The result was delete. Proto:: ► 14:32, 18 December 2006 (UTC) reply
As I repeatedly pointed out on talk, there is no definition of Holy city. As a result, people add to the list all sort of trash (mostly capitals and sites of monasteries or other local shrines) they consider important and then revert war about it. Some especially clueful editors even arrange the sites according to their relative importance.
Some examples may be helpful. As a practicing Russian Orthodox Christian, I don't regard Moscow as a holy city, rather as an abode of corruption. Neither do I regard Sergiev Posad as a holy city. Holy is the Troitse-Sergieva Lavra, not a town that has grown nearby centuries later. The same applies to Jasna Góra, which is a monastery, not a city. Kiev is not a holy city either, because the East Slavic Christianity was born in Korsun. And how do you call Mount Athos a holy city if it is not a city at all? I'm not competent to review other religions, but I'm doubtful that Samarkand is a holy city for Muslims "because it was Timur's capital".
I pointed out all these inaccuracies months ago and received no feedback as to why such unsourced list is useful for Wikipedia and its readers. In its current form, the list is simply unmaintainable. -- Ghirla -трёп- 18:11, 11 December 2006 (UTC) reply
I think we should be careful to admit that the term "holy city" may not necessarily equate to the boundaries of the actual cities containing them. Case in point: Rome. The boundary of the "holy city" of Rome during the Republic did not enclose the entire course of the city of Rome. Not all of the seven hills of Rome were within the sacred precinct.
Let me conclude that although the list may not strictly follow the limits to everyones satisfaction, we could remove some entries in the list and put it under another topic: "List of pilgrimage sites" since the topic "Holy cities" is severely more limited in scope. But I still think the topic is of legitimate interest and historical importance (needs more of a trim than an expansion). Dr mindbender 22:22, 12 December 2006 (UTC) reply