Walls of Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
The Walls of Jerusalem surround the old city of Jerusalem (approx. 1 km²). The walls were built between 1535 and 1538, when Jerusalem was in the Ottoman empire region of Palestine
, by order of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
.
The length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The walls contain 34 watchtowers and 8 gates.
In 1981, The Jerusalem walls were added, along with the Old City of Jerusalem, to the UNESCO
World Heritage Site
List.
The walls of Jerusalem, which were built originally to protect the borders of the city against intrusions, mainly serve as an attraction for tourists since they ceased to serve as a means of protection for the city.
, a period also known as the Patriarchs
period, a city named Jebos
was built in the location of today's Jerusalem, which was relatively small (50,000 square meters) but was fortified. Remains of this wall are located above the Hezekiah's Tunnel.
According to the Jewish tradition, as it is expressed in the Tanakh
, Jerusalem remained a Jebusite
city until the rise of David
, who conquered the city and established the "City of David" on the site of the Jebusite city. Later on King David extended the walls, which were located on a low hill, outside of the walls of today's Old City area. Solomon
, David's son, built the first temple in the city and also extended the city walls in order to protect the temple.
During the First Temple period and until the destruction of the First Temple, the city walls extended towards the northwest part of the city, the area where today the Jewish quarter of the city is located.
After several decades of captivity in Babylon and the Persian
conquest of Babylonia, Cyrus II of Persia allowed the Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple. The construction was finished in 516 BCE or 430BCE. Then, Artaxerxes I or possibly Darius II
sent Ezra
and Nehemiah
to rebuild the city's walls and to govern Judah, which was ruled as Yehud
province under the Persians. During the Second Temple period, and especially during the Hasmonean
period, the city walls were expanded and renovated. Herod the Great
expanded the walls to include the West Hill. Agrippa I
later began the construction of a third wall. The wall were completed just before the outbreak of the First Jewish–Roman War. Some remains of this wall are located today near the "Mandelbaum Gate
" gas station.
After the Fall of Jerusalem, the walls were destroyed and were later partially restored during the Aelia Capitolina
period, and afterword extensively renewed by the Empress Aelia Eudocia
. In 1033, most of the walls constructed by Empress Eudocia were destroyed by an earthquake. During the Crusader conquest in 1099, the walls were rebuilt but destroyed again during the conquest of Saladin
. Saladin's nephew, Almllach Almatma Issa, ordered the reconstruction of the city walls, but later on changed his mind after most of the watchtowers were built, mainly because he feared that the city walls would mainly assist the Crusaders if they managed to reconquer the city.
In 16th century, during the reign of the Ottoman empire in the region, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
decided to fully rebuild the city walls on the remains of the ancient walls. The construction lasted from 1535-1538 and these are the walls that exist today.
During the Six Day War in 1967, which saw hand-to-hand fighting on the Temple Mount
, the Old City and the city walls transferred to Israeli control.
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, by order of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
.
The length of the walls is 4,018 meters (2.4966 mi), their average height is 12 meters (39.37 feet) and the average thickness is 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). The walls contain 34 watchtowers and 8 gates.
In 1981, The Jerusalem walls were added, along with the Old City of Jerusalem, to the UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
List.
The walls of Jerusalem, which were built originally to protect the borders of the city against intrusions, mainly serve as an attraction for tourists since they ceased to serve as a means of protection for the city.
History
The city of Jerusalem has been surrounded by walls for its defense since ancient times. In the middle Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, a period also known as the Patriarchs
Patriarchs (Bible)
The Patriarchs of the Bible, when narrowly defined, are Abraham, the ancestor of all the Abrahamic nations; his son Isaac, the ancestor of the nations surrounding Israel/Judah; and Isaac's son Jacob, also named Israel, the ancestor of the Israelites...
period, a city named Jebos
Jebusite
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Jebusites were a Canaanite tribe who inhabited and built Jerusalem prior to its conquest by King David; the Books of Kings state that Jerusalem was known as Jebus prior to this event...
was built in the location of today's Jerusalem, which was relatively small (50,000 square meters) but was fortified. Remains of this wall are located above the Hezekiah's Tunnel.
According to the Jewish tradition, as it is expressed in the Tanakh
Tanakh
The Tanakh is a name used in Judaism for the canon of the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh is also known as the Masoretic Text or the Miqra. The name is an acronym formed from the initial Hebrew letters of the Masoretic Text's three traditional subdivisions: The Torah , Nevi'im and Ketuvim —hence...
, Jerusalem remained a Jebusite
Jebusite
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Jebusites were a Canaanite tribe who inhabited and built Jerusalem prior to its conquest by King David; the Books of Kings state that Jerusalem was known as Jebus prior to this event...
city until the rise of David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
, who conquered the city and established the "City of David" on the site of the Jebusite city. Later on King David extended the walls, which were located on a low hill, outside of the walls of today's Old City area. Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
, David's son, built the first temple in the city and also extended the city walls in order to protect the temple.
During the First Temple period and until the destruction of the First Temple, the city walls extended towards the northwest part of the city, the area where today the Jewish quarter of the city is located.
After several decades of captivity in Babylon and the Persian
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
conquest of Babylonia, Cyrus II of Persia allowed the Jews to return to Judah and rebuild the Temple. The construction was finished in 516 BCE or 430BCE. Then, Artaxerxes I or possibly Darius II
Darius II
Darius II , was king of the Persian Empire from 423 BC to 405 BC.Artaxerxes I, who died on December 25, 424 BC, was followed by his son Xerxes II. After a month and a half Xerxes II was murdered by his brother Secydianus or Sogdianus...
sent Ezra
Ezra
Ezra , also called Ezra the Scribe and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra. According to the Hebrew Bible he returned from the Babylonian exile and reintroduced the Torah in Jerusalem...
and Nehemiah
Nehemiah
Nehemiah ]]," Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya, Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh) is the central figure of the Book of Nehemiah, which describes his work rebuilding Jerusalem and purifying the Jewish community. He was the son of Hachaliah, Nehemiah ]]," Standard Hebrew Nəḥemya, Tiberian Hebrew Nəḥemyāh) is the...
to rebuild the city's walls and to govern Judah, which was ruled as Yehud
Yehud
Yehud is a city in the Center District in Israel that is part of the joint municipality of Yehud-Monosson. In 2007, Yehud's population was approximately 25,600 .- History :...
province under the Persians. During the Second Temple period, and especially during the Hasmonean
Hasmonean
The Hasmonean dynasty , was the ruling dynasty of Judea and surrounding regions during classical antiquity. Between c. 140 and c. 116 BCE, the dynasty ruled semi-autonomously from the Seleucids in the region of Judea...
period, the city walls were expanded and renovated. Herod the Great
Herod the Great
Herod , also known as Herod the Great , was a Roman client king of Judea. His epithet of "the Great" is widely disputed as he is described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and elsewhere, including his...
expanded the walls to include the West Hill. Agrippa I
Agrippa I
Agrippa I also known as Herod Agrippa or simply Herod , King of the Jews, was the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa, so named in honour of Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and he is the king named Herod in the...
later began the construction of a third wall. The wall were completed just before the outbreak of the First Jewish–Roman War. Some remains of this wall are located today near the "Mandelbaum Gate
Mandelbaum Gate
Mandelbaum Gate is a former checkpoint between Israeli and Jordanian sectors of Jerusalem, just north of the western edge of the Old City along the Green Line...
" gas station.
After the Fall of Jerusalem, the walls were destroyed and were later partially restored during the Aelia Capitolina
Aelia Capitolina
Aelia Capitolina was a city built by the emperor Hadrian, and occupied by a Roman colony, on the site of Jerusalem, which was in ruins since 70 AD, leading in part to the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–136.-Politics:...
period, and afterword extensively renewed by the Empress Aelia Eudocia
Aelia Eudocia
Aelia Eudocia Augusta was the wife of Theodosius II, and a prominent historical figure in understanding the rise of Christianity during the beginning of the Byzantine Empire. Eudocia lived in a world where Greek paganism and Christianity were still coming together...
. In 1033, most of the walls constructed by Empress Eudocia were destroyed by an earthquake. During the Crusader conquest in 1099, the walls were rebuilt but destroyed again during the conquest of Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
. Saladin's nephew, Almllach Almatma Issa, ordered the reconstruction of the city walls, but later on changed his mind after most of the watchtowers were built, mainly because he feared that the city walls would mainly assist the Crusaders if they managed to reconquer the city.
In 16th century, during the reign of the Ottoman empire in the region, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
decided to fully rebuild the city walls on the remains of the ancient walls. The construction lasted from 1535-1538 and these are the walls that exist today.
During the Six Day War in 1967, which saw hand-to-hand fighting on the Temple Mount
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount, known in Hebrew as , and in Arabic as the Haram Ash-Sharif , is one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been used as a religious site for thousands of years...
, the Old City and the city walls transferred to Israeli control.
See also
- The Old City of Jerusalem
- The gates of Jerusalem
- Western WallWestern WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...