Jerusalem: The Biography
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- Author：Simon Sebag Montefiore
- ISBN：1780220251
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Summary
Jerusalem is the universal city， the capital of two peoples， the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires， the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today's clash of civilizations。 From King David to Barack Obama， from the birth of Judaism， Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict， this is the epic history of 3，000 years of faith， slaughter， fanaticism and coexistence。 How did this small， remote town become the Holy City， the 'centre of the world' and now the key to peace in the Middle East？ In a gripping narrative， Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city in its many incarnations， bringing every epoch and character blazingly to life。 Jerusalem's biography is told through the wars， love affairs and revelations of the men and women - kings， empresses， prophets， poets， saints， conquerors and whores - who created， destroyed， chronicled and believed in Jerusalem。 Drawing on new archives， current scholarship， his own family papers and a lifetime's study， Montefiore illuminates the essence of sanctity and mysticism， identity and empire in a unique chronicle of the city that many believe will be the setting for the Apocalypse。 This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem， and the only city that exists twice - in heaven and on earth。
Reviews
Michael Ciurea
，
Phenomenally written history that walks you through the many times this city has traded hands over almost four millennium and its importance to Jews， Muslims， and Christians across the globe。 A great primer for understanding the causes for the instability this region still experiences today。
Rodney Harvill
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Given that a number of Palestinian officials deny that the Jews possessed Palestine in the ancient world in an effort to deny the legitimacy of the Jewish state， Dr。 Montefiore wrote this history of Jerusalem， the ancient capital of Judah and the location of Jewish temples， to advance the cause of peace by honoring both the Jewish and Arab history in Palestine。 I respect his desire for peace as well as his method although I am skeptical of its effectiveness against those who would reject inconve Given that a number of Palestinian officials deny that the Jews possessed Palestine in the ancient world in an effort to deny the legitimacy of the Jewish state， Dr。 Montefiore wrote this history of Jerusalem， the ancient capital of Judah and the location of Jewish temples， to advance the cause of peace by honoring both the Jewish and Arab history in Palestine。 I respect his desire for peace as well as his method although I am skeptical of its effectiveness against those who would reject inconvenient truths。Regarding this history， I couldn’t help notice a few conflicts between this book’s description of Old Testament history and what the Old Testament says， and in these cases， I will stick with the Old Testament。 That said， I appreciated Dr。 Montefiore’s discussion of some limits on what archaeology can tell us。 For example， some past building projects that went down to bedrock obliterated any archaeological record of prior occupation and activities。 Hence， it no longer exists and cannot be used to validate written records。 Aside from these issues， I found the book to be enlightening and especially enjoyed reading its history of the past two millennia。 Between Roman （including Byzantine） rule and subsequent Islamic rule， Jerusalem had a very complex history。 Then the British Mandate and the reformation of Israel added several more twists and turns。 Honestly， I don’t think a fiction writer could even begin to come up with something that convoluted。 This book covers a lot of ground， and Dr。 Montefiore is to be commended for taking up the challenge。 。。。more
Ankur Aggarwal
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What an incredible book to read， No book of mine has that many dog ears that I have made in this book。If you are a history buff like me and want to live the entire journey of Jerusalem through this timeless masterpiece then do give it a read to this book。Amazing work is done by Simon Sebag Montefiore。
Marina
，
What this book lacks in historical depth and nuance， it makes up for with disabusing， irreverent anectodes in which every character’s dirty laundry is aired。 Nobody comes out unscathed: kings， generals， politicians， anyone who was remotely involved in Jerusalem’s history have all their human frailties exposed。 As far as those anectodes are concerned， the book is informative， illuminating - in a sensationalist way - and often downright entertaining。 The history is choppy at times and there are in What this book lacks in historical depth and nuance， it makes up for with disabusing， irreverent anectodes in which every character’s dirty laundry is aired。 Nobody comes out unscathed: kings， generals， politicians， anyone who was remotely involved in Jerusalem’s history have all their human frailties exposed。 As far as those anectodes are concerned， the book is informative， illuminating - in a sensationalist way - and often downright entertaining。 The history is choppy at times and there are inaccuracies （at least some I could detect which means there must be more）。 The unduly long Epilogue is rather skewed to one side’s narrative。 It helped that I read this very long and ambitious undertaking in parallel with Karen Armstrong’s Jerusalem: One City， Three Faiths， for a deeper understanding of the spiritual side of the city’s history。 。。。more
Mariu
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A ver。。。 Sentimientos contradictorios pero únicamente porque hacía mucho tiempo que un libro no se me hacía tan denso。 De hecho por medio me leí otro porque estaba un pelín saturada。 Pero he de decir que en ningún momento pensé en dejarlo porque es muy muy interesante。 Quizá acabes de leerlo y no recuerdes detalles o nombres， pero la esencia y cosas que yo creo más que relevantes a la vez que tristes， al ver cómo el ser humano siempre utilizará cualquier excusa， válida en algún momento， para sac A ver。。。 Sentimientos contradictorios pero únicamente porque hacía mucho tiempo que un libro no se me hacía tan denso。 De hecho por medio me leí otro porque estaba un pelín saturada。 Pero he de decir que en ningún momento pensé en dejarlo porque es muy muy interesante。 Quizá acabes de leerlo y no recuerdes detalles o nombres， pero la esencia y cosas que yo creo más que relevantes a la vez que tristes， al ver cómo el ser humano siempre utilizará cualquier excusa， válida en algún momento， para sacar lo peor de sí mismo。 。。。more
Trinanjana
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War and religion is a match made in heaven。 They make us believe that there is a reward waiting for us on the other side and it is only going to be possible if you do what they ask you to do。 Jerusalem serves as that canvas where dynasties， rulers， statesmen， colonial powers painted their version of a just society using blood as the only colour。 It rose to power， it turned to dust， repeatedly。Before this book entered my life， my knowledge about the city was limited to the ongoing Israel-Palestin War and religion is a match made in heaven。 They make us believe that there is a reward waiting for us on the other side and it is only going to be possible if you do what they ask you to do。 Jerusalem serves as that canvas where dynasties， rulers， statesmen， colonial powers painted their version of a just society using blood as the only colour。 It rose to power， it turned to dust， repeatedly。Before this book entered my life， my knowledge about the city was limited to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict。 Not being from any of the Abrahamic religions， the history and culture of the city was something I could not relate with。 It was my humble quest to understand the present political scenario and find its roots in history。 Little did I know what waited for me was multiple accounts of medieval historians， biblical and Islamic stories intertwined into each other so much that separating it from the real factual history was a monumental task in itself。You’d expect that the god’s abode would have made them humble and would make them stay away from polluting it with battles and blood， but no。 As I was turning pages after pages a common theme emerged in the pattern of kingdoms and the fate of the city。 The greed and power hungry nature of the statesmen and how they showed no mercy in turning the city to dust， killing thousands of citizens， often in the most brutal and grotesque way， all in the name of religion。 My question is， if they considered the city to be the holiest of all， why would you even bring lust and greed there in the very first place。 From David to Romans to exotic Byzantine empire to blood thirsty crusaders， Islamic caliphate， mighty Persian empires， to ottomans to the more recent establishment of Israel state， all the events found their place in the book。 The fate of the city and the religions practiced over there is often laid at the mercy of the rulers。 Some rulers completely banned the entry of Jews and Muslims at some point or the other and some other kind rulers welcomed people of all spheres to practice their own faith。 The city saw persecution of Christians by the ancestors of the same rulers who later took upon the very religion。 It's like religion isn’t the main reason， the urge to conquer the city and enslave it is the main ideology behind each of the conquests。 Wars are dirty， they always have been。 What is worse is the absolute hatred and intolerance towards each other to a point that their mere existence is not acceptable。 There isn’t any justification for what this city suffered and has been suffering， for there is no guarantee that some frenzy statesman or leader won’t come in future who wouldn’t think twice before demolishing it to ashes just like Titus。 In 1940s the world saw with horror the inhumane torture unleashed upon Jewish populace in Germany， Poland and Austria under Hitler's Nazi rule。 Post holocaust it became imperative for a separate state with further got support from the western countries， partly due to political and on humanitarian grounds too。 The influx of Jewish people back to Jerusalem and its adjoining land was not without disposition of Arab people。 The independence of Israel saw disposed Palestinian population which thereby set the cycle of another violence and multiple wars。Mysteries of religion are not what the author delved into。 His primary purpose was to showcase the political and historical facts and restrict himself to that only。 But religion and biblical texts do come up repeatedly mostly in the initial portions only to give a conflicting narrative or to reaffirm the historical data。 In the truest sense mythology has it’s one foot in history。 The vivid writing style intensified the drama and unraveling of the fate of both empires and Jerusalem。 It often feels like the city is built not only on the destroyed monuments of its past forts and temples but also on the bones and blood of its own citizens。 The fate of Jerusalem is almost prophesized， it shall not see peace。 。。。more
