The
Ottoman Empire established one of the most advanced administrations of its
time. Under these Turkish rulers, Jerusalem experiences a fourhundred-year
long period of relative calm when fighting was mostly due to the jealousies
between members of the many religious communities dwelling within its beautiful
and powerful protective walls.
More on medieval al-Quds under the Ottomans ...
Playing to messianic expectations rampant among 16th-century Jews, Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent invites Jewish refugees from the Spanish expulsion to settle in his realm. Jerusalem, already an established center of mystics, becomes a magnet for pious Jewish settlers who flock here in greater numbers for the first time since antiquity. The influx of these and other groups (Circessians, Armenians, etc.) and natural growth over the next centuries leads to overcrowding and unsanitary conditions. Beginning in the mid-19th century and sponsored by Western powers vying for influence, ground is broken for the growth of the city beyond its walls.
More on 19th-century al-Quds ...