Temple Mount. Temple Mount - house of the Lord in the old city of Jerusalem Temple Mount height above sea level

Temple Mount, Ar Ha-Bayit, Mount Moriah. Here Abraham, at the behest of the Almighty, was going to sacrifice his son Isaac, but at the last moment Isaac was replaced by a lamb.Here King Solomon built the First Temple for worship. And here, those who returned from Babylonian captivity rebuilt the Second Temple on the ruins of the first. Here Herod the Great, having previously significantly increased the surface of the mountain, rebuilt the most magnificent structure of that period. So magnificent that its brilliance and glory do not fade even now.Here Jesus of Nazareth preached his sermons. Here Mohammed from Mecca ascended to heaven to receive the commandments.

There is no other place on earth where, over many millennia, traditions and religions, history and politics have been so intertwined into one tangle.The tangle is so tangled that only the Messiah, who is sure to come soon, can unravel it. So we're waiting, sir.

Now let’s just go up the Temple Mount and walk along it.

The very first impression is surprise at the ease of hitting. The usual procedure is to go through a metal detector and have bags scanned. Apart from weapons, no religious literature can be brought onto the Temple Mount to avoid prayer. Prayer on the Temple Mount is equivalent to opening fire, and the Tanakh or Bible is equivalent to a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

If you have a kippah on your head, and you don’t want unnecessary attention to your modest person, then you can wear a regular cap over the kippah. However, this is desirable, but not required. On the mountain itself, near the Gate of Mercy, I saw two Orthodox Jews in full attire.

Apparently these were secret spies on a special assignment from the Lubavitcher Rebbe. It was not for nothing that they hung around the gate walled up by Salah A-Din. It is through these gates that Moshiach must go to Jerusalem.The Jews were accompanied at some distance by an Israeli policeman in full special forces uniform. And from the side, hiding behind the oil plantings, an Arab in civilian clothes was watching.According to Muslim tradition, the Muslim messiah, Madi, must also pass through these gates. The task of the Arab Moshiach is also not easy, because... he has yet to build a bridge across the Kidron Gorge (Wadi Juz) from the Mount of Olives directly to the gates of the city.

Let's take a break from the numerous mystical traditions and note that these gates are still not ordinary. And their strangeness is not even that they are walled up. The point is that any normal gate should make it difficult for the enemy to penetrate, and therefore they were always built with various tricks and bells and whistles, such as sharp turns. An entire Roman legion could quickly enter through these same gates!

It was precisely because of the difficulties of guarding that the gates were walled up by Salah-Adin. It is interesting that such an unconventional architecture for ordinary gates is very traditional for triumphal arches. And it is quite possible that these Byzantine gates were built as a symbol of Jesus' victory on his way of the cross. Through this gate, Caesar Heraclius returned the stolen true cross, and through this gate there was a tradition of a procession of the cross (until the cross was again taken away by the infidel Saracens).

Today, in addition to the closed Gate of Mercy, there are nine more gates leading to the Temple Mount. And through any of these nine gates you can exit the Temple Mount. But an ordinary Israeli resident, as well as a guest of the capital, can only enter through the Maarabim gate on the right above the Western Wall.

The Temple Mount is open every day except Friday and Saturday from 7.30 to 11.00 am (an hour shorter in winter).

Free entry through all other gates and at any time of the day only for Muslim Arabs. I wonder how police guards accurately determine who is allowed in and who is not? After all, you don’t need to present any documents about your Muslim religion, just “face control”.

The Temple Mount itself is very clean. Even the stone paving stones sparkle with cleanliness like polished parquet. And it’s not surprising - a holy place must first of all be clean.

At one time, after Byzantium came to power, in order to humiliate the Jews and insult holiness, the mountain was specially covered with garbage and turned into a landfill.

When, after the first Arab conquest of Jerusalem, the old man Hottabych Omar Ibn Hotab came here, the garbage from the Temple Mount fell right through the steps of the gate into the street. It was not by chance that Omar Ibn Hotab came to the landfill; he was looking for the Daoud Mosque - the place of prayer of King David. (In sura 38 of the Koran it is written about David, who asked the Almighty in prayer for forgiveness for his sins).

The Patriarch of Jerusalem first brought Omar to the Temple of the Sepulchre, but Omar did not like it there. But at the garbage dump, Omar immediately realized that this was exactly what he needed!

According to another Arab historian (11th century), Omar came to the Temple Mount and, following a tip from his advisor, who was a Jew who converted to Islam, found the holy rock under stinking garbage. The same Jew advised Omar Hottabych to build a prayer house just north of the cliff. But Omar did not succumb to Israeli provocation and built a prayer house south of the rock so that he could pray not to the Jewish shrine, but to Mecca and the Kaaba.

Now, in the modern Arab world, a fashionable statement has appeared that there has never been any Jewish temple on the mountain. Because there is no archaeological evidence. In principle, they are right: there really is no archaeological evidence of the existence of the temple, because no archaeological excavations have ever been carried out here. And we will even leave on the Arab conscience the numerous references to the Temple in their own Koran. Now, if we found, for example, a gilded column that is written about in the Talmud...

However, take a closer look at these capitals:

What is that sparkling there? Is it really gold?!

The exhibition of columns and capitals is located on the Temple Mount on the west side of the Al Aqsa Mosque.

The Al Aqsa Mosque itself, the main Muslim shrine, as I already wrote, was built on the southern part of the temple mount. According to the topography of the mountain, there was a gentle slope, which Herod the Great completed with the help of a whole system of arched ceilings. To strengthen the structure, earth and construction waste were poured into the arched cavities.

When, 5 years ago, the Arabs, without any permission, began to dig up and export this land in truckloads, they first of all annoyed themselves. Because the strength of the floors decreased and during the first small earthquake, something cracked in Al Aqsa...

Currently, all power over the Temple Mount belongs to the Soviets of Israel. Therefore, not a single stone, including this garbage, will move without special permission from the Israeli government ( The Temple Mount is under the patronage of the Muslim organization BAKH. In 2007, during the work of laying an electric cable, a huge amount of so-called “construction waste” was removed. Work was even organized to sift it, as a result of which artifacts of the First Temple were found. Details such as and -) :

Not that this garbage is of any scientific interest ( Quite imagines -). It’s just that in Jerusalem, and even more so on the Temple Mount, everything is politics.And this policy shows who is boss. Personally, I immediately had an association with a rented apartment. Formally, a rented apartment belongs to those who live there. But legally, the apartment is only in the possession of the owner, who may not renew the lease...

However, let's return to Al Aqsa.

There is no mention of Jerusalem in the Koran. It is only written that Muhammad, with his faithful horse Burak, flew at night from Mecca to “El-Aktsa”, which translates as “on the edge” in the sense of very far. Those who know Hebrew can immediately find the familiar root k.ts. - katze.The fact that the “edge” is located precisely in Jerusalem is already written in the commentaries to the Koran. To be fair, I note that the Torah also does not mention Jerusalem - only Mount Moriah and “the place that G-d will show you.”

And if the two previous religions - Judaism and Christianity - consider Jerusalem their holy city, then why should Islam remain on the sidelines?So he didn’t stay.

In addition to the herd mentality, two other compelling reasons played a role in the construction of monumental Islamic structures in the holy city.The first reason was the political replacement of Mecca and Medina, which at that time was not in the hands of Caliph Muawiyah. And he really wanted to rule, so he built a dome over the holy rock - an alternative to the stone in Mecca.

The second reason is competition with Christian Byzantium.No one took Judaism into account in the 7th century, but Byzantium still had quite a strong position. And therefore, two main Islamic buildings - the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque were built in the image and likeness of the Byzantine Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

The Dome over the Rock is the Rotunda around the holy place.Al-Aqsa Mosque is a basilica, a hall of prayer.And between them there is a courtyard.The Christian Church of the Sepulcher also had a courtyard, which was covered with a roof by the crusaders. And here the courtyard remains as it was.

The dome over the Rock also remained as it was, almost unchanged. After all, what will happen to the rock? She's strong.

But the unfortunate Al-Aqsa Mosque, built over the arched ceilings of King Herod, suffers from earthquakes every time. And in a strong earthquake of the 8th century it was destroyed to the ground.In the modern building, the oldest parts date back to no earlier than the 12th century. And the building itself is very reminiscent of many Catholic churches in Europe.If you are in Ravenna, take a look at the Church of St. Vitali (San Vitale) - the exact twin of our Al-Aqsa.

If you look closely, you can even see sculptures of pelicans on the columns - an indispensable symbolism of Christ during the Crusader period.

Remains of Crusader buildings can be seen elsewhere on the Temple Mount. For example, the Chapel of the Ascension is a baptistery (place of baptism of new Christians) at the crusader church Templum Dominus. The Crusaders believed that this was Solomon's palace.

Muslims believe that it was in this place that Muhammad prayed on the eve of his flight to heaven.

The ascension itself took place over the Stone of the Universe. Moreover, the initial speed to overcome gravity was so great that Muhammad first fell into the ground, and then broke a rock with his head and flew to heaven straight to Allah. As a result of this process, called “mirage” in Arabic, a cave was formed in the rock. You can visit this holy cave by going inside the Dome.

All the walls inside the Dome are painted with quotes from the Koran. The most common ones are:“God is one, not two or three. God is not born, he has no son...”, etc.The only strange thing is that there is not a single quote on the topic of Muhammad’s ascension to heaven for the commandments. It is possible that the tradition linking this ascension to the site on the Temple Mount arose after the construction of the Dome.

After the last intifada, Israelis and guests of the capital are not allowed into the Dome.

So let’s take a closer look at the Dome only from the outside. Moreover, there is also a lot of interesting things here. For example, these marble slabs in wall cladding:

Take a closer look at the design in the stone. Do you see the portrait of Muhammad?

If you don’t see it, then you are not a devout Muslim.

Next to the Dome of the Rock, on its eastern side, there is a smaller copy of it - Kipat Shalshelet (Dome of the Chain). According to one version, Caliph Abd-El-Malik, before the construction of the main Dome, ordered the construction of a smaller model of it.But this version does not stand up to criticism, because the small dome is not a copy of the large one. Made in the shape of a gazebo, the small dome never had walls.

But the fact is that these two structures - the large and small dome - are the most ancient buildings on the Temple Mount.And the dome of Shalshelet has a very interesting feature.When you stand exactly in the middle of this gazebo, you can speak very quietly - you can still hear it well. If you speak loudly, it will be heard throughout the mountain. Because this ancient sound amplifier is located exactly in the middle of the mountain!

And my personal observation is that the wind was blowing all the time in the center of the domed gazebo. As soon as I stepped to the side, the wind died down.

Where the Temple Mount borders the Arab quarter, there are many well-preserved buildings from the Mamluk period.

The Mamluks generally distinguished themselves here by building religious schools for the study of Islam - midras.

Traditional Mamluk architecture is very beautiful. The combination of different colors alone gives the building an unusual elegance.

At the northernmost tip of the Temple Mount, Herod did not need to complete the construction, but rather had to cut off the excess hill in order to level the territory.This cut is clearly visible at the base of the Arabic school of Omariya. And in the Herodian period there stood the tower of Anthony:

, there was a short conversation about the most sacred place for Jews - Har Ha-Moria, Mount MORIA (with emphasis on the last letter). In my commentary, I cited a video clip of the Hasidic singer and cantor Abraham Fried, and I was interested in the words of the song, which explained why the mountain on which the Jerusalem Temple was subsequently erected was named that way.

The song is based on the second version ה"ק פר´ שמות a source from the Talmud (Gemara) is indicated in brackets.

And personally, I fully support this version for the simple reason that the ancient Jews were a very agricultural people: raising livestock and farming was the most important basis of their life. Everyone knows that the Eskimos have many words for snow, and the ancient Jews have the same circumstance, for example, with harvesting - judge for yourself:

Grape harvest - בציר ענבים betsir anavim.

Picking olives - מסיק זיתים masik zeytim.

Harvest of wheat - קציר חיטה ketzir hita.

Gathering dates - גדיד תמרים gedid tmarim.

Picking citrus fruits - קטיף הדרים katif hadarim.

Picking cucumbers - אסיף מלפפונים asif melafefonim.

(for those interested, here is the full article - What is harvesting called in Hebrew? ).

Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that if the mountain on which the olive trees grew (זית) was called Har Ha-Zeitim, then the one on which “Mor” grew was called, accordingly, MORIA. Nevertheless, attempts to find other theological explanations for this name, in my opinion, are of a much later period.

But what is this pest plant? To this seemingly simple question, the answer turns out to be far from clear.

At first, everything seemed simple—all-knowing Google immediately gave the answer:

"Mirro" is the Aramaic form of the common Semitic "Mor". One of the most popular incense of antiquity - the name comes from the word “bitter”. Here is an example excerpt from the Song of Songs:

Until the king is on his throne

the aroma of my spikenard could be heard.

For me beloved

the incense of myrrh that is between my breasts.

For me, beloved -

brush of fireweed in the gardens of Ein Gedi.

So it turns out that “pestilence” is Myrrh, Commiphora myrrha (lat. Commiphora myrrha) - a small tree similar to a low spreading cedar. The branches that bear leaves end in thorns.

Below on the right is a photograph of the same gum resin from which the fragrant incense was made.

According to legend, myrrh oil was first obtained by shepherds who collected the resin, beloved for its aroma, that stuck to the wool of their goats when they rubbed against tree trunks. The best and purest myrrh is considered to be “flowing myrrh” (Exodus 30:23; Song 5:13; in the Synod. Transl. - “flowing myrrh”).

By the way, according to the Gospel, the wise men brought three gifts to the newborn baby: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matt. 2:11), for myrrh in those days was valued much more than gold.

In short, everything seems clear, and I already wanted to close this topic, but finally (to once again show the connection of Jews with the earth) I decided to look for information about the seven-branched Menorah (since I remembered that it also took its shape from some kind of plant). And then a real surprise awaited me: Coat of arms of the State of Israel - seven-branched manorah (menorah) - resembles a plant known in ancient times under the name Moria.

The description of the Menorah in the Bible is replete with images clearly borrowed from botany: branches, stem, corollas, ovaries, flowers, almond-shaped cups, petals. According to Israeli researchers Ephraim and Chana HaReuveni: “Ancient Jewish primary sources, such as the Babylonian Talmud, indicate a direct connection between the menorah and a certain type of plant. In fact, there is a plant native to the Land of Israel that bears a striking resemblance to the menorah, although it does not always have seven branches. This is a genus of sage (salvia), called Moriah in Hebrew. Various species of this plant grow throughout the world, but some of the wild varieties growing in Israel closely resemble the menorah. » In the botanical literature in Israel, the Syriac name for this plant is accepted - marva (Salvia Judaica or Salvia Hierosolymitana). Whether this type of sage was the original model for the menorah or not, it seems more than likely that it was a stylized form of the tree.

And so that there is no longer any doubt:

Marwa, or moria, is an ancient plant, a type of sage.The famous Mount Moriah, mentioned in the Bible, is named after Marwa as the place where Abraham and Isaac ascended and where the temple was eventually built, from which the Western Wall has been preserved. The plant has a long season, harvesting lasts from November to April. Marwa tastes more delicate than sage, it is rich in fiber, vitamins and beneficial microelements.

Here I admit, I’m already completely confused - Mirra, Marva, Moriah, the names are, of course, similar, but the plants seem to be completely different:

Here is "Marva"

And here is Mirra (as they say, find the differences).

And both plants are clearly connected with the Temple Mount - aromatic substances were made from myrrh for ritual incense in the Temple, and the Menorah, you understand..

In short, it turned out to be a dead end - but I still managed to figure it out a little, thanks to a small paragraph in Wikipedia in Hebrew

ב-1976 הציע חוקר הצמחים נגה הראובני שהצמח מרוות יהודה הוא המור ושזוהי המוריה שעל שמה ההר, אך ממצאים ארכאולוגיים וכן השתמרות השמות והשימוש בבושם בתרבויות ובשפה היוונית והאיטלקית עד ימינו, וכן שימושיה הרבים בכנסייה האורתודוקסית, מורים שאין הדבר כן.[לדיון זה]

That is, it turned out that the theory about Marv (sage) was voiced only in 1980 by Noga Reuveni (the son of Hana and Ephraim Reuveni, who were already mentioned above) and that most other researchers do not entirely agree with it

Noga Reuveni wrote a book, “The Symbol of the Country: Roots in the Nature of the Land and in the Jewish Tradition,” which was published in 1980, and in it he talked about another idea of ​​his parents. From the numerous descriptions of the seven-branched menorah in the Tanakh, they decided that the prototype of the menorah should be sought in the nature of Israel. There is nothing surprising in such an idea even for non-religious people - ancient peoples took a lot from nature, they had neither the Internet nor television :)

They found several species of plants that are described in the book of Shemot. Most of these plants were of the Salvia species - sage מרווה. The Hebrew name מרווה (marva) comes from the Syriac and Ephraim Reuveni suggested that this name has a Hebrew origin of Moriah (מוריה). This is the name of the place (the country of Moriah) where Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. (Bereishit 22:2). Subsequently, King Solomon erected a Temple on this site.

Which of these theories is correct, everyone, of course, has the right to decide in their own way - in the end, I simply have to recommend you a very interesting post dona_anna " Neot Kdumim “from which I took the last quote I gave - how many more secrets does our ancient/young earth keep...

Built the Temple (the so-called First Temple), which was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. e. and rebuilt (the so-called Second Temple) 70 years later (516 BC) by those who returned from the Babylonian captivity. King Herod, during his reconstruction of the Temple (22 BC), increased the area of ​​the Temple Mount by erecting a powerful retaining wall around it and filling the gap between the wall and the hill with earth. Reconstruction continued by Herod's heirs, Agrippa I and Agrippa II, until the Jewish War.

It must be emphasized that archaeological excavations have never been carried out on the Temple Mount (except for the Templars, see above). The few finds that have become known were discovered by chance during construction work, while most of them are hidden or deliberately destroyed by WAKHF workers (see below).

During the periods of Mamluk, Ottoman and British rule, Jews were not allowed on the Temple Mount. The British Mandate administration introduced a special body for guardianship of the holy places of Islam on the Temple Mount - the so-called WAKHF, which received virtually uncontrolled power over the entire territory of the Temple Mount. At the end of the War of Independence, the Jordanian leadership maintained this position; at the same time, Jews were not allowed not only to the Temple Mount, but also to the Western Wall (see Western Wall), in violation of the ceasefire agreement with Israel. During the Six-Day War, during the battles for Jerusalem, Israeli paratroopers took control of the Temple Mount, their commander M. Gur announced over army radio communications: “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” The Israeli flag was raised over the Temple Mount. However, soon, by order of the Israeli Minister of Defense M. Dayan, the flag was lowered and the powers of the WAKHF were confirmed.

Access to the Temple Mount was open to everyone on designated days and hours. In 1993, after the signing of the Oslo Accords (see State of Israel. Historical outline. I. Rabin's victory in the 1992 elections and the beginning of negotiations with the PLO. Oslo Accords), control of the WACHF passed from Jordan to the Palestinian Authority. Since that time, WAKHF workers, under the guise of repair and construction work, have been systematically destroying archaeological values ​​- traces of the Jewish presence on the Temple Mount; At the same time, Muslim preachers freely engage in anti-Israeli propaganda and direct incitement to violence. Their statements denying the existence of a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount have become commonplace.

In September 1996, after many years of excavations and reconstruction, the so-called “Hasmonean tunnel” was opened to the public - a section of an ancient water conduit and street of the Hasmonean-Herodian period, running from the Western Wall square to the Via Dolorosa, about 300 m west of the Temple. mountain and parallel to its western retaining wall. The head of the PLO and the Autonomy Ya. Arafat said that the Israelis want to use a tunnel to undermine the foundation of the al-Aqsa Mosque and thus destroy it, making way for their Temple. Despite the obvious absurdity of this statement, serious unrest and armed clashes occurred in Jerusalem and in some areas in the controlled territories; for the first time, Palestinian police used weapons against Israeli security forces; 15 Israelis and 52 Arabs were killed. During the incident, Arabs from the Temple Mount threw stones at Jews praying at the Western Wall.

