Jerusalem it is an ancient urban center, full of history and religious tradition. Represents the holy place for the Jews,Christians and Muslims.
Over the centuries, it belonged to the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and Romans. It has been in the power of Muslims for centuries. It was often conquered, destroyed and rebuilt again.
Jerusalem in Hebrew Yerushalayim, is derived from the word Yir’a, which means fear of God, plus the word Shalem, which means perfection. It is the capital of Israel, (declared but not recognized by the international community). It is located in the mountains of central Israel, 60 km east of Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Sea.
Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews since King David decided to conquer the Fortress of Jerusalem, situated on the central mountain of Palestine, which for centuries had been in the hands of the Canaanite tribe, of the Jebusites. In 1000 a. C., he took possession of it and turned it into the capital of the Kingdom of Judah.
For Christians, Jerusalem is sacred through the passage of Jesus, as reported in the Canonical Gospels of the New Testament, written by the disciples John, Luke, Mark and Matthew.
For centuries, Jerusalem was in the hands of Muslims, who banned religious pilgrimages. In 638 Jerusalem was declared the third holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. In 1517, Jerusalem fell under Ottoman Turkish rule, which remained in control until 1917.
In Jerusalem there are important religious sites, among them, The Esplanade of the Mosques, known for the Jews and Christians like the Temple Mount, in allusion to the ancient temple, and called the Noble Sanctuary by the Muslims.
The Western Wall is a holy place in Jerusalem, visited by pilgrims from all over the world. It's all that's left of Solomon's Temple, Jerusalem's center of religious worship and spiritual life.
The Holy Sepulcher is the place where the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher is built and inside, according to Christian tradition, is the place where Jesus was crucified and the place where he was buried and risen.