Timeline of the history of the region of

Palestine
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Satellite image of the Palestine region from 2003

Timeline of the history of Palestine is a timeline of major events in Palestine. For

more details on the history of Palestine see History of Palestine. In cases where the
year or month is uncertain, it is marked with a slash, for example 636/7 and
January/February.
This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for
completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Contents

 1Prior to the 2nd millennium BCE

 22nd millennium BCE
 31st millennium BCE
 4Hellenistic period
 5Roman period
 6Byzantine period
 7Early Muslim period
o 7.1Rashidun Caliphate
o 7.2Umayyad Caliphate
o 7.3Abbasid Caliphate
o 7.4Fatimid Caliphate
 8Crusader/Ayyubid period
 9Mamluk period
 10Ottoman period
o 10.116th century
o 10.217th century
o 10.318th century
o 10.419th century
 11Mandatory Palestine
 12Israel, Jordan-occupied West Bank, Egypt-occupied Gaza
 13Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories
 14See also
 15Notes and references
o 15.1Citations
 16Sources
o 16.1Ancient history
 16.1.1Hellenistic period
 16.1.2Roman period
 16.1.3Byzantine period
 16.1.4Early Muslim period
 16.1.5Crusader period
 16.1.6Ottoman period
 17Further reading
 18External links

Prior to the 2nd millennium BCE

The Qesem Cave was occupied by prehistoric humans at approximately 380,000–200,000 BCE .

 c. 65–70 million BCE – A Prognathodon dies in the Negev region; its complete
skull was discovered in a phosphate mine in the Negev in 1993.[1][2]
 c. 380,000–200,000 BCE – Prehistoric humans occupy the Qesem Cave.[3]
 c. 9000 BCE – Natufian hunter-gatherer groups form a permanent settlement
that would come to be known as Jericho.

2nd millennium BCE

 c. 1469 BCE – In the Battle of Megiddo, Egyptian forces under the command
of Pharaoh Thutmose III defeat a large Canaanite coalition under the king
of Kadesh.[4]

1st millennium BCE

 925 BCE – Sack of Jerusalem (925 BC) – Pharaoh Sheshonk I of the Third
Intermediate Period invades Canaan following the Battle of Bitter Lakes. Possibly
the same as Shishak, the Pharaoh mentioned in the Bible in the book of Kings 1,
who captured and pillaged Jerusalem (1 Kings 14: 25).
 853 BCE – The Battle of Qarqar in which Jerusalem's forces were likely involved
in an indecisive battle against Shalmaneser III of Neo-Assyria (Jehoshaphat King
of Judah was allied with Ahab King of the Israel according to the Jewish Bible).[5]
 c. 720 BCE – The Kingdom of Israel is conquered by Neo-Assyrian Empire and
parts of the local population is deported and replaced with deportees from other
parts of the empire.[6]

The Babylonian captivity (painting by James Tissot from c. 1896 to 1902)

Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period began with Alexander the Great's conquest of Palestine in 323
BCE and ended with Pompey's conquest of Palestine in 66 BCE.

 c. 260 BCE – Beit She'an is refounded as the poleis Scythopolis by Ptolemy II

Philadelphus.[7]
 200 BCE – The Seleucid emperor Antiochus III the Great conquers Palestine.[8]

Model of the Second Temple at the Israel Museum

 175 BCE:
 o Seleucus IV (r. 187 BCE – 175 BCE) dies and is succeeded by Antiochus,
son of Seleucus IV.[9]
o Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r. 175 BCE – 164 BCE) becomes the Seleucid
emperor.[10]
 174 BCE – Antiochus appoints Jason as high priest of the Jerusalem Temple.[11]
 172 BCE – Antiochus replaces Jason with Menelaus as high priest of the
Jerusalem Temple as the latter offers to pay a much bigger tribute.[12]
 Late 170 BCE/Early 169 BCE – Antiochus invades Egypt but decides to return.
Perhaps because of disturbances in Palestine. His return is triumphant and he
brings many spoils.[13]
 169 BCE, Autumn – On his way back from Egypt, Antiochus raids the Jerusalem
Temple and confiscates its treasures.[14]
 168 BCE, Spring – Antiochus invades Egypt but the Romans force him to
withdraw.[15] Meanwhile, rumors spread in Judea that the king has died and Jason
launches a surprise attack on Jerusalem, captures the city, and kills supporters
of his rival Menelaus.[16] Antiochus interprets Jason's attack as a rebellion and
sends an army that retakes Jerusalem and drives Jason's followers away.[17]
 167 BCE, Autumn – Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlaws Judaism in Judea and
allows pagan worship at the Jerusalem temple.[18]
 165 BCE, Spring – Antiochus campaigns against the Parthians.[19]
 164 BCE:
o Spring – Antiochus issues a letter repealing the ban on Judaism and
promising amnesty for the insurgents who return before March 164. The
provincial land-tax from 167 BCE is abolished. The Maccabees does not take
up the Seleucids offer and the insurgency continues.[20]
o Summer – The Maccabees carries out a number of punitive expeditions,
likely led by Judas, against people who had participated in the persecution
against Jews.[21]
o Autumn/Winter – Judas enters Jerusalem and the alter to Zeus and other
pagan artifacts are removed from the Temple.[22] Meanwhile, Antiochus dies
in Persis,[23] igniting a century-long war of succession in Antioch, the capital of
the Seleucid empire.[24]
 161 BCE – Judas Maccabeus is killed in battle and his army is routed.[25]
 152 BCE – Jonathan Apphus is appointed high priest of the Jerusalem temple by
the Seleucids.[26]
 c. 145 BCE – The Seleucid ruler Demetrius II Nicator lets Judea annex the three
three southern Samarian districts Lydda, Aphairema, and Ramathaim.[26]
 135/4 BCE – John Hyrcanus becomes Hasmonean king.[27]
 129 BCE – The Seleucid emperor Antiochus VII Sidetes dies.[28]
 c. 112–107 BCE – The Hasmoneans destroy the Samaritan temple at Mount
Gerizim and devastates Shechem.[29]
 c. 108/7 BCE – The Hasmoneans destroy Scythopolis.[7]
 104 BCE – Aristobulus I succeds Hyrcanus as king of Judea.[30]
 103 BCE – Alexander Jannaeus succeeds Aristobulus. He greatly extends the
Hasmonean kingdom, concentrating on Greek cities along the Palestinian coast.
[31]

