Sites & Places in Jerusalem:
The Temple Mount
Sites in Jerusalem: Table of Contents | Temple Mount | Museums
"Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. It was on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the place provided by David, his father."
- 2 Chronicles 3:1"Glory be to Him who did take His servant for a Journey by night from the Sacred Sanctuary to the farthest Sanctuary, whose precincts We did bless...."
- The Koran, Sura Al-Isra’ 17:1
Overview
 Blueprint of the Temple Mount |
The Temple Mount is the trapezoid-shaped, walled-in area in the southeastern corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. The four walls surrounding it date back – at least in their lower parts – to the time of theSecond Jewish Temple, built at the end of first century B.C.E. These huge supporting walls, partly buried underground, were built around the summit of the eastern hill identified as Mount Moriah , the site traditionally viewed as the location of where Abraham offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice and the known location of the two Jewish Temples. The gaps between the walls and the mount were filled in to create a large surface area around the Temple. Its eastern wall and the eastern half of its southern wall form part of the city wall on those sides. Deep valleys (now partly filled by debris) run outside the walls (northeast, east, south, west), thus separating the Temple Mount from and elevating it above its surroundings, both inside and outside the city.The dimensions of the Temple Mount extend considerably beyond those given in the Mishnah (Mid. 2:1), which describes a square of approximately 250 × 250 m., referring only to the sanctified area within the Temple Mount as known today. The entire enclosure consists of an esplanade or courtyard, surrounding an elevated platform occupying approximately 23 dunams of land and decorated by arched structures around the Dome of the Rock. In each of the walls there are a number of gates. Some are ancient gates such as the Golden Gate which are blocked, and some are newer gates from the Arab conquest onward which are still in service.Within the area of the Temple Mount there are about 100 different structures from various periods, among them great works of art and craftsmanship, including open Muslim prayer spots, arches, arched porticos, Muslim religious schools, minarets, and fountains (some for drinking and others for worshipers to wash their hands and feet before prayer). Underneath the present-day surface, in the "artificial" parts of the mount, there are 34 cisterns. There are also other substructures, the largest of which is known as "Solomon's stables."
History
The Temple Mount (Heb., Har Habayit; Arabic, Haram esh-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary), is identified in both Jewish and Islamic tradition as the area of Mount Moriah where Abraham offered up his son in sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-18; the Koran, Sura Al-Saffat 37:102-110).Here King Solomon built the First Temple almost 3,000 years ago. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, but 70 years later Jews returning from exile built the Second Temple on the same site. King Herodrefashioned it into an edifice of great splendor.In Muslim tradition, the place is also identified as the "furthermost sanctuary" (Arabic, masjid al-aksa) from which the Prophet Mohammed, accompanied by the Angel Gabriel, made the Night Journey to the Throne of God (The Koran, Sura Al-Isra’ 17:1).Following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in the year 70, the area of the Temple was deliberately left in ruins (first by the Romans, then by the Byzantines). This desecration was not redressed until the Muslim conquest of the city by the Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab in 638. He ordered the clearing of the site and the building of a "house of prayer".Some 50 years later, the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock to enshrine the outcrop of bedrock believed to be the "place of the sacrifice" on Mount Moriah. He (or his son, the Caliph al-Walid I) also built the large mosque at the southern end of the Haram, which came to be called al-Aksa after the Koranic name attributed to the entire area.During the 1948 Israeli War of Independence, Jordan retained control over Jerusalem's Old City and the Temple Mount and subsequently refused entry to the area to any Jewish person. During the 1967 Six-Day War, the Israeli Defense Forces conquered Jerusalem and liberated the Temple Mount, reclaiming Jewish control over the area for the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple.
Temple Mount Today
Today, an Islamic Waqf, or religious committee, manages the Temple Mount, though Israel provides security and upholds decisions made by the waqf about access to the site.For Jews, visiting the Temple Mount is a very controversial subject- both in terms of religious allowance and because non-Muslim prayer is prohibited at the site. Although freedom of access to the site is enshrined as law, Israel does not allow non-Muslim prayer on the Mount so as not to offend Muslim worshippers. Beyond this, many rabbi's say that since the Jewish Temple's Holy of Holies stood near the center of today's Temple Mount, Jews are religiously forbidden from entering the area.Arabs can enter the Temple Mount through one of ten different Muslim-only gates from various sites in theOld City. Tourists and Jews are only allowed access to the site through the Mugrabi Gate which is located just above to the left of the Kotel, or Western Wall plaza.Because of the sensitivity of the Temple Mount, Israelis enforce strict security measures for Jews and Muslims alike. For instance, during Friday prayers, any Muslim under the age of 45 is prohibited from ascending the mount; a rule put in place in response to young demonstrators throwing stones at Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall. Additionally, no Jewish groups can pray in the plazas surrounding the mosques or provoke the Muslims.The Temple Mount sifting project began in 2004, with the goal of unearthing the hidden history of one of the holiest places in the world. Since it's inception over 170,000 tourists and locals have participated in the project, sifting through mounds of rubble and dirt in attempts to find ancient coins and other items. Archaeologist Dr. Gabriel Barkay oversees the excavation, and claims that approximately 50% of the earth removed from the Temple Mount site has revealed insights into the history of Jerusalem. Discoveries have included coins, pottery shards, building fragments, arrowheads, and ancient seals.In 2005, the bridge leading to the Mugrabi Gate collapsed after a landslide occured on the site following heavy winter storms and two years later, Israel decided to build a temporary, detour bridge to ensure non-Muslim access to the Mount. Israel had also considered renovating the centuries-old bridge, but their decision was widely assailed by Palestinians as an attempt to destroy their historical site. Though this claim was patently false, Israel decided to not go ahead with construction so as not to inflame an already volatile region.In 2011, the Western Wall Foundation forced the government to close the four-year old temporary bridge leading to the Mugrabi Gate for fear that its instability could lead to its collapsing.Three police officers were injured after the Temple Mount opened to non-Muslim visitors on October 8, 2014, in clashes between masked Palestinian individuals and the police officers. The masked individuals began throwing rocks, pieces of metal, large cinderblocks and molotov cocktails, and spraying flamable materials at the officers soon after the Mugrabi entrance to the Temple Mount opened. The Mugrabi entrance is the only entrance to the Temple Mount specifically for non-Muslim visitors, located near the Western Wall. As the calendar counted down to Sukkot, more and more Jewish individuals came to visit the holy site, causing increased tensions. According to Israeli police, in advance of the disturbance the masked Palestinians had placed objects to block the police access to areas of the Temple Mount, and poured flamable liquid on objects in the vicinity that they later attempted to set ablaze with their molotov cocktails. After the initial clash, the rioters were chased into the al-Aksa Mosque where they baracaded the doors with large marble slabs, furniture, and wood posts. Bricks, rocks and fireworks were thrown at the officers from inside of the mosque, causing great permanent damage to the interior, and the rioters also sprayed an unidentified flamable substance on the officers which made breathing difficult. Three officers were hit and injured with rocks and fireworks. A fire broke out inside of the mosque, started by a stun grenade thrown in by an Israeli security officer. Five arrests were made and dozens of Palestinians were injured during these clashes. Calm was restored to the Temple Mount later in the day and the site was opened again to the public after remaining closed for a short period of time.On October 17, 2014, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech in which he stated that "we have to prevent the settlers from entering the Temple Mount by any means. It is our mosque and they have no right to enter and desecrate it".Yehuda Glick, a prominent Rabbi who worked day and night to restore Jewish rights to visit the Temple Mount, was shot and seriously injured on October 30, 2014. He was leaving a conference about the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount at which he spoke. In the past Glick had been barred from the site, and at one point staged a hunger strike which lasted 12 days to reinstate his priveleges to visit the Temple Mount. Glick is the head of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, an organization that seeks to enlighten Jewish individuals on the significance of the Temple Mount and encourages them to visit the site. Glick often participated in acts forbidden by Israeli police at the Temple Mount including praying and performing Jewish rituals. Muslim individuals frequently reacted angrily to his presence at the Temple Mount. Israeli police shot and killed Moataz Hejazi while attempting to arrest him, whom they believe is the person who shot Glick. They tracked Hejazi to his home and upon arrival were immediately shot at by Hejazi and other individuals inside of the home, after which they returned fire and killed the suspect. Hejazi had spent 11 years in an