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Jerusalem (Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִםⓘ, Yerushaláyim or Yerushalaim; Arabic: القُدسⓘ, al-Quds ("the Holy"))[1] is the de facto (i.e. not recognised by the UN) Israel's capital[2] and largest city both in population[3] and area, with a population of approximately 724,000 (as of 2006[4]) and an area totaling 123 square kilometers (47 sq mi).[5]

Located in the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea, Jerusalem is considered a holy city in three major religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the spiritual homeland of the Jewish people since the 10th century BCE. The city is often regarded as the third-holiest in Islam and it contains a number of significant and ancient Christian landmarks. Thus, while the city has a large Jewish majority, a wide range of national, religious, and socioeconomic groups are represented. The walled area of Jerusalem, which until the late 19th century formed the entire city, is now called the Old City and has been proposed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. [6] It consists of four ethnic and religious sections – the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. Barely one kilometer square,[7] the Old City is home to several of Jerusalem's most important and contested religious sites, including the Western Wall and Temple Mount for Jews, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre amoung different sects of Christians.

Surrounding the Old City are more modern areas of Jerusalem. The civic and cultural centre of modern Israel in western Jerusalem stretches toward the country's other urban areas to the west, while majority Palestinian areas dominate the north, east and south of the Old City. Today, Jerusalem remains central to the Arab-Israeli conflict; Israel's annexation of the primarily Arab neighbourhoods known as East Jerusalem is particularly controversial, as Jerusalem has been claimed by Palestinians as the capital for a future Palestinian state. Thus, the status of united Jerusalem as Israel's "eternal capital" is not widely recognised by the international community, and most countries locate their embassies in Tel Aviv.

Name

Part of a series on
Jerusalem
  • City of David
  • Second Temple Period
  • Aelia Capitolina
  • Middle Ages
  • Early Muslim period
  • Kingdom of Jerusalem
  • Mutasarrifate
  • British Mandate
  • Israeli takeover of West Jerusalem
  • Jordanian annexation of East Jerusalem
  • Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem
    		•
    Sieges
    Before Common Era
    Common Era
    Places
  • Mayor
  • Chief Rabbi
  • Grand Mufti
  • Greek Orthodox Patriarch
  • Crusader kings
    		•
    Political status
    Other topics
    Main article: Names of Jerusalem

    Although the precise origin of the name remains uncertain, the Hebrew Yerushalayim may be understood as "Heritage of Peace" – a portmanteau of "heritage" (yerusha) and shalom ("peace").[8][9][10] Alternatively, the second part of the portmanteau may instead be Salem (Shalem literally "whole" or "in harmony") as the name in reference to the city of Jerusalem in the first book of the Torah, Genesis.[11] Similarly, the Amarna letters call the city the Akkadian Urušalim, a cognate of the Hebrew Ir Shalem ("city of Salem"). Some consider a connection between the name and Shalim - the deity personifying dusk known from Ugaritic myths and offering lists.[12] The ending -ayim or -im has the appearance of the Hebrew dual, leading some scholars to argue that Jerusalem represents 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.[13] Upon arrival, he asked the king and high priest Melchizedek to bless him, and Melchizedek did so in the name of God (indicating that he, like Abraham, was a monotheist). According to exegetes, God immortalizes this encounter between Melchizedek and Abraham by renaming the city in honor of them: the name Yeru (derived from Yireh, the name Abraham gives to Mount Moriah after unbinding Isaac, and explained in Genesis as meaning that God will be revealed there) is placed in front of Shalem.[13]

    History

    Main article: History of Jerusalem

    Archaeological findings indicate the existence of development within present-day Jerusalem as far back as the 4th millennium BCE,[14] but the earliest written records of the city come in the Execration Texts (c. 19th century BCE) and the Amarna letters (c. 14th century BCE).[15][16] According to Biblical accounts, the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe, inhabited the area around the present-day city (under the name Jebus) until the late 11th century BCE. At that point (c. 1000s BCE), the Israelites, led by King David, captured the city, expanded it southward, established it as the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah (the United Monarchy), and renamed it to its present-day name of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).[17][18][19]

    See also: History of ancient Israel and Judah, History of Palestine, and Timeline of Jerusalem

    The Temple Periods

    Reconstruction of the First Temple

    David's reign ended around 970 BCE, at which point his son Solomon became the new king.[20] Biblical sources state that within a decade Solomon had proceeded to build what would become the first of two Holy Temples within city limits. The location of Solomon's Temple (or simply the First Temple) remains a significant edifice in Jewish history (and to some extent the history of Christianity) as the last known location of the Ark of the Covenant[21] and a focal point of worship for Jews.

