Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the capital and one of the holiest cities of Israel. For centuries Jerusalem has been the home of Christians, Jews and Muslims. About 70 % of the city’s population are Jews. The rest are Muslims and a small number are Christians. There are three holy days in the city. Muslims celebrate their day of rest on Friday, Jews on Saturday and Christians on Sunday

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The city has a population of about 600, 000. It lies 65 kilometres east of the Mediterranean Sea. In 1948 Jerusalem became a divided city when Israel took control of the western part. Israel took over the whole city in the Six Day War of 1967 . Today , both Israelis and Palestinians look upon Jerusalem as their capital.

The city is divided into three parts :

  • The Old City is the historical heart. It is about one square kilometre big and lies in the eastern part of the city. It has stone walls around it that are up to 12 metres high. Many gates lead from the outside into the Old City : the Jaffa Gate, St. Stephen’s Gate, Damascus Gate and others.
    The Old City is divided into four neighbourhoods : the Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters. The roads are made of cobblestone and haven't been changed for centuries. Markets with small shops can be found throughout the Old City. They sell jewels, food, souvenirs and other items. The central place of the city is the Dome of the Rock, a shrine that stands on Temple Mount.
  • West Jerusalem is the most modern part of the city. It has broad roads with fashion shops, hotels and restaurants, as well as office buildings.
  • East Jerusalem , north of the Old City, is the place where most of Jerusalem's Arabs live. The houses are very old and sometimes shabby.

Map of Jerusalem's old city'

Image : (WT-en) Jpatokal at English Wikivoyage


Jerusalem has many mosques, synagogues and churches which show that religion is important in daily life. The Jews' holiest shrine is the Wailing Wall. Many Jews go there and pray . Other Jewish sites are King David’s tomb and the Tomb of the Prophets.

Wailing or Western Wall
Image: Golasso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons



King David's Tomb'

No machine-readable author provided. Amoruso~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons


Damascus Gate

Image: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons