Maps of Jerusalem

Jerusalem, the holy city of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, has been the focus of numerous volumes of history, chronicles, biblical exegeses, and itineraries. Many of these works include maps and views of the city itself. These pictorial items increased in number continuously with the development of printing methods since the 17th century. Before the advent of print, maps of Jerusalem and other manuscripts of the city were often inscribed on vellum, or more rarely created as wall or floor mosaics. Since the first printed map of Jerusalem appeared in the late 15th century until the beginning of the nineteenth century, when maps began to be based on accurate surveys, more than 300 maps of Jerusalem were designed and printed.

Until the early 19th century, maps of Jerusalem tended to be artistic drawings of landscapes, without measurements, scale or accurate perspective. Scenes and locations from different historical periods were depicted side by side, combining the representation of real locations with the biblical concepts associated with them. Because of their popularity, many early maps of Jerusalem have survived.