Beyond the Walls of Jerusalem
- My Old New Land
- Dec 23, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
The Birth of Modern Jerusalem
During the second part of the 19th century, Jerusalem started to expand, and new neighborhoods were built outside the old city after thousands of years during which the residents of Jerusalem lived between the old walls.
Christian people and wealthy Arabs were among the first to settle in new areas. On the other hand, Jewish leaders and philanthropists (like Montefiore) helped establish new Jewish neighborhoods.
Building New Neighborhoods Under Protection
The construction of new Jewish neighborhoods was accompanied by fears about residents' safety.
Robbers and gangs operating outside these neighborhoods threatened their safety. They had to lock the neighborhood gates every evening at sunset. The neighborhoods looked like fortresses, and heavy gates were placed at the entrances and locked every evening. The doors and windows of its buildings were facing an inner courtyard.
These newly formed neighborhoods strongly impacted the design of Jerusalem's constructions.
We recommend you check out our special map to visualize the location of these new places, which include Mishkenot Sha'ananim (the first Jewish settlement built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1860), Nahalat Shiva, or even Mea Shearim.
From Mishkenot Sha’ananim to a Growing New City
We can understand the impact of these newly built neighborhoods by looking at the split of Jewish inhabitants living in the Old City and the New City over the years.
In 1880: 19 000 (Old City) / 2000 (New City)
In 1900: 15 000 / 16 000
In 1910: 16 000 / 29 000
In 1931: 5 500 / 48 500
In 1948: 2000 / 98 000
Sources:
Wikipedia
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