    The next four centuries — until the destruction of Solomon's Temple (c. 586 BCE) — would later become known as the First Temple Period.[22] This period was marked by the division of the United Monarchy, which occurred at the time of Solomon's death (c. 930 BCE) when the ten northern tribes originally part of the Monarchy split off to form the Kingdom of Israel. Under the leadership of the bloodline of David and Solomon, Jerusalem continued as the capital of the southern product of the split, the Kingdom of Judah.[23] Later, with the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE, Jerusalem became the center of a Judah strengthened by the great number of Israeli refugees. However, in approximately 586 BCE the Kingdom of Judah, including the city of Jerusalem, also met its demise at the hands of the Babylonians.[23] With that, the First Temple Period came to a close and a gap in Jerusalem's prosperity began.

    In 538 BCE, after fifty years of Babylonian captivity, Persian King Cyrus the Great permitted the Jews to return to Judah so they could rebuild Jerusalem and its central temple (known as the Second Temple).[24][25] Jerusalem resumed its role as capital of Judah and center of Jewish worship for another four centuries, with a considerable portion of that period under Hasmonean rule. By 19 BCE, the Temple Mount was elevated[26] and construction began on an expansion of the Second Temple under Herod the Great, a Jewish client king under Roman rule.[20] In 6 CE, the city, as well as much of the surrounding Palestine, came under direct Roman rule as the Iudaea Province.[27] Still, the unchallenged Roman rule over Jerusalem and the region came to an end with the first Jewish-Roman war, the Great Jewish Revolt, which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. Jerusalem once again served as the national capital for the people of the region during the three-year rebellion known as Bar Kokhba's revolt. The Romans succeeded in sacking and recapturing the city in 135 CE; as a punitive measure, the Jews were banned from Jerusalem. For over eighteen centuries, until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, Jerusalem did not serve as the national capital of any independent state.

    Shifts in control

    File:Jerusalem1099.jpg
    Capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, 1099 (a medieval manuscript)

    In the five centuries following Bar Kokhba's revolt, the city remained under Roman and Byzantine rule. With the city controlled by Roman Emperor Constantine I during the 4th century, Jerusalem was transformed into a center for Christianity, with the construction of sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For most of the time between Constantine's rule until the arrival of the Muslim forces in 638, Jews were banned from Jerusalem.[28] From that point, the rights of the non-Muslims under Islamic territory 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 (jizya).[29] When Caliph Umar first came to the city, he requested that Sophronius, the reigning Patriarch of Jerusalem, guide him and his associates to the site of the Jewish Holy Temple, whereupon he later decided to build a mosque. By the end of the 7th century, a subsequent caliph, Abd al-Malik, had commissioned and completed the construction of the Dome of the Rock over the Foundation Stone.[30] In the four hundred years that followed, Jerusalem's prominence diminished as Arab powers in the region jockeyed for control.[31]

    Map of Jerusalem, 1883

    In 1099, Jerusalem was sieged by the First Crusaders, who slaughtered most of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. That would be the first of several conquests to take place over the next five hundred years. In 1187, the city was taken from the Crusaders by Saladin.[32] Between 1228 and 1244, it was given by Saladin's descendant al-Kamil to the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. Jerusalem fell again in 1244 to the Ayyubids of Egypt, who were later, in 1260, replaced by the Mamelukes. In 1517, Jerusalem and its environs fell to the Ottoman Turks, who would maintain control of the city until the 20th century.[32]

