Jerusalem – Open Your Israel

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times.

The part of Jerusalem called the City of David shows first signs of settlement in the 4th millennium BCE, in the shape of encampments of nomadic shepherds.

Jerusalem was named as Urusalim on ancient Egyptian tablets, probably meaning “City of Shalem” after a Canaanite deity, during the Canaanite period.

During the Israelite period, significant construction activity in Jerusalem began in the 9th century BC, and in the 8th century the city developed into the religious and administrative center of the Kingdom of Judah.

In 1538, the city walls were rebuilt for a last time around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent.

Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four-quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters.

The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Since 1860 Jerusalem has grown far beyond the Old City’s boundaries.