Michael
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A great book for the broad overview that helps wet the appetite and makes you want to understand the specifics。 A word of caution， 4000 years contains a few names to try and remember。
Julian
，
Eminently readable and compelling。 Rated 5 stars not for history or for politics， but rather for the rich tapestry of history of the city， always with a good feel for how much of the ultra-complex context of historical events had to be supplied。 Enjoyable and well-written。
Sarah Alhalwachi
，
Too long， too boring。
Hugo Schiffers
，
Makes the city a prism that opens up history and has many delicious anecdotes
Paola Ferrero
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As usual the author has a brilliant narrative and an incredible plethora of sources。 The sheer amount of information makes it almost impossible to memorise， so if that's your goal， this is not the book for you。It provides， however， a magnificent understanding of the history of the city and its endless wars and struggles， religious history and strategic geopolitics。I had my reservations about the book mainly because anyone professing the faith of either Judaism， Cristianism or Islam was bound to As usual the author has a brilliant narrative and an incredible plethora of sources。 The sheer amount of information makes it almost impossible to memorise， so if that's your goal， this is not the book for you。It provides， however， a magnificent understanding of the history of the city and its endless wars and struggles， religious history and strategic geopolitics。I had my reservations about the book mainly because anyone professing the faith of either Judaism， Cristianism or Islam was bound to be biased when writing about Jerusalem， and I was not wrong。 I am not religious， but it was annoying to hear that Jesus Christ was just one of many other "pseudo prophets" who was obssessed with the apocalypse and only became known because Paul was obssessed and franctic about him。 Any respected historian would mention at least something about his appeal to the poor and how that made him incredibly popular， you don't have to believe in him to appreciate his historical relevance。To be fair， the author seems to want to portray historical figures as real as possible， he humanises King David and King Salomon and presents them with flaws and vices， yet never dismisses their relevance as historical figures。In this regard， by reading the book， I wanted to understand better why the city was so relevant for Islam。 The answer to this is that "somebody" arbitrarily decided that the Prophet's night journey was in Jerusalem， but there was no evidence or indication whatsoever about it。 Considering the information he chose to write about Jesus Christ， I doubt this is the truth。In summary， it is a great book about the city and I highly recommend it， but you'll probably be annoyed at some parts if you appreciate an objective narrative。 。。。more
Ashutosh Bose
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It took me forever to complete this book！！！ The USP of this book is also its weakest point， the detailed history！！ What got me hooked to this book is the history of Judaism， Islam and Christianity， through the eyes of the city， Jerusalem！！ Jerusalem is interesting in parts， you get the chills and the thrills but some sections just give you yawns， and the desperation creeps in and makes you feel like abandoning the book mid-way！！ My suggestion would be to have patience and complete reading the bo It took me forever to complete this book！！！ The USP of this book is also its weakest point， the detailed history！！ What got me hooked to this book is the history of Judaism， Islam and Christianity， through the eyes of the city， Jerusalem！！ Jerusalem is interesting in parts， you get the chills and the thrills but some sections just give you yawns， and the desperation creeps in and makes you feel like abandoning the book mid-way！！ My suggestion would be to have patience and complete reading the book。。。I wouldn't contest the fact that it's a well researched book， someone with an interest in religion and history， this book is like a seven course meal to be enjoyed thoroughly！！！ 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Incredibly researched and masterful narrative of the magnificent holy city Jerusalem。 So humbly grateful to have had the opportunity to visit it many years ago。•••••“The history of Jerusalem is the history of the world。。。”“For 1，000 years， Jerusalem was exclusively Jewish; for about 400 years， Christian; for 1，300 years， Islamic; and not one of the three faiths ever gained Jerusalem without the sword， the mangonel or the howitzer。”“It is now one hour before dawn on a day in Jerusalem。 The Dome o Incredibly researched and masterful narrative of the magnificent holy city Jerusalem。 So humbly grateful to have had the opportunity to visit it many years ago。•••••“The history of Jerusalem is the history of the world。。。”“For 1，000 years， Jerusalem was exclusively Jewish; for about 400 years， Christian; for 1，300 years， Islamic; and not one of the three faiths ever gained Jerusalem without the sword， the mangonel or the howitzer。”“It is now one hour before dawn on a day in Jerusalem。 The Dome of the Rock is open: Muslims are praying。 The Wall is always open: the Jews are praying。 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is open: the Christians are praying in several languages。 The sun is rising over Jerusalem， its rays making the light Herodian stones of the Wall almost snowy—just as Josephus described it two thousand years ago—and then catching the glorious gold of the Dome of the Rock that glints back at the sun。 The divine esplanade where Heaven and Earth meet， where God meets man， is still in a realm beyond human cartography。 Only the rays of the sun can do it and finally the light falls on the most exquisite and mysterious edifice in Jerusalem。 Bathing and glowing in the sunlight， it earns its auric name。 But the Golden Gate remains locked， until the coming of the Last Days。”Psalm 122:6 • Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee。4。5⭐️ 。。。more
