Prelude

Abstract

Jerusalem has been invested with thicker layers of meaning than most places in the world. In the history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem is a significant place, a topos in the most fundamental sense of the word. For the Jews, it is the ancient capital of Judea, where King Solomon had the first Temple erected for the God of Israel; for the Christians, it is the centre of Jesus of Nazareth’s life, death, and resurrection; and for the Muslims, it is the site of the first qibla (praying direction), from which the Prophet Muhammad journeyed to the heavens.