1850 engraving of Western Wall,
built 10th century BC
Although it is one of the oldest cities in the world, Jerusalem was not particularly significant to the Jewish people until the time of David.
When the spies visited Canaan, it would have been just another city sitting on the Way of the Patriarchs. During the time of Joshua, the king of Jerusalem actually forged an alliance with four other kings against the Israelites. Alarmed by the great victories by Joshua’s forces, and angered by the treaty Gibeon had made, they attacked Gibeon and were then routed by the Israelites who came to their defense. All five kings were killed.
Genesis 14:18 mentions a city called Salem, which most scholars believe refers to Jerusalem, ruled by King Melchizedek. The root S-L-M in the name is thought to refer to either “peace,” as in the modern Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew.
Archeological evidence suggests that the first settlement was established near Gihon Spring around the 4th millennium BC. By the 17th century BC, the Canaanites had built massive walls (4 and 5 ton boulders, 26 feet high) on the eastern side of Jerusalem to protect their ancient water system.
The location of the ancient Canaanite city was chosen specifically for its natural protective qualities. The hill, on which early Jerusalem was built, has natural fortifications from three directions: The Kidron Valley formed the eastern boundary of the city of Jerusalem, and the Tyropoean Valley joins the Kidron Valley on the south and runs to the north between Mount Zion and Mount Moriah. The Hinnom Valley created a western and southern boundary for the city of Jerusalem.
Kidron Valley, 1912
These ravines are 200-400 feet deep and made it impossible for an enemy to attack from any of these directions. The only side that isn’t naturally protected is the north. This has been a problem that has accompanied ancient Jerusalem throughout its history, which has even been mentioned in biblical passages, such as the words of the prophet Jeremiah “…and from the north shall come the evil” (Jeremiah 1:14).
Beyond the valleys of Jerusalem were mountains round about. The most famous mountain was the Mount of Olives. Elevation in the region ranges from 2,000 feet to 3,300 feet above the Mediterranean Sea.
In a land as dry as Israel, the main consideration in determining the location of a city is its proximity to the nearest water source. The only permanent water source of ancient Jerusalem was the Gihon Spring. The spring flows out of the ground from the foot of the hill, in the bed of the Kidron brook. Since the city was built on the top of the hill and on its slopes, and the spring remained outside the city defenses, access to water at times of war was a problem.
During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. It wasn’t until King David established the city as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel and his son, King Solomon, commissioned the building of the First Temple that Jerusalem attained prominence, and eventually became the holiest city in Judaism.