Chunchun Fang
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Really great book to learn about how religions shaped the geography and history of the saint place。
Omarustwani
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book that goes over the city`s history through all the abrahamic religions all the way to the rise of the arab-israeli conflict written in a captivating style。 Aside from some minor pitfalls when refering the Islamic times， The book fell short when it got the the rising turbulence between the newly immigrant Jews and the Arabs， with clear bias when it comes to the Mufti Amin Hussaini， a critical period that was given more justice by Ian Black for example in his book nei I thoroughly enjoyed this book that goes over the city`s history through all the abrahamic religions all the way to the rise of the arab-israeli conflict written in a captivating style。 Aside from some minor pitfalls when refering the Islamic times， The book fell short when it got the the rising turbulence between the newly immigrant Jews and the Arabs， with clear bias when it comes to the Mufti Amin Hussaini， a critical period that was given more justice by Ian Black for example in his book neighbors and enemies。 A must-read nonetheless， easy to follow and full of fascinating anecdotes 。。。more
Saumen
，
So you want a non-fiction book like a thriller？ You want to read a history book that shakes your mind？ You have it！！This book is a detailed religio-political orgy between three mainstream religious group， The Muslim， The Jew and the Christian。 All centered in one holy city， Jerusalem。 I kept reading this book again and again to find me amazed how much history can be told by a single city？From introduction of the book:The history of Jerusalem is the history of the world， but it is also the chroni So you want a non-fiction book like a thriller？ You want to read a history book that shakes your mind？ You have it！！This book is a detailed religio-political orgy between three mainstream religious group， The Muslim， The Jew and the Christian。 All centered in one holy city， Jerusalem。 I kept reading this book again and again to find me amazed how much history can be told by a single city？From introduction of the book:The history of Jerusalem is the history of the world， but it is also the chronicle of an often penurious provincial town amid the Judaean hills。 Jerusalem was once regarded as the centre of the world and today that is more true than ever: the city is the focus of the struggle between the Abrahamic religions， the shrine for increasingly popular Christian， Jewish and Islamic fundamentalism， the strategic battlefield of clashing civilizations， the front line between atheism and faith， the cynosure of secular fascination， the object of giddy conspiracism and internet myth-making， and the illuminated stage for the cameras of the world in the age of twenty-four-hour news。 religious， political and media interest feed on each other to make Jerusalem more intensely scrutinized today than ever before。From Wikipedia:Throughout its long history， Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice， besieged 23 times， captured and recaptured 44 times， and attacked 52 times。 The part of Jerusalem called the City of David shows first signs of settlement in the 4th millennium BCE， in the shape of encampments of nomadic shepherds。 In the Canaanite period （14th century BCE）， Jerusalem was named as Urusalim on ancient Egyptian tablets， probably meaning "City of Shalem" after a Canaanite deity。 During the Israelite period， significant construction activity in Jerusalem began in the 9th century BCE （Iron Age II）， and in the 8th century the city developed into the religious and administrative center of the Kingdom of Judah。In 1538， the city walls were rebuilt for a last time around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent。 Today those walls define the Old City， which has been traditionally divided into four-quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian， Christian， Jewish， and Muslim Quarters。The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981， and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger。 Yet Jerusalem doesn’t bow to anybody。It continues to defy both the conquerer and its people alike。It seems it has a mind of its own。 After 3000 Year， countless revolts， bloody inhumane Political and Religious frenzy， mass starvation; Jerusalem stands tall， bruised，battered， yet unyielding。Montefiore has a unique way of telling the story of history。Its the 2nd book of him that I have read。He narrates history like a well written thriller。Without sacrificing the rich details， he narrates for the common people like us。I haven’t found many like him。This book is no exception of his amazing capability。While reading， Make sure that You have a pen and paper ready。Draw diagrams， family trees and take historical notes。Otherwise you will surely be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information this book contains。I Don't care if you decided to pick this book up or not。 But if you have decided to read this book（which I dearly recommend），you may find this book as an absolute thriller。And it will bend your mind to think， can these all be true？？ What the heck， Man！！ 。。。more
