Gradually he built around himself a group of followers that became stronger and stronger over time until in 629, he was able to conquer mecca and control most of western arabia. >> jerusalem is caught in the middle of these two faiths. >> jerusalem is a holy city for christians. this is the place where jesus died, where he walked the via delarosa. he was crucified outside of the city. >> in many medieval christian maps, jerusalem is actually portrayed as being right at the center of the world. you have africa to the south, asia to the north, europe to the west. they literally imagined jerusale...