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Jerusalem: The Making of a Holy City

Season 1
Acclaimed historian Simon Sebag Montefiore explores the rise and fall and rise again of Jerusalem, one of the world's oldest cities. In this compelling documentary, the history of this sacred and peerlessly beautiful place in Israel is revealed. He documents how this unique city came into being and explains why it became so important to the Jewish, Christian and Islamic religions.
20113 episodesX-Ray16+
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Episodes

  1. S1 E1 - Wellspring of Holiness
    December 7, 2011
    59min
    TV-14
    Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and important to Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. In this fascinating history documentary, Simon Sebag Montefiore delves into the past to explore how this unique city in Israel came into being. He goes on a journey to trace the rise of the city as a holy place and discusses the evidence for it becoming a Jewish city under King David.
    Free trial of BBC Select
  2. S1 E2 - Invasion, Invasion, Invasion
    December 14, 2011
    59min
    TV-14
    Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore discovers the impact of a new faith, Islam, on Jerusalem. In this intriguing history documentary, he explores Muhammad's relationship with Jerusalem, the construction of one of Islam's holiest shrines, the Dome of the Rock, and the crusaders' attempts to win it back for Christianity. He also brings to life lesser-known characters, whose impact still resonates.
    Free trial of BBC Select
  3. S1 E3 - Judgement Day
    December 21, 2011
    59min
    16+
    How did Jerusalem rise from a ruin after the crusades to be rebuilt as a world center of Islamic pilgrimage? In this engrossing history documentary, Simon Sebag Montefiore explains how Jerusalem became the object of rivalry between the Christian nations of Europe, the focus of longing for Jews from all over the world and, ultimately, the site of one of the world's most intractable conflicts.
    Free trial of BBC Select

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Subtitles
None available
Directors
Karen Selway
Studio
BBC
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