples of Judaism were built on the site of a holy rock believed to be the spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.  Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylonian forces destroyed the First Temple in 586 BC as they conquered Judah.  A Second Temple was built much later on the same spot, but Roman legions destroyed most of it while crushing the revolt in 70 CE, leaving only the Western (Wailing) Wall.  This site is a focal point in the Arab-Israeli conflict and, indeed, it was Ariel Sharon’s controversial visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 that sparked the current Intifadah.  Muslims believe that Muhammad ascended into heaven from the holy rock on the site of the Temple during the Miraj or ascension, this around the year 620.  Right: The "Old City" of Jerusalem inside the city wall

Above: The Wailing Wall and the Dome of the Rock Right: The Dome of the Rock (built ~690) and the al-Aqsa Mosque Below: Dome of the Rock                     Right Bottom: The sacred rock

The al-Aqsa Mosque, completed ~70

There is, of course, also a significant and important Christian presence in the city.  The Church of the Sepulchre was built in the early 4^th century by either the Emperor Constantine or his mother, St. Helena.  It is supposedly built on the site where Jesus spent the last days of his life, was crucified and entombed; it is considered by many to be the holiest site in the Christian world.  The Church is the center of the old city’s Christian Quarter.  As noted in our unit on the Crusades, the Islamic Caliph in Jerusalem, Al Hakim burned the Church to the ground in the early 11^th century.  Although the Church was rebuilt by Hakim's successor, this act contributed to the beginning of the Crusades.  The Church’s façade was rebuilt by the Christian Crusaders when they controlled the city in the 13^th century.  There is also an Armenian Quarter and a significant Armenian Christian minority in the city.  That section of the city is centered around the St. James Cathedral. 

The Church of the Sepulchre, built in the early 4th century, is considered by many to be the holiest site in Christianity

The St. James Cathedral, which is the center of the Old City's Armenian Quarter

The walls of the old city were reconstructed by the Ottoman ruler Suliman the Magnificent in the middle of the 16^th century.  Over time, of course, an entirely new city has grown up outside the city’s old walls; a very modern city that is the administrative center and (controversially) capital of Israel.  Between 1948-1967 Jerusalem was a divided city, with the western part under Israeli control and the eastern section of the city under Jordanian control.  The 20^th century and especially post-1967 have seen tremendous development of Jerusalem, which, again, is very much at the heart of the current conflict.  Take a look at this brief video on Jerusalem and Arab-Jewish relations in the medieval period that brings us into the 20^th century.

LAUNCH VIDEO CLIP (3:50)

Finally, take a quick look at this online exhibit: Jerusalem 3000: Three Millenia of History by the Smith Center for Cartographic Education