Jerusalem Israel Essay, Research Paper

Jerusalem

Jerusalem is located in the heart of Israel and is divided into three

sections: the Old City, New City (West Jerusalem), and East Jerusalem. In

the center is the Old City which is split up into four main sections:

Muslim Quarter, Jewish Quarter, Christian Quarter, and the Armenian

Quarter. Also, the Old City is the site of many religious and historical

landmarks.

Within Jewish Quarters, the main attraction is the Western (Wailing)

Wall Wall”). It’s dubbed the “Wailing Wall” because many Jews come to pray

there, and their prayers sound like wailing. The Wall is the small

remaining part of King Solomon’s Temple. After the Jews were banished from

Temple Mount, the Western Wall became the most sacred place of Judaism.

There are two major sects of Jews in this part of the city. There is the

Sephardic group, who come from Spain, Africa, and the Mediterranean, and

there is the Ashkenazic group, who come from Northern Europe.

Another section of the Old City is the Christian Quarter. The center

of this part of the city is The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It is

believed that the Via Dolorosa, a street, was the site of the original

Stations of the Cross. Furthermore, it is maintained that Jesus was

originally buried at this site. The Church was rebuilt by Crusaders in 1099

CE, but it was originally built in the fourth century.

The St. James Cathedral is the center of attention in the Armenian

part. Many families who escaped the Armenian Holocaust in 1915 settled in

the Old City. Many of the residents of this part of the Armenian Quarter

practice the Greek Orthodox religion.

The last section of the city is the Muslim Section. Atop the Temple

Mount are the gold-domed Dome of the Rock (661 BCE) and the silver-domed

al-Aqsa mosques. The Rock referred to in Dome of the Rock is Mt.Zion. This

is where Abram went to sacrifice Isaac and Muhammed ascended to heaven.