 76 BCE – Hyrcanus II succeeds Alexander Jannaeus.[32]

Birth of Jesus (painting by Gerard van Honthorst from 1622)

 67 BCE:
o Salome Alexandra dies and her son Hyrcanus II becomes king of Judea.[33]
o A war of succession leads to a civil war among the Hasmoneans in Judea. [32]

Roman period
The roman period lasts from Pompey's conquest of Palestine in 66 BCE
until Constantine the Great declares Christianity a permitted religion in 313 CE.

 63 BCE – Roman troops occupy Palestine.[34]

 57–54 BCE – Scythopolis is rebuilt by the Roman proconsul Gabinius.[7]
 47 BCE:
o Herod the Great is appointed governor of Galilee.[35]
o Herod clears out Hezekiah's "brigands,"[36] who had been harassing people in
southern Syria.[citation needed]
 40 BCE:
o The Parthians invade Judea, seize Jerusalem, and appoint Antigonus II
Mattathias King of Judea.[citation needed]
o Herod visits Rome to seek Mark Antony's support.[37] He is appointed king by
the Roman senate.[38]
 37 BCE – Herod the Great conquers Judea with the help of Roman and Jewish
troops. Antigonus II Mattathias, who had barricaded himself in the city, is
beheaded by Mark Antony.[39]
 31 BCE – 31 BC Judea earthquake. A powerful earthquake occurs in Judea.[40]
 27 BCE – King Herod rebuilds Samaria and renames it Sebastia.[41]
 23 BCE – King Herod builds a palace and fortress called Herodium, about 7.5
miles (12 km) south of Jerusalem.[42]
 22 BCE – Herod begins construction of a new city and harbor called Caesarea
Maritima at the old settlement Straton's Tower.[43]
 20 BCE:
o Herod is awarded large swathes of northern territory by emperor Augustus to
add to his kingdom.[44]
o Citizens of Gadara appeal to Augustus to be excluded from Herod's kingdom.
[45]

 19 BCE – King Herod the Great further extends the Temple Mount's
natural plateau and rebuilds the temple.[46]
 c. 10 BCE – Caesarea is completed.[47]
 7 BCE - Herod has his two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, executed.[48]
 7–2 BCE – Birth of Jesus.[49]
 4 BCE – Herod dies and a wave of unrest sweeps Palestine.[50]
 6:
o Leading Jews and Samaritans ask Augustus to remove Herod
Archelaus from the throne. He obliges and Archelaus is deposed and exiled.
His territory, consisting of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, is organized into the
Roman district Iudaea.[51]
o First Roman census of Judea.[52]

The destruction of Jewish Temple (painting by David Roberts from 1850)

 c. 20 – Tiberias in the Galilee is founded by Herod Antipas, one of Herod the

Great's succors.[53]
 26–33 – Jesus is crucified.
 37 – Herod Philip dies.[54]
 39 – Antipas is removed from his post and banished to Gaul. Herod Agrippa I
receives his territories.[54]
 41 – Agrippa I becomes king of parts of the Herodian kingdom which, in 6 CE,
had been divided by Herod's sons.[55]
 44 – Herod Agrippa I dies.[56] Judea comes under direct Roman administration.[57]
 62–64 – Completion of the renovations of the Jerusalem temple begun by Herod.
[58]

 66–70 – First Jewish revolt:[59]

o 66 – The revolt breaks out in the summer.[60]
o 67 – Roman legions invade Palestine.[60]
o 69 – Vespasian is declared emperor and leaves for Rome. His older
son, Titus, takes command of the Roman legions in Palestine.[57]
o 70 – The Romans takes Jerusalem and destroy the Second Temple.[61]
o 73/4 – The Romans takes Masada, the last rebel holdout.[62]
 70/1 – Provincia Iudaea is established.[63]
 106 – The Romans annex Nabataean territory, reorganizing it as the province of
Arabia.[64]
 120 – First imperial road built through the Galilee.[65]
 129/130 – The Roman emperor Hadrian visits Syria, Palestine, and Arabia,[66] and
founds the Roman colony Aelia Capitolina at Jerusalem.[67] Presumably, the
outbreak of the Bark Kokhba revolt is directly linked to this event.[68]
 132–135 – Bar Kokhba revolt:[69]
 195 – The bishops of Caesarea and Jerusalem, Theophilus and Narcissus,
preside over a council in Caesarea to settle a growing dispute over the proper
date of the celebration of Easter.[70]
 222 – Caesarea becomes the metropolitan see for Palestine.[71]
 270 – Zenobia, ruler of the Palmyrene Empire, conquers most of the Roman east
including Palestine.
 272 – Palestine is recaptured by Rome.

Byzantine period

Church of the Holy Sepulchre (photo from 1900)

The Byzantine period lasts from 313, when Constantine declared Christianity a
permitted religion, to the Muslim conquest of Palestine in 637–640.

