Jerusalem is an ancient city that is located on a plateau on the Mountains of Juda, in an area straddling the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. Jerusalem is considered one of the most ancient cities in the world. It is highly considered to be a holy city owing to its three primary Abrahamic religions that are namely Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
The Palestinian state has Jerusalem as its seat of power, and at the same time,
Israel's government offices are located there. As such, both Israel and Palestine claim the city of Jerusalem as their capital city, but none of the two have their claims recognized internationally.
The city of Jerusalem has had a long history. Among the activities that have been undertaken therein, the city has been attacked fifty-two times, it has also been captured and recaptured forty-four times, and it has also been besieged twenty-three times. On top of that, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least two times in its history.
In the City of David, tourists can witness the remains of settlement evidence dating back into the fourth millennium BCE. The remains feature small camp-like structures familiar with the nomadic communities.
The city of Jerusalem was initially called "Urusalim", as found on the ancient Egyptian tablets, loosely translated to mean the "City of Shalem". Shalem was a Canaanite god who existed during the Canaanite times.
Jerusalem experiences a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The summer is hot, dry, and humid, and the winters are mild but wet. Summer temperatures rarely go very high, but the sunshine hours are long enough to make the days hot. The evenings, however, are fresh and tolerable. As for winter, snow is rare, occurring only once in every three or four-year cycle. The snow rarely accumulates on the ground for long because the sun is warm.
Jerusalem is a tourist destination that is pleasant all year long. However, the peak of the season is during summer, spring, and during the fall. These three seasons have warm and friendly weather and generally fall within the period when Jerusalem is at its most attractive.
In
August, Jerusalem holds the Jerusalem Film Festival, where the people gather to appreciate and award their film industry stars. Music and dance are some of the activities that go on during this event.
Another great event in the city is the Jerusalem Light Festival. This event is an annual celebration usually held within the old city of Jerusalem. It is aimed at celebrating with numerous street lighting in many dazzling colors, to culminate in stunning firework displays.
The Jerusalem Marathon is yet another event that attracts crowds of people from all walks of life. It is held in
March and is considered one of the hardest marathons in the world because of the hilly and rugged setting of Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Old City Music Festival is yet another event not to be missed while on tour in Jerusalem. This one is held on varying dates, usually a couple of weeks before the religious Passover Feast. The festival goes on for one week, during which the streets of the Old Town remain closed to grant easy passage. Music performances and dance shows are held at almost every corner.