Jerusalem

The Biography

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by: John Lee

Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today’s clash of civilizations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence.

How did this small, remote town become the Holy City, the “center of the world” and now the key to peace in the Middle East? In a gripping narrative, Simon Sebag Montefiore reveals this ever-changing city in its many incarnations, bringing every epoch and character blazingly to life. Jerusalem’s biography is told through the wars, love affairs and revelations of the men and women—kings, empresses, prophets, poets, saints, conquerors and whores—who created, destroyed, chronicled and believed in Jerusalem. As well as the many ordinary Jerusalemites who have left their mark on the city, its cast varies from Solomon, Saladin and Suleiman the Magnificent to Cleopatra, Caligula and Churchill; from Abraham to Jesus and Muhammad; from the ancient world of Jezebel, Nebuchadnezzar, Herod and Nero to the modern times of the Kaiser, Disraeli, Mark Twain, Lincoln, Rasputin, Lawrence of Arabia and Moshe Dayan.

Drawing on new archives, current scholarship, his own family papers and a lifetime’s study, Montefiore illuminates the essence of sanctity and mysticism, identity and empire in a unique chronicle of the city that many believe will be the setting for the Apocalypse. This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem, and the only city that exists twice—in heaven and on earth.

Includes a bonus PDF of the family trees of the kings, high priests, rulers, caliphs, and dynasties of Jerusalem

The Eternal City

Three thousand years of History compressed into one volume, in 2011 I visited Jerusalem Israel and Palestine. When I got home a friend of mine asked me “How did you find the Holy-Land? My answer “It’s Not Holy” Simon Sebag Montefiore story is just that of a very very troubled city.

Jerusalem

This is a most thorough and engaging history book! Loved it and will read it again!

Supplementary documents

It was very nice book full of facts and details. Hearing the audible gave a broad picture. I will certainly re-read the book. It would have been very beneficial if supplementary document contained more facts categorized by chapters

Excellent

The best view of Jerusalem ever. This fact-based scientific work has strengthen my faith.

Incredible!

An astoundingly good book. Thoughtful, educational, beautiful, fun and just overwhelmingly great. It is the best kind of history textbook. I may have enjoyed reading this more than any other book I have ever read.