In 1998, the WAKHF opened a new, third mosque on the Temple Mount, in the so-called Solomon's Stables. Large-scale construction work in the dungeons of the Temple Mount led to disruption of the ancient drainage system and, apparently, other deformations, as a result of which the southern wall of the Temple Mount was in danger of collapse. In 1999–2002 Jordanian engineering services carried out restoration work here: WAKHF does not cooperate with the relevant Israeli services and even prohibits their supervision of the work. Since the beginning of the so-called “second intifada” in September 2000, on the instructions of the Israeli government, entry to the Temple Mount for non-Muslims was stopped (until mid-2003, when the situation somewhat returned to normal). During these years, the Israeli police periodically restricted Muslim access to the Temple Mount, both for residents of the autonomy and for other citizens based on age requirements. It was forbidden to enter the Temple, and according to a more strict point of view, it was forbidden to enter the Temple Mount at all. It was also forbidden to climb the Temple Mount for non-religious purposes or in an indecent manner.

The Temple Mount had to be ascended from its right side and descended from its left (Br. 9:5; Mid. 2:2, etc.). According to most halachic authorities, notably Maimonides, the sanctity of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount remains in effect after the destruction of the Temple. Avra X am ben David of Poschières decreed that “whoever enters there [the Temple Mount] now shall not be punished by carriages.” Some authorities tend to interpret this ruling as follows: after the destruction of the Temple, entry to the Temple Mount is not restricted; However, the most accepted interpretation is that the ruling does not give permission to climb the Temple Mount, but only abolishes the punishment of carriage for this.

Avra's opinion X The ama of ben David of Poschières was not accepted as halakhah. Additionally, all Jews are believed to be unclean since there is no red cow (see Para Adumma) whose ashes are needed for ritual purification, and therefore no one can ascend the Temple Mount. However, there is a point of view according to which this prohibition applies only to climbing the platform where the Temple stood; entry to the rest of the Temple Mount is not prohibited. The problem is that the biblical sources do not clearly identify the permitted zone, and therefore repeated attempts to establish it have not led halakhic authorities to agreement.

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The Temple Mount (in Hebrew, har ha-Bayit - literally "mountain of the House") is a rectangular square overlooking the rest of the Old City of Jerusalem. Its name is mentioned in the book of the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 2:2: “At the end of days the mountain of the house of God will be established above the mountains, and will rise above the hills, and all nations will rush to it.”

If Jerusalem as a whole is considered a holy city for three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam (listed in order of occurrence), then the Temple Mount in particular represents the epicenter of the conflict between these faiths.

In recent decades, however, we have heard less and less about the participation of Christians in this conflict. Their demographic share in the population of Jerusalem and the entire Country of Israel is steadily falling, but Jews and Muslims, although they occasionally try to come to an agreement with each other, are no longer engaged in cooperation, but in competition, with no end in sight.

The latest (to date, but certainly not absolutely last) round of conflict involves the installation and dismantling of metal detector frames at the entrance to the Temple Mount after three Muslim Arabs from Umm al-Fahm with Israeli citizenship committed suicide on July 14. there was a terrorist attack that cost the lives of two Israeli Druze policemen.

To even simply list all the previous rounds of interreligious and interethnic confrontation on the Temple Mount would require a book format. Here we will only try to indicate the most important milestones in the history of this area.

Jews

Jews consider the Temple Mount the holiest place on Earth. On its territory there was the First and then the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Here, according to Jewish tradition, the Third Temple will stand. Religious Jews around the world face Israel when they pray, Jews in Israel face Jerusalem, and Jews in Jerusalem face the Temple Mount.

Even before the construction of temples on this site, according to Jewish tradition, the following events occurred:

1. God created the first man - Adam.

2. Adam made a sacrifice to God.

3. Cain and Abel built an altar and offered sacrifices here.

4. Noah (Noah) made a sacrifice after leaving the ark.

5. Abraham prepared his son Isaac (Isaac) as a sacrifice to God.

Christians

According to Christian tradition, the Virgin Mary was led into the Holy of Holies by steps from the southern part of the Temple (which remain to this day). The parents of the Virgin Mary, the righteous Joachim and Anna, when their daughter reached the age of 3, decided to fulfill the vow they had previously made - to dedicate her to God.

Near the entrance to the Jerusalem Temple stood young virgins called by Joachim with lighted lamps. The Blessed Virgin climbed the steps of the Temple, where she was met by the High Priest Zechariah. Maria lived and was raised at the Temple until she was 12 years old.

Muslims

Currently, on the territory of the Temple Mount there are Muslim places of worship: the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock Mosque (Kubbat al-Sahra). Islam considers this place the third holiest after Mecca and Medina, located in Saudi Arabia.

The Dome of the Rock Mosque is built in the very center of the Temple Mount. Inside it is a rock protruding from the ground - the only part of the mountain that rises above the flat plateau. According to the Koran, this stone is the rock from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended into the sky on a winged horse.

The role of the Temple Mount in Islam will be covered in more detail below, as we move in chronological order.

