, 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
.
597 BC Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king.
588 BC Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah's reign. The siege lasts until July 23, 586 BC.
70 Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, opens a full-scale assault on Jerusalem and attacks the city's Third Wall to the northwest.
70 Siege of Jerusalem: Titus and his Roman legions breach the Second Wall of Jerusalem. The Jewish defenders retreat to the First Wall. The Romans build a circumvallation, cutting down all trees within fifteen kilometres.
70 Titus and his Roman legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem in the Siege of Jerusalem.
70 The destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.
70 A Roman army under Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem.
1009 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock.
1099 First Crusade: 15,000 starving Christian soldiers march in a religious procession around Jerusalem as its Muslim defenders look on.
1099 First Crusade: Christian soldiers take the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege.
1100 Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.
1187 Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule.