Jerusalem is a city located in western Asia and is a city of great religious significance.Important to Jewish people, Christians, and Muslims alike, the city sees thousands of pilgrims every year. The famous religious and cultural history of the city makes it quite a lovely place to visit.However, the city of Jerusalem has seen its fair share of conflict, which each religion waging war to lay their claim on the holy city. Many places of religious importance are located here, like the Al Aqsa mosque, Dome of the Rock shrine, Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and the Holy Sepulchre Church. Today, the city is claimed as the capital of both Israel and Palestine, with no clear owner insight. Despite its torrid history, Jerusalem continues to remain one of the most important cities in the world, with many beautiful sights to offer.If you enjoyed this article, do check out our pages on facts about Israel and the history of Israel for kids.Jerusalem History FactsJerusalem has a very rich and complex history. It was made into a capital city by King David, the second king of Israel, who wrested control of it from the pagans and built his palace there. The First temple was built there by King Solomon, David’s son, on Temple mount. More substantial architecture in Jerusalem began in the Iron Age, in the 9th Century BC, though the part of Jerusalem called David’s city shows the earliest signs of settlement.The Babylons soon attacked the city and exiled Jewish people from the city of Jerusalem and took control of the ancient city. It was only after 50 years that they were allowed to return and rebuild their temple.The city of Jerusalem was soon taken over by the Romans, during which time Jesus is said to have died there. During the rule of Herod the Great, who ruled in place of the Roman emperor, the Second Temple was rebuilt in order to try and win the favor of the Jewish populations. However, In 70 AD, Jewish people attempted to rebel against the Roman rule, which led to them being subdued and their temple destroyed as an act of aggression. Jerusalem became a part of the byzantine empire after the fall of the Roman Empire, until it was taken over by Muslim people. Many conflicts over the city began from here, and continue till today, even after it was declared as part of the independent country of Israel.Jerusalem itself remains a rich cultural hotspot as it contains many holy sites important to not one but three major religions! The Jewish population estimated in the year 2010 was around 64% of the total population, as people of many religions and races exist in the city today.There are many churches, temples, and mosques dotting the Jerusalem skyline, and despite the ongoing conflict, it is quite a safe city to travel to and a popular tourist spot! Jerusalem hosts around 30 festivals annually, ranging for everything from wine and food to the opera and art. The Armenian quarter is the most tranquil out of the four quarters, and wandering through the narrow cobblestone streets is quite a treat to get away from the religious hustle and bustle of the city. The Israel Museum is a popular tourist hotspot as well and hosts many craft shows, light shows, and concerts, as well as showcasing the most important pieces of art and history of the region.The city buildings are covered with Jerusalem stone, which is a cream-colored limestone, making the architecture quite spectacular. This helps to preserve its historical look and charm, having the city an even look.Temple Of Jerusalem FactsThe Temple of Jerusalem was the first temple of Jewish importance originally built in 957 BC and was called Solomon’s Temple, as it was built by King Solomon. It was the center of all Jewish worship, the city’s religious and cultural happenings, and many ceremonies and sacrifices happened here. It was built on Temple Mount and was a very important center where cultural and intellectual ideas were exchanged by the city people, as it was a meeting point for much of its population. It was said to house the Ark of the Covenant, the holiest object in Jewish tradition which contained the stone tablets which stated the Ten Commandments. It was destroyed by Babylon in 587 BC when they waged war upon the city. Jewish people were exiled and were only permitted to return 50 years later under the rule of the Persian King Cyrus, who let them rebuild the temple.The Second Jewish Temple, as it was called was built around 516 BC, after the Babylons were driven out. It was greatly renovated and beautified by King Herod the Great, who was put in charge of the city under Roman rule. However, after Jewish people rebelled against Roman leadership in 70 BC the Romans destroyed the city walls and the temple, and all the people were turned into slaves. The temple was not rebuilt after its second destruction, and only parts of the foundation remain till today. The Dome of the Rock, located in its place