A Timeline of Jerusalem: From Roman Rule to the British Mandate
Jerusalem is one of the oldest, most important, and holiest cities in the world. As a city of great importance to major religions and countries across the world and a major cause of conflict and wars through the years, it’s hard to find a place with a richer and more diverse history than Jerusalem. Here, we will go through the major events in the incredible history of the city of Jerusalem, from its very beginning until the present day.
Jerusalem’s Origins and the First Temple Period
According to archaeological findings, the beginning of the period of settlement in Jerusalem dates back to the Chalcolithic period, around the 5th millennium BC, which makes the city more than 7,000 years old.However, in excavations conducted in 2009 in neighborhoods on the edge of the city, even earlier archaeological findings were discovered, dating to the Neolithic period. These findings testify to settlement in ancient times, in the area located on the hill known as the City of David. So as of now, it is not known exactly how old is Jerusalem, but it is at least 7,100 years old.
In the Late Bronze Age, during the 14th century BC, Jerusalem established its position as a fortified and important Canaanite city-state. According to the Bible, Jerusalem was a Jebusite city until its conquest by King David, who made it the center of his empire.
His son, King Solomon, built the First Temple there. Jerusalem was first located on the hill identified as the City of David and later spread from there north to the Temple Mount area. In 598 BC, the Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Neo-Babylonian Empire. After an attempted rebellion by King Zedekiah against his Babylonian masters, Nebuchadnezzar II, the king of Babylon, laid siege to the city, and in 586 BC conquered it and destroyed the First Temple.
The Second Temple Era and Roman Conquest
Since the destruction of the First Temple, Jerusalem has switched hands numerous times. In 332 BC, it was conquered by Alexander the Great and the Hellenists. Then, it was ruled by the Hasmoneans, until the Romans burned Jerusalem down and destroyed the Second Temple during the Great Revolt in 70.
This started a period when Jerusalem lost some of its importance, but since 324, when the Roman Empire has turned Christian, Jerusalem has become an important religious center, as numerous churches were built here, and many priests and monks have moved to the city.
The Crusader and Islamic Periods
In 636, the Arabic Empire conquered Jerusalem from the hands of the Romans, after a six months-long siege. At this time, Jerusalem has become increasingly more important in Islam, as the Dome of the Rock was built on the Temple Mount in 691.
During the Crusader rule in Jerusalem, which started in 1099, most of its Jewish and Muslim inhabitants were slaughtered, and it became a deserted town. The Crusaders found it difficult to fill it with Christian believers, and for this reason, they encouraged Christian pilgrims from Armenia and Eastern Europe to immigrate to the abandoned city. The Crusaders developed the market system in the city, and later there was an increase in the number of its Christian residents. At the time, Muslims and Jews were not allowed to live there, and they very rarely visited Jerusalem.
In 1187 Saladin conquered Jerusalem, and most of the Christian population was expelled from it, except for a small Eastern Christian community. The city took on a Muslim character for the next 700 years. Some of the noble Muslim families in Jerusalem, who settled there at that time, have stayed in Jerusalem to this day.
In 1260, the city fell to the Mamluks, who took control of the land and held it until 1516. During the Mamluk Empire, Jerusalem became a city of no strategic importance, far from the major trade routes. The Mamluks built many government and religious buildings in it, including palaces and magnificent buildings, which served as Koran study centers.
From the Ottoman Empire to the War of Independence
In 1517, Jerusalem was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Suleiman the First built the current Jerusalem Wall around the city, including the gates of Jerusalem, and renovated, among other things, the Tower of David. The Ottoman Rule lasted until the First World War when in 1917, the British Rule over the land and made Jerusalem the capital of the land of Palestine.
On November 29, 1947, after the announcement of the partition of the Land of Israel at the UN Assembly, Israel’s War of Independence broke out. According to the UN partition plan, Jerusalem and Bethlehem were supposed to be included in a neutral zone, under international control. However, both sides – both the Jews and the Arabs – ignored it, and each strove to gain control over Jerusalem and its surroundings. The war ended in 1948, when Jerusalem was divided into two parts: the Jordanian Eastern Jerusalem, and the Israeli Western Jerusalem. Since the Six Day War of 1967, Eastern Jerusalem, including the old city of Jerusalem, is in control of Israel.
Modern Jerusalem: The Capital of Israel Today
Today, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the biggest city in the country, and a center of great conflicts. It is the location of Israel’s parliament and Ministry offices and hosts most of Israel’s official events. Today, there are almost 1 million residents in Jerusalem, and about 40% of them are Muslims. Out of the Jewish population, 35% are Ultra-Orthodox, 33% are secular, and 32% are religious.
Until recently, Jerusalem did not have any global recognition as Israel’s capital, as most countries held their embassies in Tel Aviv. However, in recent years, this has started to change, as in 2018, the United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem. Since then, several more countries have expressed their intentions to do the same, including the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Brazil, and more.
