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About Jerusalem | Western Wall | Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Dome of the Rock | Threats to the Old City | Bibliography
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The Old City of Jerusalem: City of Three Faiths
A large and diverse number of people consider the ancient city of Jerusalem the most holy city in the world. A long, rich history is connected to this city where events central to the traditions of each of the three monotheistic faiths—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—are believed to have taken place. To the Jewish people it is the site of Abraham's sacrifice. To the Christians it is where the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus took place. To the Muslims it is where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. One of the most overpowering aspects of the Old City is the layering of religions and cultures, which have existed for thirty centuries within its walls.
While charged with religious significance and visited by countless pilgrims, Jerusalem has also been ravaged by warfare and conflict. Throughout the Jerusalem's tumultuous history, many empires have battled for control of the city. Among the victors were the Hebrews, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Western Crusaders, Ayyubids, Mamluks, and the Ottoman Turks.
Each new inheritor of the city attempted to shape a new holy capital out of what previously had existed. In order to promote their own religious and cultural identities, the conquerors claimed and rededicated or destroyed the structures of the previous city. The city's religious and political buildings served as symbols of power and domination. Today, Jerusalem contains within its walls the layers of its long history of destruction and creation, strife and survival.
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Although much of Jerusalem has developed into a modern city, its rich past is ever present in the architecture of the Old City—its walls, streets, and structures. Still surrounded by the high stone walls built by the Ottoman Turks in 1537, the Old City is the historic heart of Jerusalem. It covers a rectangular area of approximately 1 square kilometer. Its walls are about 12 meters high and 4 kilometers long. Eight gates, built in the second century and reconstructed in the sixteenth century, serve as entrances into the city. Until the late 1800s, these gates were locked at night to protect the city's inhabitants.
Within these walls, a diverse population lives, works and worships separately, as the city is divided into three neighborhoods—Jewish, Muslim and Christian. The Christian quarter is divided into two areas, including a distinct Armenian neighborhood. The cobblestone streets that wind narrowly through each quarter have remained virtually unchanged for centuries. Along these streets, houses with interior courtyards remain crowded together. The busiest streets are the suqs, markets that have small, windowless stalls to sell food, pottery, and a variety of other items. In addition to private homes and market shops, the Old City holds the most sacred and historical monuments to each of the three monotheistic faiths.
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Photo credits:
International Stock
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Over 300 synagogues, churches, mosques, and other religious monuments—many of which have endured destruction and transformation—reveal the plurality of Jerusalem's holy existence and reflect the significance of the city for all three faiths. Three existing monuments in particular—the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock—stand as symbols of Jerusalem's historical significance and development. These three monuments are not only centers of worship for each of the three religions, but are also important expressions of cultural and political identity.
Understanding why these structures and spaces were built and how they were, and continue to be, used, allows one to experience the past in unique and powerful ways. Through the architecture of a city whose history is often distorted by conflicting beliefs, one can explore the enduring legacy of the past.
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About Jerusalem | Western Wall | Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Dome of the Rock | Threats to the Old City | Bibliography
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