 313 – The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great declares that Christianity is an
acceptable religion.[72]
 324 – Constantine—having defeated Emperor Maximian, Caesar of the Western
Roman Empire at the Battle of the Milvian Bridge—becomes the sole ruler of the
re-united Roman Empire with its capital at Byzantium (New Rome). Queen
Helena, a devout Christian, wife of Eastern Roman Emperor Constantius and
mother of Constantine the Great, departs for the Holy Land and begins the
construction of churches.
 326–333 – Concurrent construction of the world's first 4 church buildings under
Helena's Tutelage: The Church of the Nativity is built in Bethlehem, marking the
site where according to Christian tradition Jesus was born; "Eleona" (Greek:
Olive) on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, also called "Chapel of The Apostles",
marking the site where, according to Christian tradition, Jesus ascended to
heaven; The Church of The Holy Cross, later called The Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, is built in Jerusalem on the hill of Golgotha, marking the site where,
according to Christian tradition, Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected;
and Mamre, near Hebron.
 c. 350 – The Christian monk Hilarion founds the first church in Haluza and
converts a large portion of the population.[73]
 351/2 – Jewish revolt centered around Sepphoris against the Caesar of the
Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor Constantius Gallus. The revolt is quickly
subdued by Gallus' general Ursicinus.[74]
 c. 357 – Palestine is divided into the provinces Palaestina Prima and Palaestina
Salutaris.[75]
 361–363 – Roman emperor Julian the Apostate orders Alypius of Antioch to
rebuild the Jewish Temple.[76]
 363 – An earthquake with its epicenter in the Galilee rocks Palestine.[77] The
earthquake results in, among other things, a halt in the construction of the Jewish
 Temple, mainly because it ruins the early stages of the construction. Ultimately
the plan to rebuild the Temple is scrapped after the death of emperor Julian in
June 363.
 374/5 – Melania the Elder founds a monastery on the Mount of Olives which also
functions as a hostel for pilgrims.[73]
 c. 400 – Palestine proper is split into the provinces Palaestina
Prima and Palaestina Secunda. Palaestina Salutaris is renamed Palaestina
Tertia.[78]
 425 – The Sanhedrin is disbanded by the Byzantine Empire.

The Madaba Map depiction of 6th-century Jerusalem

 438-439 – Empress Aelia Eudocia Augusta visits Jerusalem for the first time.[79]
 451 – The Council of Chalcedon declares that Jerusalem shall be a patriachate.[80]
 484 – Samaritans revolt as Emperor Zeno has a church built on their holy
mountain, Gerizim.[81]
 529 – The Samaritans rebel against the Romans.[82] Samaritanism loses its religio
licita status as punishment.[83]
 541/2 – The bubonic plague sweeps Palestine.[7]
 555/6 – Uprising by Samaritans and Jews centered around Caesarea.[84]
 571 – Muhammad, founder of Islam, is born in Mecca.[72]
 613 – The Sasanian Empire (Persian Empire) captures several Palestinian cities
on the coast.[85]
 614 May – The Sasanian Empire under general Shahrbaraz captures and
sacks Jerusalem;[85] the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is damaged by fire and
the True Cross is captured.[85]
 629 – Byzantine Emperor Heraclius retakes Jerusalem after the decisive defeat
of the Sassanid Empire at the Battle of Nineveh in 627. Heraclius personally
returns the True Cross to the city.[86]
 634 February 4 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats a 300-man-strong Byzantine
force led by Dux Sergius at the Battle of Dathin, near Gaza.[87]

Early Muslim period

The Dome of the Rock (photograph from 1856)

Rashidun Caliphate
 637 – Jerusalem falls to the Rashiduns under Caliph Umar Ibn el-Khatab.[88] Jews
are permitted to return to the city after 568 years of Roman and Byzantine rule. [89]
o June/July – The Rashiduns capture Gaza.[88]
o Summer – Ascalon surrenders to the Rashiduns.[88]
o Late – The Rashiduns and the Byzantines consent to a truce.[88]
 640 – The Rashiduns capture Caesarea.[71]
 659 – Earthquake. [90]
Umayyad Caliphate
 661 – The Umayyad family takes control of the caliphate and moves its capital to
Damascus, following the assassination of the Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib.[91]
 687–691 – The Dome of the Rock is built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem at
the site where, according to Islam, Muhammad ascended to heaven.[72]
 c. 715 – Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik founds Ramla; it becomes the capital and
administrative center of Palestine.[92]
 744:
o February – Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik dies and is succeeded by Al-
Walid II.[93]
o Spring – Beginning of widespread mutinies against the Umayyads.[93]
o April – Caliph Al-Walid II is assassinated and succeeded by Yazid III.[93]
o October – Yazid III is assassinated and succeeded by Ibrahim ibn al-Walid.[93]
o November – Caliph Ibrahim is defeated in battle by Marwan II who becomes
the new caliph.[93]
 745 – Theodore is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[93]
 749 January 18 – The Galilee earthquake destroys Tiberias,
Scythopolis, Hippos, and Pella. Many other cities throughout the Jordan valley
suffer heavy damage. Tens of thousands of lives are lost.[94][95]

Scythopolis (Beit She'an) was one of the cities destroyed during 749 Galilee earthquake

Abbasid Caliphate
 747–750 – Civil war resulting in the overthrow of the Umayyads; the Abbasid
family seize control of the caliphate.[96]
 758 – The Caliph Al-Mansur visits Jerusalem and possibly orders the renovation
of the Dome of the Rock.[97]
 762 – The Abbasids found Baghdad and designate it the caliphate's new capital.
[98]

 792/3 – War between the tribes of Palestine[99]

