Ancient History

The roots of the people of Israel in Israel date back 3,500 years. This is where the identity, roots, religion and nationality were formed and shaped.
Israel is also the root of the Christian and Muslim faiths. Some early historical landmarks include:

- The Biblical period: from the 17th century BC, through the era of the Fathers of the Jewish nation– Abraham, Isaa and Jacob.

- The Exodus from Egypt, led by Moses, the presentation of the 10 commandments at Mount Sinai and the settlement of Israel - during the 13th century BC.

- The Kingdom of Israel that commenced in 1020 BC, and continued through the reign of Saul, David and Solomon, and the construction of the first Holy Temple.

The people of Israel were expelled from their country several times, yet always returned to their homeland. The first exile occurred in 586 BC after the Babylonian conquest and the destruction of the first Holy Temple.
Fifty years later, many of those exiled returned to the land of Israel, after the country was conquered by the Persians and Greeks. After the Hasmonian revolt in 166 BC, an independent kingdom was established in Israel until the Roman conquest in 63 BC.

Under Roman rule, the Holy Temple was rebuilt, and Herod ruled the country on behalf of Rome. This period marked the beginning of the story of Jesus of Nazareth, and the Jewish revolt that ended in the destruction of the Holy Temple and exile.
From 313 to 636 AD, and under Byzantine rule, most of the sacred Jewish doctrinal texts, Mishnah and later Talmud, were written. The people of Israel dispersed throughout the Mediterranean Basin.

After the Persian invasion in 614 AD, the Arab rule lasted from 636 to 1099. In 691, a mosque was built on the ruins of the first and second Holy Temples.
The Crusaders reached the region in 1099 and established a kingdom, with its center in Jerusalem. Next, the Mamluks ruled the region from 1291 to 1516, followed by Ottoman rule that lasted from 1517 to 1917.

During the Ottoman rule, the Jewish Codes of Laws (Shulchan Aruch) was written, Jewish neighborhoods were built outside the walls, the First Aliya (Immigration to Israel) began, and the first Jewish Congress was held, headed by Theodore Herzl, the visionary of the Jewish state. Later, during the second wave of immigration, the first Kibbutz was founded in Degania, and the first major Jewish city– Tel Aviv - was founded.