East Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, a city of three religions, whose origin goes back to the biblical figure of Abraham. For several centuries, it collapsed and rebuilt. Until now, the city is a center of conflict between representatives of Christians, Jews and Muslims, who are united by reverence and respect for this holy land.
History of the founding of Jerusalem
The history of the ancient city begins 30 centuries ago, the first reliable sources date us to the XVIII-XIX centuries BC. e., when it was called Rusalimum. During this time, Jerusalem was destroyed 16 times and 17 restored, and the authorities here were replaced more than 80 times, passing from the Greeks to the Babylonians, from the Romans to Egyptians, from Arabs to crusaders, etc.
In 1000 BC e. power was seized by King David, who brought here the Ark of the Covenant, which is 10 tables of stone with 10 Commandments, considered the main shrine of the Jews. Then it was decided to begin the construction of the Jerusalem Temple. However, it was built in 7 years under King Solomon in the 960s. BC e. with the participation of 150 thousand workers and 4 thousand overseers. After the death of the king, the state collapsed into Israel (the northern part with the capital Jerusalem) and Judea (southern).
In the following centuries, the city became the scene of military operations more than once, was destroyed and burned, but each time the expelled inhabitants returned, and the settlement was reborn. In 332 BC e. these territories were captured by Alexander the Great, since 65 they fall under the power of the Romans, and King Herod becomes the ruler of Judea, nicknamed for the cunning and cruelty of the Great.
The city where Jesus Christ was born, lived, died and rose again
During the reign of Herod, the state reaches its maximum prosperity, there is a big reconstruction and restoration of buildings, including the temple, roads are being laid, a new water supply system is being introduced. It is these years that become the era in which Jesus Christ was born.
After the unsuccessful reign of Herod’s son, the city was taken over by prosecutors, the 5th of which, Pontius Pilate, became notorious as a man who instructed to crucify Christ.
An important and tragic role was played by the Judean War, which occurred in 66-73, which resulted in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the 2nd Jerusalem and the temple of Solomon. The city turned into ruins. Only after 135, when the emperor Adrina became ruler, it began to revive as a Christian settlement, but under the new name Eliya Capitolina, and Judea was called Syria-Palestine. Since that time, Jews were forbidden to enter Jerusalem under pain of execution.
Since 638, the city has been in the hands of Islamic rulers who built mosques and named it Al-Quds, considering it the place from which Mohammed ascended to heaven and received the Koran.
In the following centuries, Jerusalem was ruled by the Egyptians, then by the Seljuk Turks, and later by the Crusaders (until 1187), which brought the further promotion of the Christian religion to these lands. The subsequent XIII-XIV centuries. passed under the rule of the Mamluks and the Islamic religion.
From 1517 and another 400 years, Jerusalem has been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, during the reign of which the city was surrounded by a wall with 6 gates.
The reign of the Turks ended in 1917, when the English army entered Jerusalem under the leadership of General Allenby. The era of British rule is beginning, which came into its own under the mandate of the League of Nations. Attempts by the British to “reconcile” the Arab and Jewish populations were unsuccessful, and the UN international organization began to resolve the issue.
Conflict History (1947-1949)
An independent Israeli state was founded over 60 years ago. This was preceded by fierce fighting between the British colonial forces, the formation of the Arab population and the aggression of the Arab states located in the neighborhood. The war in Israel began after the United Nations adopted in 1947 a decision to divide Palestinian territory into 2 states on religious grounds: Arabs and Jews. The Arab part of the population refused to obey this decision, and a war began against the Jews.
The war, which lasted from November 1947 to March 1949, is divided into 2 stages. In the 1st, which occurred in 1947-1948, Syria and Iraq came out in support of the Arabs. The end of this period of the war was marked by the proclamation of the independent state of Israel on May 15, 1948.
However, the next day, the 2nd stage began, during which the armies of 5 Arab countries (Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Syria and Lebanon) opposed it. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), formed from Jewish combat units, were able to successfully confront the Arab forces, and on March 10, 1949, the Israeli flag rose above Eilat. Part of Palestinian possessions entered the territory of Israel, West Jerusalem was proclaimed its capital.
