Old City of Jerusalem, Israel

The Old City is a 0.9-square-kilometer fortified section of East Jerusalem that is considered by the international community to be occupied by Israel.

Over the previous 1,500 years, the history of the Antique City has been documented in minute detail, most notably in old maps of Jerusalem. Until the late 19th century, this region included the whole city of Jerusalem; adjacent Arab towns like Silwan and new Jewish districts like Mishkenot Sha'ananim eventually became part of the municipal borders.

The Old City is home to various holy sites for the three Abrahamic religions: the Temple Mount and Western Wall for Judaism, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christianity, the Western Wall for Islam, and the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque for Islam.

Although the current designations were first introduced in the 19th century, the Old City has traditionally been split into four uneven sections. It is now generally split into the Muslim Quarter, the Christian Quarter, the Armenian Quarter, and the Jewish Quarter (moving counter-clockwise from the northeast). The Ottoman Empire built the Old City's enormous defense walls and city gates between 1535 and 1542 under Suleiman the Magnificent, the 10th Ottoman ruler.

Location: Jerusalem, Israel