Map of world with Jerusalem in the centre, English Psalter, 13th Century
Long
before it was built by human enterprise, a celestial Jerusalem was created
by God to which the Prophet makes the refrence (left). The city is a
symbol and an inspiration to the three great monotheistic faiths of the
world -Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Sacred
since the seventh century to these faiths, Jerusalem is a monumental
creation. Memory and commemoration are crucial to the image of the city.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Dome of Rock on the
Haram-al-Sharif (Temple Mount) represent an event and a place that are
fundamental to religion and tradition.
For Jews, Jerusalem is the focus of age-old yearnings, a living proof of ancient grandeur - it was their political and religious centre in Biblical times. For Christians, it is the scene of their Saviour’s agony and triumph, witness to such events in the life of Christ as the Last Supper and his Crucifixion. For Muslims, it is the goal of the Prophet Mohammed’s mystic journey, and one of Islam’s most sacred centres.
Jerusalem,
covers an area of forty-two square miles (109 square kilometers). The Old
City has a mixture of Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Armenian populations.
The old Jewish neighbourhoods and some of the new localities preserve much
of the atmosphere created by Jews from East and West who settled there at
different periods. Synagogues, churches and mosques architectural mosaic
together with dwellings and public institutions make-up the city’s
unique architectural mosaic.
