History of Jerusalem

CHALCOLITHIC PERIOD (4500-3200)

• 3500 BC - Jerusalem is first settled on the Ophel above the Gihon Spring

BRONZE AGE (3200-1200)

• 2000 BC - Abraham meets with the Melchizedek, the king of Jerusalem, which is called Salem
• 1800 BC - Jerusalem is mentioned in Egyptian Texts and called Rasalimum
• 1400 BC - Joshua kills Adoni-zedek, the Jebusite king of Jerusalem but does not capture the the city of Jerusalem which is also called Jebus.
• 1400 BC - Jerusalem appears in diplomatic correspondences called the Amarna Letters as Urusalim
  

IRON AGE (1200-539 BC)

• 1000 BC - David takes Jerusalem from the Jebusites
• 960 BC - Solomon builds the First Temple
• 712 BC - Hezekiah cuts the tunnel through the bedrock under the City of David from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam
• 586 BC - Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. Jews taken captive to Babylon.
  

PERSIAN AGE (539-322)

• 537 BC - Cyrus the Persian allows Jews to return to rebuild Jerusalem.
• 516 BC - Second Temple, or Zerubbabel's Temple, is completed
• 445 BC - Nehemiah rebuilds the walls
  

HELLENISTIC PERIOD (332-141 BC)

• 332 BC - Alexander the Great and the Greeks conquers Israel from the Persians and takes Jerusalem peacefully
• 320 BC - Ptolemy I captures Jerusalem and Egyptian rule of Jerusalem begins
• 198 BC - Seleucids in Syria capture Jerusalem and Syrian rule of Jerusalem begins
• 168 BC - Antiochus IV Epiphanes desecrates the Temple in Jerusalem and the Maccabean revolt soon begins
• 164 BC - Judas Maccabeus recaptures Jerusalem
  

HASMONEAN PERIOD (141-37 BC)

• 141 BC - Simon Maccabeus (Judas' brother) establishes Judea as an independent state. The Maccabee family, called Hasmoneans, begin to rule as kings in Jerusalem

HERODIAN PERIOD (37 BC - 70 AD)

• 63 BC - Roman General Pompey captures Jerusalem for Rome
• 40 BC - Herod the Great is appointed king in Jerusalem by Rome
• 18 BC- Herod begins the rebuilding of the Temple
• 10 BC - Temple is dedicated, but construction continues on Temple until 63 AD
• 66 AD - Jewish revolt against Rome begins
  

ROMAN PERIOD (70-324)

• 70 AD - Jerusalem falls to Romans and the city and Temple are destroyed and burnt
• 132 AD - Second Jewish revolt against Rome begins - Bar Kochba takes Jerusalem from Rome
• 135 AD - Roman Emperor Hadrian puts down the second Jewish revolt and rebuilds the city calling it Aelia Capitolina. A pagan temple for Jupiter (Zeus) was built on the Temple Mount and Jews were forbidden to enter the city.
  

BYZANTINE PERIOD (324-638)

• 326 AD - Constantine's mother, Helena, visits Jerusalem and establishes the Christian holy sites. Many churches are built.
• 335 AD - Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built
• 361 AD -Emperior Julian the Apostate announces to the Jews that they are allowed to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the Temple.
• 438 AD - Jews are allowed to live in Jerusalem
• 614 AD - Persians conquer Jerusalem under General Shahrbaraz. Churches are destroyed, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is burnt. The Jews driven out of Jerusalem
• 629 AD - The Byzantine Empire (Christian) recaptures Jerusalem from the Persians under Emperor Heraclius

FIRST MUSLIM PERIOD (638-1099)

• 638 AD - The Muslim Caliph Omar, or Umar. (The caliph is the poitical leader of Islam) takes Jerusalem from the Byzantine empire six years after Mohammed's death.
• 661 - Umayyad dynasty begins and continues until 750
• 691 - Dome of the Rock completed by Caliph Abd al-Malilk
• 701 - Al-Aqsa Mosue is completed by Caliph al-Walid
• 750 - Abassid dynasty begins and contineus until 974
• 878 - The Tulunids take the city
• 904 - The Abassids retake the city
• 939 - The Ikhshidid take the city
• 969 - The Fatimids take the city under General Gawhar Al-Siqilli
• 1010 - Synagogues and churches in Jerusalem are destroyed by Caliph al-Hakim
• 1077 - Seljuk Turks conquer Jerusalem
• 1096 - Pope Urban calls for a crusade to take back the Holy Land
  

CRUSADER PERIOD (1099-1187)

• 1099 - Godfrey of Bouillon captures Jerusalem for the Christians. Baldwin I is named King of Jerusalem. A great slaughter of Jews and Muslims by the Christians followed the capture of the city.

AYYUBID PERIOD (1187-1250)

• 1187 - General Saladin takes Jerusalem from the Crusaders. Jews and Muslims return and settle in the city.
• 1192 - Crusaders fail to take Jerusalem but the Muslim General Saladin allows Christians to worship at their Holy Sites
• 1212 - Three hundred rabbis from England and France settle in Jerusalem
• 1219 - Sultan Malilk-al-Muattam razes city walls
• 1229 - Crusaders briefly recapture Jerusalem twice
• 1244 - Crusader era ends when Khawarizmian Turks capture Jerusalem.
  

MAMLUK PERIOD (1250-1516)

• 1250 - Muslim caliph dismantles walls of Jerusalem
• 1260 - Mameluks of Egypt capture Jerusalem
• 1347 - Mamelukes capture Jerusalem a second time
  

OTTOMAN PERIOD (1516-1917)

• 1517 - Ottomans peacefully takeover Jerusalem by Sultan Selim
• 1537 - Sultan Suleiman "the Magnificent" rebuilds the city walls which had been in ruins since 1219.
• 1541 - Jerusalem's Eastern or Golden Gate is sealed to prevent the Jewish Messiah's entrance
• 1542 - Damascus gate built
• 1700 - Rabbi Yehuda He'Hassid arrives in Jerusalem and begins building the "Hurva" Synagogue
• 1705 - Restrictions imposed on the Jews in Jerusalem
• 1831 - Sultan Mehemet Ali of Egypt conquers teh city
• 1838 - First British consulate is opened in Jerusalem.
• 1840 - The Ottoman Turks retake the city
• 1844 - Census shows 7,120 Jews, 5,760 Muslims, 3,390 Christians
• 1860 - First Jewish settlement outside the walls of the city
• 1898 - World Zionist Organization founder, Dr. Theodor Herzl, visits Jerusalem. Dr. Herzl meets German Kaiser Wilhelm outside the city walls
  

MODERN PERIOD (1917-present)

• 1917 - British take Jerusalem from the Ottoman Empire and General Allenby enters Jerusalem
• 1947 - United Nations Resolution recommending the partitioni of Israel
• 1948 - British Mandate and control of Jerusalem ends and the State of Israel begins
• 1948 - Israel War of Liberation, Jewish Quarter in Old City falls
• 1949 - Jerusalem is divided in the Israel-TransJordan Armistice Agreement. Jerusalem divided between two countries. Jerusalem is declared capital of Israel
• 1967 - Jerusalem reunited when Old City is captured. Jordan sends shells and mortars to begin the Six Day War which results in Israeli troops capturing the Old City
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