Holy City

Jerusalem – The Making of a Holy City episode 3: In the final part of his series, Simon explores how this unique city rose from a crumbling ruin after the crusades to be rebuilt as a world centre of Islamic pilgrimage. He explains how Jerusalem became the object of rivalry between the Christian nations of Europe, the focus of the longing of Jews from all over the world and, ultimately, the site of one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.     Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. For the Jewish faith, it is the site […]

Jerusalem – The Making of a Holy City episode 2: In episode two, Simon discovers the impact on the holy city of a new faith – Islam. He explores Muhammad’s relationship with Jerusalem, the construction of one of Islam’s holiest shrines – the Dome of the Rock – and the crusaders’ attempts to win it back for Christianity.     Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. For the Jewish faith, it is the site of the western wall, the last remnant of the second Jewish temple. And for Christians, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is

Jerusalem: The Making of a Holy City episode 1: In episode one, Simon delves into the past to explore how this unique city came into being, explaining how it became of such major importance to the three Abrahamic faiths, and how these faiths emerged from the Biblical tradition of the Israelites.     Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. For the Jewish faith, it is the site of the Western Wall, the last remnant of the second Jewish temple. For Christians, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the site of the death and resurrection of