The History of Jerusalem: The Most Contested City on Earth

The History of Jerusalem: The Most Contested City on Earth podcast cover
Fexingo History · Middle East

The History of Jerusalem: The Most Contested City on Earth

Jerusalem is not merely a city — it is a synecdoche for civilization's deepest conflicts and aspirations. Lucas and Luna guide listeners through 4,000 years of history, from the Jebusite stronghold conquered by King David in the 10th century BCE to the 1967 Six-Day War and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian struggle. They explore the city under David and Solomon, the Babylonian destruction in 586 BCE, the Roman-era Second Temple built by Herod the Great, and the seismic shift to Christian and later Islamic rule after the Arab conquest of 638 CE. The Crusades — both the 1099 massacre and Saladin's 1187 recapture — are examined, as are the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, including Suleiman the Magnificent's sixteenth-century walls. The British Mandate, the 1948 partition, and Jordanian control of East Jerusalem are covered, alongside the city's sacred geography: the Temple Mount / Haram al-Sharif, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Western Wall. Debates over historicity — such as the existence of the United Monarchy or the dating of the Siloam Tunnel — are treated with nuance. The show considers Jerusalem's role in messianic theology, the rise of political Zionism, and the Oslo Accords. This is a story of faith, empire, and survival — a city that refuses to let go of its past.

#JerusalemHistory#AncientIsrael#KingDavid#SecondTemple#RomanEmpire#Byzantine#IslamicCaliphate#Crusades#Saladin#OttomanEmpire#BritishMandate#SixDayWar#IsraeliPalestinian#TempleMount#HolySepulchre#History#WorldHistory#FexingoHistory

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Episodes

100 episodes

Jerusalem 1244: The Khwarezmian Sack That Ended Ayyubid Rule

Jun 16, 2026 · 6:28
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Jerusalem 1839: Moses Montefiore and the Cotton Plantation That Almost Was

Jun 16, 2026 · 6:46
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Jerusalem 1852: The Status Quo that Freezes Holy Sites

Jun 15, 2026 · 7:28
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Jerusalem 1873: The Baroness Burdett-Coutts and the Water Crisis

Jun 15, 2026 · 5:33
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Jerusalem 1881: The Russian Pogroms That Sparked a New Aliyah

Jun 14, 2026 · 8:48
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Jerusalem 1099: The First Crusade Siege and the Massacre

Jun 14, 2026 · 6:28
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Jerusalem 1882: The First Aliyah and the City's New Jewish Quarter

Jun 13, 2026 · 7:20
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Jerusalem 1095: Pope Urban II and the Call That Changed Everything

Jun 13, 2026 · 7:16
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Jerusalem 614 CE: The Persian Conquest and the True Cross

Jun 12, 2026 · 7:47
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Jerusalem 70 CE: The Roman Destruction That Reshaped History

Jun 12, 2026 · 9:45
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Ep 90: The Dome of the Rock – Symbol, Sanctuary, Statement

Jun 11, 2026 · 8:24
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Jerusalem 638 CE: The Caliph Umar and the Pact of Umar

Jun 11, 2026 · 8:12
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Jerusalem 1187: Saladin's Siege and the Fall of the Crusader Kingdom

Jun 10, 2026 · 7:49
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Jerusalem 1860: The First Neighborhood Outside the Walls

Jun 10, 2026 · 9:04
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Jerusalem 701 BCE: Sennacherib's Siege and the Miraculous Deliverance

Jun 9, 2026 · 6:35
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Jerusalem 1967: The Unification and Its Aftermath

Jun 9, 2026 · 9:01
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Jerusalem 1936: The Great Revolt That Redrew the City

Jun 8, 2026 · 9:21
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Jerusalem 1920: The Nebi Musa Riot and the Birth of Arab Nationalism

Jun 8, 2026 · 6:13
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Jerusalem 1917: Allenby's Entry and the End of Ottoman Rule

Jun 7, 2026 · 9:16
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Jerusalem 1517: The Ottoman Conquest That Changed Everything

Jun 7, 2026 · 9:26
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Jerusalem 1898: Kaiser Wilhelm's Visit and the Birth of Political Zionism

