Jerusalem, The Cradle Of 3 Monotheistic Religions Editorial Photo

Jerusalem /dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם About this soundYerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس‎ About this soundal-Quds or Bayt al-Maqdis, also spelled Baitul Muqaddas is a city in the Middle East, located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.nnDuring its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times. The part of Jerusalem called the City of David shows first signs of settlement in the 4th millennium BCE, in the shape of encampments of nomadic shepherds. Jerusalem was named as `Urusalim` on ancient Egyptian tablets, probably meaning `City of Shalem` after a Canaanite deity, during the Canaanite period 14th century BCE.