today is an Islamic shrine which was built in 691 AD. The western wall, a part of the second temple, still stands today. It is also called the wailing wall in memory of the destroyed temple, as Jewish people say prayers in its memory near the wall.The Old City of Jerusalem was announced a World Heritage Site, and divided into an Armenian quarter, Muslim quarter, Christian quarter, and Jewish quarter to accommodate all the religions which consider it as holy land. The site of Jesus’s crucifixion is thought to be in the Christian quarter, and it is an important point of Christian pilgrimage, as declared by Christian crusaders who occupied the land between 1099-1187 AD. Many Christian pilgrims travel to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was built at the believed site in 335 AD every year.After the Roman Empire fell, Jerusalem became part of the byzantine empire, until it was taken control of by Muslim people, who believe that it was the site where Muhammed ascended to heaven. It is their third holiest city to date, after Mecca and Medina which are in Saudi Arabia. It eventually fell to the Ottomans, and the new city was built outside the walls of the old one. It was finally taken control of by the British, after which it gained independence as part of Israel. There are still high tensions between Israeli forces and the Palestinians, and conflict is rampant.Spiritual Facts About JerusalemJerusalem is an extremely important city in the Bible, and it is considered to be the place where Jesus was crucified and came back to life. Jesus is thought to be a descendant of King David, who unified Israel, and Judah and made Jerusalem his capital. He ruled Jerusalem and brought over the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple, making it one of the city’s most treasured possessions.In fact, Jerusalem is mentioned 660 times in the Old Testament and 142 times in the New Testament! It is mentioned a staggering 669 times in the Hebrew Bible and is the last word said in Passover seders, which are recited during the important Jewish holiday Passover. There are over 70 names for the city of Jerusalem in Jewish scripture, like Zion, Shalem (which is derived from shalom, meaning peace), and Yerushalaim. It was also found to be named Urusalim, as recorded on ancient Egyptian tablets.Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives called so for the numerous Olive groves which once covered this region is said to be the place where Jesus ascended to heaven. It has a Jewish cemetery that houses around 150,000 graves, some of which are centuries old. It is also the location of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, an important place for Christian pilgrimage.Unfortunately, Jewish people are not allowed to pray on Temple mount, which is the location of the Jewish Temple, also the Muslim shrine Dome of the Rock today. In order to keep religious sentiments from being hurt, they are not allowed to pray on what is considered the holiest land for them under Israeli rule. Many Jewish people pray along the wailing wall instead, which is the western wall bordering the site of the temple.Conflict Over JerusalemThe City of Jerusalem, despite being a holy place, has seen many conflicts. It has been attacked 52 times and conquered a total of 44 times! Most wars have been over religion, with each empire or country wanting to claim the holy city as their own. The city has even been completely destroyed twice-once in 589 BC by Babylon, and the second time in 70 CE during the Roman siege, during which the old city walls and temples were both taken down completely. It has been captured at least once by the British, Persians, Ottomans, and Romans!There continues to be conflict over who actually owns the city of Jerusalem today - with both Palestine and Israel claiming it as their capital city! Jerusalem itself is located in Western Asia, and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict makes it unclear which country it is actually located in. Jerusalem was originally part of Palestine but was seized by Britain after World War I. It was later divided between the then-new state of Israel and Palestine after Israel became independent from Britain. Israel controlled the west, while Palestine east Jerusalem. However, during the six-day war of 1967, Israel took complete control of Jerusalem. Palestine still continues to refuse this development and continues to hold Jerusalem as their seat of power.Though the city of Jerusalem is the headquarters of the Israeli government, there are no foreign embassies there- all of which are located in Tel Aviv, the center of trade and commerce.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Jerusalem facts then why not take a look at 33 Macedonia facts: this will make you want to travel now! facts, or Denmark facts.
Jerusalem is a city located in western Asia and is a city of great religious significance.