How the Temple Mount was built

According to the TANAKH, King David bought the plot of land where the Temple of Jerusalem was subsequently built from the Jebusite Orna (Aravna). Money for

The purchase of this plot was collected from each of the tribes of Israel. At this place, David erected an altar to God, and David's son and his heir to the throne, Solomon, built the First Temple. From 825 to 422 BC The temple was a place of exaltation of the one God. The supreme court and legislative center were also located here. A daily service with sacrifices was held in the Temple, and three times a year during the holidays, all Jewish men were required to come here.

The First Temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar while suppressing the uprising of the last Jewish king, Tzidkiah (Zedekiah) against Babylon.

In 368 BC, after the return of the Jews to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity, construction of the Second Temple began on this site. Construction lasted about four years. The Temple was then dedicated and became the spiritual, social, legislative and judicial center of the Jewish people. This structure existed until the First Jewish War - 70 AD. e., when it was destroyed and burned by the Romans under the leadership of Titus.

To this day, along the western and southern walls you can see huge stones left there after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. Archaeologists also discovered stone railings from the balcony, from which trumpets were blown, announcing the onset of Saturdays and holidays. Part of the inscription “to the place of blowing” has been preserved on the railing.

In 130, Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of the Roman colony of Aelia Capitolina on the ruins of Jerusalem. In the new city, on the site of the Temple, a sanctuary dedicated to Jupiter was erected, and on the very spot where the Holy of Holies had once been located, an equestrian statue of Hadrian was erected.

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A new Jewish revolt broke out under the leadership of Bar Kochba, lasting from 132 to 136. The rebel Jews managed to recapture Jerusalem for three years and even build a “temporary Temple”, but in the summer of 135 the uprising was suppressed and the Romans recaptured the city. Hadrian issued a decree prohibiting all circumcised persons from entering the city.

In 361, Julian ascended the throne of the Roman Empire. He announced freedom of worship in the territory under his control and even announced a plan for the restoration of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. From May 19 to May 26, his project was already being implemented, but work was stopped due to a fire, the causes of which are not fully understood. A month later, Julian fell in battle, and his place was taken by the commander Jovian, who put an end to all the plans of his predecessor.

During the Byzantine period, the Temple Mount was abandoned. A city dump was built under its walls.

How the Al-Aqsa Mosque came to be

In 638, Palestine was captured by the Arabs. Their leader, Caliph Omar, visited Jerusalem and prayed on the Temple Mount. In 687-691, by order of his successor Abdul al-Malik, the Dome of the Rock with a gilded roof was erected over the foundation stone, where the Holy of Holies had been located before the destruction of the Temple. Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by Muslims in the southern part of the Temple Mount. It was originally a wooden building, the construction of which dates back to no later than 679. The mosque was rebuilt at least 5 times. The stone building, which has survived to this day, was built in 1035.

Muslims view the Temple Mount as one of the earliest and most remarkable places of worship of God. In the 13th century, Islamic theologian Ibn Taymiyyah stated: “Al-Aqsa is the name for the entire place of worship built by Suleiman (Solomon).”

Ibn Taymiyyah opposed giving any unjustified religious honors to any mosques (even the one in Jerusalem), without giving them the opportunity to approach or compete in any way with the two holiest mosques - Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca) and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina).

Temple Mount during the Crusader era

Next, the Christians return to the stage. In 1099, the First Crusade reached its goal - Jerusalem. As a result of a bloody battle with Muslims, the city came under the rule of the Crusaders. The Crusaders turned the Dome of the Rock into the Temple of God and the Al-Aqsa Mosque into Solomon's Temple. The Dome of the Rock, with a cross mounted on its golden roof, became the symbol of the Kingdom of Jerusalem founded by the Crusaders.

On July 4, 1187, Muslims led by Salah ad-Din (aka Saladin) defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin. All the churches in the city, except the Church of the Resurrection, were converted into mosques.

Temple Mount under Turkish rule

In the 13th century, power passed into the hands of the Mamluks, Muslims of non-Arab origin. They built arched structures on the Temple Mount surrounding the Dome of the Rock. The Mamluks made gates in the walls through which believers could climb the Temple Mount.

In the 16th-20th centuries, the Land of Israel was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Under the leadership of Suleiman I the Magnificent, grandiose construction began in Jerusalem. The walls of the city were rebuilt, including the walls of the Temple Mount.

During the periods of Mamluk and Ottoman rule of Palestine, Jews were not allowed on the Temple Mount.

British Mandate years

During the First World War, Jerusalem came under British rule. The British Mandate administration introduced a special body for guardianship of the holy places of Islam on the Temple Mount - the Waqf, also known as the Islamic Council, which received actual authority over the entire territory of the Temple Mount.

At the instigation of the then Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini, who actively participated in the organization of Jewish pogroms in 1929 and collaborated with the Third Reich, the Temple Mount was declared a national symbol of the Palestinian Arabs.

Temple Mount after the establishment of the State of Israel

In 1948, the Temple Mount came under the rule of Transjordan (Jordan). In 1951, the first king of Jordan, Abdullah ibn Hussein, was assassinated on the threshold of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by Arab extremists. During renovations between 1958 and 1964, Al-Aqsa's gray lead dome was replaced with a gilded aluminum dome, giving the Temple Mount its modern appearance.

