Postcard
Israelis and Palestinians both
claim Jerusalem as their capital. Israel designated Jerusalem as its capital in
1950, yet most countries maintain their embassies in Tel Aviv due to ongoing political
debate with the Palestinians.
At
Jerusalem’s heart is the Old City, which is surrounded by a wall and
divided into four quarters - Jewish, Armenian, Christian, and Muslim. Inside
the walls are the important holy sites of the three major religions: the Western
Wall, which is holy to the Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and
the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount.
The Dome
of the Rock, whose golden roof has dominated the Temple Mount for
centuries, is a 7th-century shrine. The rock refers to the Foundation Stone at
the heart of the Dome. It is a holy place for Muslims.