Jerusalem is today a city very much embroiled in conflict, considered a holy site by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. In order to understand its contemporary state, a survey of its long, complex history is essential.

In The History of Jerusalem: The Early Islamic Period (638- 1099), Joshua Prawer has compiled pieces examining the political, social and intellectual history of Jerusalem, along with its art history, literature, numismatics, and geography of that period. Illustrated with color and black-and-white photographs, drawings, figures, and maps, The History of Jerusalem provides a window on a crucial period in Jerusalem's history. Each of the thirteen chapters, written by some of Israel's leading medievalists, is a succinct mis au point of contemporary scholarship on its given subject.

At last available in English, The History of Jerusalem: The Early Muslim Period (638-1099) will be released in conjunction with the 3000th anniversary of King David's reign.