The capital of Israel is Jerusalem, sacred in many religions. This is one of the oldest settlements of mankind that have survived to our times. It is called the city of three religions: Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Jerusalem is located at the foot of the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas.
History of Jerusalem
The first settlements on the territory of modern Jerusalem appeared in about 5-4 millennia BC. In the Bronze Age there was a city of one Canaanite people. By 2300 BC, the city of Shalem (as Jerusalem was called in ancient times) was mentioned in one of the ancient sources. Thus, the Israeli capital is over four thousand years old.
The history of Jerusalem is very complex and confusing, it was owned by many states: the Kingdom of Judah, the Macedonian Empire, Syria, Ptolemaic Egypt, Rome, Byzantium. Later it was conquered by the crusaders, and after them the Mongol-Tatars, Mamluks, rulers of the Ottoman Empire ruled Jerusalem. For some time he was ruled by the British Empire. In 1949, the city (more precisely, part of it) became the Israeli capital, and by 1967 Israel annexed the remaining territory of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem in religion
There are three Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. In all of them, Jerusalem has a sacred status. For Jews, this is the place where the presence of God is best felt. In their holy scriptures, this city is mentioned more than six hundred times. During prayer, all Jews face Jerusalem, wherever they are.
In Islam, the Temple Mount in the city is associated with the legend of the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad. Today it houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is a sacred place for Muslims.
The Christian Bible describes many scenes that take place in Jerusalem. So, the crucifixion of Christ was carried out on Calvary in the vicinity of the city. His Resurrection also took place in this place, which is why Christians consider Jerusalem sacred.
Modern Jerusalem
Today, just over 800 thousand inhabitants live in Jerusalem, of which 65% are Jews, the rest are Muslims, Christians, representatives of many nationalities and religions. Many Russians also live in the Israeli capital.
The historical part of the city is surrounded by an old fortress wall and is one of the main attractions. It is divided into four parts: Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian. There are several sacred places on the territory of Jerusalem: the Temple Mount, the famous Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Despite the fact that today Israel controls the entire territory of the city, the international community does not recognize all of Jerusalem as the capital of the state.
