"Ariel, David"s city, Zion, Mountain of God—Jerusalem. Why such exalted titles for one small dusty hilltop town? Because religious people herald Jerusalem as earth"s link to heaven. For centuries millions of Jews, Christians, and Muslims from every corner of the globe gathered in Jerusalem in the expectation of hearing the Word of God. They still do. This is a book about those ancient religious traditions which has made Jerusalem"s name sacred and immortal." So begins Thomas Idinopulos"s majestic history of the holiest city. Prophets, priests, and pilgrims, kings and conquerors—they fill the pages of a narrative as rich, intricate, and spectacular as a religious tapestry. Mr. Idinopulos"s story is one of suffering and distrust, of piety and blood, belief and battle–in short, the stake of the three great religions in this earthly kingdom over the centuries and to the perils of the present day. He explores the glory and the depths of a city besieged, defended, conquered, damaged or destroyed, and rebuilt forty times in thirty centuries, always in the name of God. Jerusalem in spite of her history continues to comfort the believers. Jerusalem Blessed, Jerusalem Cursed is history in the grand manner, a unique and engrossing saga. Illustrated with six maps and twenty-two photographs and drawings.