Demographics of Jerusalem
Encyclopedia
Jerusalem's population size and composition has shifted many times over its 5,000 year history. Since medieval times, the Old City of Jerusalem has been divided into Jewish, Muslim
, Christian
, and Armenian quarters
.
Most population data pre-1905 is based on estimates, often from foreign travellers or organisations, since previous census data usually covered wider areas such as the Jerusalem District
. These estimates suggest that since the end of the Crusades
, Muslims formed the largest group in Jerusalem until the mid-nineteenth century. Between 1838 and 1876, a number of estimates exist which conflict as to whether Jews or Muslims were the largest group during this period, and between 1882 and 1922 estimates conflict as to exactly when Jews became a majority of the population.
In 2003, the total population of Jerusalem was 693,217 including 464,527 Jews and 228,690 "Arabs and others" (Choshen 1), that same year the population of the Old City was 3,965 Jews and 31,405 "Arabs and others" (Choshen 12).
, Christian
Armenians
, and Muslim
, Protestant, Greek Orthodox
Arab
s, Syrian Orthodox
and Coptic Orthodox Arab
s, among others. Many of these groups were once immigrants or pilgrim
s that have over time become near-indigenous
populations and claim the importance of Jerusalem to their faith as their reason for moving to and being in the city.
Jerusalem's long history of conquests by competing and different powers has resulted in different groups living in the city many of whom have never fully identified or assimilated with a particular power, despite the length of their rule. Though they may have been citizens of that particular kingdom and empire and involved with civic activities and duties, these groups often saw themselves as distinct national groups (see for example, the Armenians). The Ottoman millet
system, whereby minorities in the Ottoman Empire
were given the authority to govern themselves within the framework of the broader system, allowed these groups to retain autonomy and remain separate from other religious and national groups.
Since 1967, when Israel recaptured East Jerusalem, the Jewish population in Jerusalem has declined from 76% to 64% and is continuing to drop about 1% per year. The Arab population of Jerusalem has increased from 24% to 36%. The Arab population is burgeoning, outpacing Jewish growth in the city. While Jews remain a significant majority of the population, as they have been since as early as 1845, their numbers have grown just 114% in the thirty years since the city's unification in 1967. The Arab population, in contrast, has expanded by 163% in the same time period. At 36% of the total in 2006, Jerusalem is now far more Arab than it was in 1967 when East Jerusalem was recaptured.
change over time in Jerusalem, with an emphasis on the Jewish population. Readers should be aware that the boundaries of Jerusalem have changed many times over the years and that Jerusalem may also refer to a district or even a sub-district under Ottoman, British, or Israeli administration, see e.g. Jerusalem District
. Thus, year-to-year comparisons may not be valid due to the varying geographic areas covered by the population censuses.
During the first Jewish-Roman war (66–73 CE) the population of Jerusalem was estimated at 600,000 persons by Roman historian Tacitus, while Josephus, estimated that there were as many as 1,100,000, inhabitants of Jerusalem of whom 97,000 were sold as slaves http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1044&letter=S According to Josephus("B. J." v. 13, § 7),after the Roman victory over the Jews, as many as 115,880 dead bodies were carried out through one gate between the months of Nisan and Tammuz.http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=242&letter=J&search=jerusalem#916
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| c.1130|| 0 || 0 || 30,000 || 30,000 || ? || Runciman
|- align="center"
| 1267|| 2* || ? || ? || ? || Nachmanides, Jewish Scholar ||
|- align="center"
| 1471|| 250* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Baron
|- align="center"
| 1488|| 76* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Baron
|- align="center"
| 1489 || 200* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Yaari, 1943
|- align="center"
|}
* Indicates families.
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1525–6 || 1,194 || 3,704 || 714 || 5,612 || Ottoman taxation registers
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1538–9 || 1,363 || 7,287 || 884 || 9,534 || Ottoman taxation registers
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1553–4 || 1,958 || 12,154 || 1,956 || 16,068 || Ottoman taxation registers
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1596–77 || ? || 8,740 || 252 || ? || Ottoman taxation registers
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1723 || 2,000 || ? || ? || ? || Van Egmont & Heyman, Christian Travellers ||
|- align="center"
|}
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1806 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 2,774 || 8,774 || Ulrich Jasper Seetzen
, Frisian explorer || Sharkansky, 1996
|- align="center"
| 1815 || 4 - 5,000 || ? || ? || 26,000 || William Turner
|| Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1824 || 6,000 || 10,000 || 4,000 || 20,000 || Fisk and King, Writers ||
|- align="center"
| 1832 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 3,560 || 20,560 || Ferdinand de Géramb
, French monk || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
|}
noted the conflicting demographic estimates regarding Jerusalem during the period, stating in reference to an 1839 estimate by Sir Moses Montefiore: "As to the Jews, the enumeration in question was made out by themselves, in the expectation of receiving a certain amount of alms
for every name returned. It is therefore obvious that they here had as strong a motive to exaggerate their number, as they often have in other circumstances to underrate it." Between 1856 and 1880, Jewish immigration to Palestine more than doubled, with the majority settling in Jerusalem. The majority of these immigrants were Ashkenazim from Eastern Europe, who subsisted on Halukka
.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1838 || 3,000 || 4,500 || 3,500 || 11,500 || Edward Robinson
|| Edward Robinson, 1841
|- align="center"
| 1844 || 7,120 || 5,000 || 3,390 || 15,510 || Ernst-Gustav Schultz, Prussian consul || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