Jun 6, 2026 · 7:37
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Jerusalem 1980: The Basic Law and a City's Status

Jun 6, 2026 · 7:08
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Jerusalem 1838: The Khedivate and Egypt's Bid for the Holy City

Jun 5, 2026 · 6:28
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Jerusalem 1929: The Western Wall Riot That Shook British Palestine

Jun 5, 2026 · 7:33
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Jerusalem 1925: The Hebrew University and a City of Learning

Jun 4, 2026 · 8:52
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Jerusalem 1853: The Crimean War's Holy Spark

Jun 4, 2026 · 8:20
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Jerusalem 1099: The Crusader Conquest and the City's Bloodiest Day

Jun 3, 2026 · 6:07
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Jerusalem 1229: Frederick II's Bloodless Crusade

Jun 3, 2026 · 6:17
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Jerusalem 1839: Moses Montefiore and the First Jewish Quarter Outside the Walls

Jun 2, 2026 · 7:31
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Jerusalem 1873: The Rockefeller Museum and the Birth of Archaeology

Jun 2, 2026 · 10:05
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Jerusalem 1536: Suleiman the Magnificent Rebuilds the Walls

Jun 1, 2026 · 9:56
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Jerusalem 1882: The First Aliyah and a New City

Jun 1, 2026 · 6:30
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The Night Jerusalem's Golden Gate Was Sealed

May 31, 2026 · 7:57
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The Night Jerusalem's Golden Gate Was Sealed

May 31, 2026 · 5:04
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The Armenian Quarter's Last Stand in 1948 Jerusalem

May 30, 2026 · 6:41
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The Night the Dome of the Rock Was Desecrated by Crusaders

May 30, 2026 · 11:35
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The Night the Dome of the Rock Was Desecrated by Crusaders

May 29, 2026 · 9:41
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Jerusalem 614 CE: The Persian Conquest and the True Cross

May 29, 2026 · 7:27
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1244: The Khwarezmian Sack and the Kingdom's Deathblow

May 28, 2026 · 7:20
0:000:00

Jerusalem 701 BCE: Sennacherib's Siege and the City That Survived

May 28, 2026 · 8:40
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Jerusalem 638 CE: The Peaceful Surrender to Caliph Umar

May 27, 2026 · 7:32
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Jerusalem 1187: Saladin's Siege and the Fall of the Crusader Kingdom

May 27, 2026 · 10:12
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1917: The British Conquest That Redrew the Holy City

May 26, 2026 · 10:06
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The Night Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter Burned: World War I's Forgotten Siege

May 26, 2026 · 9:50
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1517: The Ottoman Conquest That Changed Everything

May 25, 2026 · 8:24
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The 1929 Massacre That Changed Jerusalem Forever

May 25, 2026 · 8:36
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The Dome of the Chain: Jerusalem's Forgotten Islamic Monument

May 24, 2026 · 6:32
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Jerusalem 1099: The Crusader Conquest in Context

May 24, 2026 · 6:28
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Jerusalem's Water Wars: Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring

May 23, 2026 · 8:20
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1967: The Six-Day War and a City Reunited

May 23, 2026 · 8:31
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Jerusalem's Lost Temple: The City of David Excavations

May 20, 2026 · 6:10
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Jerusalem 1938: The Mufti's Escape and the Arab Revolt's Last Stand

May 20, 2026 · 6:40
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Jerusalem 70 CE: The Roman Destruction of the Second Temple

May 19, 2026 · 7:29
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The 1929 Western Wall Crisis: A City on the Brink

May 19, 2026 · 5:27
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The Night Jerusalem Fell to the Khwarezmian Horsemen

May 18, 2026 · 8:11
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The Night Jerusalem's Walls Were Built by Suleiman

May 18, 2026 · 5:34
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The 1948 Battle for Jerusalem: A City Divided

May 17, 2026 · 5:34
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Jerusalem 1834: The Peasant Revolt That Shook Ottoman Rule

May 17, 2026 · 5:11
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The Night Jerusalem's Jews Were Expelled by the Byzantines

May 16, 2026 · 7:08
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The Night Jerusalem's Ottoman Walls Rose Again

May 15, 2026 · 5:15
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Jerusalem 1834: The Revolt That Shook Ottoman Rule

