Encyclopedia
Jerusalem is
Israel's
capital and largest city, with a population of 724,000 contained in 123 km². An ancient
Middle Eastern city on the
watershed between the
Mediterranean Sea and the
Dead Sea at an elevation of 650-840 metres , Jerusalem is located southeast of
Tel Aviv, south of
Ramallah, west of
Jericho and north of
Bethlehem.
Jerusalem is the holiest city of
Judaism and some denominations of
Christianity and, after
Mecca and
Medina, the third holiest city of
Islam .
A heterogeneous city, Jerusalem represents a wide range of national, religious, and socioeconomic groups. The section called the "Old City" is surrounded by
walls and consists of four quarters: Armenian, Christian,
Jewish, and Muslim. The status of united Jerusalem as Israel's capital is not widely recognised by the international community , and Israel's annexation of
East Jerusalem is particularly controversial.
The current mayor of Jerusalem is
Uri Lupolianski, the first Haredi to ever hold this position.
Name
The origin of the name of the city is uncertain. It is possible to understand the name as either "Heritage of Salem" or "Heritage of Peace" – a contraction of "heritage" and either Salem or
shalom . "Shalem" is the name used in
Genesis 14:18 for the city. Similarly the
Amarna Letters call the city
Urušalim in
Akkadian, a cognate of the
Hebrew Ir Shalem . Some consider a connection between the name and
Shalim - the deity personifying dusk known from
Ugaritic myths and offering lists. The ending
-ayim or
-im has the appearance of the Hebrew dual or pluralis. It has been argued that it is a dual form representing the fact that the city lies on two hills however the treatment of the ending as a suffix makes the rest of the name incomprehensible in Hebrew. A Midrashic interpretation comes from Genesis Rabba, which explains that Abraham came to "Shalem" after rescuing Lot. Upon arrival, he asked the king and high priest
Melchizedek to bless him, and Melchizedek did so in the name of the Supreme God . According to exegetes, God immortalizes this encounter between Melchizedek and Abraham by renaming the city in honor of them: the name "Yeru" is placed in front of "Shalem". The plural ending implies the community of all believers in the One God who testify to the city's holiness.
History
Archaeological findings indicate the existence of a settlement in Jerusalem in the 3rd millennium BCE. The earliest written record of the city to
Egyptian records of the
Bronze Age in the 2nd millennium BCE.
The city is believed to have been first built and founded by
Canaanite peoples . During this Canaanite period, Jerusalem had the name
Urušalim, meaning "the city of peace". From about 1600 to 1300 BCE, the city came under
Egyptian suzerainty and was governed by Canaanite rulers who paid tribute to the Pharaohs. During this period, the city increasingly came under attacks from the Habiru, who possibly were the ancestors of the Hebrews.
According to Midrash, Jerusalem was founded by Shem and Eber, ancestors of
Abraham. Further, the
Bible mentions that the city was controlled by the Jebusites until its conquest by
David, at a date subsequently placed at about 1000 BCE.
David expanded the city to the south, and declared it the capital city of the united Kingdom of Israel. It thus became the capital of the Jewish kingdoms of Israel,
Judah and
Judea in the
First Temple and
Second Temple periods.
In about 960 BCE,
Solomon built the
First Jewish Temple. For about four centuries after the
ten tribes split off to form the northern Kingdom of Israel, Jerusalem served as the capital of the southern
Kingdom of Judah.
By the end of the First Temple period, Jerusalem was the sole acting religious shrine in the kingdom, and a center of regular pilgrimage. Historical records corroborate some of the Biblical history from around the 9th century BCE, and attest the significance of the Temple in Jewish religious life. In 597 BCE, the city was overcome by the Babylonians under
Nebuchadrezzar, and in 586 BCE, the city's walls were ruined and the Temple was burnt. After several decades of captivity, the Jews were allowed by
Cyrus II of Persia to return to Judah and rebuild the city and the Temple. It continued to be the capital of Judah and center of Jewish worship for another four centuries under the
Hasmonean Kingdom.
By 19 BCE, the
Temple Mount was elevated and the
Second Temple was expanded under
Herod the Great, a Jewish client-king under
Roman rule. In 6 CE, the city and
Iudaea Province came under direct Roman rule. The
Great Jewish Revolt resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The city served as the national capital again for almost 3 years during the
Bar Kokhba's revolt against Rome; it was sacked in 135 CE. For almost two millennia thereafter, Jerusalem did not serve as the national capital of any independent state, until the renewed independence of
Israel in 1948.