    In 1917, after the Battle of Jerusalem, the British Army led by General Edmund Allenby captured the city.[33] The League of Nations, through its 1922 ratification of the Balfour Declaration, entrusted the United Kingdom to administer the Mandate of Palestine and help establish a Jewish state in the region.[34] The period of the Mandate saw the construction of new garden suburbs in the western and northern parts of the city[35][36] and the establishment of institutions of higher learning such as the Hebrew University, founded in 1925.[37]

    The State of Israel

    As the British Mandate of Palestine was expiring, the 1947 UN Partition Plan (Part III) recommended "the creation of a special international regime in the City of Jerusalem, constituting it as a corpus separatum under the administration of the United Nations."[38] However, this plan was never implemented and at the end of the Arab-Israeli War, Jerusalem found itself divided between Israel and Jordan (then known as Transjordan). The ceasefire line established through the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and Jordan 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. In 1950, Israel designated West Jerusalem as its capital.

    Ever since Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel has administered and asserted sovereignty over the entire city. Israel's 1980 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel declared Jerusalem to be the "eternal, undivided" capital of Israel,[39] while East Jerusalem has been claimed as the intended capital of a future Palestinian state.[40][41] The status of the city and of its holy places remains disputed to this day.

    Geography

    A view from Mount Scopus

    Jerusalem is situated at 31°46′45″N 35°13′25″E / 31.77917°N 35.22361°E / 31.77917; 35.22361 on the southern spur of a plateau in the Judean Mountains. The elevation of the Old City section is approximately 760 meters (2,500 ft) above mean sea level.[42] The whole of Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry riverbeds (wadis), although those to the north are less pronounced than those on the other sides.

    Three of the most prominent valleys in the region, the Kidron, Hinnom, and Tyropoeon Valleys, intersect in an area just south of the city of Jerusalem.[43] The Kidron Valley runs just to the east of the Old City and separates the Mount of Olives from the city proper. Along the western side of Jerusalem is the Valley of Hinnom, known within biblical eschatology for its association with the concept of hell.[44] A third valley commenced in the northwest near the present-day location of Damascus Gate, ran south-southeasterly down to the Pool of Siloam, and divided the lower part into two hills (the lower and the upper cities of Josephus). Today, this valley, the Tyropoeon Valley, is mostly hidden from view due to the amount of debris that has accumulated within the ravine over the past few millenia.[43]

    Jerusalem is sixty kilometers (39 miles)[45] east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea. On the opposite side of the city, approximately thirty-five kilometers (20 miles)[46] away, is the Dead Sea, the lowest body of water on Earth. Neighboring cities and towns include Bethlehem and Beit Jala to the south, Abu Dis and Ma'ale Adummim to the east, Mevaseret Zion to the west, and Giv'at Ze'ev to the north.

    Climate

    Residing at a latitude just north of the Tropic of Cancer and located close to the Mediterranean Sea, Jerusalem, like much of the rest of Israel, is characterized by a Mediterranean climate. The city is subtropical and remains mild even during the winter months. During January, the coldest month of the year, the average high temperature is 12°C (53°F), while the average high temperature during July and August, the warmest months of the year, is 29°C (84°F).[47] The average annual precipitation is close to 590 millimetres (23 in.) although rain seldom falls during the summer months between May and September.[47]

    Climate averages for Jerusalem
    Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    High | °C (°F) 12 (53) 13 (56) 16 (61) 21 (70) 25 (77) 28 (82) 29 (84) 29 (84) 28 (82) 25 (77) 19 (66) 14 (57)
    Low | °C (°F) 4 (39) 4 (40) 6 (43) 9 (49) 12 (54) 15 (59) 17 (63) 17 (63) 16 (61) 14 (57) 9 (49) 6 (42)
    Precipitation
    mm (in)     		142.2
    (5.6)    		 114.3
    (4.5)    		 99.1
    (3.9)    		 30.5
    (1.2)    		 2.5
    (0.1)    		 N/A N/A N/A 0.0
    (0.0)    		 22.9
    (0.9)    		 68.8
    (2.7)    		 109.2
    (4.3)
    Source: The Weather Channel[47]
    Snow outside the Old City of Jerusalem in January 2007

