FATHER IBRAHIM SHOMALI CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM "Everything started in this land, so it's very important for us as Christians to be present here. Jerusalem is very important for us to stay and witness his presence."

Father Shomali's life revolves around devotion to Christianity.

As secretary general of Jerusalem's Latin Patriarchate he lives in the church seminary, performs religious rituals at the church and conducts business here.

Born in Bethlehem, Father Shomali is one of 200 priests serving different denominations at forty churches housed within the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. But Father Shomali's house of worship stands out from the rest. It's built over the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead.

STEPHANIE FREID CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM This is the most important site for Christians in the world: the church of the Holy Sepulchre or holy burial or grave. When Christian pilgrims visit Jerusalem, this is their key destination."

When they leave, says Father Shomali, they feel reassured.

FATHER IBRAHIM SHOMALI CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM "They are very happy because they realize they have brothers and sisters here protecting their presence and protecting their past and protecting their future."

Up until the 19th Century visitors were forbidden to enter this church wearing their shoes. The holy Sepulcher may mark Jesus's final days in the holy city. To Christians though, all of Jerusalem though marks his life. Jerusalem has 158 churches, of which 100 Churches and holy sites lie in the old city. That has made this city too valuable for Christians, to the extent that made some want to hold tight for it to be independent from any state like the Vatican.

ADEL EL MAHROUKY JERUSALEM "Because of East Jerusalem's occupation, where the old city lies, many Churches have prohibited their followers from visiting the holy city until it is liberated from Israel. Nonetheless because of its extreme connection to the belief of Christians, few defy the Churches orders and come anyway."

RABBI SHIMON GANTZ OLD CITY, JERUSALEM "Jerusalem is a city that united people together. I see all the nations, all the religions are all one here in one place. That's what I feel and that's what I like about it, to be together"

Jerusalem's Old City is where Rabbi Gantz lives, works and prays. He's considered lucky among practicing Jews worldwide: Judaism's holiest site - the Western Wall - is a five-minute walk from his home.

RABBI SHIMON GANTZ OLD CITY, JERUSALEM "It's not a wall -- it's tradition. It's the beginning of all of us. The wall is stones, okay? Why the wall it was destroyed? Because people hated each other."

The wall is the only standing remains of Jerusalem's Second Temple destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. During its prime, the temple was the center of Jerusalem's Jewish community life. Originally built in the 10th Century BCE over the spot believed to house God's essence, it was destroyed, restored and then destroyed again.

RABBI SHIMON GANTZ OLD CITY, JERUSALEM "Jerusalem is the house of God not because God needs a house. He doesn't need a house. It's a house for us. For us a place to be together."

"Togetherness" that sometimes sparks tension between the three monotheistic faiths, while the Old City's Jewish, Christian and Moslem quarters are highly segregated, Rabbi Gantz maintains the invisible glue is faith.

RABBI SHIMON GANTZ OLD CITY, JERUSALEM "That fire that God puts here - it lights up the soul of everyone. That's why the religions are here, that's why we have peace here. Because Jerusalem is a place that lights up your heart."

STEPHANIE FREID JERUSALEM That belief may also be what divides the three faiths as the undercurrent of historical battle for control over Jerusalem simmers below the surface.

Islam commands Muslim to travel for visiting one of only three mosques. The Cube in Mecca, Prophet Mohammed's Mosque in Medina and Al Aqsa here in Jerusalem. It's the area on which Jerusalem's iconic Dome of the Rock stands in its center. Here some of Islam's most outstanding miracles have taken place, more than 14 centuries ago.

OMAR KISWANI DIRECTOR OF AL-AQSA MOSQUE "From Mecca, the Prophet Mohamed came here, ascended to Heaven and went back to Mecca almost instantly. Here God resurrected all Prophets who came before Mohamed. In this area they all prayed together, all 124 thousand prophets, Jesus and Moses included. A declaration that Mohamed is the final prophet and that his message is to all mankind."

ADEL EL MAHROUKY JERUSALEM The Dome of the Rock mosque, the iconic building of Jerusalem is built on a grand rock from which Muslims believe Prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven and spoke directly to God.

During that miraculous journey God first gave his command for praying, one of the five pillars of Islam. Back then Muslims directed all their prayers towards Jerusalem. Making Jerusalem their first Qibla and holy mosque, before Mecca. One prayer here is 500 times more valuable than regular prayers.

OMAR KISWANI DIRECTOR OF AL-AQSA MOSQUE "Mohamed prophesized that one day Muslims would liberate Jerusalem. He ordered some of his companions to go live in Jerusalem for when that happens. We are proud to be their offspring. Despite the injustice we face, we won't bargain or let go of Jerusalem, because we are connected to it by belief. We are the head of the spear defending the rights of Muslims in the world."

Like Judaism and Christianity, Muslims believe in the end days and life after death. It's from here in Jerusalem were Mohamed prophesized that God's order for resurrection will come from.