Book review of Jerusalem-The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore delves deeply into the turbulent history of Jerusalem
Amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, a description of the past of the region must help us understand the faultlines in the Middle East at present.
This has a lot to do with the history of Jerusalem which is intractably linked with the current conflict in Gaza.
In that context a book that can provide an overarching insight into the history, geopolitics and cultural coupled with the religious history of Jerusalem has become the necessity of the hour.
In the light of such a necessity, here is a book review of writer Simon Sebag Montefiore’s brilliant book Jerusalem-The Biography.
A Contested City
In terms of its historical significance Jerusalem has always remained a contested city, facing repeated destruction and rebuilding.
The book is divided into several parts, starting from Judaism and ending with the Abraham Accords signed in 2020.
The first four parts of the book delves into the history of Judaism, Paganism, Islam and Christianity.
It delves into the history of Judaism, the origin of the Jewish people and how Jerusalem came to change hands from one ruler to another.
A prominent theme of the book is the religious Intolerance shown by the Romans, Jews, Assyrians and others.
Some notable emperors who committed atrocities were Nebuchadnezzar, Titus, Herod the Great, Aelius Hadrian(the man who created Palestina or Philistines, an ancient community of people who were the staunchest enemy of the Jews).
A good portion of the book focused on the caliphate period and the immense atrocities they committed right from the time of Abu Bakr to Harun Al Rashid.
The author mentions the siege of Constaninople of 1453 by Mehmed II of Ottoman Empire in some detail, it was the moment when the crescent conquered the cross.
It also delves into the significance the city of Jerusalem had during the crusades, starting from the first crusade of 1187 until the last one in the mid 14th century.
In the subsequent sections the book dealt with the Ottoman Empire right up to the First World War.
The British
A key part of the book is the role the Brits played in managing the Israel-Arab affairs. The British gained Palestine in 1918 as a protectorate from the Treaty of Versailles following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.
This section of the book traverses from the Balfour Declaration of 1917 to the British handing over Palestine to the United Nations who bifurcated it into two halves.
In conclusion, it can be said that the book is a piece of brilliant scholarship that has delved into the complex and often merciless history of a city that is considered to exist both on heaven and earth.