Which historic walled city in the West Bank, home to three major religions, is a World Heritage Site?

The historic walled city in the West Bank associated with Judaism, Christianity and Islam that is a World Heritage Site is the Old City of Jerusalem.

Enclosed by Ottoman walls built largely in the 16th century, Jerusalem’s Old City contains sites sacred to all three Abrahamic religions. The Western Wall is Judaism’s most important surviving temple-related site; the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is associated with Jesus’s crucifixion and burial; and the Temple Mount, including the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, is central to Islamic religious history.

UNESCO lists the property under the formal name “Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls.” It was inscribed in 1981 and placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1982. UNESCO’s listing does not attribute the site to a state, reflecting the continuing political and legal dispute over Jerusalem’s status.

Bethlehem, Hebron and Jericho are also historically important places in the region, and several have UNESCO designations of their own. However, the combination of a walled historic city and major religious landmarks points specifically to Jerusalem’s Old City.