 796 – Battles between the tribes of Palestine.[100]
 799 – The Patriarch of Jerusalem sends a mission to the Frankish
king Charlemagne and the latter returns the favor.[101]
 c. 800 – The Jewish High Council, headed by Gaon, moves from Tiberias to
Jerusalem.[102]
 800 – The Patriarch of Jerusalem sends another mission to Charlemagne
carrying the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, together with a banner.[103]
 807 – A rebellion breaks out. Led by Abu'l-Nida', it has its epicenter in Eilat. [104]
 813 – Earthquake.[105]
 c. 820 – The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is repaired.[106]
 820 – Basil is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[107]
 855 – Solomon is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[106]
 885 – The Abbasids reconquer Damascus.[108]
 873 – The governor of Egypt, Ahmad Ibn Tulun, breaks with the Abbasids and
establishes independent rule.[108]
 878 – The Tulunids occupy most of the former Byzantine Diocese of the East,
enabling them to defend Egypt against Abbasid attacks.[109]
 879 – Elias III is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[110]
 c. 881 – Elias III of Jerusalem appeals to the Franks.[111]
 c. 903 – Persian geographer Ibn al-Faqih visits Jerusalem.[112]
 905/6 – The Abbasids regain control of Palestine.[108]
 908/9 – Al-Muqtadir forbids Christians from serving in administrative positions.[113]
 c. 913 – Spanish scholar Ibn Abd Rabbih visits Jerusalem.[112]
 935 – Ikhshid takes control of Egypt and establishes independent rule.[108]
 937 March 26 – Rioting Muslims burn down the Church of the Resurrection and
loot the Chapel of Golgotha.[114]
 939:
o October 17 – Muhammad ibn Ra'iq conquers Ramla.[115]
o Late – Battle of al-'Arish between Ibn Ra'iq and the Ikhshid. [115]
 946 July – Sayf al-Dawla invades Palestine.[116]
 966 – A Muslim-Jewish mob torches the Church of Resurrection, plunders it, and
kills Jerusalem's Patriarch John VII.[117]
Fatimid Caliphate
 969/70 – The Fatimids, a self-proclaimed Shia caliphate, defeat the Ikhshids and
appoint a Jewish governor.[108]
 971 – The Qarmatis attack Damascus.[108]
o September 5 – The Qarmatis conquer Ramla.[118]
o December – The Fatimids ward off a Qarmatid invasion near Fustat. [118]
 972 or 975 – Byzantine emperor John I Tzimiskes leads an expedition that
reaches as far south as Caesarea and Tiberias in Palestine.[119]
 975:
 o Winter – The Turkish officer Alptakin conquers Sidon and slaughters the
population.[120]
o Spring – Alptakin conquers Tiberias.[121]
o April – Alptakin conquers Damascus.[121]
 977 March 12 – Ramla is conquered by the Qarmatis.[122]
 978:
o Joseph II is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[122]
o August 15 – A massive Fatimid army defeats Alptakin and the Qarmatians in
southern Palestine.[123]
 978–979 Winter – The Jewish Fatimid general Fadl ibn Salih tries to negotiate
with the leader of the Hamdanids, but their leader Abu Taghlib refuses because
Fadl is a Jew.[124] He later agrees to negotiations with Fadl who offers him Ramla
in exchange for ousting the Jarrahids.[125]
 979 August – Abu Taghlib launches a failed offensive on Ramla and is taken
captive and executed.[125]
 981:
o June – Damascus is besieged by a Fatimid army.[122]
o July – The Bedouins, led by the Jarrahids, rebel against the Fatimids. [126]
 983 July 5 – Damascus is conquered by a Fatimid army.[122]
 984 – Orestes is appointed patriarch of Jerusalem.[122]
 991 February 24 – Ya'qub ibn Killis dies.[127]
 996–998 – Revolt in Tyre. The rebels call for and receive support from the
Byzantines. The Fatimids put the city under siege and it falls in May 998. The
rebel leader is tortured and crucified.[128]
 1006–1007 – Russian abbot Daniel makes pilgrimage to Palestine.[129]
 1008 – Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah forbids Jerusalem Christians from
performing the Palm Sunday procession.[105]
 1009 October 18 – Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah orders the destruction of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre.[130]
 1011–1013 February – Uprising of the Yemenite Djarrahid Bedouin tribe who
seize Ramla and establish a mini-caliphate.[131]
 1012 – Beginning of al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah’s oppressive decrees against
Christians and Jews.[132]
 1015 September 4 – Earthquake. The dome of the Dome of the Rock collapses.
[133]

 1021 February 13 – Caliph Al-Hakim is assassinated and succeeded by his

son al-Zahir.[134]
 1024 September – Bedouin rebellion erupts over tax-collecting privileges (iqta'a).
The Bedouins attack and loot Ramla and Tiberias.[135]
 1026–1027 – Richard of Verdun makes pilgrimage to Palestine.[136]
 1027 – A treaty is signed between the Byzantine emperor and the Fatimid caliph.
It permits the rebuilding of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and allows
Christians who had converted to Islam under duress to return to their former
faith. It also granted the emperor the right to designate the patriarch of
Jerusalem. In return, the mosque of Constantinople would be reopened.[137]
 1029 – Anushtakin defeats a Bedouin coalition that challenges Fatimid rule in
Palestine and Syria.[138]
 1032 – Renovations of the Dome of the Rock ordered by Caliph al-Zahir are
finished.[139]
 1033:
o Jerusalem's city walls are rebuilt.[140]
o December 5 – Earthquake.[141]
 1047 – Persian poet and traveler Nasir Khusraw visits Palestine.[142]
 1063 – The Fatimids strengthen or rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.[143]
 1064–1065 – The Great German Pilgrimage takes place.[144]
 1068 – An earthquake destroys Ramla, killing an estimated 15,000.[145]
 1071 – The Seljuk Turks invade large portions of West Asia, including Asia
Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean; they capture Ramla and lay siege to
Jerusalem.[146]
 1073 – The Seljuks invade Palestine.[147]
 1075:
o The Seljuks capture Damascus.[146]
o A severe drought hits Palestine.[148]
 1077 – The Seljuks capture Jaffa.[146]
 1089 – The Fatimids conquer Tyre.[149]
 1092–1095 – Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi stays in Jerusalem.[150]
 1093 – Muslims in coastal communities bar Christians from entering Palestine.[151]
 1095 November 27 – Pope Urban II launches the First Crusade at the Council of
Clermont. Its principal objectives are Catholic reconquest of the sacred city of
Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and the freeing of Eastern
Christians from Islamic rule.
 1098:
o July – The Fatimids lay siege to Jerusalem.[143]
o August 26 – The Fatimids capture Jerusalem.[152]

