ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of Jerusalem

Okay kiddo, let me tell you about the history of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a very old city located in the country of Israel. It has a very long and interesting history that goes back thousands of years!

The city was first built by a group of people called the Jebusites around 4000 years ago. They built a big wall around the city to protect it from other people who might want to attack it. After that, different groups of people like the Canaanites, Egyptians, and Israelites, took turns ruling over the city.

One of the most important things that happened in Jerusalem was when King David made it the capital city of Israel around 3000 years ago. David was a very powerful and smart king who had a lot of good ideas. He built a big palace in the city and made it a very important religious center too. He even brought the Ark of the Covenant, a sacred chest that held the Ten Commandments, to Jerusalem!

For a long time, Jerusalem was ruled by Israelites until the Babylonians conquered it in 586 BCE. The Babylonians destroyed the city and temple and many of the people were taken away into exile. But eventually, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their city and temple. This is an important event celebrated in the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.

Jerusalem was ruled by different groups of people throughout history, like the Greeks, Romans, and Arabs. The most important event in the history of Jerusalem for many people is the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born, taught, and died in Jerusalem, and many Christians consider it a holy city.

In the 7th century, Jerusalem was conquered by Muslim armies who built the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, two of the most important religious sites in Islam. For many years, Jerusalem was a very important city for Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

In the 20th century, Jerusalem became a part of the country of Israel after a long and difficult conflict with the neighboring country of Palestine. Jerusalem is still a very important religious and political city to this day and will always be an important part of world history.