The Old City is a 0.9 sq. km. (0.35 sq. mi.) walled area within the modern city of Jerusalem. Until 1860,  this area constituted the entire city of Jerusalem. King David made it the capital of the Jewish people in the 10th century BCE.

Since the 19th century, the Old City has traditionally been divided into four quarters (Jewish, Christian, Moslem and Armenian). There are several sites of key religious importance in the Old City, including the Temple Mount - Judaism’s holiest site. The only structure that survived the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70  CE is the Western Wall. In the 7th century CE, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque were built on the site following the occupation of the city by the Muslim army. Another site of great importance is the Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

During the 1948 Independence War, the Old City was occupied by Jordan. The Jordanians expelled the Jewish residents  and destroyed the Jewish Quarter. In the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel liberated the Old City and reunited the whole city.

 

This map is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered authoritative.