Nine Quarters of Jerusalem • Matthew Teller

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In Jerusalem, what you see and what is true are two different things.

Maps divide the walled Old City into four quarters, yet that division doesn’t reflect the reality of mixed and diverse neighbourhoods.

Beyond the crush and frenzy of its major religious sites, much of the Old City remains little known to visitors, its people overlooked and their stories untold.

"Original and illuminating ...
What a good book this is"
JONATHAN DIMBLEBY

"Reveals Jerusalem better than
any other book about the city"
RAJA SHEHADEH

"Vivid ... as much about the present as the past"
RACHEL COOKE
The Observer

"Teller is an enchanting but angry storyteller"
MICHAEL NAZIR-ALI
Catholic Herald

"A love-letter to the people of the Old City"
Jerusalem Post

"Highly perceptive and readable ... a subtle portrait"
IAN BLACK
The Observer

"An engaging biography ... Teller is an informed, enthusiastic guide"
ADAM LEBOR
Financial Times

"A fresh perspective on this infinitely complex city"
AVI SHLAIM

"A must-read book, exploding the myths about age-old hatreds between religions"
DIANA DARKE

"The best sort of genre-bending writing"
ANTHONY SATTIN
Literary Review

"A rich, nuanced, yet completely accessible account of this enigmatic city"
IDA AUDEH
Jerusalem Story

"This illuminating and deeply researched book ... accessible and upbeat"
Geographical

"A compelling and original read"
CHRIS DOYLE
The New Arab

"Succeeds in transmitting the local experience"
MENACHEM KLEIN
Balfour Project

"Excels in combining research with powerful human stories"
DAOUD KUTTAB
Arab News

"A delight to read ... Teller shakes up common presuppositions about Jerusalem"
Jordan Times

"An original and engaging take on the city"
Tel Aviv Review of Books

"Teller deftly finds the middle ground ... highly informative, and a delight to read"
DANNY SEIDEMANN
Fathom

"A history as brilliantly labyrinthine as the city it describes"
The Critic

"An impressionistic portrait ... informative and occasionally absorbing"
Jerusalem Report

"Fascinating ... eye-opening even for repeat visitors to Jerusalem"
The Times of Israel

"Teller highlights the often-overlooked communities of Jerusalem"
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

"A deft and engaging portrait of a shape-shifting city"
Kirkus Reviews

Nine Quarters of Jerusalem lets the communities of the Old City speak for themselves. Ranging through ancient past and political present, it evokes the city’s depth and cultural diversity. Matthew Teller’s highly original ‘biography’ features the Old City’s Palestinian and Jewish communities, but also spotlights its Indian and African populations, its Greek and Armenian and Syriac cultures, its downtrodden Dom Gypsy families and its Sufi mystics.

The book discusses the sources of Jerusalem’s holiness and the ideas – often startlingly secular – that have shaped lives within its walls.

It is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.