I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book for free. I found this a thoroughly engrossing read I couldn't put down.

Jerusalem: cradle of three most influential world religions, a place that has no equivalent in catalytic power of religions, beliefs, lifestyles, history, and politics.
Interestingly, all 3 religions are claiming the "City" and sacral parts of it and the book makes a successful attempt to bring up the history of each religion, its references and importance of certain parts of the city, and their connections with the development of religions and separate influential individuals. It is a cumulative history of the city, the idea, legend, and influence on people's lives.
Definitely a great read for anyone interested in esoteric history, the history of religion, cultures, history of the middle ages.

This book was given to me as an ARC by Alan J. Potter, publisher Pen & Sword and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review for which I am thankful.

Since the oldest of times, the city of Jerusalem stands with its’ rich history and religious and cultural importance as one of the most significant cities to have ever existed in human history, and this book provides a pretty solid insight into its’ beginnings up until the early medieval age.
Starting from the ancient tribes in the region, David and the first settlement, this oldest part of the history of Jerusalem relies heavily on the Old Testament as its’ main source, due to a severe lack of other ones, and this can also be felt while reading the first couple of dozens of pages.
As a reader, as I progressed through the book, the more I saw that the authors’ writing is solid, good for a common reader, and quite informative, despite being a bit on the short side overall.
Also, the more the timeline progressed, and this is especially true after the conquest of the Palestine region by Alexander The Great, there were more sources available, and the author used primary and secondary credible sources to a good extent.
However, all the necessary illustrations were put at the very end of the book instead of being within the pages of the main text. This is a small issue, but the book could have been even better if the reader needed less time to find the right illustration that was referred to in the text. And those illustrations are important in order to get a good picture of the city in a particular period instead of relying solely on the text.
Not only that, but occasionally, in between two chapters, the narrative would jump back and forth in time a bit, which caused smaller confusions, which could be a bit of an issue if read by a person who knows absolutely nothing of the period.
So, as the book ends with the Muslim conquest of the city in the early 7th century, one can reasonably expect there to be a second book as a continuation into the medieval period and later, and this is what I would gladly read about, if it ever happens.

No other city compares with ancient, historic, exotic, fascinating and mysterious Jerusalem and her Temple on the Mount, repeatedly attacked, destroyed and rebuilt. Jerusalem survived plagues and severe droughts, good kings and bad, and is much venerated to this day.

In about 1,000 BC, King David secured Jerusalem with a likely population of about 2,000. Migrants had began moving inland from the coast and a mix of cultures and traditions necessitated a ruler. King David planned the unparalleled temple but it was built under his son, Solomon. Jerusalem was strategically situated with solid steep protection on three sides and near the Gihon Spring and became the Jewish capital.

This book highlights the history of Jerusalem in great detail and thoroughness. We learn about Israel and Judah and Assyrian threat and how Hezekiah returned Jerusalem to Jewish tradition and destroyed pagan idols and sites. One of the most crucial construction undertakings was tunneling through rock from Gihon Spring to Siloam Pool and enclosed the area with another wall.

We learn details about Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians' massive destruction and Nehemiah's rebuilding. Then came the Ptolemies, Seleucids, Romans, Herod the Great and emperors and the looting of 70 AD and later the Muslims.

Whew! So much detail. The maps and illustrations really help. At times the details become difficult to focus on but simultaneously very interesting.

Those interested in the history of Jerusalem and Israel will appreciate this.
I surely did.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this enthralling book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.