Jerusalem (Yerushalayim, Al Quds) city (state capital), metropolitan area - - Pictures
Jerusalem presents a mixture of well-preserved historical artifacts and the characteristic developments of a modern urban area. The greatest concentration of religious and historical sites is in the Old City, which was part of East Jerusalem when Jerusalem was divided. A wall constructed in AD 1538 during the reign of the Ottoman ruler Suleiman I contains the Old City. The area inside the wall is roughly divided into quadrants, named for their dominant ethnic communities: the Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Armenian quarters. An Arab market, or suq, lines the main axis of the Old City, giving it a crowded and bustling atmosphere.
Modern Jerusalem surrounds the Old City. Somewhat older neighborhoods are located to the east and south, and newer neighborhoods, to the west and north. The center of economic activity is to the west of the Old City, as are Israeli government institutions including the Israeli parliament, called the Knesset (completed in 1966), the Supreme Court Building (1992), and the new City Hall complex. Monuments commemorating recent national events and accomplishments are also found in the modern sections of Jerusalem, as are many points relating to the first Arab-Israeli war (1948-1949) and to the Six-Day War (1967). The national cemetery is located on Mount Herzl to the west of the Israeli government buildings.
