History of Jerusalem Trivia Quiz

Answer: Herod's Temple

The First Temple, also known as Solomon's Temple, was built between the 10th century BCE and 587 BCE. It was destroyed during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar II. The Second Temple was then built under the rule of Zerubbabel but was later refurbished and expanded upon by Herod starting in 10 BCE.

In 70 CE, Roman troops under Titus sieged Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple, replacing it with a pagan Roman temple. The Second Temple period is considered a very important time period in Jewish history.

Answer: Thutmose III

Called the Napoleon of Ancient Egypt, Thutmose III's campaigns captured much of the Middle East. He reigned for over fifty years, while his father is believed to have had only about a thirteen-year reign.

Thutmose III ran at least seventeen military campaigns during his rule, with the lands of his empire running from Syria to Upper Nubia.

Answer: European crusaders

The Siege of Jerusalem in 1099 was initiated by a group of European crusaders during the First Crusade. Most of the powers involved would have been located in what is now present-day France. The soldiers of the First Crusade were able to defeat those of the Fatimid Caliphate, and the caliphate's defeat led to the new Kingdom of Jerusalem, a Christian kingdom in the Levant that lasted over 200 years.

The image is a painting by French artist Émile Signol titled "Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15th July 1099." It was painted in 1847.

Answer: Hadrian

Hadrian's motives for rebuilding the city were purely in the interest of the Roman Empire, as his treatment of the Jews in Jerusalem was not particularly generous. He built a temple to Jupiter on the site of the former temple destroyed by Titus. Angered by this, the Jews under Simon bar Kokhba led a revolt against the Romans.

While the rebels inflicted many casualties on the Roman troops, the Jewish population in Judea was decimated, the Jewish religion was suppressed, and Jews were banned from Jerusalem under Hadrian's rule.

Answer: Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock was built, like many religious buildings before and after, in the Old City of Jerusalem. This area had previously been the site of Solomon's Temple and the Roman temple to Jupiter that had been built on the ruins of the former. The building is the oldest surviving example of Islamic architecture.

Answer: Constantine

Constantine actually sent his mother to Jerusalem to find Christ's tomb, and with the help of a group of bishops, the True Cross was believed to have been found, leading the Romans to believe they had found Mount Calvary. The church is believed to house two important Christian sites, the place where Jesus was crucified and the site of his empty tomb.

Answer: Saladin

Saladin, full name Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi, took control of the Muslim efforts against the Crusaders in the Third Crusade. Relatively speaking, the siege ended rather peacefully, with the forces of Saladin accepting a negotiated surrender with the leaders of the city offering to buy safe passage for many of its inhabitants. Saladin was said to have permitted the worship of all religions during his control of the city.

The other three sultans were all leaders of the Ottoman Empire, which often had control of the city.

Answer: United Kingdom

The German Empire and the Ottoman Empire were both part of the Central Powers during WWI, with the Russians, French, and British all belonging to the Allied Powers. Ottoman control of Jerusalem and the Greater Syria area had been dominant for centuries.

However, that control was upended with the victories of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force of the United Kingdom. The Jewish Legion was a volunteer force from the U.K. that helped with the invasion. The leader of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was General Sir Edmund Allenby, who entered the city on foot, as he believed the holy city should be shown respect.

This began the British Mandate period, which included an influx of Jewish immigration, causing increased unrest amongst the Arab denizens who were currently living in the city.

Answer: King Abdullah I

An ally of the West during WWII, Abdullah had ruled the British protectorate known as Transjordan, which later became independent. Abdullah then became the king of this new, independent Jordan.

In order to expand his influence and his kingdom, and in the process take control of swathes of Palestine as well as the city of Jerusalem itself, he balanced himself on a knife's edge between the West and Israel on one side and the Arab leaders on the other. In the end, the distrust was too much, as a Palestinian gunman assassinated the Jordanian leader while he was visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Answer: Tel Aviv

In 2018, the United States under President Donald Trump moved the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv, where the vast majority of nations house their embassies, to Jerusalem. The move came in coordination with the U.S. declaring its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, a break with decades of long-standing U.S. policy. The move was controversial for many reasons.