Jerusalem in moonlight

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.