Before Jerusalem could become sacred space for the three major religions in the world, it had to be founded and constructed. Stories in the bible, such as the tower of babel and beth-el—house of god help to establish the city as the center of the religious world. It is said that the plans for the temple were of ‘divine origin.’ That the Lord himself directed how it should look. As all great legends, Jerusalem began to attract other important stories very early into its history. From Genesis: the Garden of Eden mentions the river Gihon, which is in Jerusalem, therefore Eden is equated with the Holy City. Mount Moriah is also said to be a part of Jerusalem. Legends and stories act as positive feedback on this ancient city. As more important religious facts, dates and places get related to Jerusalem its reputation gets larger, which only attracts more facts, dates, places and stories.
Two extremely sacred places in Jerusalem are the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Dome of the Rock was first completed in 691 CE. This was the 72nd year of the Muslim Era. When Crusaders took over the city in 1099CE they also took control of the Dome of the Rock. The Muslims take it back by the year 1187. The Tomb of Adam is said to be buried under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Holy Sepulcher is made up of many churches and chapels built on top of each other. It is complex and there isn’t much room inside the actual building. The complexities of this church reflect the complexities of the city itself.
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