The city remained under
Roman and
Byzantine rule, until it was taken by the advancing Muslim forces in 638. The rights of the non-Muslims under Islam were governed by the Pact of Umar, and Christians and Jews living in the city were granted autonomy in exchange for a required poll tax. Whereas the
Byzantine Christian authorities had not tolerated the presence of Jews within the walls of the city, the Muslim rulers allowed the reestablishment of a Jewish community.
After the treaty of Capitulation signed with the Byzantines, Umar ordered the Patriarch
Sophronius to guide him and those who accompanied him to the sanctuary of King David, where he later decided to build a mosque in front of the Rock.The mosque became known as Masjid Umar.
In 1099, the city was conquered by the
First Crusaders, who slaughtered most of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. A series of conquests followed: in 1187 the city was taken from the Crusaders by
Saladin. From 1228 to 1244, it was given by Saladin's descendant
al-Kamil to the Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II.
Jerusalem fell again to the
Ayyubids of Egypt in 1244. The Ayyubids were replaced in 1260 by the
Mamelukes, and in 1517, Jerusalem and its environs fell to the
Ottoman Turks.
In 1917, the
British Army led by
General Allenby captured the city. Under the
League of Nations Mandate, Britain was entrusted with establishing a Jewish National Home in Palestine. This period saw the construction of garden suburbs in the western part of the city and establishment of institutions of learning such as the
Hebrew University, founded in 1925.
As the
British Mandate of Palestine was expiring, the
1947 UN Partition Plan recommended that "The City of Jerusalem shall be established as a
corpus separatum under a special international regime and shall be administered by the United Nations." However, this plan was never implemented and at the end of the 1948-49 war, Jerusalem found itself divided between Israel and
Jordan .
The
1949 cease-fire line between Israel and Jordan, which was part of the Green Line, cut through the center of the city from 1949 until 1967, during which time west Jerusalem was part of Israel and
East Jerusalem was part of Jordan. From 1950 to 1967, the capital declared by Israel comprised of western Jerusalem. Ever since Israel captured Eastern Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967
Six-Day War, Israel has administered and has asserted sovereignty over the entire city. The international community has not accepted this claim.
Israel's 1980
declared Jerusalem to be the 'eternal, undivided' capital of Israel, while East Jerusalem is being claimed as the intended capital of a future Palestinian state. The status of the city and of its holy places is disputed.
Status of Jerusalem
Religious significance
Jerusalem plays an important role in three
major religions:
Judaism,
Christianity, and
Islam, as well as in a number of smaller religious groups. A large number of places have religious significance for these religions, among which the
Temple Mount and its
Western Wall for Jews, the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the
Al-Aqsa Mosque and
Dome of the Rock for Muslims.
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its
capital in 1950 and all the branches of Israeli government are seated in Jerusalem. In 1950, given that the city was divided between Israel and Jordan, this proclamation related only to western Jerusalem. Immediately after the
Six Day War in 1967, Israeli legislation incorporated East Jerusalem into Israel, annexing it to the municipality of Jerusalem, and making it a
de facto part of its capital. Israel enshrined the status of united Jerusalem, west and east, as its undivided capital, in Israel's 1980
. United Nations Security Council Resolution 478 declared that this law was 'null and void and must be rescinded forthwith' and advised member states to withdraw their diplomatic representation from the city as a punitive measure, which most of the few countries with embassies in Jerusalem did, relocating their embassies to Tel Aviv.
Most UN member states already located their embassy in Tel Aviv prior to Resolution 478. Currently, only two UN member states have located their embassies within the city limits of Jerusalem, Costa Rica and El Salvador, with the embassies of Bolivia and Paraguay to be found in Mevasseret Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem. On August 16, 2006, the newly elected Costa Rican president stated the intention to relocate its embassy to Tel Aviv. 9 days later, El Salvador followed with a similar statement.
Jerusalem is home to a number of key Israeli government buildings, including the
Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court and the houses of the President and Prime Minister. With the exception of the house of the premier, these buildings can be toured.
Much of the
international community argues that Israel's annexation of the eastern part of Jerusalem after the
Six-Day War was in violation of international law, and that the final issue of the status of East Jerusalem should be determined in future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Therefore, although all ambassadors and other official diplomats submit their accreditation to the President of Israel in his house at Jerusalem, nearly all countries maintain their embassies in
Tel Aviv, Israel's economic and financial center.
Palestinian claims
The
Palestinian National Authority asserts that the capital of a future Palestinian state will be situated in East Jerusalem. According to the
Oslo Agreements the final status of Jerusalem should be determined by peaceful negotiation. The most notable "official"
Palestinian presence in the city is the
Orient House, which has been subject to strict monitoring by the Israeli authorities and since August 2001 has been occupied by the Israeli security services. The Palestinian flag has since been taken down from it.
