Jerusalem has been crowned queen of the world's
cities for 50 centuries. Chosen by God to be the bulwark of
monotheism, Jerusalem was first mentioned in the Bible during
the time of Abraham under the name of Salem, meaning peace.
The King of Salem was a Jebusite and in the 10th century BC,
David captured the city from the Jebusites and made it his
capital. First inhabited by the Canaanites, Jerusalem has
been besieged more than 50 times, conquered 36 times, and
destroyed 10 times. In 330 AD, Constantine converted Jerusalem
into a Christian city and sent his mother, Helena, to build
its first churches. |