Jerusalem is mentioned as Urusalim in the Amarna letters (tablets) discovered at a place called Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. The letter from Abdi-Heba, king of the city, is warning an Egyptian pharaoh about the potential invasion by Habiru. Ancient Israelites were believed to belong to nomadic Habiru tribes

A new ethnic group called the Jebusites appears  in Jerusalem and names it Jebus

King David captures Jerusalem and establishes it as the Capital of United Kingdom of Israel. He brings in the Ark of the Covenant, thus greatly enhancing religious and political eminence of the city

King Solomon builds a Temple, which becomes the principal center for religious and spiritual life of Israel. It is situated at the place were Abraham is believed was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac

Israelite Kingdom is divided into Israel and Judah. Jerusalem becomes the capital of Judah

Assyrians conquer northern kingdom of Israel. King Sargon II exiles 10 of the 12 Israelite tribes and brings in the foreigners to take their place

Sargon II

Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, seized Jerusalem deposing king Jehoiakin and imprisoning him in Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar II conquers Judah, destroys the Temple and exiles Jews to Babylon

Darius I

Neheimaiah, the Babylonian Jew, hears the sad story about Jerusalem from the two  travelers. They tell him how once mighty city walls are torn down and how the neighboring tribes pillage the city and kill the inhabitants. Neheimaiah with the blessing of the king Xerxes I travels to Jerusalem with many of his countrymen and rebuilds the city walls

Hebrew Scrolls

Alexander the Great defeats Darius III king of Persia, conquers Jerusalem

Ptolemy the I captures Jerusalem, but the battle over Jerusalem between the Ptolemies and Seleucids lasts for 125 years 

Jewish priest called Mattathias kills one of the enforcing officers and with his five sons leads the revolt against Antiochus

Chanukah Menorah

Roman general Pompey captures Jerusalem and appoints Hyrcanus II as a High Priest. He enters Holy of Holies but is disappointed to find it empty

Hasmonian king Antigonus with the help Parthians (Persians) temporarily takes Jerusalem back from Romans

Herod the Great is appointed by Romans as a client king and with the help of Roman general Mark Anthony retakes Jerusalem and names it capital of Judea. He marries Mariamme the Hasmonian and thus becomes the legitimate heir to the throne

Herod embarks on a massive building campaign to enlarge and improve the Temple Mount. He builds it in Greco-Roman style in order to please his Roman overlords. He spares no funds and the end result is a magnificent complex of buildings that became known far beyond the walls of Jerusalem.

Herod's Temple

Pontius Pilate is appointed as a procurator of Judea overseeing the political activities of the state

Pilate orders the crucifixion of  Jesus. This event gives birth to Christianity

 Crucifixion

Tension grows amongst the population due to the widespread corruption and abuses by Roman appointed administrators. Emergence of the Zealot movement. These events lead to the First Jewish Revolt that grew into full scale war

Roman general Titus takes Jerusalem after a two year  siege. Roman soldiers run through the city burning houses and killing anyone in sight. Temple is burnt and it's treasury and sacred vessels are stolen and taken to Rome

Fall of fortress Masada, where the remnants of the Jewish insurgency held up for three years. When Romans enter the fortress they find all defenders dead. They committed mass suicide preferring death to Roman justice

Second Jewish Revolt led by Simon Bar Kochba whom an influential Rabbi Akiva proclaimed to be a Messiah. The suspicion on the part of many Jews that new Roman emperor Hadrian has plans to built a temple to Jupiter in the hart of Jerusalem is named one of the many reasons for revolt

Majority of Bar Kochba followers are ether killed or dispersed. Emperor Hadrian orders a complete destruction of Jerusalem. Jews are banished and are not allowed to visit the Holy City under the threat of death. Hadrian is rebuilding Jerusalem and renames it Aelia Capitolina

Emperor Constantine completes the building of the church of Holy Sepulcher to underline the Roman empire's adoption of Christianity

Roman Emperor Julian, nicknamed Apostate, allows Jews to return to Jerusalem and attempts to rebuild the Temple but an earthquake puts an end to the reconstruction 

Church of Holy

Persians take Jerusalem from Byzantium and briefly hand over the city to the  Jews, but later restore it back to the Christians

Byzantine emperor Heraclius recaptures Jerusalem from Persians but the war exhausts both empires and opens up the door to Muslim conquest

Forces of Islam explode out of Arabia and under the leadership of the second caliph Omar Ibn Al-Khattab conquer Jerusalem. Muslim rulers allow religious freedom and guarantee the respect of the holy sites. 200 Jewish families kicked out by Byzantines are allowed to return

Dome of Rock is built by Caliph Abdel-Malik on the top of the ruins of the Jewish Temple. Its regarded by the Muslims as the departure point of Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey. Jews and Christians believe it's the site of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. It is also the most likely time when the Golden Gate, the main entrance to the Temple Mount, was sealed off in order to prevent the fulfillment of the Zachariah's prophecy about the arrival of the Jewish Messiah that would prompt the reconstruction of Solomon's Temple and bring redemption to the Jews.

Seljuk Turks take Jerusalem away from Fatimids. Few years later when the rebellion broke out against them, the Seljuk general Atsiz stormed Jerusalem and allowed its inhabitants to be massacred 

Answering the call of the Pope Urban II to liberate the Holy Land, the army of Christian pilgrims and the knights conquers Jerusalem. 30000 Muslims and Jews are slaughtered within three days of carnage. The local Christian population is expelled. Kingdom of Jerusalem is established with Holy City as it's capital

Crusader Castle

Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders after he won the battle of Hattin. Not one Christian is killed.  Allows Crusaders  to leave by paying a nominal ransom. Jews are permitted to resettle in Jerusalem

Pope Gregory the VII orders another  crusade to recapture Jerusalem. Richard the Lionhart and king Phillip II of France lead the 3rd crusade, but Saladin is able to defend the city. Richard comes near enough to see Jerusalem but has to turn back without ever entering it

Under the the threat of excommunication by the Catholic Church, Frederic II the Holy Roman Emperor of Europe is forced to lead the sixth crusade to liberate the Holy City. He signs the treaty with Egyptian sultan Al-Kamil. Muslims retain Temple Mount but Christians gained full access to their religious shrines

Crusader cross

Jerusalem is sacked by Khwarazmian Turks who were summoned to Palestine by Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt. They kill Christians and violate the shrines including the church of Holy Sepulcher 

Turan Shah, an Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, is murdered and replaced by his Mamluk slave-general Aibek, who founded the Mamluk dynasty. Mamluks show no great interest in Jerusalem. They do not even attempt restoring the walls of the City destroyed by Ayyubids in 1219CE

Rabbi Moses ben Nachman a well known Kabbalist, also known as Nachmonidies, comes to Jerusalem after being exiled from Christian Spain. He finds only two Jewish families in the entire city. He turns an old house into the synagogue that becomes a center of the Jewish life in the Mamluk Jerusalem

Hurva Synagogue

Under the Mamluk rule Jerusalem is made a subject to Damascus. Citadel is restored. Jerusalem is considered a place of exile for the Mamluk officials who have fallen out of favor. Jews are moved to the area known today as a Jewish Quarter. Jews and Christians are subjected to the heavy taxation. Access to Temple Mount is forbidden to both religions

Spanish Army defeats the Muslim forces in Granada and on July 30th 200,000 Jews are expelled from Spain under orders of king Ferdinand and queen Isabella. Thousands are forced to convert into Christianity under the plan devised by Spanish Inquisition. Tens of thousands die while trying to reach the safety in other countries. Some of the refugees make it to Jerusalem

Selim the Cruel captures Jerusalem after an Ottoman army defeats the Mamluks at Marj-Dabik in northern Syria. Thus begins an Ottoman period in Jerusalem history that would last for four hundred years

Ottoman ruler, Suleiman the Magnificent, embarks on the major reconstruction of Jerusalem. He begins the rebuilding of city walls including the 7 gates and the Tower of David. Ottoman rule spreads the sense of security that results in increased Christian and Jewish pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Economic growth of Jerusalem follows

Suleiman I

Sultan Selim II comes to power. Ottoman authorities institute the practice of allowing the private person to purchase the right to collect taxes. This leads to abuse of power, extortions and widespread corruption. By 1625 Jerusalem is brought down to complete economic collapse

Ottoman Empire is severely weakened and European powers play an ever increasing role in Jerusalem affairs. Conflicts erupt over the control of the church of Holy Sepulcher and other Holy Places between the French and Venetians against the competing Greek Orthodoxy

Jerusalem is conquered by the Egyptians, the former subjects of Ottoman Empire. Ibrahim Pasha, son of Mohammed Ali, introduces new laws that prohibit the discriminations against non-Muslims. Four Sephardic Synagogues in the Jewish Quarter are renovated. Jews are allowed to pray at the Western Wall

Mosque of M. Ali

Fearing that the equal rights for all citizens of Jerusalem will infringe on their privileges, the Muslim population is rising up in rebellion. Ibrahim Pasha needs the force of his entire army to crush the uprising

Ottoman Empire takes Jerusalem back, but is forced to adhere to the rules implemented by Egyptians as European powers demand the concessions and get them

The Crimean War breaks out as a result of a quarrel between the Russian Orthodox monks and the French Catholics over who had precedence over the Holy Places in Jerusalem and Nazareth.  England and France defeat Russians at the battle of Sevastopol. As a result they win more concessions from their allies, the Ottoman rulers of Jerusalem

Jerusalem becomes an independent province and reports directly to Istanbul. Non-Muslim residents are allowed to purchase the property. Jews now make up sixty per cent of the population and Jewish Quarter expends

British conquer Egypt and establish themselves as a political power in the region. Assassination of Russian tsar  Alexander II is followed by vicious attacks (pogroms) against the Jewish population of Russia. Many Russian Jews emigrate to Palestine. Some settle in Jerusalem

First Zionist congress held in Basel, Switzerland in the  aftermath of the Dreyfus affair in France. Theodore Herzl and some other Jewish leaders come to realization of impending catastrophe for Jews of Europe and are looking for a place to resettle. Eventually Palestine, the historical homeland, is chosen as such a place

Theodore Herzl