On the side of Jordan (the former Transjordan) remained the lands of Judea and Samaria, as well as the eastern part of Jerusalem, on the territory of which there were Jewish shrines: the Temple Mount and the Western Wall, the Gaza Strip was under occupation by Egypt. It was also possible to defend Mount Scopus, on which the Hebrew University and the Gadassa Hospital are located. This area for 19 years (until 1967) became cut off from Israel, communication with it was carried out using convoys under the auspices of the UN.
Wars between Arabs and Jews (1956-2000s)
In the following decades, Israel had to defend its independence many times in military conflicts with its neighbors:
- The Sinai War (1956-57) ended with the acquisition of Israel's right to navigation in the Red Sea;
- The 6-day war (1967) was marked by the liberation of territories west of the Jordan and the Golan Heights (formerly controlled by Syria), the Sinai Peninsula, as well as the reunification of West and East Jerusalem;
- The Doomsday War (1973) repelled the attacks of Egypt and Syria;
- The 1st Lebanon War (1982-1985) ended in the defeat of the PLO terrorist groups that were stationed in Lebanon and fired rockets at Galilee;
- The 2nd Lebanon War (2006) was conducted against Shiite terrorists of Hezbollah fighters.
The history of East Jerusalem is inextricably linked to the conflict between Israel and neighboring Arab states.
Jerusalem - the single capital of Israel
In accordance with Israeli laws, the city of Jerusalem is the single capital of the state. The reunion of its eastern and western parts was adopted on June 29, 1967, and since 1980 annexed by Israel.
What the border between East and West Jerusalem looked like before and after 1967 is shown on the map below. After independence was established in the state of Israel, many Jews who came to the settlement from Arab countries resettled. For several years, the number of inhabitants of this country increased almost 2 times, which strengthened the creation and development of settlements in the border areas. Today, on all sides (except the west), the city is surrounded by a large number of Jewish settlements. Now the border of East and West Jerusalem is guarded by troops of the UN international forces.
Since 1967, residents have been given the opportunity to obtain Israeli citizenship, which at first was not used to all. However, over the years, realizing that the power of Jordan will not return, many have become citizens of Israel. Over the past 10 years, the construction of ever new Jewish areas, industrial buildings and military facilities has been ongoing in the city.
The term "East Jerusalem" today has 2 interpretations:
- the territory of the city, which until 1967 was controlled by Jordan;
- quarters of the city where the Arab population lives.
East Jerusalem - the capital of Palestine
In the eastern part of Jerusalem, the Old City and the holy Jewish and Christian places are located: the Temple Mount, Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Islamic Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In July 1988, after demands from the Palestinians, the king of Jordan abandoned East Jerusalem, the Palestinian Authority included him in the list of constituencies for elections to his Legislative Council in 1994 (after the conclusion of a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan).
For both Jews and Muslims, this city is a revered place that houses all the religious shrines. Because of this, the Arab-Israeli conflict has been going on for several 10 years.
Although East Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine, is the largest city inhabited by 350, 000 Palestinians, the Palestinian government is based in Ramallah and cannot officially administer this territory. He is not even allowed to sponsor any (even cultural) events within it, in response to which local residents have boycotted the municipal elections held by Israel for many years.
Due to the lack of local government elections, there is a lot of unrest in the city, even gangs are appearing who are trying to manage the neighborhoods, demanding money from entrepreneurs. The Israeli police are very reluctant to intervene in local problems and do not respond to complaints from the population.
Over the past 10 years, major physical and demographic changes have been taking place in the city related to the construction of a concrete wall passing through Palestinian neighborhoods. Bills were also passed to grant elected and other rights to 150, 000 Jews who settled in the West Bank of Jerusalem. At the same time, more than 100, 000 Palestinian residents will be stripped of their suffrage and placed in a separate local council.
Old city
East Jerusalem is a city of 3 religions: Christian, Jewish and Muslim. The main shrines are located precisely on its territory in the Old City, which is surrounded by walls erected in the 16th century.