| 1846 || 7,515 || 6,100 || 3,558 || 17,173 || Titus Tobler, Swiss explorer || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1850 || 13,860 || ? || ? || ? || Dr. Ascher, Anglo-Jewish Association ||
|- align="center"
| 1850 || 630* || 1,025* || 738* || 2,393* || ? || Alexander Scholch, 1985
|- align="center"
| 1851 || 5,580 || 12,286' || 7,488 || 25,354 || Official census || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1856 || 5,700 || 10,300 || 3,000 || 18,000 || Ludwig August von Frankl
, Austrian writer || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1857 || 7,000 || ? || ? || 10-15,000 || HaMaggid periodical || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1862 || 8,000 || 6,000 || 3,800 || 17,800 || HaCarmel periodical || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1866 || 8,000 || 4,000 || 4,000 || 16,000 || John Murray
travel guidebook || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1867 || 4 - 5,000 || 6,000 || ? || ? || Ellen-Clare Miller, Missionary ||
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 3,200* || n/a || n/a || n/a || Rabbi H. J. Sneersohn || New York Times
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 9,000 || 5,000 || 4,000 || 18,000 || Hebrew Christian Mutual Aid Society ||
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 7,977 || 7,500 || 5,373 || 20,850 || Liévin de Hamme, Franciscan missionary || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1871 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 7,000 || 20,560 || Karl Baedeker
travel guidebook || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1876 || 12,000 || 7,560 || 5,470 || 25,030 || Liévin de Hamme, Franciscan missionary || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1876 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 3,560 || 20,560 || Bernhard Neumann || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
|}
, which began in 1881, the population of Jerusalem began to increase from around 20,000 to around 60,000 by the time of the British mandate
. The relative proportion of Jews began to increase during this period, constituting more than half the city's population by the turn of the century.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1882 || 9,000 || 7,000 || 5,000 || 21,000 || Wilson || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1885 || 15,000 || 6,000 || 14,000 || 35,000 || Goldmann || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1893 || >50% || ? || ? || ~40,000 || Albert Shaw, Writer || Shaw, 1894
|- align="center"
| 1896 || 28,112 || 8,560 || 8,748 || 45,420 || Calendar of Palestine for the year 5656 || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1905 || 13,300 || 11,000 || 8,100 || 32,400 || 1905 Ottoman census
|| U.O.Schmelz
|- align="center"
|}
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1922 || 33,971 || 13,413 || 14,669 || 62,578 || Census of Palestine (British) || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1931 || 51,200 || 19,900 || 19,300 || 90,053 || Census of Palestine (British) || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1944 || 97,000 || 30,600 || 29,400 || 157,000 || ? || ?
|- align="center"
| 1947 || 100,000 || ? || ? || 205,000 || ? || United Nations (1983) includes
Bethlehem
and surrounding Arab villages
|- align="center"
| 1948 || 100,000 || 40,000 || 25,000 || 165,000 || ? || Harrel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1967 || 195,700 || 54,963 || 12,646 || 263,307 || ? || Harrel, 1974
|- align="center"
|}
* Indicates families.
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1980 || 292,300 || ? || ? || 407,100 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1985 || 327,700 || ? || ? || 457,700 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1987 || 340,000 || 121,000 || 14,000 || 475,000 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1990 || 378,200 || 131,800 || 14,400 || 524,400 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1995 || 417,100 || 182,700 || 14,100 || 617,000 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1996 || 421,200 || ? || ? || 602,100 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2000 || 448,800 || ? || ? || 657,500 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2004 || 464,500 || ? || ? || 693,200 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2005 || 469,300 || ? || ? || 706,400 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2007 || 489,480 || ? || ? || 746,300 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|}
As of May 24, 2006, Jerusalem's population is 724,000 (about 10% of the total population of Israel), of which 65.0% were Jews (approx. 40% of whom live in East Jerusalem
), 32.0% Muslim (almost all of whom live in East Jerusalem
) and 2% Christian. 35% of the city's population were children under age of 15. In 2005, the city had 18,600 newborns. (Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics)
These official Israeli statistics refer to the expanded Israel municipality of Jerusalem. This includes not only the area of the pre-1967 Israeli and Jordanian municipalities, but also outlying Palestinian villages and neighbourhoods east of the city, which were not part of Jordanian East Jerusalem
prior to 1967.
Muslim Quarter
The Muslim Quarter is one of the four quarters of the ancient, walled Old City of Jerusalem. It covers 31 hectares of the northeastern sector of the Old City. The quarter is the largest and most populous and extends from the Lions' Gate in the east, along the northern wall of the Temple Mount in...
, Christian
Christian Quarter
The Christian Quarter is one of the four quarters of the ancient, walled Old City of Jerusalem, the other three being the Jewish Quarter, the Muslim Quarter and the Armenian Quarter...
, and Armenian quarters
Armenian Quarter
The Armenian Quarter is one of the four quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Armenian Quarter is the smallest of the four quarters, with the smallest number of residents....
.
Most population data pre-1905 is based on estimates, often from foreign travellers or organisations, since previous census data usually covered wider areas such as the Jerusalem District
Jerusalem District
The Jerusalem District is one of six administrative districts of Israel. The district capital is Jerusalem. The Jerusalem District has a land area of 652 km². The population of 910,300 is 67.8% Jewish and 30.6% Arab...
. These estimates suggest that since the end of the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
, Muslims formed the largest group in Jerusalem until the mid-nineteenth century. Between 1838 and 1876, a number of estimates exist which conflict as to whether Jews or Muslims were the largest group during this period, and between 1882 and 1922 estimates conflict as to exactly when Jews became a majority of the population.
In 2003, the total population of Jerusalem was 693,217 including 464,527 Jews and 228,690 "Arabs and others" (Choshen 1), that same year the population of the Old City was 3,965 Jews and 31,405 "Arabs and others" (Choshen 12).
Overview
Jerusalemites are of varied national, ethnic and religious denominations and include European, Middle Eastern and African JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, Christian
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, Protestant, Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s, Syrian Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
and Coptic Orthodox Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s, among others. Many of these groups were once immigrants or pilgrim
Pilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s that have over time become near-indigenous
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
populations and claim the importance of Jerusalem to their faith as their reason for moving to and being in the city.
Jerusalem's long history of conquests by competing and different powers has resulted in different groups living in the city many of whom have never fully identified or assimilated with a particular power, despite the length of their rule. Though they may have been citizens of that particular kingdom and empire and involved with civic activities and duties, these groups often saw themselves as distinct national groups (see for example, the Armenians). The Ottoman millet
Millet
The millets are a group of small-seeded species of cereal crops or grains, widely grown around the world for food and fodder. They do not form a taxonomic group, but rather a functional or agronomic one. Their essential similarities are that they are small-seeded grasses grown in difficult...
system, whereby minorities in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
were given the authority to govern themselves within the framework of the broader system, allowed these groups to retain autonomy and remain separate from other religious and national groups.
Since 1967, when Israel recaptured East Jerusalem, the Jewish population in Jerusalem has declined from 76% to 64% and is continuing to drop about 1% per year. The Arab population of Jerusalem has increased from 24% to 36%. The Arab population is burgeoning, outpacing Jewish growth in the city. While Jews remain a significant majority of the population, as they have been since as early as 1845, their numbers have grown just 114% in the thirty years since the city's unification in 1967. The Arab population, in contrast, has expanded by 163% in the same time period. At 36% of the total in 2006, Jerusalem is now far more Arab than it was in 1967 when East Jerusalem was recaptured.
Historical population by ethnicity
The tables below provide data on demographicDemographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
change over time in Jerusalem, with an emphasis on the Jewish population. Readers should be aware that the boundaries of Jerusalem have changed many times over the years and that Jerusalem may also refer to a district or even a sub-district under Ottoman, British, or Israeli administration, see e.g. Jerusalem District
Jerusalem District
The Jerusalem District is one of six administrative districts of Israel. The district capital is Jerusalem. The Jerusalem District has a land area of 652 km². The population of 910,300 is 67.8% Jewish and 30.6% Arab...
. Thus, year-to-year comparisons may not be valid due to the varying geographic areas covered by the population censuses.
First Century Jerusalem
{| class="wikitable"During the first Jewish-Roman war (66–73 CE) the population of Jerusalem was estimated at 600,000 persons by Roman historian Tacitus, while Josephus, estimated that there were as many as 1,100,000, inhabitants of Jerusalem of whom 97,000 were sold as slaves http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1044&letter=S According to Josephus("B. J." v. 13, § 7),after the Roman victory over the Jews, as many as 115,880 dead bodies were carried out through one gate between the months of Nisan and Tammuz.http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=242&letter=J&search=jerusalem#916
Middle Ages
{| class="wikitable"! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| c.1130|| 0 || 0 || 30,000 || 30,000 || ? || Runciman
|- align="center"
| 1267|| 2* || ? || ? || ? || Nachmanides, Jewish Scholar ||
|- align="center"
| 1471|| 250* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Baron
|- align="center"
| 1488|| 76* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Baron
|- align="center"
| 1489 || 200* || ? || ? || ? || ? || Yaari, 1943
|- align="center"
|}
Ottoman era
{| class="wikitable"! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1525–6 || 1,194 || 3,704 || 714 || 5,612 || Ottoman taxation registers
Defter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1538–9 || 1,363 || 7,287 || 884 || 9,534 || Ottoman taxation registers
Defter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1553–4 || 1,958 || 12,154 || 1,956 || 16,068 || Ottoman taxation registers
Defter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1596–77 || ? || 8,740 || 252 || ? || Ottoman taxation registers
Defter
A Defter was a type of tax register in the Ottoman Empire. The information collected could vary, but tahrir defterleri typically included details of villages, dwellings, household heads , ethnicity/religion , and land use.The defter-i hakâni was a land registry, also used for tax...
* || Cohen and Lewis
|- align="center"
| 1723 || 2,000 || ? || ? || ? || Van Egmont & Heyman, Christian Travellers ||
|- align="center"
|}
Muslim "relative majority"
{| class="wikitable"! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1806 || 2,000 || 4,000 || 2,774 || 8,774 || Ulrich Jasper Seetzen
Ulrich Jasper Seetzen
Ulrich Jasper Seetzen was a German explorer of Arabia and Palestine from Jever, German Frisia.His father sent him to the university of Göttingen, where he graduated in medicine...
, Frisian explorer || Sharkansky, 1996
|- align="center"
| 1815 || 4 - 5,000 || ? || ? || 26,000 || William Turner
William Turner
William Turner MA was an English divine and reformer, a physician and a natural historian. He studied medicine in Italy, and was a friend of the great Swiss naturalist, Conrad Gessner...
|| Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1824 || 6,000 || 10,000 || 4,000 || 20,000 || Fisk and King, Writers ||
|- align="center"
| 1832 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 3,560 || 20,560 || Ferdinand de Géramb
Ferdinand de Géramb
Ferdinand de Géramb was a French supposed aristocrat and Trappist monk . He became abbot and procurator-general of La Trappe.-Life:...
, French monk || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
|}
Muslim or Jewish "relative majority"
Writing in 1841, the biblical scholar Edward RobinsonEdward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
noted the conflicting demographic estimates regarding Jerusalem during the period, stating in reference to an 1839 estimate by Sir Moses Montefiore: "As to the Jews, the enumeration in question was made out by themselves, in the expectation of receiving a certain amount of alms
Halukka
The halukka was an organized distribution and collection of funds for the residents of the Yishuv haYashan in the Holy Land; which were organized into Kolelim...
for every name returned. It is therefore obvious that they here had as strong a motive to exaggerate their number, as they often have in other circumstances to underrate it." Between 1856 and 1880, Jewish immigration to Palestine more than doubled, with the majority settling in Jerusalem. The majority of these immigrants were Ashkenazim from Eastern Europe, who subsisted on Halukka
Halukka
The halukka was an organized distribution and collection of funds for the residents of the Yishuv haYashan in the Holy Land; which were organized into Kolelim...
.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1838 || 3,000 || 4,500 || 3,500 || 11,500 || Edward Robinson
Edward Robinson (scholar)
Edward Robinson was an American biblical scholar, known as the “Father of Biblical Geography.” He has been referred to as the “founder of modern Palestinology.” -Biography:...
|| Edward Robinson, 1841
|- align="center"
| 1844 || 7,120 || 5,000 || 3,390 || 15,510 || Ernst-Gustav Schultz, Prussian consul || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
|- align="center"
| 1846 || 7,515 || 6,100 || 3,558 || 17,173 || Titus Tobler, Swiss explorer || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1850 || 13,860 || ? || ? || ? || Dr. Ascher, Anglo-Jewish Association ||
|- align="center"
| 1850 || 630* || 1,025* || 738* || 2,393* || ? || Alexander Scholch, 1985
|- align="center"
| 1851 || 5,580 || 12,286' || 7,488 || 25,354 || Official census || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1856 || 5,700 || 10,300 || 3,000 || 18,000 || Ludwig August von Frankl
Ludwig August von Frankl
Ludwig August Ritter von Frankl-Hochwart was a Bohemian-Austrian writer and poet. He was a friend of Nikolaus Lenau. Also, he corresponded with Petar II Petrovic Njegos of Montenegro before he died in 1851. Frankl's Gusle, Serbische Nationallieder was dedicated to Vuk Karadžić's daughter in 1952...
, Austrian writer || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1857 || 7,000 || ? || ? || 10-15,000 || HaMaggid periodical || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1862 || 8,000 || 6,000 || 3,800 || 17,800 || HaCarmel periodical || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1866 || 8,000 || 4,000 || 4,000 || 16,000 || John Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
travel guidebook || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1867 || 4 - 5,000 || 6,000 || ? || ? || Ellen-Clare Miller, Missionary ||
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 3,200* || n/a || n/a || n/a || Rabbi H. J. Sneersohn || New York Times
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 9,000 || 5,000 || 4,000 || 18,000 || Hebrew Christian Mutual Aid Society ||
|- align="center"
| 1869 || 7,977 || 7,500 || 5,373 || 20,850 || Liévin de Hamme, Franciscan missionary || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1871 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 7,000 || 20,560 || Karl Baedeker
Karl Baedeker
Karl Baedeker was a German publisher whose company Baedeker set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists.- Biography :...
travel guidebook || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1876 || 12,000 || 7,560 || 5,470 || 25,030 || Liévin de Hamme, Franciscan missionary || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1876 || 4,000 || 13,000 || 3,560 || 20,560 || Bernhard Neumann || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
|}
Jews as a full or relative majority
During the First AliyahFirst Aliyah
The First Aliyah was the first modern widespread wave of Zionist aliyah. Jews who migrated to Palestine in this wave came mostly from Eastern Europe and from Yemen. This wave of aliyah began in 1881–82 and lasted until 1903. An estimated 25,000–35,000 Jews immigrated to Ottoman Syria during the...
, which began in 1881, the population of Jerusalem began to increase from around 20,000 to around 60,000 by the time of the British mandate
British Mandate
British Mandate may refer to:*British Mandate for Palestine*British Mandate of Mesopotamia...
. The relative proportion of Jews began to increase during this period, constituting more than half the city's population by the turn of the century.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1882 || 9,000 || 7,000 || 5,000 || 21,000 || Wilson || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1885 || 15,000 || 6,000 || 14,000 || 35,000 || Goldmann || Kark and Oren-Nordheim, 2001
|- align="center"
| 1893 || >50% || ? || ? || ~40,000 || Albert Shaw, Writer || Shaw, 1894
|- align="center"
| 1896 || 28,112 || 8,560 || 8,748 || 45,420 || Calendar of Palestine for the year 5656 || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1905 || 13,300 || 11,000 || 8,100 || 32,400 || 1905 Ottoman census
Demographics of the Ottoman Empire
This article is about the demographic of the Ottoman Empire, including population density, ethnicity, education level, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.- Population size :...
|| U.O.Schmelz
|- align="center"
|}
Jewish majority
{| class="wikitable"! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1922 || 33,971 || 13,413 || 14,669 || 62,578 || Census of Palestine (British) || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1931 || 51,200 || 19,900 || 19,300 || 90,053 || Census of Palestine (British) || Harrel and Stendel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1944 || 97,000 || 30,600 || 29,400 || 157,000 || ? || ?
|- align="center"
| 1947 || 100,000 || ? || ? || 205,000 || ? || United Nations (1983) includes
Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
and surrounding Arab villages
|- align="center"
| 1948 || 100,000 || 40,000 || 25,000 || 165,000 || ? || Harrel, 1974
|- align="center"
| 1967 || 195,700 || 54,963 || 12,646 || 263,307 || ? || Harrel, 1974
|- align="center"
|}
After Jerusalem Law
{| class="wikitable"! Year !! Jews !! Muslims !! Christians !! Total !! Original Source !! As quoted in
|- align="center"
| 1980 || 292,300 || ? || ? || 407,100 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1985 || 327,700 || ? || ? || 457,700 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1987 || 340,000 || 121,000 || 14,000 || 475,000 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1990 || 378,200 || 131,800 || 14,400 || 524,400 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1995 || 417,100 || 182,700 || 14,100 || 617,000 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 1996 || 421,200 || ? || ? || 602,100 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2000 || 448,800 || ? || ? || 657,500 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2004 || 464,500 || ? || ? || 693,200 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2005 || 469,300 || ? || ? || 706,400 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|- align="center"
| 2007 || 489,480 || ? || ? || 746,300 || Jerusalem Municipality ||
|}
As of May 24, 2006, Jerusalem's population is 724,000 (about 10% of the total population of Israel), of which 65.0% were Jews (approx. 40% of whom live in East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
), 32.0% Muslim (almost all of whom live in East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
) and 2% Christian. 35% of the city's population were children under age of 15. In 2005, the city had 18,600 newborns. (Source: Israel Central Bureau of Statistics)
These official Israeli statistics refer to the expanded Israel municipality of Jerusalem. This includes not only the area of the pre-1967 Israeli and Jordanian municipalities, but also outlying Palestinian villages and neighbourhoods east of the city, which were not part of Jordanian East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem
East Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
prior to 1967.
Demographic key dates
- 4500–3500 BCECommon EraCommon Era ,abbreviated as CE, is an alternative designation for the calendar era originally introduced by Dionysius Exiguus in the 6th century, traditionally identified with Anno Domini .Dates before the year 1 CE are indicated by the usage of BCE, short for Before the Common Era Common Era...
: First settlement established near Gihon SpringGihon SpringThe Gihon Spring was the main source of water for the City of David, the original site of Jerusalem. One of the world's major intermittent springs - and a reliable water source that made human settlement possible in ancient Jerusalem - the spring was not only used for drinking water, but also...
(earliest archeological evidence) - c.1550–1400 BCE: Jerusalem becomes a vassal to the Egyptian New KingdomNew KingdomThe New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
- c. 1000 BCE: King DavidDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
attacks and captures Jerusalem, which becomes capital of the United Kingdom of Israel. (Biblical source only) - 732 BCE: Jerusalem becomes a vassal of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
- 587–6 BCE: Nebuchadnezzar II fought Pharaoh ApriesApriesApries is the name by which Herodotus and Diodorus designate Wahibre Haaibre, Ουαφρης , a pharaoh of Egypt , the fourth king of the Twenty-sixth dynasty of Egypt. He was equated with the Waphres of Manetho, who correctly records that he reigned for 19 years...
's attempt to invade JudahKingdom of JudahThe Kingdom of Judah was a Jewish state established in the Southern Levant during the Iron Age. It is often referred to as the "Southern Kingdom" to distinguish it from the northern Kingdom of Israel....
. Jerusalem mostly destroyed including the First Temple, and the city's prominent citizens exiled to BabylonBabylonBabylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
(Biblical sources only) - 539 BCE: Cyrus the GreatCyrus the GreatCyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
allows Babylonian Jews to return from the Babylonian captivityBabylonian captivityThe Babylonian captivity was the period in Jewish history during which the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah were captives in Babylon—conventionally 587–538 BCE....
and rebuild the Temple (Biblical sources only, see Cyrus (Bible) and The Return to ZionThe Return to ZionThe Return to Zion is a term that refers to the event written in the biblical books of Ezra-Nehemiah in which the Jews returned to the Land of Israel from the Babylonian exile following the decree by the Persian emperor Cyrus the Great, the conqueror of the Babylonian empire in 538 BC, also known...
) - 350 BCE: Jerusalem revolts against Artaxerxes III, who retakes the city and burns it down in the process. Jews who supported the revolt are sent to HyrcaniaHyrcaniaHyrcania was the name of a satrapy located in the territories of present day Gilan, Golestan, Mazandaran and part of Turkmenistan, lands south of the Caspian Sea. To the Greeks, the Caspian Sea was the "Hyrcanian Sea".-Etymology:...
on the Caspian SeaCaspian SeaThe Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. - 332–200 BCE: Jerusalem capitulates to Alexander the Great, and is later incorporated in to the Ptolemaic KingdomPtolemaic KingdomThe Ptolemaic Kingdom in and around Egypt began following Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BC and ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. It was founded when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt, creating a powerful Hellenistic state stretching from...
(301BCE) and Seleucid EmpireSeleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
(200BCE). - 175 BCE: Antiochus IV EpiphanesAntiochus IV EpiphanesAntiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne....
accelerates Seleucid efforts to eradicate the Jewish religion, outlaws Sabbath and circumcision, sacks Jerusalem and erects an altar to ZeusZeusIn the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
in the Second Temple after plundering it. - 164 BCE: The Hasmoneans take control of part of Jerusalem, whilst the Seleucids retain control of the Acra (fortress) in the city and most surrounding areas.
- 63 BCE: Roman Empire under Pompey takes city
- 70 CE: TitusTitusTitus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....
ends the major portion of Great Jewish Revolt and destroys Herod's Temple. The SanhedrinSanhedrinThe Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel.The Great Sanhedrin was the supreme court of ancient Israel made of 71 members...
is relocatedCouncil of JamniaThe Council of Jamnia or Council of Yavne is a hypothetical late 1st-century council at which it is postulated the canon of the Hebrew Bible was finalized....
to YavneYavneYavne is a city in the Central District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a population of 33,000.-History:...
, and the city's leading Christians relocate to PellaPella, JordanPella is a village and the site of ancient ruins in northwestern Jordan. It is half an hour by car from Irbid, in the north of the country.... - 136: HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
formally reestablishes the city as Aelia CapitolinaAelia CapitolinaAelia Capitolina was a city built by the emperor Hadrian, and occupied by a Roman colony, on the site of Jerusalem, which was in ruins since 70 AD, leading in part to the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–136.-Politics:...
, and forbids Jewish and Christian presence in the city. Restrictions over Christian presence in the city are relaxed two years later. - 324–325: Emperor ConstantineConstantine IConstantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...
holds the First Council of NicaeaFirst Council of NicaeaThe First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
and confirms status of Jerusalem as a ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
patriarchate. A significant wave of Christian immigration to the city begins. The ban on Jews entering the city remains in force, but they are allowed to enter once a year to pray at the Western WallWestern WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
on Tisha B'AvTisha B'Av|Av]],") is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date... - c.380: Tyrannius RufinusTyrannius RufinusTyrannius Rufinus or Rufinus of Aquileia was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is most known as a translator of Greek patristic material into Latin—especially the work of Origen.-Life:...
and Melania the ElderMelania the ElderSaint Melania the Elder or Maior was a Desert Mother who was an influential figure in the Christian ascetic movement that sprang up in the generation after the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire...
found the first monasteryMonasteryMonastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Jerusalem on the Mount of OlivesMount of OlivesThe Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes... - 614: Jerusalem falls to Khosrau IIKhosrau II250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II 250px|thumb|Khosrau II (Khosrow II, Chosroes II, or Xosrov II in classical sources, sometimes called Parvez, "the Ever Victorious" – (in Persian: خسرو پرویز), was the twenty-second Sassanid King of Persia, reigning from 590 to 628...
's Sassanid EmpireSassanid EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
until it is retaken in 629. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is burned and much of the Christian population is massacred. A Jewish leader was made governor of the city, but was replaced by a Christian after being killed by a mob of Christian citizens. - 636–7: CaliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Umar the GreatUmar`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
conquers Jerusalem. Patriarch Sophronius and Umar are reported to have agreed the Covenant of Umar I, which guaranteed Christians freedom of religion but prohibited Jews from living in the city according to Muhammad ibn Jarir al-TabariMuhammad ibn Jarir al-TabariAbu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari was a prominent and influential Sunni scholar and exegete of the Qur'an from Persia...
. The Armenian Apostolic ChurchArmenian Apostolic ChurchThe Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
began appointing its own bishop in JerusalemArmenian Patriarchate of JerusalemThe Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem also known as the Armenian Patriarchate of St. James is located in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. The Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem remains under the authority of the Catholicos of Armenia and of all Armenians of the Armenian Apostolic Church...
. in 638. - 797: Abbasid–Carolingian alliance – the Church of the Holy SepulchreChurch of the Holy SepulchreThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
was restored and the Latin hospital was enlarged, encouraging Christian travel to the city. - 1009–30: Fatimid Caliph Al-HakimAl-Hakim bi-Amr AllahAbu ‘Ali Mansur Tāriqu l-Ḥākim, called Al-Hakim bi Amr al-Lāh , was the sixth Fatimid caliph and 16th Ismaili imam .- History :...
orders destruction of churches and synagogues in the empire, including the Church of the Holy SepulchreChurch of the Holy SepulchreThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
. Caliph Ali az-ZahirAli az-ZahirʻAlī az-Zāhir was the Seventh Caliph of the Fātimids . Az-Zāhir assumed the Caliphate after the disappearance of his father Tāriqu l-Ḥakīm bi Amr al-Lāh...
authorizes them rebuilt 20 years later. - 1077: Jerusalem revolts against the rule of Emir Atsiz ibd Uvaq who re-takes the city and massacres the local population.
- 1099: First CrusadeFirst CrusadeThe First Crusade was a military expedition by Western Christianity to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquest of the Levant, ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem...
rs capture Jerusalem and slaughter most of the city's MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
and Jewish inhabitantsHistory of the Jews and the CrusadesThe history of the Jews and the crusades became a part of the history of anti-Semitism for the Jews in the Middle Ages. The call for the First Crusade touched off new persecutions of the Jews that would continue on and off for centuries.-Background:...
. The Dome of the RockDome of the RockThe Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
is converted into a church. - 1187: SaladinSaladinṢalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
captures Jerusalem from Crusaders and allows Jewish and Orthodox Christian settlement. The Dome of the RockDome of the RockThe Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The structure has been refurbished many times since its initial completion in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik...
is converted to an Islamic center of worship again. - 1229: A 10-year treaty is signed allowing Christians freedom to live in the unfortified city. The Ayyubids retained control of the MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
holy places. - 1244: Mercenary army of Khwarezmians destroyed the city.
- 1260: Jerusalem raided by the MongolsMongol raids into PalestineMongol raids into Palestine took place towards the end of the Crusades, as a follow-up to the temporarily successful Mongol invasions of Syria, primarily in 1260 and 1300...
under Nestorian Christian general KitbuqaKitbuqaKitbuqa Noyan was a Nestorian Christian and a member of the Naiman Turks, a group that was subservient to the Mongol Empire. He was a lieutenant and confidant of the Mongol Ilkhan Hulagu, assisting him in his conquests in the Middle East...
. Hulagu KhanHulagu KhanHulagu Khan, also known as Hülegü, Hulegu , was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia...
sends a message to Louis IX of FranceLouis IX of FranceLouis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was King of France from 1226 until his death. He was also styled Louis II, Count of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was an eighth-generation descendant of Hugh Capet, and thus a member of the House of Capet, and the son of Louis VIII and...
that Jerusalem remitted to the Christians under the Franco-Mongol AllianceFranco-Mongol allianceFranco-Mongol relations were established in the 13th century, as attempts were made towards forming a Franco-Mongol alliance between the Christian Crusaders and the Mongol Empire against various Muslim empires. Such an alliance would have seemed a logical choice: the Mongols were sympathetic to... - 1267: Nachmanides goes to Jerusalem and prays at the Western WallWestern WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
. Reported to have found only two Jewish families in the city - 1482: The visiting DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
priest Felix FabriFelix FabriFelix Fabri - often erroneously referred to as Faber ["Erroneously referred to" is incorrect. "Faber" is the Latin nominative singular form of his surname. He is often referred to as "Fabri," the Latin genitive singular, i.e...
described Jerusalem as "a collection of all manner of abominations". As "abominations" he listed Saracens, Greeks, Syrians, Jacobites, Abyssianians, Nestorians, Armenians, Gregorians, Maronites, Turcomans, Bedouins, Assassins, a sect possibly Druzes, Mamelukes, and "the most accursed of all", Jews. Only the Latin Christians "long with all their hearts for Christian princes to come and subject all the country to the authority of the Church of Rome". - 1517: The Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
captures Jerusalem under Sultan Selim ISelim ISelim I, Yavuz Sultân Selim Khan, Hâdim-ül Haramain-ish Sharifain , nicknamed Yavuz "the Stern" or "the Steadfast", but often rendered in English as "the Grim" , was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to...
who proclaims himself CaliphCaliphThe Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of the Islamic world - 1604: First Protectorate of missionsProtectorate of missionsProtectorate of Missions is a term for the right of protection exercised by a Christian power in an 'infidel' country with regard to the persons and establishments of the missionaries...
agreed, in which the Christian subjects of Henry IV of FranceHenry IV of FranceHenry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
were free to visit the Holy Places of Jerusalem. French missionaries begin to travel to Jerusalem. - 1700: Judah the PiousJudah he-Hasid (Jerusalem)Judah he-Hasid Segal ha-Levi was a Jewish preacher who led the largest organized group of Jewish immigrants to the Land of Israel in the 17th and 18th centuries.-Departure from Europe:...
and 1,000 followers settle in Jerusalem. - 1774: The Treaty of Kucuk KaynarcaTreaty of Kucuk KaynarcaThe Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca was signed on 21 July 1774, in Küçük Kaynarca , Dobruja between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire after the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the...
is signed giving RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
the right to protect all Christians in Jerusalem. - 1821: Greek War of IndependenceGreek War of IndependenceThe Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
– Jerusalem's Christian population (the majority being Greek Orthodox), were forced by the OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities to relinquish their weapons, wear black and help improve the city's fortifications - 1837: Galilee earthquake of 1837Galilee earthquake of 1837The Galilee earthquake of 1837, often called the Safed earthquake, was a devastating earthquake that shook the Galilee on January 1, 1837.-Impact:...
results in Jews from SafedSafedSafed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
and Tiberias resettling in Jerusalem. - 1839–40: Rabbi Judah AlkalaiJudah AlkalaiJudah ben Solomon Chai Alkalai was a Sephardic rabbi in Zemun in the Austrian Empire's District of Velika Kikinda and one of pioneers of modern Zionism....
publishes "The Pleasant Paths" and "The Peace of Jerusalem", urging the return of European Jews to Jerusalem and PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. - 1853–4: A treaty is signed confirming FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
as the supreme authority in the Holy Land with control over the Church of the Holy SepulchreChurch of the Holy SepulchreThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also called the Church of the Resurrection by Eastern Christians, is a church within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It is a few steps away from the Muristan....
, contravening the 1774 treaty with Russia and triggering the Crimean WarCrimean WarThe Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. - 1860: The first Jewish neighborhood (Mishkenot Sha'ananim) is built outside the Old City walls, in an area later known as Yemin MosheYemin MosheYemin Moshe " or "Moses' Memorial") is an old neighborhood in Jerusalem, Israel, overlooking the Old City.-History:Yemin Moshe was established in 1891 by Moses Montefiore outside Jerusalem's Old City as a solution to the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions inside the walls, and eventually named...
, by Sir Moses Montefiore and Judah TouroJudah TouroJudah Touro was an American businessman and philanthropist.-Early life and career:...
. - 1862: Moses HessMoses HessMoses Hess was a Jewish philosopher and socialist, and one of the founders of Labor Zionism.-Life:Hess was born in Bonn, which was under French rule at the time. In his French-language birth certificate, his name is given as "Moises"; he was named after his maternal grandfather...
publishes Rome and JerusalemRome and JerusalemRome and Jerusalem. The Last National Question is a book published by Moses Hess in 1862 in Leipzig. It gave impetus to the Labor Zionism movement...
, arguing for a Jewish homeland in PalestinePalestinePalestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
centered on Jerusalem - 1873–75: Mea ShearimMea ShearimMea Shearim is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Israel. It is populated mainly by Haredi Jews and was built by the original settlers of the Yishuv haYashan.-Name:...
is built. - 1882: The First AliyahFirst AliyahThe First Aliyah was the first modern widespread wave of Zionist aliyah. Jews who migrated to Palestine in this wave came mostly from Eastern Europe and from Yemen. This wave of aliyah began in 1881–82 and lasted until 1903. An estimated 25,000–35,000 Jews immigrated to Ottoman Syria during the...
results in 35,000 Zionist immigrants entering the Palestine region - 1901: OttomanOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
restrictions on Zionist immigration to and land acquisition in Jerusalem district take effect - 1901–14: The Second AliyahSecond AliyahThe Second Aliyah was an important and highly influential aliyah that took place between 1904 and 1914, during which approximately 40,000 Jews immigrated into Ottoman Palestine, mostly from the Russian Empire, some from Yemen....
results in 40,000 Zionist immigrants entering the Palestine region - 1917: The Ottomans are defeated at the Battle of JerusalemBattle of Jerusalem (1917)The Battle of Jerusalem developed from 17 November with fighting continuing until 30 December 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of World War I...
during the First World War and the British ArmyBritish ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
takes control. The Balfour Declaration had been issued a month before. - 1919–23: The Third AliyahThird AliyahThe third Aliyah refers to the third wave of the Jewish immigration to Israel from Europe who came inspired by Zionist motives between the years 1919 and 1923 . A symbol of the start of the third immigration wave is the arrival of the boat "Roselan" in the Jaffa Port on December 19, 1919...
results in 35,000 Zionist immigrants entering the Palestine region - 1924–28: The Fourth AliyahFourth AliyahThe Fourth Aliyah refers to the fourth wave of the Jewish immigration to Israel from Europe and Asia who came based on Zionist motives between the years 1924 and 1928.-The character of the Fourth Aliyah:...
results in 82,000 Zionist immigrants entering the Palestine region - 1929–39: The Fifth AliyahFifth AliyahThe Fifth Aliyah refers to the fifth wave of the Jewish immigration to Israel from Europe and Asia between the years 1929 and 1939. The Fifth immigration wave began after the 1929 Palestine riots, and after the comeback from the economic crisis in Israel in 1927, during the period of the Fourth...
results in 250,000 Zionist immigrants entering the Palestine region - 1948–49: 1948 Arab-Israeli War1948 Arab-Israeli WarThe 1948 Arab–Israeli War, known to Israelis as the War of Independence or War of Liberation The war commenced after the termination of the British Mandate for Palestine and the creation of an independent Israel at midnight on 14 May 1948 when, following a period of civil war, Arab armies invaded...
. All Jewish residents of the eastern part of the city were kicked out by Arab forces, dozens of synagogues dating back to Roman times were destroyed by Arab forces. The entire Jewish Quarter was destroyed. - 1967: The Six Day War. The Old City is captured by the IDF and the Moroccan QuarterMoroccan QuarterThe Moroccan Quarter or Mughrabi Quarter was an 800-year old neighborhood in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, bordering on the western wall of the Temple Mount on the east , the Old City walls on the south , the Jewish Quarter to the west, and the Muslim Quarter to...
including 135 houses and the Al-Buraq mosqueAl-Buraq mosqueThe al-Buraq mosque was a mosque located in the Moroccan Quarter in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. The mosque was destroyed by the Israeli government on June 10, 1967, in order to allow a larger number of Jewish worshippers at the nearby Western Wall....
is demolished, creating a plaza in front of the Western WallWestern WallThe Western Wall, Wailing Wall or Kotel is located in the Old City of Jerusalem at the foot of the western side of the Temple Mount...
. Israel declares Jerusalem unified and announces free access to holy sites of all religions. - 1980: The Jerusalem LawJerusalem LawThe Jerusalem Law is a common name of Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel passed by the Knesset on July 30, 1980 .It began as a private member's bill proposed by Geula Cohen, whose original text stated that "the integrity and unity of greater Jerusalem in its boundaries after the Six-Day War...
is enacted leading to UN Security Council Resolution 478 (it states that the Council will not recognize this law)