Jerusalem
The earliest written record of the city of Jerusalem is on an
Assyrian monument of the 8th Century before Christ, but archaeologists
think that the City dates back to at least 3000 BC. Jerusalem
was occupied by the Canaanites in its early history, we learn
from a reference to its Governor Abdi-Hiba in the Tell el-Amarna
tablets by the Egyptian Pharoah in about 1360 BC.
Jerusalem is 2,460 feet above sea level. It is 36 miles from the
Mediterranean Sea and 19 miles from the Dead Sea.
The name of Jerusalem has had a number of meanings attached to
it: City of Peace, City of the god Salem, Possession of Peace,
or Foundation of Peace.
The climate is very healthful. Winters are cold, but the lowest
recorded temperature is about 25 degrees F. During the summer,
temperatures rise to about 73 deg. in August and sometimes more
than 100 deg. in September. Average annual rainfall is 26 inches.
Jerusalem is enclosed by a rough triangle of high mountain ridges
which break the city up into five main divisions, described by
Josephus as distinct regions:
· The Upper City, or Market Place, the southwestern hill
· Akra, or the Lower City, the southeastern hill
· The Temple Hill, the central eastern section
· The Bezetha, the newly built part of the city (in Josephus'
day), the northeastern hill
· The Northern Quarter, the northwestern hill
In modern times, these five divisions have taken on the following
designations:
· The southwestern hill is known as Zion, or the fortress
of David. The Tower of David is located here.
· The northwestern hill is the Christian Quarter and centers
around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
· The northeastern hill is the new city.
· The central eastern hill is the site of the Temple. It
is also called Zion and Moriah.
· The southeastern hill is called the City of David, and
Ophel
The Walls of Jerusalem
The present walls go back to Suleiman the Magnificent, 1542 AD.
In the present walls there are eight existing gates:
· On the west wall, the Jaffa Gate
· On the north wall, the Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, and
the New Gate
· On the east wall, the Gate of the Tribes and the Golden
Gate
· On the south wall, the Dung Gate and the Zion Gate
Outline History of the City
Conquered by Judah, Judges 1:8
c. 1000 BC, David conquered the city after reigning from Hebron
for 7 1/2 years, 2 Sam. 5:6-9.
714 BC, Conquered by Jehoash of Israel, 2 Kings 14:8-14
597 BC, conquered by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and again in 586
BC.
321 BC, Ptolemy Soter of Egypt invaded Palestine and captured
Jerusalem.
170 BC, conquered and despoiled by Antiochus.
168 BC, again attacked and spoiled by Antiochus.
163 BC, destroyed by military action and garrisoned by the Syrians.
139 BC, Simon Maccabeus captured Akra, a part of the city, and
destroyed it by leveling all of its hills.
134 BC, besieged by Antiochus Sidetes, who broke down the fortifications
surrounding the city.
63 BC, conquered by Pompey (Roman), who demolished the walls.
37 BC, Herod, the son of Antipater, took Jerusalem by storm after
a five-month siege.
70 AD, Titus, the Roman general, besieged Jerusalem for 134 days,
finally conquering it.
614, Palestine was conquered by the Persian Chostroes II, who
destroyed all churches, including that of the Holy Sepulchre.
637, conquered by Mohammedans.
1077, a leader of the Seljuk Turks conquered Palestine, drove
out the Egyptians, and massacred 3,000 people in Jerusalem.
1098, the city was again retaken by the Egyptian Arabs. Forty
days later the city was captured by the knights of the First Crusade.
Most inhabitants, Arab and Jewish, were massacred.
118 , city conquered by Saladin.
1219, walls of Jerusalem torn down at the orders of the Sultan
of Damascus.
1229, Jerusalem was obtained by treaty by Frederick II of Germany.
1244, Jerusalem was conquered, sacked, and the people massacred
by the Karizimian Tartars from Central Asia.
Palestine was again conquered by the Egyptians and held until
1517 when it was conquered in turn by the Ottoman Turks. Jerusalem
has been under Turkish control during most of its modern history
until World War I. Jerusalem was placed under British rule in
the Mandate of Palestine after the defeat of Turkish forces in
World War I.
In 1948, the British were forced to withdraw under the provisions
of the Balfour Declaration, and the Jewish state of Israel was
formed.
In 1949, Jerusalem was internationalized by the United Nations.
In 1967, the Jews regained control of the entire city in the Six
Days War.
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