Jerusalem The Biography
Jerusalem The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore, published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on September 18, 2012, is a comprehensive exploration of the history of Jerusalem, a city that holds profound significance for multiple faiths and cultures. This fully revised and updated edition presents an in-depth narrative that spans over 3,000 years, detailing how this small town evolved into a pivotal center for both conflict and reverence. Montefiore draws from new archives and extensive research to illuminate the complex tapestry of events, figures, and ideologies that have shaped Jerusalem and the surrounding region.
Readers will find a meticulously crafted account that intertwines the stories of kings, prophets, and ordinary citizens, revealing the multifaceted nature of Jerusalem’s history. The book delves into themes of faith, power, and coexistence, providing insights into the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and the broader implications for the Middle East. With 848 pages of rich content, this edition serves as both a historical reference and a narrative journey through the city that is revered by many as the “center of the world.”
Official synopsis Publisher
FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED FOR 2024
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK • JEWISH BOOK COUNCIL BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Spectacular. [Montefiore] really tells you what the life of the city has been like and why it means so much. You fall in love with the city. It’s a treasure. It’s a wonderful book.” —Bill Clinton
“Impossible to put down. . . . Vastly enjoyable.” —The New York Times Book Review
The history of Jerusalem is the story of the world: Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths. The Holy City and Holy Land are the battlefields for today’s multifaceted conflicts and, for believers, the setting for Judgment Day and the Apocalypse. How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the “center of the world” and now the key to peace in the Middle East? Why is the Holy Land so important not just to the region and its many new players, but to the wider world too? Drawing on new archives and a lifetime’s study, Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city and turbulent region through the wars, love affairs and revelations of the kings, empresses, amirs, sultans, caliphs, presidents, autocrats, imperialists and warlords, poets, prophets, saints and rabbis who created, destroyed, chronicled, and believed in Jerusalem and the Holy Land.
A classic of modern literature, this is not only the epic story of 3,000 years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism, co-existence, power and myth, but also a freshly updated, carefully balanced history of the Middle East, from King David to the new powers of the twenty-first century, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is how today’s Middle East was forged, how the Holy Land became sacred and how Jerusalem became Jerusalem—the only city that exists twice—in heaven and on earth.
“Magnificent. . . . Montefiore barely misses a trick or a character intaking us through the city’s story with compelling, breathless tension.” —The Wall Street Journal
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