Nicholas
，
I’d be interested to know if any one place on earth has been the site of more death and destruction than Jerusalem。 Auschwitz maybe？
Bkwormmegs
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Brilliant。
Mabel Tan
，
Informative yet balanced。 I felt like I lived 3000 years。 History and religion will center upon this country from the beginning and possibly till the end。
Socrate
，
"Ierusalimul este casa unui Dumnezeu unic， capitala a două popoare， templul a trei religii şi singurul oraş care există în două locuri — în cer şi pe pământ: graţia sa terestră extraordinară nu este nimic în comparaţie cu gloria sa celestă。 ""Ierusalimul este Oraşul Sfânt， dar a fost dintotdeauna şi un adăpost al superstiţiilor， şarlatanismului şi bigotismului; trofeul râvnit de imperii， deşi lipsit de valoare strategică; teritoriul cosmopolit a numeroase secte， fiecare fiind convinsă că oraşul "Ierusalimul este casa unui Dumnezeu unic， capitala a două popoare， templul a trei religii şi singurul oraş care există în două locuri — în cer şi pe pământ: graţia sa terestră extraordinară nu este nimic în comparaţie cu gloria sa celestă。 ""Ierusalimul este Oraşul Sfânt， dar a fost dintotdeauna şi un adăpost al superstiţiilor， şarlatanismului şi bigotismului; trofeul râvnit de imperii， deşi lipsit de valoare strategică; teritoriul cosmopolit a numeroase secte， fiecare fiind convinsă că oraşul îi aparţine doar ei; oraşul cu o mulţime de nume — dar fiecare tradiţie este atât de sectară， încât le exclude pe celelalte。 Este un oraş de un aşa rafinament， încât în literatura ebraică sacră se vorbeşte despre el la genul feminin — o femeie senzuală， plină de viaţă， întotdeauna frumoasă， dar uneori desfrânată， alteori o prinţesă rănită şi părăsită de iubiţii ei。 " 。。。more
Keith
，
Interesting， Enjoyable， eye opening
Martha Phillips
，
In depth and insightful， a good but difficult read。 One of those where you have to read each sentence twice to make sure you understood it - still well worth it though。 One qualm， it’s clear the writer is of notable Jewish Descent which makes it hard to read without a glimmer of bias。 Nevertheless， a it seems a varied and fair account。
Eduardo Pinha
，
Ampla pesquisa com fontes primárias。 Texto super agradável， um mergulho no passado que passa por elementos fundamentais da história humana numa área super pequena。
Martin Lilford
，
Montefiore is no Schama - Informative， even comprehensive， read but writing does not flow。 An endless recitation of names and dates that I think would challenge the most retentive。 Use it as a reference work - It does have a large index and bibliography。
Keith Patton
，
took me a while on and off to finish， but it's a fascinating tour-de-force and cannot wait for the tv series took me a while on and off to finish， but it's a fascinating tour-de-force and cannot wait for the tv series 。。。more
Heinrich
，
Historical biography of Jerusalem。 Somewhat biasedly written。 The biblical Dokumentation is somewhat distorted。 But anyways an interesting historical overview。
Vineet Jain
，
It seems more of a technically collected account from historian's pov。 Overall it lacked the beauty which I look for in a book。 I could complete just 70 pages， and then I finally put it down。What is confirmed to me was how Jerusalem became the center of the earth for many， and I found out it was a magnificent and well-run temple which brought a particular set of people together。 These people found their world in and around the walls of the temple。 I would love to read more about it but in a more It seems more of a technically collected account from historian's pov。 Overall it lacked the beauty which I look for in a book。 I could complete just 70 pages， and then I finally put it down。What is confirmed to me was how Jerusalem became the center of the earth for many， and I found out it was a magnificent and well-run temple which brought a particular set of people together。 These people found their world in and around the walls of the temple。 I would love to read more about it but in a more beautiful form。 If nothing else， whatever time I spent on the book made me curious to learn more about Jerusalem。 Well， now in a search for a book that lends beauty to the story of Jerusalem。Let me know if you have any recommendations。 。。。more
A。N。M。 Shibly
，
Enthralling， from one end to the other。
Bernard S Cooper
，
A brilliant book。 Almost reads like a novel。 I thought I knew recent Israeli history 。 I do now。 Well y researched and a delight to read。 The account of British Foreign Policy in the first half of the twentieth century， whilst not spelling it out， is another episode of the total disaster we made of things。A final thought。 How many people were killed in Jerusalem over the centuries？
charles r wolcott
，
Lots I didn’t know about the spiritual dynamic found across history in Jerusalem。This is an important book， especially for those who want to have a position relative to Palestine/Israel。 The dynamic is more complicated that generally thought， but solutions driven by mutual respect are wisely laid before us。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Jerusalem: The Biography
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Jerusalem: The Biography&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft