Jerusalem

When the Jebusites built Jerusalem around 2000 BC, it seems improbable that they ever envisioned the impact this city would have on the history and destiny of the human race. Against its historic background, with ancient ramparts alongside souvenir boutiques, people of many races and ethnic origins all try to buy a few drops of water from the Jordan or an olive branch as a precious souvenir of this holy city.

Bells toll from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, while muezzins call for prayer in the Mosque of Omar and the Jewish faithful cry out at the Wailing Wall, in a blend of religious expression found nowhere else in the world.

Christopher Norris is professor of English at the University of Wales at Cardiff. He is the author of many books including The Deconstructive Turn and Spinoza and the Origins of Modern Critical Theory.