Israeli prison after having his sentence extended twice for attacking gaurds, being released in 2012. Hejazi was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad member who was labelled as a "toublemaker" who "should have been shot 10 years ago" by residents of his neighborhood following the incident. Islamic Jihad released an official statement that read "We praise his martyrdom that came after a life full of Jihad and sacrifice and which responded to the call of holy duty in defending Al-Aqsa mosque". In response to the attempted murder of Glick, the Israeli police completely closed the Temple Mount for the first time since Ariel Sharon paid a visit to the holy site in 2000 that sparked the Second Intifada. The site was reopened the following morning after threats and protests from Palestinian individuals, but past restrictions including the barring from the site of anyone under the age of 50 were put in place. This age restriction was removed on November 16, 2014. Glick was released from Shaare Zedek Medical Center on Monday November 24, weak and wheelchair bound but expected to make a full recovery. He thanked the Arab and Israeli doctors who saved his life after he was shot, and described the wounds he sustained as well as the treatment he recieved. Glick stated upon his release that "The terrorist who shot me told me, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m shooting you because you’re desecrating Al-Aqsa.’ But the person who shoots another person in the name of Al-Aqsa is the one who is desecrating Al-Aqsa, and the person who treats another person in the hospital is the one who is honoring Islam. The Muslim doctors and nurses who work in the hospital are the people who honor their religion, not the man who shot me." (Haaretz, November 24, 2014)Tensions rose to critical levels following violence at the Temple Mount and al-Aksa Mosque in late 2014. Following tense weeks of riots in Jerusalem surrounding access to the Temple Mount and the Al-Aksa Mosque, on November 1 2014 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in secret with Jordanian King Abdullah II in Jordan's capital city of Amman. During the meeting Netanyahu and King Abdullah discussed security at the Temple Mount and the Al-Aksa Mosque: members of the Jordanian Waqf Authority are stationed at the Al-Aksa Mosque and help provide security. The purpose of this meeting was to coordinate security measures at the holy site between the Jordainain Waqf Authority and the IDF. A few days after the meeting, Prime Minister Netanyahu called King Abdullah and assured him that the Jordanian special status at the Temple Mount will not change due to recent developments. Both leaders called for an immediate cessation of late 2014's violence surrounding access to the Temple Mount. Following this meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with the two leaders in Jordan and stated that everyone involved was interested in de-escalating the situation.Palestinian individuals participated in various acts of violence and incitement at the Temple Mount and al-Aksa Mosque during October and November 2014. Protestors with bags over their hands and feet and masks on their faces to obstruct their appearance flung rocks, molotov cocktails, cinderblocks, and other items at Israeli security forces on multiple occasions. On November 13, 2014, over 60 foreign Ambassadors and Diplomats stationed in Israel were briefed by the Israeli Police Commissioner and Deputy Foreign Minister about the status of the recent situation at the Temple Mount. During the briefing they were shown photos and videos of Palestinian individuals building barriers and other obstructions with trash cans and other materials to prevent security personnel from accessing certain areas of the grounds, and hurling fireworks and molotov cocktails from within the al-Aksa Mosque where there is abundant historical and irreplacable material. The only harm that came to the al-Aksa Mosque came from the Palestinians themselves.In early 2015, Palestinian women began to “protect” the al-Aksa Mosque from Jews, with one woman stating that “Everybody must protect Al Aqsa so the Jews don’t take it. They have their eyes on it.” The dean of Islamic studies at Al-Quds University, Mustafa Abu Sway, stated that “there is no similar situation” in Islamic history where women had taken such an active role in the gaurding of a holy site. The women chanted at Jewish visitors, hurled anti-Semitic slurs, and chased Jewish individuals, leading some of them to be banned from the holy complex (New York Times, April 17, 2015).A large group of masked Palestinian protestors attacked Israeli Security forces at the Temple Mount with rocks, molotov cocktails, homemade explosives, firecrackers, and peices of wood during the weekend of July 25, 2015. The protestors brought these dangerous items with them to the al-Aksa Mosque, with the intention of using them to attack Israelis who had gathered at the Western Wall for the mourning and fasting holiday ofTisha B'Av. After initially clashing with Israeli security forces, the protestors retreated inside of the al-Aksa Mosque and began throwing items at police officers from within the Mosque. In response, the police officers ventured inside of the Mosque and closed the doors and windows, which diffused the situation. Hundreds of Jewish individuals visited the Western Wall during the holiday.Members of the Israel Allies Foundation's Congressional caucus were harassed by a group of Arab men while they visited the Temple Mount on August 11, 2015. The group of U.S. Congressmen were visiting the Temple Mount as a part of their planned trip to the Middle East, and were, “immediately approached by several men who started shouting,” upon their arrival to the holy site, according to Representative Keith Rothfus, Congressman from Pennsylvania. Rothfus continued, describing that the group of Congressmen