Jerusalem is unique: the capital of two peoples and the shrine of three faiths. A cast of extraordinary characters have played a part in the city's history, including King David, Cyrus the Great, Cleopatra, the Maccabees, Julius Caesar, Herod the Great, Queen Melisende, Saladin, Suleiman the Magnificent, Catherine the Great, Napoleon, Churchill, Ben-Gurion and Arafat.

Many have claimed Jerusalem belongs only to them, but its stories belong to many. In this beautifully illustrated book, historian Simon Sebag Montefiore tells thirty of the most remarkable stories in the city's 3,000-year history. By explaining the Middle East's political, religious and ethnic divisions, from 1000 BCE to 2000, the book becomes an essential guide to understanding today's world.