- published: 31 Aug 2013
- views: 10141
The municipal flag of Jerusalem is based on the flag of Israel. It features two horizontal blue stripes reminiscent of the tallit (the Jewish prayer shawl). In the center are Jerusalem's municipal emblem, which consists of a shield with the lion of Judah superimposed on a stylized background representing the kotel, flanked on either side with olive branches. The word ירושלים (i.e., Yerushalayim, Hebrew for "Jerusalem") appears above the shield. A vertical variant is sometimes used during ceremonial functions.
The flag was adopted in 1949 following a contest held by the municipal government of Jerusalem, which was established by Israel (in the western part of the city). It was made the "flag of a united Jerusalem" following the Six Day War in 1967.
Jerusalem (/dʒəˈruːsələm/; Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם Yerushaláyim pronounced [jeruˈʃalajim]; Arabic: القُدس al-Quds pronounced [ˈaːɫ ˈquːdsˤ]), located on a plateau in the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is considered holy to the three major Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Israelis and Palestinians both claim Jerusalem as their capital, as Israel maintains its primary governmental institutions there and the State of Palestine ultimately foresees it as its seat of power; however, neither claim is widely recognized internationally.
During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BCE. In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage Site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond the Old City's boundaries.