The expression The Holy Land (Hebrew ארץ הקודש: Standard Hebrew Éreẓ haQodeš, Tiberian Hebrew ʾÉreṣ haqQāḏēš; Latin Terra Sancta; Arabic الأرض المقدسة, al-Arḍ ul-Muqaddasah) generally refers to the Land of Israel, otherwise known as the region of Palestine (sometimes including parts of Jordan, Syria and Egypt). It concerns the areas that hold significant religious importance to any or all three monotheistic Abrahamic traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

The Crusades were started on the pretext of recovering the Holy Land. More recently, the region is at the center of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Judaism

For over 3,000 years, Jews have held the Land of Israel to be their homeland, both as a Holy Land and as a Promised Land. The Land of Israel

Under foreign conquests, Jewish presence in the province dwindled due to mass expulsions. In particular, the failure of the Bar Kochba Revolt against the Roman Empire resulted in widescale expulsion of Jews. During this time that the Romans gave the name Syria Palaestina to the geographic area, in an attempt to erase Jewish ties to the land. The Mishnah and Jerusalem Talmud, two of Judaism's most important religious texts, were composed in the region during this period.

Judaism's holiest cities are Jerusalem, Hebron, Tzfat and Tiberias. Jerusalem is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible over 700 times.

See also: Religious significance of Jerusalem in Judaism, Holy cities in Judaism, Zion.

Christianity

The Holy

Holy cities for Christians of all denominations:

• Jerusalem is believed to be the site of some of Jesus's teaching, the Last Supper and entombment; Christians believe he was executed on a nearby hill, Golgotha. It contains the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of All Nations; .
• Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus
• Nazareth is Jesus's hometown and the site of many of his acts and miracles

Islam

The term "Holy Land" is used in the Qur'an:

And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: "O my people! Remember Allah's favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures. O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers." (Al-Ma'ida 20-21, Pickthall translation)

It is described in early Islamic tradition by az-Zujaj as "Damascus, Palestine, and a bit of Jordan", and by Qatada as "the Levant (ash-Sham)" and by Maad ibn Jabal as "the area between al-Arish and the Euphrates", and by Ibn Abbas as "the land of Jericho".

It is also sometimes used by Muslims (although not in the Qur'an) in reference to the Hijaz, land of the holy cities Mecca and Medina.

The specific term "al-Quds", "the Holy", is the Arabic name of Jerusalem. The "Holy Valley" (الوادي المقدس) refers in the Qur'an to the valley of Tuwa where Moses is believed to have receive a revelation from God ordering him to go to Pharaoh and warn him to repent (Ta-Ha 12, An-Naziat 16.)

See also

• History of Palestine
• History of Israel

References

• Hanan Isachar, Ceremonies in the Holy Land, Melzer 2005

Heiliges Land Άγιοι Τόποι Sankta Lando Terre Sainte ארץ הקודש Ziemia Święta Sveta dežela Kutsal Topraklar