    Most of the air pollution in Jerusalem comes from vehicular traffic, which is especially concentrated in East Jerusalem.[48] Many main streets in Jerusalem are not built to accommodate the increasing amount of traffic, meaning drivers are forced to spend greater amounts of time in traffic and release greater amount of carbon monoxide into the air. Industrial pollution from within the city is sparse, but emissions from factories on the Israeli Mediterranean coast can travel eastward and settle over the city.[48]

    Since the time of the British Mandate, building codes have stated that all new structures in Jerusalem are to be built of Jerusalem stone.[36] Although these codes increase building costs somewhat, Jerusalem stone gives the city a distinct, antiquated look.

    Demographics

    Main article: Demographics of Jerusalem

    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.[49]

    As of May 24, 2006, Jerusalem's population is 724,000 (about 10% of the total population of Israel), of which 65.0% were Jews (approx. one-quarter of whom live in East Jerusalem), 32.0% Muslim (almost all of whom live in East Jerusalem) and 2% Christian. 35% of the city's population were children under age of 15. In 2005, the city had 18,600 newborns.[4]

    It should be noted that these official Israeli statistics refer to the expanded Israel municipality of Jerusalem. This includes not only the area of the pre-1967 Israeli and Jordanian municipalities, but also outlying Palestinian villages and neighbourhoods to the north-east of the city which were not part of the Jordanian municipality of East Jerusalem prior to 1967. A reasonable assumption is that all or part of these may not remain part of Jerusalem when its final status is established, but rather be returned to the West Bank as part of the Palestinian state. Some of these villages and neighbourhoods have already been returned to the West Bank de facto by way of the Israeli West Bank barrier, although formally, their legal status has not been reverted.

    Government

    Capital of Israel

    See also: Positions on Jerusalem
    State of Israel
    Israel
    Geography
    History
    Conflicts
    Foreign relations
    Security forces
    Economy

    Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950 and all the branches of Israeli government (Presidential, Legislative, Judicial and Administrative) 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 Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel. The non-binding 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 United Nations member states already located their embassies in Tel Aviv prior to Resolution 478. Currently, only one UN member state – El Salvador – has its embassy located within the city limits of Jerusalem, although the embassies of Bolivia and Paraguay are in Mevaseret Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem. However, in August 2006, El Salvador stated the intention to relocate its embassy to Tel Aviv.[50]

    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.

    The Orient House formerly used by the Palestinian Authority

    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.

    Culture

    Jerusalem houses many museums. The Israel Museum is one of the most famous. It includes a large collection of art and archaeological artifacts. In the "Shrine of the Book", it exhibits the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Rockefeller Museum is the city's specific museum for archeology. The Ticho House exhibits art collections in an historical building. The Tower of David Museum is the main municipal museum; it includes models of the city and changing exhibits. Yad Vashem is the national Holocaust museum and monument. The Islamic Museum in the Old City and Islamic Art Museum near the President's house both have collections of Islamic art, holy scripts and artifacts.

    The city has two professional orchestras, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra-IBA and the Israel Camerata Jerusalem. In walking distance from the old city (southwest) is a cluster of cultural institutions. Theaters include the Khan Theater, Jerar Bachar, Beit Shmuel, Beit Agron and Jerusalem's Theatre. The Jerusalem Cinematheque is the venue in Jerusalem to watch non-commercial movies. It houses annually an international film festival and a Jewish film festival. In the Sultan Pool open air concerts are held, by Israeli artists and guests from abroad. The Jerusalem Music Center in Mishkenot Sha’ananim hosts chamber music concerts and workshops.

    Adjacent to the Hebrew University’s Givat Ram campus are the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens. The Givat Ram campus is also the home to the Jewish National and University Library, itself home to the Albert Einstein archives and the Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. The Synagogue of the Hadassah Medical Center is home to the Marc Chagall stained glass windows depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Another theater, the Palestinian National Theatre is located next to Orient House.

    The main cultural event of the year is the Israel Festival, with international and local street performances and repertory and alternative musicians and theater groups.

