from upper left: jerusalem skyline looking north from
st. elijah monastery, a souq in the old city,
mamilla mall, the knesset, the dome of the rock, the citadel (known as the tower of david) and the
old city walls, and the western wall.
coat of arms
ir ha-kodesh (the holy city), bayt al-maqdis (house of the holiness)
jerusalem (m/; hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִםyerushaláyim; arabic: القُدس al-quds or bayt al-maqdis, also spelled baitul muqaddas)[a] is one of the oldest cities in the world that people have lived in continuously. it is important to many major religions. jews consider jerusalem a holy city because it was their religious and political center during biblical times and was the place where the temple of god stood. christians consider jerusalem holy because many events in the life of jesus took place there. muslims believe that muhammad rose to heaven from jerusalem, and the al-aqsa mosque is the first qibla of muslims after mecca.
jerusalem is the capital city of both israel and palestine, under their laws. most other countries disagree. [b] most countries have their embassies with israel in tel aviv.
jerusalem is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of the mediterranean sea. it is a hilly city with many valleys around it.