The History of Jerusalem

BC 1,500,000 - 600,000

Palestine during prehistoric times

Traces of human presence were found in an area south of Lake Kinneret, in the Tal Al-Ubaidiya area, and they date back to between 600 thousand years ago and up to one and a half million years ago.

BC 1,500,000 - 600,000

BC 2,80,000 -15000

BC 1200- 500

BC 3200 -1900

BC 2,80,000 -15000

Paleolithic era

Prehistoric times in Palestine range from the Paleolithic Age, through the Mesolithic Age, then the Neolithic Age (10,000-5000) and ending with the end of the Chalcolithic Age (5000-3000 BC). These periods are called the Stone Ages because man relied mainly on the use of flint tools to obtain the food, clothing, and self-defense he needed.
The beginning of the ancient stone industries did not depend on a specific technology for flint industries, but rather relied on the ability and knowledge of the manufacturer and the availability of raw materials. While Middle Paleolithic industries relied on the same technology to produce flint tools. With the beginning of the Upper Paleolithic period, modern man grew up and was able to control large geographical areas that were not previously inhabited, and he made stone and bone tools of various sizes, especially the production of small blades, which enabled him to invent and use the crossbow.

BC 1,500,000 - 600,000

BC 2,80,000 - 15000

BC 1200- 500

BC 3200 -1900

BC 3200 - 1900

Palestine during the Bronze Age

This is the period extending between 3200-1900 BC. It is divided into four historical stages: the First Early Bronze Age, the Second Early Bronze Age, the Third Early Bronze Age, and the Fourth Early Bronze Age. The term urbanization generally refers to the profound qualitative transformations that occurred in societies and people’s system of life at the beginning of the third millennium BC, and culminated in the emergence of large fortified city centers, public buildings such as temples and palaces, and the development of art and writing. This was accompanied by the emergence of a political system known as the city state, parallel to the emergence of The central state in Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Archaeological excavations over the past century have searched for Early Bronze Age civilization in dozens of human settlements in Jerusalem, Tell Al-Far'a, Jericho, Tell Al-Jazar, Tell Al-Sheikh Ahmed Al-Arayni, Tell Al-Jazar, Tell Al-Tall, and Tell Al-Nasba. The first cities of the Early Bronze Age were not fortified and construction in them was generally simple. In the second phase of the Early Bronze Age, walled cities appeared, including public buildings, palaces, and temples, in Khirbet al-Karak, Tell al-Fara’a, Tell al-Tall, and Tell al-Mustaslim.

BC 1,500,000 - 600,000

BC 2,80,000 - 15000

BC 1200- 500

BC 3200 - 1900

BC 333 - 323

BC 1200- 500

Palestine during the Iron Age

The Iron Age in the southern Levant region and in Palestine in particular, which was determined by researchers within a time frame whose beginning does not exceed the twelfth century BC. (1200 BC) and its end in the first half of the first millennium BC (500 BC). It is one of the most discussed topics in the field of ancient history and archeology, and the most confronting among many Western schools, including biblical archaeological schools in particular.

BC 2,80,000 - 15000

BC 1200- 500

BC 3200 - 1900

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The City of Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and its largest city in terms of area and population, and most important religiously and economically. It was founded and built by our Jebusite ancestors in the fifth millennium BC, at the end of the Chalcolithic period. It is a mountainous area between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. The city has grown and expanded repeatedly, and its culture and demographic composition have been shaped by the fluctuations of civilizations up to the present day.

The ancient history of Jerusalem reflects its unique position in human history, as Jerusalem is considered a spiritual and cultural center, distinguished by the diversity of civilizations that passed through it, which left rich traces that reflect the greatness of this place. As for its abundant traces, they indicate a continuous reformulation of the city’s history and confirm its importance over time. It remains to this day one of the most influential cities in the world. Throughout history, several factors have contributed to making the city of Jerusalem a unique cultural and spiritual center, the most important of which are its geographical location, religious location, and cultural diversity.

The unique and strategic location of the city at the crossroads of the three continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe, makes it a meeting point for trade and cultural routes. It is considered a holy place for the followers of the three religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It contains important religious landmarks such as Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, making it a destination for visitors and pilgrims throughout the ages. Jerusalem has witnessed the presence of many different ancient civilizations, including the Canaanites, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders and Ottomans, and each civilization left its mark on the city, adding to its cultural and architectural richness.

The city of Jerusalem has been greatly influenced by the different civilizations that have passed through it throughout history and left their mark on the city, which contributed to shaping and enriching its cultural and architectural identity, making it a meeting point for different religions and cultures throughout the ages. The most important of these influences are those caused by the Canaanite, Roman, Islamic, Crusader and Ottoman civilizations.

Canaanite Civilization: Jerusalem is considered one of the oldest cities in the world, as it was founded by the Canaanites (around 3000 BC) and their civilization left architectural and cultural monuments such as ancient walls and temples, reflecting the beginning of the history of the city that the Jebusites chose to be their center.

The Roman Era: After the Roman conquest, Jerusalem witnessed major changes in infrastructure, including the construction of temples and roads, and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, which had a profound impact on Judaism.

Islamic Civilization: After the Islamic conquest in the seventh century AD, Jerusalem became an important center of Islamic culture, as the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock were built in the Rashidun Umayyad era, which added to the religious importance of the city, and the city witnessed a cultural and scientific prosperity during the period of Islamic rule.

The Crusades: During the Crusades, the Crusaders captured Jerusalem and established a kingdom for themselves, and this period left architectural monuments such as castles and churches and greatly affected the demographic and cultural composition of the city.

The Ottoman Rule: The Ottoman rule of Jerusalem lasted for more than 400 years (1517 – 1917), during which the city witnessed a cultural and architectural prosperity and many Islamic landmarks were built. The city was greatly developed, and the Ottomans contributed to preserving the cultural and religious diversity of the city.

During its long history and due to its great importance, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, invaded and lost again 44 times. It is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and it was customary to divide it into 4 quarters (the Armenian Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Muslim Quarter), and it is the focus of the conflict between the Palestinians and the Zionist settlement project.

In 1917, the city and all of Palestine fell under the British Mandate after the defeat of the Ottoman army in World War I. One of the most prominent features of this era was the increase in the number of Jewish immigrants to the city, as its Jewish population rose from 52,000 to 165,000 in 1948 due to Jewish immigration. Britain built entire neighborhoods in the north and west of the city and established institutions for them. In 1947, the United Nations decided to make the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem international cities under the auspices and supervision of the United Nations, with a referendum to be held after 10 years for the city’s residents to decide on the system of government that would apply to them. However, in the following year – 1948 – Britain ended its mandate over Palestine and withdrew its forces after enabling the Zionist gangs to take control and handed them all the capabilities and weapons of the mandate and suppressed the Palestinian resistance and persecuted the Palestinians. In 1948, the Zionist gangs occupied the western part of the city of Jerusalem. In 1967, the Israeli occupation state occupied the eastern part of the city, which was under the actual control of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Later, in 1980, the occupation state annexed the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem in violation of international laws, agreements and resolutions, and considered it (both its eastern and western parts) its capital. Later (2002-2006), the occupation state built the racist separation wall on the lands of the West Bank and separated the city of Jerusalem and its surroundings from the rest of the Palestinian cities that were occupied with it in 1967.