The History of Jerusalem

The New Testament mentions the name "Jerusalem" 139 times. Jesus visited Jerusalem and spent his last week there. But that only covers Jerusalem for about 30 years: what about the rest of Jerusalem’s history?

  • c. 1950 B.C: The earliest mention of Jerusalem is from the Bible. In Genesis 14:18, the king of Salem (probably Jerusalem) met Abraham.
  • 1800s B.C.: the city of "Rusalimum" is mentioned in Egyptian Execration Texts.
  • 1300s B.C.: the city of "Urusalim" is mentioned in letters to Egypt (Amarna Letters).
  • c. 1000 B.C.: the Jewish King David attacked a city controlled by the Jebusites and made it his capital, this was Jerusalem (II Samuel 5:6,7).
  • c. 950 B.C.: His son, Solomon, built the Temple in Jerusalem.
  • After Solomon's death, the kingdom split into two kingdoms with Jerusalem going to the southern kingdom.
  • 722 B.C.: The Assyrians defeated the northern kingdom.
  • 586 B.C.: The Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.
  • 539 B.C.: Cyrus, the Persian King, defeated the Babylonians, and declared that Jews who had been taken captive by the Babylonians could return to Jerusalem. Many Jews returned and rebuilt the Temple over the next several decades.
  • 332 B.C.: Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and gained control of Jerusalem.
  • Upon his death in 323 BC, Egyptians gained Jerusalem.
  • 198 B.C.: the Syrian Seleucids gained control of Jerusalem.
  • c. 169 B.C.: the Seleucid King, Antiochus IV, sought to destroy the Jewish faith and desecrated the Temple. The Jews revolted and re-established the Jewish kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital.
  • 63 B.C.: The Jews were able to maintain control of Jerusalem until 63 B.C. when the Roman General Pompey captured Jerusalem. The Jews were allowed to remain in Jerusalem, but under Roman occupation.
  • (All dates after this point are in A.D.)
  • 66: The Jews revolted against the Romans in and regained Jerusalem and their kingdom.
  • 70: The Romans recaptured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple (which has not been rebuilt).
  • 132: The Jews revolted again in and regained Jerusalem and their kingdom.
  • 135: The Romans recaptured Jerusalem in AD 135 and forced the Jews to leave the city.
  • Unknown: Eventually Jews return.
  • 614: the Persians gained control of Jerusalem.
  • 629: the Byzantines captured Jerusalem.
  • 638 (six years after Muhammad’s death): the Muslim leader Omar entered Jerusalem, and the city became under Muslim control.
  • 1099: the Christian Crusaders from Europe captured Jerusalem.
  • 1187: the Muslim general Saladin captured Jerusalem.
  • 1192: During the Third Crusade, Richard the Lion-hearted captured land up to Jerusalem. He decided not to attack Jerusalem because he knew he could not hold the city for long. Instead, he reached an agreement with Saladin for the Crusaders to enter the city unarmed as pilgrims.
  • 1275: Marco Polo stopped by on his way to China.
  • 1517: the Ottomans gained control of Jerusalem.
  • 1917: the British gained control of Jerusalem.
  • 1947: the United Nations recommended partitioning Israel between the Jews and the Palestinians Muslims.
  • May 14, 1948: Israel became a nation.
  • May 14, 1948 (the same day): The surrounding Muslim nations attacked Israel; Israel gained additional territory.
  • April 1949: Israel and Transjordan agreed to divide Jerusalem.
  • December 13, 1949: Jerusalem (or part of Jerusalem since Jordan controlled the eastern part) became the official capital of Israel.
  • June 5, 1967: Jordan (former Transjordan) shelled the Jewish part of Jerusalem.
  • June 5-19, 1967: The Six-day War
  • June 7, 1967: The Jews captured the Jordan part of Jerusalem.
  • The Jews have controlled Jerusalem ever since, except for the one small area that the Jews want more than any other: the place where Solomon's Temple stood. The Jews want to rebuild the Temple but cannot because another building stands there: the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the Rock is one of the most holy spots on earth to Muslims. And now you understand another reason for the tension between Jews and Muslims in the Middle East.

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