At the end of the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, the Temple Mount, along with all of East Jerusalem, came under Transjordanian control. Until 1967, Jews were not only barred from the Temple Mount, but also from the Western Wall, in flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement reached at the end of the War of Independence.

As a result of the Six-Day War, the Temple Mount was captured by an Israeli landing brigade under the command of Mordechai Gur, who radioed: “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” However, soon, by order of Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, the blue and white flag was lowered and control of the Temple Mount was returned to the Waqf.

Since 1967, access to the Temple Mount has been open to everyone on designated days and hours. The Israeli police prohibit Jews from bringing religious objects to the mountain, in particular prayer books, tefillin, tallit and religious literature. Jews on the Temple Mount are prohibited from praying or even bowing towards the Holy of Holies.

The current state of the Arab-Israeli conflict on the Temple Mount

In September 1996, after many years of excavations and reconstruction, the so-called “Hasmonean tunnel” was opened to the public - a section of an ancient water conduit and street of the Hasmonean-Herodian period, running from the Western Wall square to Via Dolorosa, 300 meters west of the Temple. mountain and parallel to its western retaining wall. PA leader Yasser Arafat then said that the Israelis were allegedly planning to undermine the foundation of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and thus destroy it, making way for their Temple. Serious unrest and armed clashes occurred in Jerusalem and in some areas of the territories under the control of the Palestinian Authority, during which the PA police used weapons against Israeli security forces for the first time. Arabs repeatedly threw stones at Jews praying at the Western Wall. During the riots, 15 Israelis and 52 Arabs died.

In 1998, the Waqf opened its third mosque on the Temple Mount, in the so-called Solomon's stables. Large-scale construction work in the dungeons of the Temple Mount led to disruption of the ancient drainage system and other deformations, as a result of which the southern wall of the Temple Mount was in danger of collapse. In 1999-2002 Jordanian engineering services carried out restoration work here, since the Waqf does not want to cooperate with the relevant Israeli services and prohibits any supervision of their work on their part.

Since the beginning of the Second Intifada (Al-Aqsa Intifada), which broke out after Ariel Sharon's ascent to the Temple Mount in September 2000, entry to the mount for non-Muslims was stopped at the direction of the Israeli government until mid-2003, when the situation somewhat returned to normal.

In the winter of 2004, heavy snowfalls and a small earthquake caused the destruction of part of the old Mugrabi Bridge, which simultaneously served as a fencing wall for the southern part of the women's half of the Western Wall. A Hamas spokesman made a statement that the bridge collapsed because of the Israeli desire to destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque and promised revenge. In turn, the Israeli side suggested that the cause of the accident was underground work carried out by Waqf on the Temple Mount.

One of the latest conflicts was caused by the decision of the Israeli authorities to build a new pedestrian bridge in the Maghreb Gate area leading to the Temple Mount complex. Construction of the bridge, which began in February 2007, was suspended due to widespread protests by Muslims who feared that the Al-Aqsa Mosque could be damaged during the construction of the bridge.

Experts on the conflict in the summer of 2017

Says orientalist, doctoral student at the University of Paris, and activist of the Regional Forum for Achieving a Settlement in Jerusalem, Eran Tsidkiyahu: “The Temple Mount concentrates the ancient Muslim myth of Salah ad-Din and the modern national narrative of the Palestinian people. In the eyes of Muslims, the Zionists look like the crusaders of our days, from which - on a purely instinctive level - it is necessary to protect Al-Aqsa and other Islamic shrines. Even for those Muslims who do not practice religious cults and treat Mohammedanism rather nominally, these shrines and the Temple Mount that houses them represent an ethnic symbol. This trend has existed for about 120 years since the beginning of political Zionism, and after the Six Day War and subsequent clashes in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, it continues to intensify."

Says Dr. Daniela Talmon-Geller of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Be'er Sheva: "The roots of the conflict lie deep in Muslim history. There is evidence that in the early days of Islam, its adherents prayed facing Jerusalem (Al-Quds), and only then they changed direction in favor of Mecca. And yet the main shrine of this religion remained Mecca. This is proven by the fact that the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca is considered obligatory, and to Jerusalem - only desirable. As for metal detectors, they themselves are not for Muslims "They interfere and do not desecrate any sanctity of mosques. They are irritated by Israeli sovereignty as such."

If you want to find the most sacred place on earth, connecting several world religions at once, then it will be the Temple Mount. Its significance is recognized as a cult and continues to hold a huge number of mysteries of the universe. Jews, Arabs and Christians regularly come to Jerusalem on religious holidays to pray and honor the memory of the Creator, Jesus, Muhammad and other prophets of antiquity.

Millions of pilgrims from all over the world revere this shrine as one of the most significant in both Judaism and Christianity, and in Islam. It is hard to imagine that 3 opposing religions are connected to the mountain and constantly defend their primacy for the right to own the land.

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What secrets does the shrine hide?

