Jerusalem

Hebrew JERUSHALAYIM, Arabic BAYT AL-MUQADDAS, or AL-QUDS, ancient city of the Middle East that since 1967 has been wholly in the possession of Israel. In 1949 the city was proclaimed by Israel as its capital.

Jerusalem plays a central role in the spiritual and emotional perspective of the three major monotheistic religions. For Jews throughout the world, it is the focus of age-old yearnings, a living proof of ancient grandeur and independence and a centre of national renaissance; for Christians, it is the scene of their Saviour's agony and triumph; for Muslims, it is the goal of the Prophet Muhammad's mystic night journey and the site of one of Islam's most sacred shrines. For all three faiths it is a centre of pilgrimage--the Holy City, the earthly prototype of the heavenly Jerusalem.

From 1948 until 1967, Jerusalem was divided into Israeli (West Jerusalem) and Jordanian (East Jerusalem) sectors, with the Israeli sector of the city becoming the capital of Israel. During the Six-Day War of June 1967, however, Israel occupied the former Jordanian sector, over which it proclaimed jurisdiction as an integral part of the unified city. Its standing as capital of the nation was reaffirmed by a special Israeli law passed in 1980. Since 1975 the unified Jerusalem has been Israel's largest city.

An outstanding characteristic of Jerusalem, which covers an area of 42 square miles (109 square kilometres), is the variety of its people and culture. The Old City has Jewish, Christian, Armenian, and Muslim quarters. The Jewish quarter suffered during the 1947-48 fighting but since has been completely rebuilt. Its historical synagogues have been restored, and the new residential quarters, though modern, preserve some of their old Oriental atmosphere. The old Jewish neighbourhoods outside the Old City, on the other hand, reflect much of the atmosphere brought from Jewish habitats elsewhere in the Orient, as well as in eastern Europe. Similarly, many of the Christian institutions made direct copies of the architecture common to their native lands. In recognition of its central place in the traditions and histories of numerous peoples, the walled Old City was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.

Arabs in traditional and modern dress; Christians, Western and Oriental, in their infinite variety of secular and monastic vestments; Jews in fashionable and Orthodox dress; and hosts of tourists combine in colourful, kaleidoscopic patterns. Synagogues, churches, mosques, and dwellings in various styles make up the city's unique architectural mosaic. The scent of Oriental cooking and spices, the peal of church bells, the calls of muezzins from minarets, and the chanting of Jewish prayers at the Western (Wailing) Wall all add a particular tinge to the life of the city. These impressions, however, are in a large measure limited to the Old City. Outside the walls Jerusalem is in every sense a modern city with its network of streets and transportation, high-rise buildings, supermarkets, businesses, schools, and restaurants and coffeehouses. It is the persistent mingling of Hebrew, Arabic, and English in the streets that brings to mind the multicultural and political complexities of life in this revered city.

adopted and copied from 1994-2000 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.