The Temple Mount’s Rich History and Controversies

Have you heard about the Temple Mount? Well, it is considered the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina and the number 1 holiest site in Judaism. This is the location where the Holy Temple once stood. Yes, the Jewish people used to have one large Holy Temple. In fact, there were two. They were both destroyed.

 

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The Temple Mount is believed to be the location where the physical world meets the spiritual heavens. The last temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Muslims believe that the Dome of the Rock, which houses the Sakrah Stone, is the location where Mohammad journeyed to the heavens. The Umayyads ruling family built the Dome of the Rock in 692 over the spot of the Holy of Holies, which was located at the peak of Mount Moriah. This is also the location where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac but was then stopped by God. Jews never believed in human sacrifice. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which was completed in 715 CE, is located to the south of the Temple Mount.

Today, the Temple Mount is in the custody of the Jordanian Waqf, and it is a point of controversy. Muslims have full access to the site, but non-Muslims are only permitted to enter the compound on the mountain at specified times throughout the day. When Jews go up there, sometimes it can cause riots. Though on Wednesday, I went up for the second time with a group of religious Jewish people who had a special police escort. Non-Muslims are not supposed to worship, pray, or even show symbols of their religion on the mountain. I was asked to hide my Star of David necklace last time. You also have to cover up out of respect.

In 207, two police officers were murdered in a terror attack.

Most recently, the right-wing leader Itamar Ben Gvir went up for a walk around the compound. It made international headlines as Arab leaders saw his journey there as an incitement. Ben-Gvir has been arrested for making incitements against Arabs in the past. Many Jews I saw came up to the mountain, made a silent prayer, and left when the time was out. There are sections where the temple used to stand that many Jews do not go onto because it is forbidden by Jewish law without the proper sacrifices and preparations. Some of those preparations are things we don’t or can’t do today – like slaughtering a red female cow as an offering, for example.

The compound is full of ancient history with pillars, rocks, and even marble slabs of stone that used to floor the Jewish Holy Temple. It is crazy that the pieces are still here. The compound is not very well-kept. The gold dome itself, however, is quite impressive to see. Many Muslim families do use the large spaces for picnics or pickup soccer games.

I asked the guide a few questions about how the space works with the authorities, who is supposed to come up, and why this is such a special place.