were, “tracked the entire time we were there and we found these individuals surprisingly intollerant and belligerent.” Arab men at the Temple Mount shouted at the Congressmen's wives that they should cover themselves, even though they were wearing long sleve shirts and ankle-length skirts. Allegedly Jordanian Waqf gaurds, who carry the responsibility of providing security at the Temple Mount, began harassing the guide who was leading the Congressmen and trying to take his maps away. Police were called to break up the commotion as a group of 15-20 individuals began shouting at the Congressmen, and for the rest of their visit the group was followed by several Arab men who continued to intimidate and antagonize them. (Jerusalem Post, August 11, 2015).Dozens of Islamic activists were banned from the Temple Mount during morning hours in August 2015, for intimidating and harassing Jewish worshipers at the Wall. Groups of women known for shouting and throwing stones and other objects at Jewish worshipers were banned from the Temple Mount between the hours of 7:30a.m. and 11:00a.m.Palestinian leaders spread false rumors in late 2015 that Israeli authorities were considering altering the status-quo at the Temple Mount and allowing Jews to pray in the mosques, which stoked the flames of violence. Palestinian Muslim protestors and Israeli police clashed on the Temple Mount during the weekend of September 12, 2015. Palestinian youths and young adults holed up inside the al-Aksa Mosque and flung molotov cocktails and large rocks at the security forces attempting to keep the peace among chaos. Twenty-six Palestinians were injured during the confrontation along with five Israeli policemen, and two protestors were arrested. The violence damaged the windows and the carpets inside of the mosque. In response to this violence Israeli officials ramped up security in Jerusalem's Old City, deploying an additional 800+ IDF soldiers and police officers in the area surrounding the Temple Mount. The following weekend Palestinian protestors once again clashed with Israeli security officers at the Temple Mount, but the situation was much more controlled.In response to rising violence surrounding the Temple Mount and an increase in terror attacks targetting Israelis during September and October 2015, Israeli authorities implemented age restrictions on the Temple Mount for the second time in less than one year, and closed Palestinian access to Jerusalem's Old City. On October 4, 2015, Israeli security officials announced that they were banning non-resident Palestinians from the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as banning Muslims under the age of 50 from the al-Aksa mosque compound. The security forces had most recently restricted access to the mosque only to patrons over 50 years of age in November 2014. Although these restrictions were lifted two days later, the violence escalated. During the subsequent week seven Israelis were killed and twenty were injured by Palestinian terrorists, mostly in stabbing attacks. These “lone wolf” attacks are unpredictable and impossible to prevent, often spontaneous and deadly. The Israeli military deployed reserve troops throughout Jerusalem during the second weekend of October to assist security forces in countering this wave of violent attacks. Six companies worth of troops were deployed in Jerusalem on October 13, and security gaurds were on high alert country-wide. The violence continued into the next week.Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu rejected a French proposal to place the Temple Mount under the authority of international observers on October 18, 2015. French ambassador to the United Nations Francois Delattre circulated a draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council, to which Netanyahu responded “Israel cannot accept the French draft resolution at the United Nations Security Council. It doesn’t mention Palestinian incitement; it doesn’t mention Palestinian terrorism; and it calls for the internationalization of the Temple Mount.” (Bloomberg, October 18, 2015)On October 20, 2015, the Palestinians, backed by six Arab states, succeeded in erasing the historical connection between Jews and their holy sites by convincing the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to list the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb inBethlehem as Muslim sites. The resolution - which passed 26-6 with 25 abstentions - also condemned Israel for archaeological excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem and particularly near the Temple Mount.The Arabs also wanted to designate the Western Wall as an extension of and part of the Al-Aksa Mosque, but they were forced to back down after a storm of international protest and the opposition of UNESCO’s Director-General. The final draft also softened some of the anti-Israel rhetoric and omitted a reference to Jerusalem as the “occupied capital of Palestine.” To read the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejection of the decision un UNESCO, please click here.In order to subdue the violence surrounding access to the Temple Mount and Al-Aksa, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on October 24, 2015, that Israeli and Jordanian authorities had agreed to various steps aimed at reducing tensions at the holy site. After meeting with Israeli leaders as well as Jordanian King Abdullah and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Kerry stated that all parties involved agreed to consider having round-the-clock video monitoring installed at the site. All sides reaffirmed the Jordanian commitment to keep the current status-quo at the Temple Mount. Israel agreed that it: fully respects Jordan's role as custodian of the site, has no intention of dividing the site, and will work with Jordanian authorities to ensure that visitors and worshipers of various religions respect each other.