Physical geography
Jerusalem is situated in , upon the southern spur of a plateau the eastern side of which slopes from 2,460 ft. above sea-level north of the
Temple Mount to 2,130 ft. at the southeastern extremity. The western hill is about 2,500 ft. high and slopes southeast from the Judean plateau.
Topography
Jerusalem is surrounded upon all sides by valleys, of which those on the north are less pronounced than those on the other three sides. The principal two valleys start northwest of the present city. The first runs eastward with a slight southerly bend , then, deflecting directly south, the
Kidron Valley or Wadi Sitti Maryam , divides the
Mount of Olives from the city. The second runs directly south on the western side of the city, turns eastward at its southeastern extremity, then runs directly east, and joins the first valley near Bir Ayyub . This valley is called the
Valley of Hinnom or
Ge-Hinnom in Hebrew, and Wadi al-Rababi in Arabic.
A third valley, commencing in the northwest where is now the Damascus Gate, ran south-southeasterly down to the
Pool of Siloam, and divided the lower part into two hills . This is probably the later Tyropoeon valley. A fourth valley led from the western hill over to the Temple area: it is represented in modern Jerusalem by David Street. A fifth cut the eastern hill into a northern and a southern part. Later Jerusalem was thus built upon four spurs. Today, neighboring towns are
Bethlehem and Beit Jala at the southern city border, Abu Dis and
Ma'ale Adummim to the East, Mevaseret Zion to the West, Giv'at Ze'ev to the North.
Climate and environment
Jerusalem is situated at a relatively high altitude and experiences cold, wet winters with an average of 9 °C. The average annual precipitation is about 600 mm . Snowfalls, when occur, are generally mild. Summers in Jerusalem are dry and often hot with temperatures averaging around 26 °C.
There is almost no industrial pollution in Jerusalem. Most pollutants are the product of heavy bus and personal vehicle traffic, especially along the arterial roads, and a by-product from heavy building. With this exception, air pollution is low.
The building code in Jerusalem prescribes that all buildings should be covered with native
Jerusalem stone. Although this increases building costs somewhat, it gives the city a very distinct look in comparison with other cities. Since the 1950s only a small number of buildings have been constructed in Jerusalem which do not conform to this code.
With the exception of the central plateau, many neighborhoods are divided by deep valleys, which are the natural green areas of the city. To the west of the city is the larger Jerusalem Forest. Especially in open spaces near major roads, large parks were developed. To the east and the southeast of the Old City, where little grows without constant irrigation, promenades with parks were developed, which allow walkers to enjoy the view of the Old City, the Judean Desert, the irrigated vegetation, and - depending on location and weather conditions - the
Dead Sea and
Jordanian mountains.
People and culture
Demography
When it first appears in historical records, Jerusalem was inhabited by a
Canaanite tribe. The Bible specifies them as the Jebusites, and says they ruled it until its conquest by King
David. After taking control of the city from the Canaanites, Jews formed the majority of the population for 1,200 years, until Jerusalem's destruction by Rome in the second century. Subsequent demographic changes are uncertain, although the city's population probably attained a Muslim majority by the time of the
Crusades. An official 16th century survey confirms that the city was largely Muslim. By 1844, Jews were once again the largest single ethnic group in the city and formed a majority by the late 19th century.
As of May 24, 2006, Jerusalem's population is 724,000 , of which 65.0% were Jews , 32.0% Muslim and 2% Christian. 35% of the city's population were children under age of 15. In 2005, the city had 18,600 newborns. , and was later placed under IDF control during 2001.
Ben Gurion International Airport, 40 km northwest of the city, serves as the primary international air transport hub for both Jerusalem and
Tel Aviv.
Sports
The most popular sport in Jerusalem is
football . The city has two major teams, the yellow
Beitar Jerusalem FC and the red
Hapoel Jerusalem FC. Beitar plays in the Premier League, was 4 times Israeli champion and has won the national cup 5 times. Hapoel currently plays in the Leumit or second league and has won one national cup, in 1973. In basketball, however, Hapoel Jerusalem has the upperhand. In a league dominated by Maccabi Tel Aviv it never won a championship, yet twice won the Israeli Cup, in 1996 and 1997. In 2004 it won the
European ULEB Cup.
A marathon is held in the streets of Jerusalem every year and the popular Jerusalem hike starts west of the city and ends in its streets. The municipality, universities, schools, clubs and businesses operate over a thousand sport facilities throughout the city. The largest sports facility is the
Teddy Kollek Stadium in
Malcha, a football stadium with 21,000 seats. Major basketball games are held at the Strauss Arena.
Education
Museums
Born in Jerusalem
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