Jerusalem: At a Glance
The Hebrew Bible instructs all Jews to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem three times a year: in spring for Passover, in summer for Shavuout, and in the fall for Sukkot. But the city is holy to more than just Jews: Christian pilgrims began coming to Jerusalem and the Holy Land within centuries of Jesus' death, and the Al Aksa Mosque, located inside the walls of the Old City, is considered the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina.
| Religions: | Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |
| Earliest pilgrimage on record: | Christians started journeying to Jerusalem in the 1st century C.E.; Muslims began their pilgrimage in the 6th century; Jewish pilgrimage to Jerusalem began in the 1st millennium B.C.E. |
| Frequency: | Varies; Jewish tradition calls for three pilgrimages a year |
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