Crusader/Ayyubid period

Conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 during the First Crusade (painting from the 19th century)

Main article: Timeline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem

The Crusader/Ayyubid period lasts from 1099 when the Crusaders capture
Jerusalem to 1291 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem's last remaining
position, Acre was overrun by the Mamluks.
 1096–1099 – First Crusade and the establishment of the Catholic Kingdom of
Jerusalem in Outremer.
 1099:
o June 7 – The crusaders reach Jerusalem and besieges the city.[153]
o June 17 – A Genoese fleet captures Jaffa.[154][155]
o July 15 – Catholic soldiers under Godfrey of Bouillon, Robert II of
Flanders, Raymond IV of Toulouse and Tancred take Jerusalem after a
difficult siege, killing nearly every inhabitant.[156]
o July 22 – Godfrey is elected as the ruler of Jerusalem, but he is not crowned
king.[157][158]
o August 12 – The Crusaders defeat the Fatimids at the Battle of Ascalon.[159]

Battle of Cresson (painting from the middle ages)

o Godfrey of Bouillon enters Jaffa.[151]

 1100 December 25 – The Kingdom of Jerusalem is established.[160]
 1113–1115 – Earthquakes hits the region.[161]
 1116 – The Latins repair the walls of Jerusalem.[161]
 1153 August 23 – The Franks capture Ascalon, thus completing the conquest of
the Western coast of the Mediterranean Sea.[162][163]
 1177 November 25 – Battle of Montgisard: Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald
of Chatillon defeat Saladin.
 1124 – Crusaders conquer Tyre.[164]
 1177 – The Latins repair the walls of Jerusalem.[161]
 1187:
o May 1 – Battle of Cresson: Saladin defeats the crusaders.
o June – Saladin captures Tiberias.[160]
o July 4 – Saladin defeats Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem at the Battle of
Hattin.[160]
o October 2 – Saladin captures Jerusalem from Crusaders.[165]
 1189 August 28 – Guy of Lusignan besieges Acre.[166]
 1189–1192 – Third Crusade led by the armies of Richard the Lionhearted.
 1191:
o June 8 – Richard arrives at Acre.[166]
o July 12 – The Muslim garrison at Acre surrenders to the Crusaders.[167]
o August 20 – Richard executes Muslim prisoners from Acre outside the city.[166]
o September 7 – Richard I of England defeats Saladin at the Battle of
Arsuf forcing him to retreat with heavy losses.[168]
 Siege of Acre (painting by Dominique Papety from 1840)

 1192:
o September 2 – Richard and Saladin signs the Treaty of Jaffa, a peace-treaty
to run for three years.[169]
o October 9 – Richard leaves Palestine.[170]
 1193 March 3/4 – Saladin dies in Damascus. Conflicts between his sons,
brothers and nephews cause the disintegration of his empire.[171]
 1202 – Major earthquake.[172]
 1219 March – The Ayyubid sultan Al-Mu'azzam Isa orders the destruction of
Jerusalem's city walls to prevent the crusaders from capturing a fortified city. [173]
 1229:
o February 18 – Frederick II and the Ayyubid sultan Al-Kamil signs the Treaty
of Jaffa, a 10-year-truce (hudna) that restores Jerusalem, Nazareth, and
Bethlehem to Christian control in exchange for protection.[174]
o March 17 – Frederick enters Jerusalem.[175]
 1239 – The Ayyubid ruler An-Nasir Dawud destroys some of the refortifications
built by the Franks in Jerusalem.[172]
 1243 – The Franks recover Jerusalem.[172]
 1244:
o July 11 – The Khwarizmians under Berke Khan captures Jerusalem and
slaughters its inhabitants.[176]
o October 18 – The Crusaders attacks the Khwarizmians north-east of Gaza at
the Battle of La Forbie and suffers a crushing defeat.[177]
 c. 1250 – Rabbi Yehiel ben Joseph founds a Yeshiva (Jewish religious school) in
Acre.[178]
 1258 – The Mongols execute the last Abbasid caliph.[96]
 1260 – Battle of Ain Jalut between the Egyptian Mamluks and the Mongols which
took place in the Jezreel Valley.
 1265 – The Mamluk Bahri dynasty of Egypt captures several cities and towns
from Crusader states in the Middle East, including the cities of Haifa, Arsuf,
and Caesarea Maritima.
 1267 – According to tradition, Nachmanides visits Jerusalem and establishes
the Ramban Synagogue. However, it is doubtful whether Nachmanides ever
visited Jerusalem.[179]
 1291 May 18 – Fall of Acre: Al-Ashraf Khalil of Egypt captures Acre, thus
exterminating the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (the final Catholic landholding
remaining from the Crusades), and ending the Ninth Crusade.[160]

Mamluk period
The Mamluk period lasts from 1291 when the Mamluks capture Acre to 1517 when
the Ottomans capture Palestine.

