Jerusalem: The coveted land

In the Arab consciousness, Jerusalem has come to represent a yearning for a golden age of freedom and coexistence, of greatness and prosperity that has been diminished by an unjust occupation in recent times. That the city is synonymous with the birth of civilisations and fostered all three monolithic religions explains the reverence with which it is regarded globally.

Ancient history

Jerusalem is no less than 3,000-years old which makes it one of the oldest cities on the planet. There are any number of communities who have settled, conquered, ruled, traded and moved through its lands over the years including the Canaanites, Philistines, Samaritans, Nabataeans, Greeks, and Romans.

The city traces its roots to the Jebusites, Arab Canaanites who moved from the Arabian Peninsula and settled there. Named as Yaboos, the first blueprint of the city's domain was pencilled and built by King Maliksadiq, Canaanite monarch of Jerusalem. He was known for his fairness and desire to maintain peaceful relations with others - and hence was called as the King of Peace. Eventually, the city was named as Salim, or Shalim, and with time it came to be known as Uro-Salim - Canaanite for City of Peace.

Considering its rich history, Jerusalem has always been an attraction for conquerors. Pharaohs entered it around 1400 BC, followed by the Assyrians and later the Persians. Alexander the Great occupied Jerusalem and the Greeks held sway for long periods. The Romans invaded the city by 63 BC.

Significance to Islam

From the Islamic perspective, Jerusalem assumes a revered holiness for many reasons.

All Muslims across the globe are required to face the direction of prayer (qibla). Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was the first qibla and Muslims faced in its general direction until Allah commanded that the faithful face Makkah - which continues to be the case until today.

One of the more important incidents for Muslims which is directly linked to Jerusalem is Isra Wal Meraj as mentioned in the Quran. This event signifies Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) journey from Makkah to Jerusalem and from Jerusalem to the farthest reaches of the skies on Allah's command.

It is this very journey that turned Jerusalem into a holy city for Muslims as it confirmed it as the third holiest in Islam, after Makkah and Madinah respectively. A Hadith (saying) by the Prophet (PBUH) states that Muslims are to embark on pilgrimages only to these three places.

Therefore, the three sacred mosques in which offering a prayer is most worthy for Muslims are: the Grand Mosque where the Kabaa is located in Makkah, the Prophet's (PBUH) Mosque in Madinah, and Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

As a matter of fact, in Islam, Jerusalem is historically the place where the second house of prayer was established on earth. The rock used by the Prophet (PBUH) during Isra Wal Meraj is believed to be housed inside the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, hence the name.

In addition, the wall located to the west of the Dome of the Rock is also sacred for Muslims as it is believed to be the place where the Prophet (PBUH) mounted Al Buraq, an animal from heaven, on the night of his ascension. It is for this reason that the structure is known as Al Buraq Wall.

Furthermore, the city is the resting place of many Prophets including Ebrahim, Yaqoub, and Is'haq. Many of the Prophet's (PBUH) companions are also buried in Jerusalem.

Also, the city is associated with a whole host of religious events that make it sacred in the Muslim psyche.

Under Islamic rule

Jerusalem came under Islamic rule when Khalifa Omar Ibn Al Khattab - the second Caliph - entered the city in the fifth century, ending the Byzantine rule.

Upon his entry, Ibn Al Khattab was handed the city's keys by Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, and concluded a famous peace treaty named after him with the people of the Holy City. For the first time, Jerusalem became open on an equal basis for believers of all the monolithic faiths and was hence dubbed as the Open City.

Ibn Al Khattab also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and, when it was time for prayer, the Patriarch asked him to pray there. But Ibn Al Khattab decline and prayed in a nearby area that was sufficiently distant so as not to set a precedent and to eliminate any remote possibility in the future that the church could be turned into a mosque. The Mosque of Omar was built in that area commemorating the event.

Ibn Al Khattab then went to the area where the rock mentioned previously was located and ordered that a mosque be built there. Thus the Al Aqsa Mosque was built, and it was a wooden structure when first completed a year later.

