Essay --

Jerusalem is the beholder of a violent, yet religious, past. It is the holy center for three of the world’s major religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It was the center for many battles and the motivation for the Crusades. The Crusades were the cause for much blood shed and marked the beginning of a long war between Islam and Christianity. However, most of the focus in history of this holy center begins with the Crusades and continues there after, so this is where the essay will be focused: the times and history of Jerusalem before the Crusades. The city of Jerusalem is located in modern day Israel and was established around 4000 BC. The early history of Jerusalem is up to debate between the records kept by the various texts and accounts left by early inhabitants. It was inhabited by the Jebusites for a long period before Abraham, or any other occurrences that gave Jerusalem its early background. It is said to have been ruled by an ally of Abraham, Melchizedek, until King David, around 1000 BC, took over the city and founded it as a homeland for the Jews. This began the first official reign of a religion over the city, for no religious significance nor reign had control over the city. Jerusalem became the capital of King David’s empire, and for a period of time, under his son’s rule, it was a major trade city and was very significant among the surrounding peoples. After King David died in 970 BC, his son, Solomon, took over and fabricated the first Temple in this holy city run by the Jewish people and functioning upon their beliefs. This temple became known as the great temple as it was added upon over multiple years by varying skilled architects. Solomon’s rule brought the city success, but after his death Davidic ruler... ...hich triggered the Roman decision to rebuild Jerusalem as a non- Jewish Roman territory. It remained a regular territory with no religious rule until the Byzantines conquered it in 330 A.D. and instated it as a Christian city. The Jewish people weren’t allowed to live within the city. About 300 years later, the Persians took over the city from the Byzantines and it was ruled by these pre-Islamic rulers until 629 A.D. The Byzantines took back over, but only began to rebuild the once again Christian city when the Caliph Omar invaded Jerusalem and began occupying the city in 638 A.D. This was the beginning of the Crusades. Jerusalem has had a long and horrible history with many different political and religious occupations leading up to the Crusades and even after. Jerusalem is a very important city in human history amongst its various leaders and various occurrences.