This book seeks to provide a brief overview of the history and religious significance of the Holy City of Jerusalem as a background to understanding the current legal and political status of the city. Its rich history, its location as meeting-point between the three continents of Asia, Africa and Europe, and its spiritual wealth make Jerusalem — which literally means 'city of peace'— a unique microcosm for the interplay of the world's civilizations and religions. For Sophronius, the 7th century Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Old City was the "splendid sun of the world".