    Religious significance

    Main article: Religious significance of Jerusalem

    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. Currently, there are 1204 synagogues, 158 churches and 73 mosques in Jerusalem.[51] There are also 70 mikvahs and 72 monasteries.

    The great rabbis and scholars of the Mishna and Talmud instituted the policy that synagogues all over the world should be constructed in such a way that all prayers would be recited while facing Jerusalem, as that was where the ancient temple stood and that location was the only permissible place for the sacrificial offerings. Thus synagogues in Europe face south, synagogues in North America face east, synagogues in countries to the south of Israel, such as Yemen or South Africa, face north, and synagogues in countries to the east of Israel, such as India or Thailand, face west. Even when a Jew prays privately, he faces Jerusalem, as mandated by Jewish law in the Shulchan Aruch. In Jerusalem itself, he or she should face the direction of the Western Wall in the Old City, and when standing at the Western Wall, he or she turns slightly to the left to face the location of the Holy of Holies.

    Tourism

    Coffee shop in Jerusalem's centre
    Nightlife in Jerusalem centre

    Jerusalem is home to many attractions. Some of these include:

    The Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem

    See also Template:Wikitravel.

    Sports

    File:TeddyKStadium.JPG
    Teddy Stadium

    The most popular sport in Jerusalem is football (soccer). The city has two major teams, the yellow Beitar Jerusalem FC and the red Hapoel Jerusalem FC. Beitar plays in the Premier League, is a four-time Israeli champion (1986, 1993, 1997 and 1998), 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 Malha, a football stadium with 21,000 seats. Major basketball games are held at the Strauss Arena.

    Economy

    Heavy industry is discouraged in Jerusalem, leaving Jerusalem's economy as mainly service-based. While Tel Aviv remains Israel's financial capital, almost half of Jerusalem's residents work in government, public service, or tourism, although there has been an increasing number of high-technology start-ups in the city, as well. This increase is especially noticed in the hi-tech park known as Har Hotzvim. Large, international companies such as Intel, ECI and Teva share space with smaller companies and startups.

    The civilian labor force of Jerusalem was 183,000 (48.1%) out of 384,000 persons ages 15+. This is low in comparison to Tel Aviv and Haifa, 58.0% and 52.4% respectively. This reflects a higher percentage of one income households, especially among the Arab and Haredi populations. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, the average wage for a Jerusalem worker was NIS 5,568 in 2000. In Tel Aviv the income was 17.8% higher and in Haifa 14.1% higher. Income in Jerusalem was on average lower both for wage-earners and self-employed people.[4]

    The population of Jerusalem is poorer in comparison to Israeli national figures. This is also often attributed to large Arab and Haredi population segments. In 1995 25% of the city population and 37% of its children lived below poverty level, as compared to 17% of all Israelis and 23% of Israeli children.[4]

    Education

    Transportation

    Roads

    Begin Boulevard is western Jerusalem's inner city expressway. It runs south to north from Manahat (Malha) to Ramot, where it merges into the Modi'in-Tel Aviv highway (Highway 443). Other major north-south arteries include: the Talpiot-Atarot route (Route 60), which traverses the city center and roughly separates East and West Jerusalem; and Herzl Boulevard, which begins at the northern entrance of the city and continues south via Mount Herzl and the Yad VaShem Holocaust memorial. It then merges into additional routes that lead to the southwestern quarters. The Golomb-Herzog-Ben-Zvi route also links the southern quarters with the city center.

    Running east through the city center, Jaffa Road connects the Jaffa Gate of the Old City as well as East Jerusalem with the northwestern city entrance and Highway 1. Yigal Yadin Boulevard serves as a northern bypass of the city center, and links Ma'ale Adummim and the northeastern neighborhoods to Begin Boulevard near Ramot.

    A future ring-road would include Yadin and Begin boulevards as the respective north and west sectors.[54]

    Buses

    Jerusalem Central Bus Station

    Jerusalem Central Bus Station is Jerusalem's intercity bus station. It is served mainly by Egged buses and by a single joint Egged - Dan bus line, while Superbus and Margalit, serving Modi'in, have their stops close by. City buses in the Jewish and Israeli areas are run by Egged, which runs close to 100 bus lines throughout the city and its suburbs.

