Jerusalem Ceramics

Jerusalem (/dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim; Arabic: القُدس al-Quds)^{[10][11][12][note 2]} is a city in Western Asia. Situated on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, it is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is considered holy for the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The city straddles the Green Line between Israel and the West Bank; both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital. Israel controls the entire city and maintains its primary governmental institutions there while the Palestinian National Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization ultimately foresee it as the seat of power for the State of Palestine. Due to this long-running dispute, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.^{[note 3][13]}

A site of permanent inhabitation since at least the 3rd millennium BCE, significant construction activities began throughout the city in the 9th century BCE, and by the 8th century BCE, Jerusalem had developed into the capital of the Iron Age Kingdom of Judah.^[14][15] During its history, the city has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, captured and recaptured 44 times, and attacked 52 times.^[16] It was first destroyed by the Babylonians in 587–586 BCE,^[17] and rebuilt during the Persian era, and continued to rise in stature throughout the Hellenistic period.^[18] In 63 BCE, it was captured by Rome, and in 70 CE,