Why was Jerusalem such an important city in the crusades?

Answer 1

• it is where Jesus was crucified (as believed by Christians)
• It is where prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started his miraculous journey to the Heavens.

• for Muslims: AlQods (or Jerusalem) is important for Muslims for having there the third holiest Mosque (AlMasjid AlAqsa) and because prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reached there on the Israa&Mi3raj miracle and from where he ascended to the Heavens by God will during this miracle.

• For Christians: Jerusalem is important for having the most sacred Christian Cathedral (Resurrection church or Kainsat Alqiyamah) and for Jesus being raised up there.

  The Contributor RKaddoura has the following opinion:"Muslims Believe that Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Israel, and all the other prophets of the God are Muslims. Jerusalem is considered is the holy land, and Jerusalem is like the capital of the holy land. The holy land should belong to the believers. Muslims want to establish the word of the creator over that land and enforce the rules of the creator over that land. It has the place of all of the prophets,. Muslims believe that they are the carrier of the right message of the God. Muslims like to establish the word of the God on the face of the earth and in the holy land. Muslims want Jerusalem pure from infidels and disbelievers, and anti God people. Jerusalem has big significance to Muslims because Muslims like to preserve Jerusalem to the way the God loves it to be preserved. The Muslims highly honored all the prophets or the messengers of the God from Mohammed, Jesus, Solomon, David, Joseph, Israel, Moses, Abraham, and all of the other prophets. Another significance to the Muslims is that the Muslims like and love to honor the last prophet of the creator the messenger Mohammed(peace up on him) because he descended to heaven from Jerusalem from the Dome of the Rock."

Answer 2

Jerusalem was important to the christians because it was where Jesus was crucified.It was considered the holy land.

To muslims, Jerusalem is home to the Dome on the Rock, one of the most holy sites in Islamic history, where Mohammed supposedly ascended into the heavens after teaching the people about Islam.

Both the religions did not think the other deserved the 'holy land'.

Answer 3

By the time of the crusades, Jerusalem had been a capital of the Jewish nations for something like 25 centuries... a seat of history and tradition that you don't just shrug and walk away from.

It is worth noting that Jerusalem was not particularly important to Jews on account of the Crusades, but because of their much longer history with the city.

Answer 4

The Jews built their first temple in Jerusalem. Therefore, they consider the temple mount in Jerusalem to be a great importance. Christians also consider Jerusalem to be important, since this was made the capitol city of the nation God Chose, Israel. The city has special importanct ot Christians because it was central to Jesus' life and death. They are saved from sin because of his inocent death. More recently, those of Islamic belief have laid claim to the same spot, saying that it is where Muhammad began his journey into the heavens and back to Makkah.

Answer 5

Jewish answer (in 5 parts):1) Jerusalem is the center of Judaism. It is important to Jews because it was the site of the Akeidah (Binding of Isaac, in Genesis ch.22) and was later the seat of the Davidic Kings, when King David, Israel's greatest king, founded the dynasty that ruled Judah for much of its history, making Jerusalem the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel during his reign and that of his son, King Solomon. Most importantly, it was the location of the First and Second Temples, where offerings were made to God and where His presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies and was manifested in a number of miracles (Mishna, Avos ch.5).

Jerusalem is called the holy city by the prophets (Isaiah 52:1). It was where Jews would go three times a year to celebrate the holiest festivals (Deuteronomy ch.16). Even after the destruction of the Temple, the Temple Mount and adjacent Western ("Wailing") Wall, which still stands, is the holiest site in Judaism.

It is hoped and prophesied (Ezekiel ch.40-44) that one day a third temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and that the Messiah will come to it.

2) As a result of the historical connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem, it was seen as an intrinsically holy city and a place where God's presence rested. Jerusalem has become representative of the connection with the Divine. In addition, Jerusalem is seen as the source of Divine Law, as demonstrated in many Jewish prayers: "Ki miTziyon tetze Torah udvar Hashem maYerushalayim - From Zion comes the Torah and the Word of God from Jerusalem"; Isaiah 2:3. Jerusalem is also representative of the Redemption of the Jewish people from their physical and spiritual exile, because this exile causes the melancholy that the Jewish people experience by being apart from God's presence. The Redemption, which Jews believe will be brought by the Messiah, will result in the Jewish people returning to Jerusalem.

3) According to ancient Hebrew tradition, Jerusalem is the site where God took the very earth from which Adam, the first man, was formed. Read Genesis carefully; Adam was not created in the garden of Eden; he was TAKEN there. Jerusalem, because it is the first place on Earth where the spirit of God dwelt, is considered sacred, and a direct link to God.

4) Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion and Jerusalem has been its only holy site for 3000 years, ever since King Solomon built the first Jewish Temple there. The temple was destroyed by invading Babylonians and rebuilt at the same site (known as the Temple Mount) about 2500 years ago. It was then destroyed again when the Romans conquered Judea about 2000 yrs ago, killing a million Jews, expelling another million and enslaving the remaining million. All Jews who value their heritage feel ties to the holy land, where so many of their people struggled for the freedom to practice Judaism. At the same time, Jews believe that all people should be welcome there, regardless of faith.

5) Jerusalem is the eternal Jewish city, and a symbol of a future time of peace. Jerusalem is also the focal point of prayer of the Jews. When they pray, wherever they are, they face towards Jerusalem (Talmud, Berakhot 30a), with love and longing.

The sentiment is aptly expressed in Psalm 137:

"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat and wept as we remembered Zion...." It continues to say: "If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its wisdom."

For thousands of years we remembered our exile and prayed for its end. Now at least we can do so from "up close."

Answer 6

Because Jerusalem was the promised land.