    In cooperation with City Tour and the Jerusalem Municipality, Egged operates Bus 99 a special double decked open-air bus line that passes through all central tourist attractions in Jerusalem. Using the same daily ticket the passengers can get off the bus at any of 27 bus stops any time during operation of the route. The full tour lasts for about two hours. Recorded explanations, broadcast through the bus are available in eight different languages.[55]

    Palestinian-run buses serve the city's Arab neighborhoods as well as Palestinian towns in the West Bank and Israeli Arab towns. This system is based out of the East Jerusalem Central Bus Station on Sultan Suleiman Street, though buses also leave from outside the Damascus Gate of the Old City.

    The Egged and Palestinian city bus networks are almost completely separated. There are only a handful of bus stops that both companies serve. Arab residents of Jerusalem do use Egged buses frequently, but Jewish residents rarely use the Palestinian buses, in part because while Arabs do regularly visit the Israeli center of town, Jews do not frequently come to the Arab parts of the city.[citation needed]

    Railway

    Israel Railways operates train service to Southern Jerusalem with 2 stops: Jerusalem Malha near the Malha Mall and the Biblical Zoo. Very few trains stop at the latter stop. The line was out of use for seven years because of deteriorating conditions and was restored on April 9 2005. Jerusalem Malha is a new station which replaces the historical Khan Station at Remez Square near the Old City. The train ride from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem takes about 80 minutes.

    The existing rail line serving Jerusalem began operating in 1892. A brand new high-speed electrified rail link is currently under construction, which will run from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem via Ben Gurion Airport and terminate at a new underground station - Binyanei HaUmah, located between the Jerusalem Central Bus Station and the International Convention Centre. It is anticipated that the new rail link will open in 2011, with an expected transit time from Tel Aviv of less than 30 minutes.

    File:Rakevetkala.jpeg
    Wall painting on Jaffa Road of the future light rail network in Jerusalem

    The Jerusalem Light Rail network is being planned and has already been partially constructed. The first line is at the height of its construction and is slated to begin operating from Pisgat Ze'ev in the northeast through, French Hill and Jaffa Street to the Central Bus Station and the southwestern neighborhoods around 2008.[56] Unusually, for a city with a population of over 700,000, Jerusalem never had a previous first generation tramway network, although, before the war, one was proposed but was cancelled for political reasons.

    Airports

    Atarot Airport is Jerusalem's airport, but was closed to civilian traffic in 2000 due to security concerns arising from the Al-Aqsa Intifada,[57] and was later placed under IDF control during 2001.[58] Ben Gurion International Airport, 40 km northwest of the city, serves as the primary international air transport hub for both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

