We don’t just interpret and comprehend the organization of settlements or cities plans, that are in a relation by just analysing the structures that they made; but also the written sources, archeological pieces and some recorded things have a noteworthy importance on the ancient architecture.
The architecture, the structures gives us a significant clue about the cities. However, because of the climate conditions, devastations for some reasons or just leaving the region before building permanent constructions cause obscurity on the cultures even if it is important. For instance Phoenicians. On the other hand when we consider Jerusalem as the center of the sacred, that was the powerful city in history because of the sacred intentions of Jews, Muslims and Christians -they attributed different meanings- ,even it lost some artifacts or faced with destructions.
The city of the Jews and Many Others
The first inhabitants were the Canaanites in Jerusalem that were not much permanent. It had been governed by various people. On the other hand it hold on to the hills. (1800 BCE)
At the end of the 3rd millennium BCE, seminomadic people started to leave the Ur and migrated to the west Mediterranean. During the 16th century BCE, even the Egypt was invasioned by the Jews, by means of the strong documentation, the questions about the state removed. We can follow the improvements on the state. Then, Jews left the Egypt and resettled in between Egypt and Mesopotamia.(1200 BCE) Then the Philistine attacked there but the leader(David)didn’t touch the villages that had already existed. So, I may say that, generally there was a resettling process situation via some occupations. Besides, the city of David, merged with the oval-shaped hill.
In early Jerusalem there was also social differentiations like elites and the others. Therefore there was also a difference in living. For instance elites lived within the walls but the others like living at the border. Furthermore, because of the seminomadic situation, the usage of brick and stone for the building disappeared. Apart from that, fort he politic circumstances, they needed some palace to show permanency, also home for their God.
Against Architecture: The Rise and Fall of the Temple
-The questionable thing according to Jewish people was, building a temple near to the palace.
For the ceremonies, Jewish people came together at outdoor or on a hill. Besides, the moveable sanctuary “Ark of the Covenant” that was honored for the prophet. In later, the idea of, because of the intangible side of the religion, the architectural materials that was used for it, was not a desired thing, came up.
David’s son built a temple that called as “First Temple” while they disconnected the passing between the tribes and Ark of the Covenant that were placed in a sanctuary. The temple included hypostyle halls, residential courts and etc. The walls were enclosed the temple similar with Mesopotamian and Egyptian temples. It was hard to pass to the interior. It was similar with megarons’ of the Mycenaean, narrow, oblong and elevated to a high platform. The important thing was, the temple was just the implication of the deity not a sculpture of it.
After the David’s son lost the authority, Jewish state divided into two-part. (Jerusalem- Judah). The First Temple was demolished by Babylonians and Jewish people distributed.
Prophet Jeremiah who saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, thought as, God can be also honoured without the gigantic structures. However, the second temple( Herod’s Temple) that was built with forming the hill.
Being a city that can be living, required some power, authority in terms of the political, religious, architecture and differences that were carried within a theory; while considering these we can say that Jerusalem was became more than just being a city in history.
Ayça Sarıbay 