May 13, 2026 · 8:38
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Jerusalem 637: The Peaceful Surrender to Caliph Umar

May 12, 2026 · 9:17
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1187: Saladin's Conquest Without Bloodshed

May 12, 2026 · 5:08
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The Night Jerusalem Burned: 1099 Crusader Siege

May 11, 2026 · 6:38
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The 1929 Western Wall Crisis and Its Aftermath

May 11, 2026 · 4:54
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The Siege That Erased Jerusalem's Christian Kingdom

May 10, 2026 · 6:18
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The Armenian Quarter: Jerusalem's Oldest Neighbors

May 10, 2026 · 7:42
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Jerusalem 1099: The Crusader Bloodbath

May 9, 2026 · 7:48
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The 1917 Battle for Jerusalem: Allenby's Christmas Gift

May 9, 2026 · 6:57
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The Night the Dome of the Rock Lost Its Gold

May 8, 2026 · 7:02
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The Copper Scroll's Second Mystery: Jerusalem Treasures

May 8, 2026 · 9:07
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The Dome of the Rock: Umayyad Art and Faith in Jerusalem

May 7, 2026 · 4:57
0:000:00

Jerusalem 1840: The Ottoman Restoration That Saved the Dome of the Rock

May 7, 2026 · 6:54
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Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock: Art, Power & Umayyad Legacy

May 6, 2026 · 4:59
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The Night Jerusalem's Water Came From Pools and Aqueducts

May 6, 2026 · 6:23
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The Dome of the Chain: Jerusalem's Oddest Little Building

May 5, 2026 · 6:14
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Jerusalem 1244: The Khwarezmian Sack That Ended Ayyubid Rule

May 5, 2026 · 4:47
0:000:00

The 1834 Peasant Revolt That Shook Jerusalem

May 4, 2026 · 6:36
0:000:00

The Night Sultan Abdul Hamid Defied the Zionists

May 4, 2026 · 6:09
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The Jerusalem Bishops: Christianity's Earliest Leaders

May 3, 2026 · 6:10
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The Mysterious Copper Scroll: Ancient Treasure Map from Qumran

May 3, 2026 · 8:03
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The Mamluk Dome of the Rock Restoration: 1545

May 2, 2026 · 6:16
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Jerusalem's Temple Mount and the 1990 Riots

May 2, 2026 · 3:47
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The Mysterious Copper Scroll: Ancient Treasure Map from Qumran

May 1, 2026 · 7:11
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The City of David: Jerusalem's Original Neighborhood

May 1, 2026 · 4:04
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Saladin's Conquest of Jerusalem in 1187

Apr 30, 2026 · 8:16
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Byzantines and Persians: Jerusalem Before Islam

Apr 30, 2026 · 6:56
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The Mysterious Missing Tomb of Herod the Great

Apr 29, 2026 · 7:44
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The 1929 Palestine Riots and Jerusalem's Bloody Summer

Apr 29, 2026 · 6:19
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The Jewish Quarter's Rebirth After 1967

Apr 28, 2026 · 5:58
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The Armenian Quarter: Jerusalem's Ancient Survivors

Apr 28, 2026 · 6:34
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The Woman Who Built Jerusalem: Helena Augusta's Forgotten Legacy

Apr 27, 2026 · 7:15
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Suleiman the Magnificent Rebuilds Jerusalem's Walls

Apr 27, 2026 · 5:51
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The Ottoman Conquest of Jerusalem in 1516

Apr 26, 2026 · 8:12
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Jerusalem's Melting Pot: The Mamluk Era

Apr 26, 2026 · 7:32
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The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: A Century of Frankish Rule

Apr 25, 2026 · 7:55
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Jerusalem's Water Secrets: Hezekiah's Tunnel and the Gihon Spring

Apr 25, 2026 · 7:43
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The Dome of the Rock: A Caliph's Masterpiece and Jerusalem's Flashpoint

Apr 24, 2026 · 7:16
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The Siege That Shaped Jerusalem: 70 CE

Apr 24, 2026 · 9:35
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Jerusalem: Three Faiths at the Crossroads of History

Apr 23, 2026 · 7:14
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