    Sister cities

    Notes and references

    1. ^ Jerusalem in other languages: Arabic Bibles use أورشليم Ûrshalîm; official Arabic in Israel: أورشليم القدس, Urshalim-al-Quds (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names)
    2. ^ Jerusalem is the capital under Israeli law. The presidential residence, government offices, supreme court and parliament (Knesset) are located there. The Palestinian Authority foresees East Jerusalem as the capital of its future state. The United Nations and most countries do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, arguing that the final status of Jerusalem is pending future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv (see CIA Factbook and Map of Israel) See Positions on Jerusalem for more information.
    3. ^ Largest city:
    4. ^ a b c d Template:He icon Template:PDFlink
    5. ^ "Because of the strict control on building, Jerusalem has a compact and uniform character. Its total area is about 123 sq km (about 47 sq mi)." ("Jerusalem", Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2006, p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2007.)
    6. ^ List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The site of Jerusalem was nominated in 1981 by Jordan. Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls
    7. ^ Segal, Jerome M. (1997). "Negotiating Jerusalem". The University of Maryland Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
    8. ^ Bethune, George Washington (1845). The Fruit of the Spirit. Mentz & Rovoudt. p. 93. is the New Jerusalem, or "heritage of peace." {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
    9. ^ See also the Biblical commentator Nachmanides for explanation.
    10. ^ Allen, Joseph Henry (1879). Hebrew Men and Times: From the Patriarchs to the Messiah. Roberts Brothers. p. 125. name it Jerusalem, the "heritage of Peace."
    11. ^ From the King James Version of the Bible: "And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God." (Genesis 14:18)
    12. ^ "Jerusalem, the Old City". al-Quds University. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
    13. ^ a b Landau, Yehezkel (1996). "Sharing Jerusalem: The Spiritual And Political Challenges". Service International De Documéntation Judéo-Chrétienne. 29 (2–3). Retrieved 2007-01-14. I will share another meta-midrash...believers in the One Supreme God.
    14. ^ "Timeline for the History of Jerusalem". Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
    15. ^ Vaughn, Andrew G. (2003-08-01). "Jerusalem at the Time of the United Monarchy". Jerusalem in Bible and Archaeology: the First Temple Period. pp. 32–33. ISBN 1589830660. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |author= and |coauthors= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    16. ^ Shalem, Yisrael (1997-03-03). "History of Jerusalem from Its Beginning to David". Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City. Bar-Ilan University Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies. Retrieved 2007-01-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    17. ^ Greenfeld, Howard (2005-03-29). A Promise Fulfilled: Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, and the Creation of the State of Israel. Greenwillow. p. 32. ISBN 006051504X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    18. ^ "Timeline". City of David. Ir David Foundation. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
    19. ^ Much of the information regarding King David's conquest of Jerusalem comes from Biblical accounts, but modern-day historians have begun to give them credit due to a 1993 excavation (Pellegrino, Charles R. (1995-12-01). Return to Sodom & Gomorr (Second revised ed.). Harper Paperbacks. p. 271. ISBN 0380726335. [see footnote] {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)).
    20. ^ a b Michael, E. (2005-02-28). The Complete Book of When and Where: In The Bible And Throughout History. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. pp. 20–1, 67. ISBN 0842355081. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    21. ^ Merling, David (1993-08-26). "Where is the Ark of the Covenant?". Andrew's University. Retrieved 2007-01-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |author= (help)
    22. ^ Zank, Michael. "Capital of Judah I (930-722)". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
    23. ^ a b Zank, Michael. "Capital of Judah (930-586)". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
    24. ^ Sicker, Martin (2001-01-30). Between Rome and Jerusalem: 300 Years of Roman-Judaean Relations. Praeger Publishers. p. 2. ISBN 0275971406. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    25. ^ Zank, Michael. "Center of the Persian Satrapy of Judah (539-323)". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
    26. ^ Zank, Michael. "The Temple Mount". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-01-22.
    27. ^ Crossan, John Dominic (1993-02-26). The Historical Jesus: the life of a Mediterranean Jewish peasant (Reprinted ed. ed.). San Francisco: HarperCollins. p. 92. ISBN 0060616296. from 4 BCE until 6 CE, when Rome, after exiling [Herod Archelaus] to Gaul, assumed direct prefectural control of his territories {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    28. ^ Zank, Michael. "Byzantian Jerusalem". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
    29. ^ Marcus, Jacob Rader (2000). The Jew in the Medieval World: A Source Book, 315-1791 (Revised ed. ed.). Hebrew Union College Press. pp. 13–15. ISBN 087820217X. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