This brought about the beginning of the Islamic rule and the city's name was changed from 'Ilya'a' to 'Al Quds' - the Arabic word for Jerusalem - which derives from the word holy. This came as a significant turning point in the city's history as it was the starting point when it took on the characteristics of being an Islamic city that featured many elements of Islamic architecture, city planning, and structure.

For the first time, followers of the three main religions lived in peace and cohesion within the same confines with respect and tolerance for each other. There was much work that was required to be carried out with regards to the holy places of all denominations in Jerusalem as they all had been badly neglected during the Byzantine rule. And it is this unity that enabled the city to thrive as a multi-religious entity.

Umayyad rule

Jerusalem witnessed large-scale development in the seventh and eighth centuries AD under the Umayyad rule followed by the rule of the Abbasids.

The Dome of the Rock, the elaborately designed dome-shaped structure in its current state was built by Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik Bin Marwan. During the rule of Al Waleed, Bin Marwan's son, the Al Aqsa Mosque was expanded as he sought to make the city the capital of his empire. Yet his harsh ill-treatment of Christians created many enemies who rose in opposition and eventually led to the weakening his rule.

Abbasid rule

During the Abbasid era, the Al Aqsa Mosque was badly damaged as a result of a devastating earthquake. During the reign of Haroon Al Rasheed, Jerusalem flourished culturally, architecturally and commercially like many other Arab cities. Al Rasheed allowed the Christian population to renovate all their churches and places of worship and build new ones as well.

But soon a period of turbulence followed as the Islamic empire fell prey to infighting. Instability was especially pronounced during the rule of the Fatimid and the Seljuk, bringing to an end the Islamic rule of Jerusalem.

Crusades

In 1099, the Crusaders captured Jerusalem with an invasion that saw the killing of tens of thousands of Muslims. The Dome of the Rock was converted into a place of worship for Christians with the installation of a cross and an altar (called Tempelum Domin).

Al Aqsa Mosque came to be used for other purposes such as for storing things and as a meeting point. It was drastically cut down in size (and called Palatiu Tempelum Solomones).

Salah Al Deen Al Ayoubi

The crusaders' rule came to an end when Salah Al Deen Al Ayoubi (better known as Saladin in foreign literature) liberated the city in 1187.

Other non-Christian believers were allowed into the city once again. Under an Islamic rule spanning five consecutive centuries, the city thrived again and witnessed an unprecedented cycle of expansion and development.

Al Ayoubi also constructed the Yousuf Dome and a number of schools including Al Salahiya school. A large number of schools were built by his sons and later on under the Mamluk rule.

Ottoman rule

The Ottomans conquered Jerusalem in 1517 and ruled it for almost four centuries.

Under the rule of Sulaiman the First, the city witnessed many changes. He renovated the city's walls and the Dome of the Rock and constructed a number of towers.

A sentiment of widespread dissent in many cities including Jerusalem brought about the demise of the Ottomans and the Islamic empire began a slow disintegration.

It is at this juncture in history that the fate of Jerusalem took on a new course and became intertwined with the fate of Palestine in general with Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, commander of the Allied forces, occupying the city in 1917. The Balfour Declaration allowed for an unprecedented and unlimited migration of Jews in large numbers to occupy and settle in Arab lands.

British mandate and Israeli occupation

Jerusalem remained under the British mandate up until 1948. With Israel coming into existence in that year, West Jerusalem was annexed with its eastern part remaining as part of Jordan up until 1967 when Israel occupied it following the war.

The city inevitably becomes central to any peace initiative and remains one of the thorny issues that have never been resolved or addressed to the satisfaction of any side.

Today, the establishment of Israel and its declaration of Occupied Jerusalem as its capital has only deepened the sense of hurt in the Arab world and among Muslims across the globe at the long history of conquest and injustice. This feeling is only aggravated by the brazen attempt to deny the original inhabitants of the city their rights and their very history.