"Jerusalem" Jerusalem by Goner

When the city of Jerusalem comes into view it looks as though many white blocks are stacked on each other, but slowly a city takes shape. It's really a thrill to see the first glimpse of old Jersusalem with its formidable walls and the Dome of the Rock shining in the sun. It seemed surreal, and that what you are seeing is only a facade. The sherut (shared van) dropped me off at the Jaffa gate and I pulled my suitcase up a hill to enter into the gated Christ Church compound . The long plane trip had taken its toll and I felt a little disoriented, maybe due to the humidity, it's much more humid then I expected, I had expected desert hot, but then it is only 30 miles from Ben Gurion Airport which is on the Mediterranian.

I was there for my son's wedding and to tour Israel, a very special time for me.

Inside the Walls

3500 BC - there was a settlement on the land that is now called Jerusalem. The Jebusites, a Canaanite people, built a 10-foot thick wall which protected it until the 8th century BC.
Around 1000 BC -King David took the town and fortified it. Jerusalem, from then on, was called the "City of David". It became the capital of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel. It was David's son Solomon who gave it distinction by building a royal palace and the Temple. After Solomon's death around 931 BC the kingdom of Israel separated from the Davidic dynasty.
Jerusalem, then became a small capital of the kingdom of Judah and was besieged by Samaria.
587 BC - it fell into the hands of aneo-Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar who destroyed the Temple and dispersed the population in different directions.
539 BC - Cyrus, the emperor of Persia, allowed exiles to return to Jerusalem.
445 BC -The Temple walls were rebuilt and the town repopulated.
Up until the time of Roman occupation, the town was under the rule of the Ptolemies, the Seleucids and others.
37 BC - Herod, the king of the Jews elected by the Romans, succeeded in overtaking the town. He systematically rebuilt the Temple, palace, theater, amphiteater and walls, he renovated and embellished Jerusalem into a beautiful town.
AD 70 - the Roman emperor Titus burned the Temple and took Jerusalem. It was emperor Hadrian who decided to rebuild the town and to erect a sanctuary dedicated to Roman divinities on the holy site of the Temple. Jerusalem was then forbidden to the Jews.
324 AD - Constantine, now the Christian Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, named it Jerusalem and built the Holy Sepulcher in 335. He opened up the town to receive pilgrims from everywhere.
638 AD - the town was conquered by Caliph Umar and the town became the third holy city of Islam. Then the Turks took over - they persecuted the Jews and Christians.
1000 plus - the Crusaders and it's 30,000 residents were French-speaking. Pilgrimages began again, new churches were built and renovated until it was reversed.
1187 AD - Salah al-Din retook Jerusalem and restored the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
1260 - the city was taken by the Mamlukes and the city went into decline. At this time many Sephardic Jews settled in Jerusalem and built the first synagogue.
1517-1917 - under Ottoman rule, Suleyman the Magnificent undertook considerable building and reconstruction which can still be seen today. However, those who succeeded him let this fall into decay.
19th century (middle) - the Ottomans liberalized the purchase of land, allowing the Great Powers to gain access to the Holy City.

Jerusalem Looking East from the Citadel

When the Europeans gained access to the Holy City they built hospitals, churches, monasteries, consulates, embassies, schools and houses.
After WWI, in 1917, General Allenby entered Jerusalem and defeated the Ottomans, he then inaugurated the British Mandate to respect the triple sanctity of Jerusalem. The British installed urban infrastructure and fixed the norm of using the white "Jerusalem" stone as a building material.
The war of 1948 left Jerusalem split by a wall. Part of the town reverted to Jordan, while West Jerusalem became the capital of the State of Israel. The Mandelbaum Gate which had been the only point of passage between East and West was pulled down by Israeli troops in 1967 after they battled for three days and two nights which ended in a victory for the Jewish state.
Although the city is still divided today, the city has known a period of growth and the city has expanded both to the west and east.
However, this city is still the center of constant turmoil and has had only short periods peace in its recent history.

• Pros:Layers and layers of history
• Cons:The constant turmoil
• In a nutshell:A trip you'll never forget!