Ottoman period
16th century

Walls of Jerusalem (photo taken in 2005)

 1517:
o The Ottomans conquer Palestine.[180]
o 1517 – 1517 Hebron pogrom.
 1538–1535 – Suleiman the Magnificent restores the Dome of the Rock in
Jerusalem and the Jerusalem city walls (which are the current walls of the Old
City of Jerusalem).
 1541 – Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I seals off the Golden Gate to prevent
the Jewish Messiah's entrance.
 1546 January 14 – A devastating earthquake shook the Jordan Rift Valley
region. The epicenter of the earthquake was in the Jordan River in a location
between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The cities
of Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus, Gaza, and Damascus were heavily damaged.
17th century
 1660 – The towns of Safed and nearby Tiberias, with substantial Jewish
communities, were destroyed in the turmoil following the 1658 death of Mulhim
Ma'n,[181] with only Safed being repopulated shortly after the destruction.[182][183] Some
sources place the destruction of Safed in 1662.[184]
 1604 – First Protectorate of missions under the Capitulations of the Ottoman
Empire: Ahmad I agreed that the subjects of Henry IV of France were free to visit
the Holy Places of Jerusalem. French missionaries begin to travel to Jerusalem
and other major Ottoman cities.
 1663–1665 – Sabbatai Zevi, founder of the Sabbateans, preaches in Jerusalem
before travelling back to his native Smyrna where he proclaimed himself
the Messiah.
18th century
Battle of Nazareth (painting by Antoine-Jean Gros from 1801)

 1700 – Judah the Pious and 1,000 followers settle in Jerusalem.

 1742–1777 – Several Jewish Hassidic leaders (including Rabbi Abraham
Gershon of Kitob and Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk) move to the Holy Land with
many followers of the Baal Shem Tov. Historians mark their arrival as the
beginning of the current Jewish Hassidic community in the region.
 1759 October 30 – Another devastating earthquake shook the Jordan Rift Valley
region. The epicenter of the earthquake was again in the Jordan River, in a
location between the Sea of Galilee and the Hula Valley. The cities
of Safed, Tiberias, Acre, and Sidon were heavily damaged.
 1798 – Napoleon Bonaparte leads the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria.
 1799:
o March 3–4 – Napoleonic Wars: Siege of Jaffa – Napoleon captures the city
of Jaffa.
o March 20–May 21 – Napoleonic Wars: Siege of Acre – An unsuccessful
attempt by Napoleon to capture the city of Acre.
o April 8 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Nazareth.
o April 11 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Cana.
o April 16 – Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Mount Tabor – Napoleon
drives Ottoman Turks across the River Jordan near Acre.
19th century

Galilee earthquake of 1837

 1808–1810 – Students of Elijah ben Solomon Zalman (Gr"a), amounting to 501

families, arrive in the Holy Land. Historians mark their arrival as the beginning of
the current Jewish Ashkenazi community in the region.
 1832 May 10 – Mohammed Ali, leading Egyptian forces, and aided by
local Maronites, seizes Acre from the Ottoman Empire after a 7-month siege.
 1834 – Peasants' revolt in Palestine - revolt by Arab Palestinian peasants against
Egyptian conscription and taxation policies.
 1837 January 1 – Galilee earthquake of 1837 – A
devastating earthquake shakes the Galilee region, killing thousands of people.[185]
 1840 July 15 – The Austrian Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Russian Empire sign the Convention of
London with the ruler of the Ottoman Empire. The signatories offered to
Muhammad Ali and his heirs permanent control over Egypt and the Acre
Sanjak (roughly what is now Israel), provided that these territories remain part of
the Ottoman Empire and that Ali agreed within ten days to withdraw from the rest
of Syria and return to Sultan Abdülmecid I the Ottoman fleet which had defected
to Alexandria. Muhammad Ali was also to immediately withdraw his forces from
Arabia, the Holy Cities, Crete, the district of Adana, and all of the Ottoman
Empire.
 1860 – The first Jewish neighborhood (Mishkenot Sha'ananim) is built outside the
walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.[186]
 1874 – Jerusalem becomes a Mutesarrifiyyet gaining a special administrative
status.
 1882–1903 – The First Aliyah took place: 25,000–35,000 Jews immigrate
to Ottoman Syria.
 1887–1888 – Ottoman Syria is divided into Jerusalem Sanjak, Nablus Sanjak,
and Acre Sanjak
 1897 August 29–31 – The First Zionist Congress is held in Basel, Switzerland.
During it, the World Zionist Organization is founded and the Basel Declaration is
approved. The latter determine that the Zionist movement’s ultimate aim is to
establish and secure under public law a homeland for the Jewish people. The
homeland is to be located in the Biblical region dubbed variously "The Holy Land"
or "Palestine" by the European Christians during the Catholic and later
secular Enlightenment.
 1898 – German Kaiser Wilhelm visits Jerusalem to dedicate the Lutheran Church
of the Redeemer. He meets Theodore Herzl outside city walls.

