Jerusalem has probably cast more of a spell over the human imagination than any other city in the world. Held by believers to contain the site where Abraham offered up Isaac, the place of the crucifixion of Christ, the tomb of the Virgin Mary and the rock from which the prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven, Jerusalem has been celebrated and revered for centuries by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Such is the symbolic power of this ancient city that its future status poses a major obstacle to a comprehensive regional peace in the Middle East. This work traces the turbulent history of Jerusalem from the prehistoric era, through the biblical period, Jerusalem under the Byzantines, Arabs, Ottomans, British, Jordanians, and, since 1967, the Israelis. It examines its political and cultural role through history, its personalities, art, architecture, and the conflicts which have beset it for more than 2000 years.