Publisher's Synopsis
In this delightfully illustrated story, Elad the Dove takes the reader through the 3,000-year history of Ir David, the City of David. From the days of the Patriarchs to Temple times to the modern era, Elad guides the young and the young at heart through the sites which lie at the crossroads of world events. It is a journey you will never forget. Three thousand years ago, a young king entered the gates of a small Canaanite city in the center of the hill-country of the Land of Israel and changed the face of history forever. The capture of Jebus, also known as Jerusalem, by David and his making it into his capital were the first steps towards the founding of the first Jewish kingdom. In Jerusalem, the tribes of Israel became a nation; between its walls, the palaces of the Davidic dynasty were built in the fullness of their glory; and in its midst, the first permanent residence for the God of Israel was constructed. These events left their mark on the Jewish people throughout all subsequent generations.However, as the centuries passed, the historical location of Ir David, the City of David, became concealed by the fog of memory. Its alleyways and stones were buried under the dust of ages, and the places where the prophets spoke fell silent. The walls which had witnessed epic events reeled, on the verge of collapse.The city slipped into silence, but as life continued on the neighboring hilltops, its name and its memory were preserved in whispers.The echoes of "King's Temple, Regal City" lived in the consciousness of many generations, a subject of prayer and poetry, the site to which eyes were raised, a symbol of yearning amidst the exiles. Its historical, national and theological significance for the Jewish people were transmitted to the other monotheistic faiths which sprang up in Judaism's wake.Only as the 19th century drew to a close and the 20th century dawned was the City of David uncovered once again, as it cast off the dust which the winds of time had cloaked it in. One delegation after another of archeologists poured their blood, sweat and tears into the site, unearthing the glories of the past, the echoes of bygone times. The face of the ancient city began to be revealed to our astonished eyes: houses more than five thousand years old, a murky water tunnel from the Canaanite era, a towering Jebusite stone structure, sturdy walls and battlements from the days of the Judean kings, bullae from officers mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah, a pool from the Second Temple era, Byzantine golden treasures, a residential neighborhood from the Umayyad period and homes of the nobility and of the common folk.