Jerusalem: A Journey Through Time

There is a city that will never die.

Time and again, Jerusalem has risen from its own ashes, each layer of destruction becoming the foundation for renewal. Like a phoenix eternally reborn, its stones have absorbed the tears of countless generations, witnessed prayers in dozens of languages, and stood resolute through centuries of triumph and tragedy.

Three Faiths, One Sacred Ground

This is not merely a city of stone and mortar. Every inch of its soil is saturated with meaning, every wall etched with prayers, every stone polished by the touch of countless pilgrim hands. Here, at the intersection of faith and history, three great monotheistic religions find their heart. For Jews, the Western Wall stands as the last witness to their ancient Temple, its stones embracing millions of written prayers. For Christians, the Via Dolorosa traces Jesus's final steps, while the Church of the Holy Sepulchre marks the site of humanity's redemption. For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock rises in golden splendour over the spot where Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven.

Are you Ready to Go on a Journey Through Time? 

Written in Blood and Stone

But Jerusalem's story is also written in blood. No city has been conquered, destroyed, and rebuilt more times. The stones that make up its walls have been stained crimson by Babylonians, Romans, Crusaders, and countless others who sought to claim this sacred space as their own. From the destruction of the First Temple to the fall of the Second, from the Crusader conquests to the modern era, Jerusalem has endured more sieges, more battles, and more transitions of power than perhaps any other city in human history.

The Phoenix Rises Again

Yet somehow, impossibly, Jerusalem endures. When the Babylonians reduced the First Temple to ashes in 586 BCE, the city rose again.

When the Romans razed the Second Temple and scattered its people in 70 CE, Jerusalem survived.

When the Crusaders turned its streets red with blood in 1099, the city emerged once more.

Each conqueror has left their mark, each civilization has added their layer, creating an urban palimpsest where every generation writes their story upon the stories of those who came before.

Beyond the Physical Realm

This resilience is not only physical. Jerusalem lives in the hearts of billions. It exists simultaneously in the physical realm and in the realm of dreams and prayers. For Jews in exile, it was the eternal city toward which they turned in prayer for two thousand years, whispering "Next year in Jerusalem." For Christians, it represents both the site of humanity's redemption and the location of the anticipated Second Coming. For Muslims, it stands as their third-holiest city, an essential stop on the Prophet's night journey.

Your Journey Through Time Begins

This is the Jerusalem you'll discover in Jerusalem: a Journey Through Time, the brand new online course by Prof. Aren Maeir, a world renowned archaeologist whose previous course on edX.org were taken by hundreds and thousands of students from all over the world.

The course is fully presented in English, uses innovative teaching methods, and includes videos though which you, too, can visit ancient Jerusalem, even the parts that were never accessible to the wide public. 

Join us on this journey through time, from the bronze age and until the Muslim conquest, where every stone tells a story of destruction and rebirth, where every alley echoes with prayers, and where the human spirit's infinite capacity for renewal finds its most powerful expression. Come discover why Jerusalem is not just a city, but a testament to humanity's undying hope and the eternal cycle of rebirth.

For as Jerusalem has proven throughout its long and turbulent history - as long as there is faith, as long as there are dreams, as long as there are people who remember - the phoenix will always rise again.

Ready to learn? Resister today and expand your horizons. The course is absolutely free of charge!