ABSTRACT
Clearly the question of what constitutes a city with strong religious associations – that is, a “holy city”—and what that designation says about their roles in these conflictual processes is central. As political power changes, opportunities for new relations and new precedents between religious groups unfold which can erupt into violent confrontations. A particularly innovative addition to the programme was a simulation of a religious conflict in an urban setting. The role of religion in politics has long been paramount in my thinking. Liturgies, sacred texts and pilgrimages may all enhance the importance of a city so that in religious terms it punches well above its weight in terms of numbers of residents and geographical size. Academic literature in the fields of politics, religion and urban conflict studies has traditionally focused upon the causes of violence. Time flash points occur when there is a clash in the calendars of the religious groups residing in a city.