The old city, which is the oldest part of East Jerusalem (photo and map below), which all pilgrims of various religious denominations aspire to, is divided into 4 quarters:
- Christian, originates in the IV century., On its territory there are 40 churches, as well as monasteries and hotels for pilgrims. The center of this quarter is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ took place.
- Muslim is the largest and most numerous quarter in which Arabs live, who resettled from nearby villages after the departure of Jews and Christians. Important mosques are located here: the Dome of the Rock, Al-Aqsa, which are revered on an equal footing with Mecca. Muslims believe that Muhammad came here from Mecca and prayed with the souls of the prophets. Not far from the Dome of the Rock lies a stone slab, from which, according to legend, Muhammad ascended to heaven. Also on the streets of this quarter is Via Dolorosa, the Road of Sorrow, which Jesus Christ walked along, heading to the place of his execution - Calvary.
- Armenian is the smallest quarter, inside which the Cathedral of St. Jacob, who became the main for the Armenian community of the state of Israel.
- Jewish - is the holiest place, because here passes the Wailing Wall, as well as excavations of the ancient Roman shopping street Cardo, which was laid by the Roman emperor Hadrian. In the Jewish quarter, you can also see the ancient synagogues of Hurva, Rambaba, Rabbi Johannan Ben Zakaya.
Wall of Tears
When people from all over the world ask a question about where East Jerusalem is, the representatives of the Jewish religions know best the answer to this question, because it is here that the Western Wall is located, which is the main shrine of the Jews. The wall is the surviving part of the supporting western wall of the Temple Mount. The Jerusalem temple itself was destroyed by the Romans in 70 under the emperor Titus.
It got its name due to the fact that Jews mourn the First and Second temples, which were destroyed, which is described in the scriptures as punishment for the Jews for bloodshed, idolatry and war.
Its length is 488 m, height is 15 m, but the lower part is immersed in the ground. The wall was built of hewn stone blocks without fastening, all its parts are stacked and fitted very tightly. Modern pilgrims and tourists put notes in the gaps between the stones with an appeal to God and pray. Each month, these paper messages are collected and buried on Mount of Olives. Men and women approach the wall from different sides and dress in accordance with the rules: they cover their heads and shoulders.
After the 1948 war, when the wall was controlled by Jordan, Jews were forbidden to approach it, and only since 1967 after the Six Day War, Israeli forces regained the Old City within East Jerusalem and the wall itself.
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
The very first church was built back in 335 on this place where the crucifixion, burial, and then the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place, at the direction of the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. She adopted Christianity at an advanced age and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The church was built instead of the pagan temple of Venus; finds were made in its dungeons of Elena: a cave with the Holy Sepulcher and a cross on which Christ was crucified.
After repeated destruction and rebuilding, which were associated with the transition of the temple from Christians to Muslims and vice versa, and then destroyed by a terrible fire, the last building was made in 1810.
The church was divided between 6 religious denominations in 1852. It consists of 3 parts: the church on Calvary, the chapel of the Holy Sepulcher and the church of the Resurrection. For each religion, certain hours are reserved for prayers. Although all relations are legalized by agreement, conflicts often occur between representatives of these faiths.
In the center of the temple in the rotunda there is a cuvuklia - a marble chapel, divided into 2 parts:
- the chapel of the Angel, in which there is a window for the transmission of the Holy Fire (the ceremony takes place annually before the beginning of Easter);
- The Holy Sepulcher, or the Funerary Lodge, is a small cave carved in the rock where Jesus lay, now it is covered with a marble slab.
Another shrine of the temple is the top of the mountain, Golgotha, on which steps are laid. This temple is divided into 2 parts: the place where the cross was placed, now marked with a silver circle, and 2 tracks where supposedly the crosses of the robbers who were executed along with Christ were located.
In the center of the 3rd shrine, the temple of the Resurrection, there is a stone vase, considered the "navel of the earth", down the stairs lead to the dungeon, where the cross was discovered by Empress Elena.
