Jerusalem

SITES:  Mt. of Olives    Garden of Gethsemane    Temple Mount    Western Wall    Via Dolorosa    Church of the Holy Sepelchure    Golgotha    Garden Tomb    Pool of Bethesda    City of David    Hezekiah's Tunnel    The Upper Room

The archaeological history of Jerusalem goes back over 5,000 years to c. 3,000 BC.  It makes the city one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.  From a biblical perspective, when King David captured  Jerusalem in c. 1,000 BC, it already was a 2,000-year-old city!  The oldest part of Jerusalem is located southeast of the Temple Mount in the area known today as "The City of David". The history of Jerusalem began here when King David captured the city from the Jebusites over 3,000 years ago c. 1,000 BC (1 Chronicles 11:3-5).   Before King David's occupation Jerusalem was called Jebus (from the Jebusites who controlled it) and before that, during the time of Abraham a thousand years earlier c. 2000 BC, it had the name of Salem (Genesis 14:18).  From a Jewish religious perspective, another name it is called that is synonymous to Jerusalem is the Zion (Mt. Zion).  

  Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion in the far north, The city of the great King. Psalm 48:2

By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Psalm 51:18 

But of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her”; And the Most High Himself will establish her.
Psalm 87:5 

  Praise the LORD, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion! Psalm 147:12

“The LORD says this: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.’  Zechariah 8:3