Story posted: Tuesday, 4. August 2009 by Rafael Ben-Ari

The Old City of Jerusalem or Yerushalim, HaIr HaAtika ,al-Balda al-Qadimah is a 0.9 square kilometre (0.35 square mile) area within the modern city of Jerusalem Israel. Until the 1860s this area constituted the entire city of Jerusalem. The Old City is home to several sites of key religious importance: the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Muslims. Traditionally, the Old City has been divided into four quarters, although the current designations were introduced only in the 19th century. Today, the Old City is roughly divided into the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Jewish Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. The Jewish Quarter of the Old City was largely destroyed by Jordan following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, but was later restored by Israel following the Six Day War. In 1980, Jordan proposed the Old City to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site List. It was added to the List in 1981.In 1982, Jordan requested that Jerusalem Israel will be added to the List of World Heritage Sites in danger.Photos by Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye.

Browse the gallery: Jerusalem Old City Photos

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