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A:Jerusalem is believed to be named after the Canaanite god Shalem.

The word Jerusalem was originally given as 'Urushalim' or 'Urushalem' and is a word of Canaanite derivation. The prefix uru means 'founded by', and the suffix salem or Shalem was the Canaanite god of dusk. The name Urushalim is first found on Egyptian statues from around 2500 BCE. This evidence is reinforced by tablets found in Elba, Syria, dating back to 3000 BCE, on which the god Shalem being venerated in a city called 'Uruksalem' is mentioned.

Jerusalem more recently is often assumed to mean founded in peace, or 'city of peace' (Hebrew: 'ir shalom), but there is no evidence for this interpretation.

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14y ago

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