Knowra Old City of Jerusalem Old City of Jerusalem A walled historic district of Jerusalem containing sites sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Its compact area is divided into the Muslim, Christian, Jewish, and Armenian quarters.
Jerusalem : A city in the Levant sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and the capital of Israel. The Old City is Jerusalem’s historic core, enclosed within its walls.
Western Wall : A surviving retaining wall of the Second Temple compound and a major Jewish place of prayer. It is the most prominent Jewish worship site within the Old City.
Suleiman the Magnificent : The Ottoman sultan who ruled from 1520 to 1566 and expanded the empire across three continents. He ordered the walls that still enclose the Old City.
Battle of Jerusalem (1948) : A series of battles over Jerusalem during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, after which the Old City came under Jordanian control. The division that followed separated the Old City from Israeli-controlled West Jerusalem.
East Jerusalem : The eastern part of Jerusalem, including the Old City, occupied by Israel in 1967 and claimed by Palestinians as their capital. The Old City is one historic district within the larger contested area.
Old City walls of Jerusalem : The fortifications enclosing Jerusalem’s Old City, largely built under Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in the sixteenth century. Their gates and ramparts define the district’s present boundary.
Temple Mount : A walled Jerusalem plateau revered in Judaism and Islam and known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif. It holds the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque within the Old City.
Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) : The Roman siege that culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE. Its destruction reshaped the sacred landscape later incorporated into the Old City.
Six-Day War : The June 1967 war in which Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights. Israel captured the Old City, changing its governing and security arrangements.
West Jerusalem : The western part of Jerusalem, which came under Israeli control during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Its modern urban fabric contrasts with the Old City’s enclosed historic quarters.
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