A thoroughly original exploration of Jerusalem, told through the voices of its contemporary residents

'Original and illuminating ... what a good book this is' Jonathan Dimbleby 'A love letter to the people of the Old City' Jerusalem Post 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. 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. It discusses the sources of Jerusalem's holiness and the ideas - often startlingly secular - that have shaped lives within its walls. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem is an evocation of place through story, led by the voices of Jerusalemites.

"Highly perceptive and readable ... combines millennia of Jerusalem's history with insightful interviews with its residents, weaponising that unusual approach to present a subtle portrait of the current reality at the heart of the world's most intractable and divisive conflict ... fascinating" - Observer

"Vivid ... as much about the present as the past" - Observer

"Engaging ... Teller is an informed, enthusiastic guide to one of the most contested sites in the world" - FT

"[Nine Quarters of Jerusalem] is an effective mixture of history and travel literature, the bright and breezy tone of which belies Teller's seriousness. Nine Quarters of Jerusalem offers the best sort of genre-bending writing" - Literary Review

"As labyrinthine as the city it describes ... a curious, offbeat biography that comes alive through the many gathered voices" - The Critic

"Acute social analysis ... an engrossing travelogue ... vibrant" - Catholic Herald

"Illuminating and deeply researched ... there is a wealth of stories here" - Geographical Magazine

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

"Original and engaging" - Tel Aviv Review of Books

"A delight ... one cannot help but be impressed by the interviewees' energy, resourcefulness, originality, persistence, and accomplishments against the odds, as well as by the author's depth of historical knowledge, his mastery of linguistics and choice of subjects." - Jordan Times

"A highly original exploration of Jerusalem's cultural diversity" - Traveller

"Stand out" - Asian Review of Books

"Teller aims to break down the boundaries and reveal the human complexity that has been ignored ... Nine Quarters serves as a riposte to the denial of Palestinian history ... Teller's stories are informed by dogged detective work ... This telling of history spotlights the characters, communities, and institutions that have given the Old City a heartbeat underneath all the grandeur and mythology" - Middle East Eye

"Captivating. Teller's language flows lightly but his feelings run deep and it is difficult to pull away from his descriptions of the Old City." - LA Times