Past: Cities – Historical Legacy

Jerusalem has made an important contribution to humanity by being the holy place where monotheism was shaped to become the core of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Due to its unequaled span and variety of historical periods, Jerusalem is rich in its archeological and historical heritage. The projects that earned this year’s Dan David Prize, administered by the New Jerusalem Foundation, represent four historical periods, ranging from the ancient to the modern, and relating to the three religions for which Jerusalem is the Holy city. The projects reflect the city’s cultural, religious and ethnic diversity.

The 2004 Dan David Prize was given to the city’s authorities, to go toward the development of the following four projects:

• Project no. 1 – the ancient Israelite Kingdom of the first Temple era. The goal is to establish a new visitors’ complex, incorporating two important archeological sites, the Broad Wall and the Israelite Guard Tower, from the first Temple period, with an educational center featuring the ancient city’s model and an audio-visual presentation.
• Project no. 2 – the early Muslim era in the city, specifically the Umayyad period. The goal is to create a model of the Umayyad Palace complex uncovered by the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount.
• Project no. 3 – the Crusader period in Jerusalem and the Byzantine era. The goal is to beautify the currently run-down archeological site dating back to crusader times, when it served as a place for the sick.
• Project no. 4 – the establishment of the state of Israel, specifically the battle for Jerusalem during the 1948 War of Independence. The goal is to create a multi-faceted database on Jerusalem during Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. This will provide an important educational resource relating to a critical time in the city’s contemporary history.

Jerusalem, with the valuable support offered by the Dan David Prize, will continue its work for the past and the future by preserving its underlying diversity in terms of culture, religion and ethnicity.