Jerusalem: a city that is venerated and desired, a rock of scandal , a contradiction. Three major religions consider it a Holy City, and this fact has sparked a dispute lasting millennia and deep hatred. Today, in the same city, religion is often reduced to novelty gifts for tourists, and the mark of God is lost among the footfalls of indifferent crowds. The city is a destination for the world's Jews, as well as for Christian and Muslim pilgrims; everyone visits and spends time among the priests, the shops, the devout, and the bazaars. Franco Cardini knows the city well and leads the reader on a journey that guides both the one-day visitor and those who come to stay an entire lifetime. He untangles the threads of history as he travels across time and space: Christ's path toward Golgotha, the Jaffa Gate, the Holy Sepulchre, the Josafat Valley, the Mount of Olives, the Wailing Wall, as well as today's discos. The author depicts events and images drawn from the past and the present, arranging them so as to better depict the soul of this mysterious city.

Franco Cardini teaches Medieval History at the Italian Institute of Human Sciences, is Directeur d'tudes at the cole d'Hautes tudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, and is a fellow at Harvard University.