Ottoman machine gunners during the Second Battle of Gaza, 1917

Emir Feisal and Chaim Weizmann during their meeting in 1918

 1901 – The Jewish National Fund is founded at the Fifth Zionist
Congress in Basel with the aim of buying and developing land in the southern
region of Ottoman Syria for Jewish settlement.
 1909 April 11 – Tel Aviv is founded on the outskirts of the ancient port
city of Jaffa.
 1911 – The Arabic newspaper Filasṭīn is founded.[187]
 1915:
o January 26–February 4 – A German led Ottoman Army advances from
Southern Palestine, and conducts a Raid on the Suez Canal in an attempt to
stop traffic through the canal.
o March–October – The 1915 locust plague breaks out in the Eastern
Mediterranean coastal region.
 1916–1918 – The Arab Revolt
 1916:
o 16 May – Britain and France conclude the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement,
which defines their respective spheres of influence and control in Western
Asia after the expected demise of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World
War I. It was largely a trade agreement with a large area set aside for indirect
control through an Arab state or a confederation of Arab states.
o August 3–5 – A German led Ottoman Army attacks British Empire forces
defending the Suez Canal at the Battle of Romani.
o December 23 – The Anzac Mounted Division occupies El Arish and captures
the Ottoman garrison during the Battle of Magdhaba.
 1917:
o January 9 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of Rafa – British
Empire forces defeat the Ottoman Empire garrison at Rafah after re-capturing
the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force.
o March 26 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: First Battle of Gaza – British
attack strong Ottoman defences at Gaza, but fail after 17,000 German led
Ottoman troops block their advance in the Southern Coastal Plain.
o April 6 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: The Tel Aviv and Jaffa deportation –
Ottoman authorities deport the entire civilian population of Jaffa and Tel
Aviv pursuant to the order from Ahmed Jamal Pasha, the military governor of
Ottoman Syria during the First World War. Although Muslim evacuees are
allowed to return before long, Jewish evacuees were not able to return until
after the British conquest of Palestine.[188]
o April 19 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Second Battle of Gaza – Ottoman
defenders repel the second British assault on Gaza.
o October 31 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of Beersheba – XX
Corps infantry and Desert Mounted Corps mounted
infantry attack Beersheba on the Gaza to Beersheba defensive line on the
northern edge of the Negev Desert, capturing it from the Ottoman Empire.
o October 31–November 7 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Third Battle of
Gaza – British forces capture Gaza.
o November 2 – Publication of the Balfour Declaration in which the British
Government declares its support for the establishment of a Jewish national
home in what is to become Mandate Palestine.
 o November 15 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Australian and New Zealand
troops capture Jaffa after the Battle of Mughar Ridge fought on November 13.
o November 17–December 30 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of
Jerusalem – The Ottoman Empire is defeated by British Empire forces at the
Battle of Jerusalem. The British Army's General Allenby enters Jerusalem on
foot, in a reference to the entrance of Caliph Umar in 637.
 1918:
o February 21 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Capture of Jericho – the
Egyptian Expeditionary Force’s Occupation of the Jordan Valley begins.
o March 8–12– Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of Tell 'Asur – series of
attacks along the Jaffa to Jerusalem line which pushed the front line a few
miles north.
o March 21–April 2 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: First Transjordan attack
on Amman including the First Battle of Amman – an infantry and a mounted
division invade Ottoman Empire territory only to be forced by superior
Ottoman forces to retreat back to the Jordan Valley.
o April 30–May 4 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Second Transjordan attack
on Shunet Nimrin and Es Salt – second attempt to capture Ottoman Empire
territory east of the Jordan River when three divisions are again forced back
to the Jordan Valley by superior Ottoman defenders.
o June – First meeting between Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann and the son of
the Sharif of Mecca Hashemite Prince Faisal, who led the Arab forces in
the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The
meeting takes place in Faisal's headquarters in Aqaba, and attempts to
establish favourable relations between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East.
o July 14 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of Abu Tellul
o September 19–25 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Battle of
Megiddo including the Battle of Sharon, the Battle of Nablus, and the Third
Transjordan attack. The Egyptian Expeditionary Force attacks and captures
large numbers of Ottoman and German soldiers and Ottoman territory. These
battles included the capture of Amman, Arara, Capture of Afulah and
Beisan, Haifa, Jenin, Nablus, Samakh, Tabsor, Tiberias, and Tulkarm,
including a series of air raids in the Judean Hills during which bombs are
dropped on retreating German and Ottoman columns.
o September 26–October 1 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: Capture of
Damascus – continuation of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force attacks with
capture of almost two Ottoman armies, plus territory extending into Syria.
During this advance Irbid, Jisr Benat Yakub, Kaukab, and Kiswe are
captured. The British Empire offensive continues into Syria with the Charge at
Khan Ayash and the Pursuit to Haritan, as well as the Battle of Aleppo, and
ends with the Charge at Haritan on October 26.
o October 30 – Sinai and Palestine Campaign: The British Sinai and Palestine
Campaign officially ends with the signing of the Armistice of Mudros. Shortly
thereafter, the Ottoman Empire is dissolved.

Mandatory Palestine
1927 Jericho earthquake: Destruction in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem

 1927 July 11 – 1927 Jericho earthquake – A powerful earthquake occurs in the

Jordan Rift Valley region.
 1929 – Outbreak of the 1929 Palestine riots.
 1936–1939 – The Great Arab Revolt.
 1947 November 29 – UN General Assembly adopts a resolution containing
proposal to divide Mandatory Palestine into independent Arab and Jewish States,
with a Special International Regime for the city of Jerusalem and its environs. [189]

