The Judean mountains (low, up to 1000 m above sea level) are located around Jerusalem, and among them Zion is a mountain, which is actually a hill in the southwest. Jerusalem itself is located on the southern spur of the elevated plain of the Judean mountains. As the capital of the state of Israel, the city is controversial. Palestine claims for its eastern part, which is supported by a significant part of the world community. UNESCO does not consider Jerusalem anyone's possession, but included it in the World Heritage List. Its cultural values are threatened by the serious dangers of armed conflict.
Zion (mountain) - a symbol of Jerusalem
How the Jewish people came about is not known for certain. Ethnographers say that the Hapiru shepherd tribes, the northern Semites, came from Arabia, crossed the Jordan River, which was then full-flowing and wide, like our Oka, and conquered hilly lands, among which was Zion, a mountain that would later become sacred. And if you go according to the Bible, then the Jews are an artificial people. He was formed when God called Abram from the city of Ur (the city of Light), whose family was high, a man of advanced years, but of impeccable morality and who did not have, to his great grief, children. God gave everything to Abram in a new place: herds, money, respect from neighbors, but still he did not have children. And when an angel appeared to his wife Sarah and told her that she would give birth, Sarah only laughed in response: "I am old, and my lord is old." To which the angel replied: “Is there anything impossible for the Lord?” And Sarah conceived. And it is believed that from her sons came the whole race of Israel, as well as the Arabs and Muslim peoples. And Abram began to be called Abraham - the father of many nations.
Well, and how to relate to this? As you wish. There is a discrepancy between the history of science and the sacred. For many centuries, the land of Israel, like the whole world, was under the boot of Roman legionnaires. And how do conquerors behave among conquered peoples? Outrageous. Jews began to prepare for an uprising. People bought daggers, swords, armor. A war was brewing, which would later be called Jewish. But it did not bring victory to the Jews, but on the contrary, they were expelled from their homeland, from their native church, which stood on a hill. This is Mount Zion, a holy mountain. The Jewish people strove to return to it, but the Romans finally expelled the Jews from their homeland, they were scattered all over the world by diasporas. And the land received from the Romans the name Palestine.
Temple Mount
Zion, or Zion, was the name of the fortress, which was located on a small hill near the Temple Mount. And later the name Zion (mountain) became a synonym for Jerusalem. Josephus during the Roman occupation divided the city into the Lower, Temple and Upper city. For contemporaries, this place, the Upper Town, was of no interest, it was forgotten. But when Jesus appeared, he spent the Last Supper in the room. The place for this was Zion (the mountain). A small Christian church was also built there after the Savior ascended into heaven. The prophets predicted that the salvation of mankind would come from Mount Zion. Therefore, the first Christians called the Upper City Zion. Here, the disciples and relatives of Christ created their first community. By the middle of the 4th century, Zion (the mountain) was wholly owned by Christians. They treated him like a shrine. By this time the mountain was already protected by a wall in which there were gates. A road passed through them, surrounding Zion and separating it from the whole city.
In the Middle Ages
After the Western Roman Empire collapsed, Jerusalem began to belong to Eastern, in which Constantinople was the capital. Jerusalem was almost completely Christianized, for faith in Byzantium was strong. But in the 40s of the seventh century, he was captured by Muslims. However, Europe could not accept the fact that Christian shrines were ruled by infidels. A series of crusades passed. Twice Mount Zion in Jerusalem belonged to the Crusader Christians. In the East, more precisely in Constantinople, part of the crusaders met with Jews who successfully traded with the whole world.
Templars, Freemasons and Zion
The Crusaders learned that to pay for the goods it is not necessary to transport mountains of gold, but debt receipts are quite enough. Trading in this way, the Knights Templar got rich. This was not transferred by the King of France Philippe the Beautiful, and in search of the riches of the order he simultaneously arrested almost all of its members, tortured and burned like heretics at the stake. The survivors who fled from France to the desert mountains of Scotland and Switzerland founded the Masonic Brotherhood, which, true to all Christian covenants, nevertheless became an impetus for the development of new forms of trade in Europe. Unable to reach the real holy Zion, they built their own city of Zion in Switzerland. It supposedly Masons created their first bank. Then the banking system in Switzerland developed unusually and brought a small country both wealth and fame, because there were no natural resources and trade routes. The city of Zion and Mount Zion are separated by many thousands of kilometers. But for the first Masons, he served as a symbol of the holy land.
Nowadays
In the postwar years, more precisely in 47, by decision of the UN, Palestine was divided into Jewish and Arab states. The Arabs did not come to terms with this, and blood was pouring endlessly from both sides. But the Jews who have gained their historical homeland are not going to lose it. They revived this fantastic affair, the long-dead book language, Hebrew, and they all mastered it perfectly and speak it without exception. In memory of the Holocaust on Mount Zion in Jerusalem is the grave of Oscar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved about 1, 200 Jews from extermination by the Nazis in concentration camps.
City of Three Religions
For two millennia this land has become holy for both Muslims and Jews and Christians. They all have their shrines here. Many are located in Jerusalem on Mount Zion, which today is all built up. The old city is usually divided into Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Armenian quarters.
The wailing wall, partly excavated, has truly cyclopean dimensions and is the main shrine of Judaism.
The Dome of the Rock Mosque is the main mosque in Jerusalem. But for Muslims, the most important is the place of ascension of Muhammad to heaven - the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
