Jerusalem is not a city you can see completely at once but rather comes slowly through the tiny stone alleyways and the busy markets, then calm courtyards, ringing church bells, the call to prayer and the sight of families rushing home before Shabbat. Every neighborhood seems to have its own tale and every ancient wall seems to contain the recollections of another period. But Jerusalem is not only a monument of the past, it is a living capital with schools and hospitals, also cafes and government offices with construction projects and traffic jams and regular people trying to make meaningful lives.

Jerusalem has seen more history than other cities. Its name has echoed through centuries of religious tradition, royal ambition, pilgrimage, conquest and longing. It was the focus of the spiritual and national life of the ancient Israelites. Its hills were the seats of kings, its streets the walks of prophets, and generations, though distant from the land, turned to it in prayer. The destruction of the First and Second Temples made Jerusalem a symbol not merely of loss but also of endurance and return.

Jerusalem to Christians is the place where the last days of Jesus’ crucifixion and his resurrection happened. Many pilgrims continue to walk the Via Dolorosa through the Old City on their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which sometimes bearing wooden crosses or singing hymns in languages from throughout the globe. And within the church, the faithful of the ancient Christian communities come together in one of the most hallowed and historically complex venues of Christianity.

Jerusalem which known to Muslims as Al-Quds is also of great religious significance. The golden roof of the Dome of the Rock, one of Jerusalem’s most iconic features can be seen from many sections of the city. Also, nearby sits the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. The sacred constructions are part of a religious landscape that has molded Muslim faith, architecture and memory for over a thousand years.

These traditions converge on a very narrow region. The Old City and its walls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are home to hundreds of historic and religious sites associated with Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It is like entering many universes when you go through its gates. The usual classification into Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Armenian sectors gives a handy map, but reality is more........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)