Old Quarter, Jerusalem
#OldQuarter
#Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most historically and religiously significant places in the world. Here’s an overview by category:
General Overview
Size: About 0.9 square kilometers (0.35 square miles)
Walls: Surrounded by 16th-century Ottoman walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent
Gates: Includes 8 gates, such as the Jaffa Gate, Damascus Gate, and Lion’s Gate
Religious Significance
The Old City is sacred to three major monotheistic religions:
1. Judaism
Western Wall (Kotel): Holiest accessible site for Jewish prayer, part of the retaining wall of the Second Temple
Temple Mount: Site of the First and Second Temples (destroyed in 586 BCE and 70 CE)
2. Christianity
Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection
Via Dolorosa: Traditional path Jesus walked to the crucifixion
3. Islam
Al-Aqsa Mosque: Third holiest site in Islam
Dome of the Rock: Islamic shrine marking the spot where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven
The Four Quarters
The Old City is divided into four quarters:
1. Jewish Quarter – Contains synagogues, yeshivas, and the Western Wall
2. Christian Quarter – Includes the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
3. Muslim Quarter – Largest and most populated quarter, includes parts of the Temple Mount
4. Armenian Quarter – Home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities
Historical Layers
Jerusalem’s Old City has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years and has passed through the hands of:
• Canaanites
• Israelites
• Babylonians
• Romans
• Byzantines
• Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids
• Crusaders
• Mamluks
• Ottomans
• British
• Israelis (post-1967)
Modern Status
Under Israeli control since 1967 (Six-Day War)
Considered occupied territory under international law by the UN, though Israel disputes this
The status of Jerusalem, especially the Old City and East Jerusalem, remains one of the most sensitive political issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Would you like maps, a visual diagram, a walking guide, or details on any specific location?
#Jewish
#ArabBrotherhood