Dome of the Rock
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The Dome of the Rock (Arabic, Qubbat al-Sakhra) is one of the most recognizable architectural glories of the world. The design of the building is basically Byzantine - double octagonal ambulatories encircling the Holy Rock. A shrine and not a mosque, it is the third holiest place in Islam after the Ka’aba in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.The Dome of the Rock is an architectural expression of the ascendancy of Islam. The interior glass mosaics in the drum and dome contain representations of Byzantine imperial jewelry, and one of the ornate inscriptions affirms that God is One and not three; and that Jesus was an apostle of God and His Word, and not His son.The shrine stands on or near the approximate site of the Jewish Temple (though scholars disagree whether it was the Holy of Holies or the Altar that stood on the site of the rock). It has even been suggested that the Temple building stood 80 meters further north, on the site of the small 16th-century Qubbat al-Arwah (Arabic, Dome of the Winds or Spirits) on an east-west axis with the present Golden Gate.
The exterior of the Dome of the Rock has undergone several restorations. The exterior tiles were last restored in 1963; the gold-leafed dome in 1994).
al-Aksa Mosque
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The al-Aksa Mosque, at the south end of the Temple Mount platform, was last rebuilt in 1035 and has since undergone several restorations - most recently in 1938-42; and again beginning in 1969 to repair extensive damage from a fire deliberately set by a deranged Christian tourist.The design of the building is that of a basilica with a narrow central nave flanked by six aisles (14 aisles in an earlier 8th-century phase). The decoration of the mihrab (prayer niche) in the south wall was a gift of the Sultan Salah al-Din (Saladin). The beautiful inlaid cedar wood minbar (pulpit), also donated to the mosque by Salah al-Din was destroyed in the 1969 fire.A stairway in front of the north entrance to the al-Aksa Mosque leads down to a vaulted passageway and the walled-up Hulda Gates, which had been an entrance to the Temple Mount Platform at the time of the Herodian Second Temple.During the Mamluk and Ottoman periods and until the mid-19th century, non-Muslims were not permitted onto the Haram. The first known exception was made by order of the Ottoman Sultan in 1862, during the visit of the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII.On October 5 2014, in reverence of the 3 day Muslim Feast of the Sacrifice, or Id al-Adha, over 500 Gaza residents travelled to Israel for the first time since 2007 to pray at the al-Aksa Mosque. Following Operation Protective Edge, Israel has eased travel restrictions and has for the first time since 2007 allowed individuals from the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip to come to the al-Aksa Mosque to pray. The Palestinian individuals were issued permits by the Israeli government, and residents of the West Bank are free to travel to Israel for visits with their families over the holiday as well. This is the first time since the blockade of the Gaza Strip that these individuals have been able to move relatively freely into Israel.
Sources: Israeli Foreign Ministry;
Visiting the Temple Mount (by Lambert Dolphin);
Wikipedia;
The Jerusalem Report (January 16, 2012)
Photos courtesy of the Israeli Foreign Ministry;
Lambert Dolphin, and אסף.צ;Berman, Lazar. “Rioters hole up in mosque amid fierce Temple Mount melee,” Times of Israel (October 8, 2014);
“Hundreds of Gazans visit Jerusalem for first time since 2007,” Haaretz (October 5, 2014); Ghert-Zaand, Renee. “Yehudah Glick, shot in Jerusalem, works for Jews’ right to pray on Temple Mount,”Times of Israel (October 30, 2014);
Baker, Luke. “Clashes erupt as Israeli police kill Palestinian suspected of shooting Jewish far-rightist,” Reuters(October 30, 2014);
Rudoren, Jodi. “Israel to repoen contested holy site in Jerusalem,” New York Times (October 31, 2014);
Hasson, Nir. “Temple Mount activist released from hospital, lauds Arab medical workers.” Haaretz(November 24, 2014);
Hadid, Diaa. “Palestinian women join effort to keep Jews from contested holy site,” New York Times (April 17, 2015)
Times of Israel Staff. “Palestinian rioters attack police on Temple Mount,” Times of Israel (July 26, 2015)
Soffer, Ari. “UNESCO Passes Arab Resolution: Cave of Patriarchs 'Islamic',”Israel National News, (October 21, 2012)
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jews pray during the Passover blessings at the western Wall on in Israel.
Located in Jerusalem's Old City, the foot of the Temple Mount's western side is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism. It has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. People write prayers and place them in the wall's crevices. More than a million notes are left in the Western Wall each year; every six months, the notes are collected and buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
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