    30. ^ Hoppe, Leslie J. (2000). The Holy City: Jerusalem in the Theology of the Old Testament. Michael Glazier Books. p. 15. ISBN 0814650813. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
    31. ^ Zank, Michael. "Abbasid Period and Fatimid Rule (750-1099)". Boston University. Retrieved 2007-02-01.
    32. ^ a b "Main Events in the History of Jerusalem". Jerusalem: The Endless Crusade. The CenturyOne Foundation. 2003. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
    33. ^ Fromkin, David (2001-09-01). A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East (2nd reprinted ed.). Owl Books. pp. 312–3. ISBN 0805068848. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
    34. ^ Mendelsson, David. "British Rule". Department for Jewish Zionist Education. The Jewish Agency for Israel. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
    35. ^ Tamari, Salim (1999). "Jerusalem 1948: The Phantom City" (Reprint). Jerusalem Quarterly File (3). Retrieved 2007-02-02.
    36. ^ a b Eisenstadt, David (2002-08-26). "The British Mandate". Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City. Bar-Ilan University Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies. Retrieved 2007-02-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    37. ^ "History". The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
    38. ^ "Considerations Affecting Certain of the Provisions of the General Assembly Resolution on the "Future Government of Palestine": The City of Jerusalem". The United Nations. 1948-01-22. Retrieved 2007-02-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    39. ^ "Basic Law – Jerusalem – Capital of Israel". The Israeli Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1980-07-30. Retrieved 2007-02-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    40. ^ "No Mid-East advance at UN summit". BBC. 2000-09-07. Retrieved 2007-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    41. ^ Khaled Abu Toameh (2007-01-11). "Abbas: Aim guns against occupation". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2007-02-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    42. ^ Cabrera, Enrique (1998-12-31). Drought Management Planning in Water Supply Systems. Springer. p. 304. ISBN 0792352947. The Old City of Jerusalem (760 m) in the central hills {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    43. ^ a b Bergsohn, Sam (2006-05-15). "Geography". Cornell University. Retrieved 2007-02-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    44. ^ Walvoord, John (1996-01-07). "The Metaphorical View". Four Views on Hell. Zondervan. p. 58. ISBN 0310212685. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
    45. ^ Rosen-Zvi, Issachar (2004). Taking Space Seriously: Law, Space and Society in Contemporary Israel. Ashgate Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 0754623513. Thus, for instance, the distance between the four large metropolitan regions are—39 miles {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
    46. ^ Federman, Josef (2004-08-18). "Debate flares anew over Dead Sea Scrolls". AP via MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-02-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    47. ^ a b c "Monthly Averages for Jerusalem, Israel". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2007-02-07.
    48. ^ a b Ma'oz, Moshe (2000). Jerusalem: Points of Friction–And Beyond. Brill Academic Publishers. pp. 44–6. ISBN 9041188436. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
    49. ^ "The Population of Palestine Prior to 1948". MidEastWeb.org. 2005. Retrieved October 4, 2006.
    50. ^ "El Salvador will move embassy to Tel Aviv". The Jerusalem Post. 2006-08-25. Retrieved 2007-01-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
    51. ^ Jerusalem website religious facilities
    52. ^ See also the official website of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
    53. ^ See also the official website of Al-Quds University.
    54. ^ Running rings around us by Nathan Burstein (Jerusalem Post, January 19, 2006)
    55. ^ Bus Travel in Jerusalem
    56. ^ Jerusalem Light Rail – Mass Transit System (PDF)
    57. ^ An Intifada Casualty Named Atarot Larry Derfner, The Jewish Journal, 23 March 2001
    58. ^ Jerusalem's Atarot Airport handed over to the IDF Zohar Blumenkrant, Ha'aretz, 27 July 2001

    Other resources

    • Cheshin, Amir S.; Bill Hutman and Avi Melamed (1999). Separate and Unequal: the Inside Story of Israeli Rule in East Jerusalem. Harvard University Press.
    • Wasserstein, Bernard (2002). Divided Jerusalem: The Struggle for the Holy City. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-09730-1.
    • Cline, Eric (2004). Jerusalem Besieged : From Ancient Canaan to Modern Israel. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-11313-5.
    • Collins, Larry, and La Pierre, Dominique (1988) O Jerusalem!, Simon and Shuster, N.Y. ISBN 0-671-66241-4
    • Köchler, Hans (1981). The Legal Aspects of the Palestine Problem with Special Regard to the Question of Jerusalem. Vienna: Braumüller. ISBN 3-7003-0278-9

    See also

    Documentaries

    • The Holy Cities: Jerusalem produced by Danae Film Production, distributed by HDH Communications; 2006.
    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jerusalem.

    Culture

    Political status

    News and media

    • The Jerusalem Post, oldest and largest English-language Israeli newspaper (formerly The Palestine Post)

    31°46′N 35°14′E / 31.767°N 35.233°E / 31.767; 35.233

    Template:Link FA

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