Tuesday 20 March 2012

ABC Wednesday, J for Jerusalem

From Israel I send this post with thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with J.


Wikipedia says:"Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since King David of Israel first established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son Solomon commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified in 33 AD and 300 years later Saint Helena identified the pilgrimage sites of Jesus' life. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city. It became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi), the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE, making Jerusalem one of the oldest cities in the world. The old walled city, a World Heritage site, has been traditionally divided into four quarters, although the names used today—the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters—were introduced in the early 19th century. The Old City was nominated for inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger by Jordan in 1982".


All photos are borrowed from Wikipedia and others.




















22 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

such a fascinating, frustrating history.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Leslie: said...

Lucky you to have been able to visit. Hope you have a jolly week,

Leslie
abcw team

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading your story. √

Since I was hacked I had to give up my old user name and the blogs that went with it. So this is the new birds blog and I hope you can come visit. Birds Birds Birds and Birds

anthonynorth said...

One of the most beautiful places, yet with such a violent past. An intriguing city.

Sylvia K said...

Such a beautiful and historical city! I've always wanted to visit there! Thanks for sharing your journey with us, Wil, it's the next best thing to being there myself! Enjoy!

Sylvia

Arkansas Patti said...

It is amazing how many religions call it home. It would give me goosebumps to walk those streets. How fortunate you have gotten to see such a historic place.

photowannabe said...

This is such an intriguing City. I'm so glad I was able to visit back in 2001. The pictures you shared are very familiar and I loved visiting each of those places.

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Beautiful images-I especially love the one with the dome and the arches. It is amazing that Jerusalem still stands after all those seizes.

Brenda said...

Wow. I would love to visit here. Thanks for sharing this post Wil.

A Colorful World said...

Such gorgeous photos...they really bring the place to life. It has such beauty and architecture!

George said...

Thank you for an interesting and informative post. I hope you are enjoying your trip.

ChrisJ said...

Beautiful photos of a beautiful city.

Unknown said...

amazing shots...love to visit the place.

-r1-

Jama said...

Fascinating place! Love those beautiful buildings there.

MERYL JAFFE, PhD - parent, psychologist, teacher, author... said...

Great post. Jerusalem is truly an incredible city and your photos are beautiful.

Kay L. Davies said...

Very interesting, Wil. Unfortunately, it does not bode well for peace in Jerusalem, as so much misunderstanding exists between religions.

I often think of you, my friend, and wish you the best.
K

Gattina said...

What a nice post ! One day I will go there too !

Christine said...

Beautiful pictures! Thank you for the informative piece.

Kay said...

I can just imagine what a great time you're having with Dina.

Dianne said...

It must be an amazing feeling to be surrounded by so much history .... Enjoy it all Wil and take care xx

Anonymous said...

Fascinating pictures and history. I am also fascinated by the settling of Jerusalem. At about the 4th millennium BCE when it was being settled, in other parts of the world, great empires were reaching for their peak and were covered up by jungles. Cities in high mountains are vacant. Walls with huge stones fit together so close not even a playing card can be pushed into the cracks. I don't know what was going on everywhere but isn't it fascinating that so much was going on and the only real history we have about any of it is in the Bible.

Kay said...

I am so impressed! What gorgeous photos, Wil. You're getting to see so much.