ABSTRACT

Few cities around the world transcend their physical boundaries the way Jerusalem does. As the spiritual capital of monotheism, Jerusalem has ancient roots and legacies that have imposed themselves on its inhabitants throughout the centuries. In modern times, and aside from all the religious complexities, Jerusalem has become enmeshed in the Palestinian and Israeli national identities and political aspirations, which have involved and dragged into the fray other actors from around the world.

Consisting of 35 chapters from leading specialists, the Routledge Handbook on Jerusalem provides a broad spectrum of studies related to the city and its history. Beginning with a historical overview starting from the end of the Bronze age, the chapters go on to look at a range of topics including:

  • religious symbolism and pilgrimage
  • religious and social relations
  • social and economic history
  • architecture and archaeology
  • maps
  • eschatology
  • politics

By bringing together contributions from leading scholars of different disciplines, this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the various layers that make up this unique and special city. It will appeal to students and scholars of Middle East Studies, religion and cultural history, and anyone with an interest in learning more about Jerusalem.

part I|110 pages

Historical perspectives

chapter 4|13 pages

Herodian Jerusalem

chapter 5|17 pages

Aelia Capitolina 1

chapter 6|14 pages

Byzantine Jerusalem

chapter 7|13 pages

Jerusalem in early Islam

The making of the Muslims’ Holy City 1

chapter 8|12 pages

The Crusader period

part II|56 pages

Historical perspectives

chapter 12|13 pages

British Jerusalem

chapter 13|10 pages

Nationalizing Jerusalem

The Holy City under Jordanian rule

chapter 14|11 pages

Israeli Jerusalem

Seven decades since 1948

part III|82 pages

Monuments, art, literature and urban space

chapter 16|13 pages

The Dome of the Rock

chapter 18|9 pages

The Western Wall or Kotel 1

chapter 20|13 pages

Jerusalem in Palestinian poetry

part IV|112 pages

Ritual, representation and meaning

chapter 21|11 pages

Jerusalem as ritual space

chapter 22|9 pages

Death and burial in Iron Age Jerusalem

A view from the Silwan necropolis

chapter 27|16 pages

Jerusalem in maps 1

chapter 28|10 pages

The Holy City and Medieval Europe

chapter 29|16 pages

Acquiring Jerusalem

chapter 30|10 pages

Jerusalem and eschatology

part V|54 pages

Contestation

chapter 32|10 pages

Between the nations

The Sepulchre in intercommunal and international dynamics

chapter 34|12 pages

The Armenians of Jerusalem in the modern period

The rise and decline of a community

chapter 35|7 pages

Jerusalem in the peace process