Jerusalem is the capital of
Israel, though not internationally recognized as such. If the area and population of
East Jerusalem is included, it is Israel's
largest city in both population and area, with a population of 763,800 residents over an area of 125.1 km2 (48.3 sq mi). Located in the
Judean Mountains, between the
Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the
Dead Sea, modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the boundaries of the
Old City.
Jerusalem is a holy city to the three major
Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In Judaism, Jerusalem has been the holiest city since, according to the Biblical Old Testament, King
David of Israel first established it as the capital of the
united Kingdom of Israel in c. 1000 BCE, and his son
Solomon commissioned the building of the
First Temple in the city. In Christianity, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the
New Testament,
Jesus was crucified in c. 30 CE and 300 years later Saint
Helena found the
True Cross in the city. In
Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the
third-holiest city. It became the first
Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (
Salah) in 610 CE, and, according to Islamic tradition,
Muhammad made his
Night Journey there ten years later. As a result, and despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometres (0.35 sq mi),
the Old City is home to sites of key religious importance, among them the
Temple Mount, the
Western Wall, the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the
Dome of the Rock and
al-Aqsa Mosque.