According to the traditions of the sacred Scriptures, the Temple Mount was originally called Moriah (the mountain to which God pointed to Abraham). Therefore, the holiness of this place lies at the basis of the entire universe. Here are just some of the most important events that happened at this place:

• It was on the Cornerstone on the third day of creation that the Almighty lowered the world, and according to Jewish traditions, this stone is the Temple Mount
• The first man appeared here
• Cain and Abel, together with their father Adam, performed sacrifices to God
• After the Flood, Noah built an altar on the top of the mountain for offerings to the Almighty.
• Abraham was about to make a sacrifice to God, trying to kill his son Isaac
• An angel with a sword appeared to King David, pointing to the site of the construction of the sacred altar, after which Israel got rid of the plague
• The cornerstone from the top of the mountain became the headboard for the prophet Jacob when he had a prophetic dream about the heavenly ladder
• The ancient tablets of the Covenant, sent to Moses by God, were hewn from the rock of the Temple Mount
• It was from the top of the hill that the Prophet Muhammad set off on a fast horse to Allah straight from Mecca.

Now the site of the mountain looks like a small pentagonal square, surrounded by high stone walls in the very heart. In the center is the temple of the Dome of the Rock, sparkling throughout the city with gold, and at the edge stands the smaller Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The main Jewish attractions of the mountain

First Temple of Jerusalem

According to legend, for his many sins, David was forbidden to build a shrine, so his heir Solomon in 967 BC. e. founded the temple of God. Construction took 7 years and ended with a massive celebration of the lighting of the buildings.

It is clear from the scriptures that at night the shekinah (divine power that signified his presence) descended on the temple. Here the king placed a reliquary with the covenants of the prophet Moses.

Great mystery

In 586 BC. e. After the burning of the temple by the army of Babylon, the mystery of the Temple Mount appeared, which torments historians and archaeologists to this day. All the relics were transported to Babylon, but during the transportation process the ark with the tablets of the Covenant of Moses and the golden Menorah disappeared without a trace. Archaeologists carried out excavations, since according to legend the treasures were securely hidden from the Babylonian army, but unfortunately there were practically no obvious traces of the first temple, since the Muslims built their shrines here after seizing the lands.

Second Temple and its ruins

In 536 BC. e. The Jewish people erected the Second Temple, which was beautiful and amazing in its grandeur. Around 20 BC e. King Herod carried out reconstruction work and increased the area of ​​the Temple Mount, erecting 30-meter walls to hide the shrine from the city. Unfortunately, the Second Temple did not escape the fate of its predecessor. The Romans already in 70 AD. e. The shrine was almost completely demolished, leaving only ruins.

Today, the Western Wall, known to the whole world as. This piece of the world shrine is divided into a large male and small female part by a partition. All tourists are allowed to visit this ancient monument. However, for women it is better to tie their heads and cover their shoulders with their knees.

You can place a small note with a wish in a crack in the wall. Then you need to return to the exit without turning your back to the wall. Before and after all procedures, Jews perform ablutions. For this purpose, washbasins and ladles have been placed in public areas.

Prophecies

Based on the writings of the prophet Ezekiel, the Antichrist must build a functioning Third Temple on the mountain. After the Second Coming, Jesus will return to our world to begin the Last Judgment. The first to suffer this fate were the Jews buried in the city's oldest cemetery. Those who fall from the bridge laid by God will immediately burn in hell, the rest will go to heaven.

Judaism itself excludes the fact of the Second Coming. According to their writings, the Messiah, who is a direct descendant of David, must found the Third Temple, which will unite all religions and peace will reign.

Muslim landmarks

After destroying the Jewish holy sites between 687 and 691, the Muslims built Jerusalem's most prominent and opulent monument, the Qubbat al-Sakhru Mosque. The dome of the mosque shines with gold and emphasizes the power over the Jewish people. This place was not chosen by chance. Despite the shrines of the Jews, for Muslims the Temple Mount is associated with the Prophet Muhammad.

The foundation stone is located at the peak of the rock and is surrounded by a gilded lattice, maintaining its integrity. This Muslim temple elevates Israel to one of the most important birthplaces of Islam. It was here that Muhammad, having tied his horse, told the people that they needed to pray 5 times a day.

The Dome of the Rock became one of the most striking examples of early Islamic architecture. It rises to the sky in a classic crescent. A unique mosaic covers the surface of the walls, vaults and arches of the temple. In the ornament you can see floral and geometric motifs with writing in Arabic script. For Muslims it is more than a tourist attraction. The mosque contains a footprint and 3 hairs from the beard of the Prophet Muhammad.

The small and seemingly featureless mosque on the Temple Mount used to be the first qibla of Muslims, that is, it was the priority spatial reference point for prayer. It was built by Caliph Umar in the middle of the 7th century. A gray dome covered with lead is located on the edge of the mountain square. This is the third most important shrine of Muslims, since Muhammad himself prayed here before ascending to Allah.

Who is the owner of the Temple Mount?

In 1967, during the Six-Day War, Israeli paratroopers captured the Muslim part of the mountain (according to the now iconic statements of soldier Moti Gur: “The Temple Mount is in our hands”). Today, access to this great attraction is allowed to everyone on specially designated days and hours.

After visiting the Temple Mount and its attractions, filled with spiritual power, even a deeply non-religious person is able to feel the full power and grandeur of Jerusalem. The contrast of the ruins of Jewish shrines with the beauty and richness of Muslim buildings creates contradictory sensations and remains forever in the minds of every traveler.