1948: declaration of the establishment of the State of Israel

Palestinian Arab refugees in 1948

 1948 May 14 – Israeli Declaration of Independence: Jewish leadership in the

region of Palestine announces the establishment of a Jewish state in Eretz-
Israel, to be known as the State of Israel.[190]
 1948 May 14–1949 January 7 – The 1948 Arab–Israeli War: a large-scale war
between Israel and five Arab countries and the Palestinian-Arabs. The war
results in an Israeli victory, with Israel annexing territory beyond the borders of
the proposed Jewish state and into the borders of the proposed Arab state and
West Jerusalem.[191] Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt signed the 1949 Armistice
Agreements with Israel. The Gaza Strip and the West Bank, were occupied
by Egypt and Transjordan, respectively, until 1967. In 1951, the UN Conciliation
Commission for Palestine estimated that some 711,000 Palestinian refugees
were displaced by the war.[192]
Israel, Jordan-occupied West Bank, Egypt-
occupied Gaza
 1949:
o February 24 – Israel and Egypt sign an armistice agreement.[193]
o March 23 – Israel and Lebanon sign an armistice agreement.[193]
o April 3 – Israel and Jordan sign an armistice agreement.[193]
o July 20 – Israel and Syria sign an armistice agreement.[193]
 1950 Spring – Jordan annexes the West Bank.[193]
 1956 October 29–November 5 – The Sinai Campaign. This war followed Egypt's
decision of 26 July 1956 to nationalize the Suez Canal. Initiated by United
Kingdom and France, the war was conducted in cooperation with Israel, and
aimed at occupying the Sinai Peninsula, with the Europeans regaining control
over the Suez Canal. Although the Israeli occupation of the Sinai was successful,
the US and USSR forced it to abandon this conquest. Israel, however, managed
to re-open the Straits of Tiran and secure its southern border.
 1967 June 5–10 – The Six-Day War between Israel and all of its neighboring
countries: Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon which were aided by other Arab
countries. The war lasted for six days and concluded with Israel expanding its
territory significantly — Gaza Strip and Sinai from Egypt, the West
Bank and Jerusalem from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria.

Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories

 1973 October 6–24 – The Yom Kippur War was fought. The war began with a
surprise joint attack on two fronts by the armies of Syria (in the Golan Heights)
and Egypt (in the Suez Canal), deliberately initiated during the Jewish holiday
of Yom Kippur. The Egyptian Army got back Sinai that was occupied by the
Israeli armies for almost 7 years.
 1974 – The PLO is allowed to represent the Palestinian Arab refugees in
the UN as their sole political representative organisation.
 1978 September 18 – Israel and Egypt sign a comprehensive
peace agreement at Camp David which included a condition of Israel's
withdrawal from the Rest of Sinai.
 1979 March 26 – The peace treaty with Egypt was signed by the Israeli Prime
Minister Menachem Begin, the Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and U.S.
President Jimmy Carter.
 1982 June–December – The First Lebanon War took place during which Israel
invaded southern Lebanon due to the constant terror attacks on northern Israel
by the Palestinian guerrilla organizations resident there. The war resulted in the
expulsion of the PLO from Lebanon, and created an Israeli Security Zone in
southern Lebanon.
 1984 November 21–1985 January 5 – Operation Moses: IDF forces conduct a
secret operation in which approximately 8,000 Ethiopian Jews were brought to
Israel from Sudan.
 1987–1991 – The First Intifada: The first Palestinian uprising took place in the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories.
 1988 November 15 – Palestinian Declaration of Independence (1988) – The
Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO), in Algiers on 15 November 1988 unilaterally proclaimed the
establishment of a new independent state called the "State of Palestine".
 1991 May 24–25 – Operation Solomon: IDF forces conduct a secret operation in
which approximately 14,400 Ethiopian Jews were brought to Israel within 34
hours in 30 IAF and El Al aircraft.

1993: Bill Clinton , Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat after signing the Oslo Accords

 1993 September 13 – The first Oslo Accords are signed at an official ceremony
in Washington in the presence of Yitzhak Rabin for Israel, Yasser Arafat for PLO
and Bill Clinton for the United States.
 1994 October 26 – The Peace agreement between Israel and Jordan is signed.
 1995 November 4 – Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by
right-wing Israeli radical Yigal Amir.
 2000–2005 (unclear) – The Second Intifada: The
second Palestinian uprising took place in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
against the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories. The uprising which
began as massive protests carried out by Palestinians in the Palestinian
Territories, soon turned into a violent Palestinian guerrilla campaign which
included numerous suicide attacks carried out against Israeli civilians within the
state of Israel.

Summer 2006: The Second Lebanon War (photograph taken on August 15, 2006)

 2002 June – As a result of the significant increase of suicide bombing attacks

within Israeli population centers during the first years of the Second Intifada,
Israel began the construction of the West Bank Fence along the Green Line
border arguing that the barrier is necessary to protect Israeli civilians
from Palestinian militants. The significantly reduced number of incidents of
suicide bombings from 2002 to 2005 has been partly attributed to the barrier.
[194]
The barrier's construction, which has been highly controversial, became a
major issue of contention between the two sides.
  2005 August 23 – Israel's unilateral disengagement plan: The evacuation of 25
Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and West Bank is completed.
 2006 July 12–August 14 – The Second Lebanon War took place, which began
as a military operation in response to the abduction of two Israeli reserve soldiers
by the Hezbollah, and gradually grew to a wider conflict. 1,191 Lebanese were
killed, 4,409 were injured.
 2008 December 27–2009 January 18 – Operation Cast Lead: IDF forces
conducted a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip during which dozens
of targets were attacked in the Gaza Strip in response to ongoing rocket fire on
the western Negev. 1,291 Palestinians were killed.
 2012:
o November 14–November 21 – Operation Pillar of Cloud: IDF forces
launches a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to
Palestinian militants firing over a hundred rockets from the Gaza Strip into
southern Israel beginning on 10 November, with the aims of restoring quiet to
southern Israel and to strike at what it considers terror organizations.[195] The
operation officially began with the assassination of Ahmed Jabari, chief of the
Gaza military wing of Hamas.[196] 158 Palestinians were killed.
o November 29 – United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19:
Upgrading of Palestine to non-member observer state status in the United
Nations.[197]
 2016 December 23 – United Nations Security Council resolution 2334:
Condemning Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.[198]
 2017 December 6 – US President Donald Trump announced the United States
recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.[199]

See also

 Israel portal
 Palestine portal

 Palestine (region)
 Land of Israel
 Time periods in the Palestine region
 Timeline of Hebron
 Timeline of Jerusalem
 Timeline of Middle Eastern history
 Timeline of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
 British foreign policy in the Middle East
 United States foreign policy in the Middle East

Notes and references