The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount (Hebrew: הַר הַבַּיִת‎, Har haBáyit), also called the Noble Sanctuary (Arabic: الحرم القدسي الشريف‎, al-haram al-qudsī ash-sharīf), is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The Old City (העיר העתיקה HaIr HaAtika, البلدة القديمة al-Balda al-Qadimah) is a 0 Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the Due to its importance for Judaism and Islam it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Jewish Midrash holds that it was from here that the world expanded into its present form, and that this was where God gathered the dust He used to create the first man, Adam. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic See also Adam and Eve Adam ( Hebrew: אָדָם was according to a literal interpretation of Genesis, the first man created by The Torah records that it was here that God chose to rest His Divine Presence, and consequently two Jewish Temples were built at the site. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Shekhinah (- alternative transliterations Shekinah, Shechinah, Shekina, Shechina, Schechinah, שכינה) is the English Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Jews believe that the Third Temple, which they hope will be the final one, will also be located here. This article is about a potential but unbuilt future temple For Herod the Great 's massive renovation of the Second Temple see Herod's Temple. In recent times, due to difficulties in ascertaining the precise location of the Mount's holiest spot, many Jews will not set foot on the Mount itself.

In Islam, the site is revered as the location of Islamic prophet Muhammad’s journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven and is associated with other local Muslim figures of antiquity. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics In Islamic tradition the Isra and Mi'raj (الإسراء والمعراج) are the two parts of a journey that Muhammad took in one night around the year 620 The site is the location of the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, the oldest extant Islamic structure in the world. Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit ^[1]

Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. In 1967, the Israeli government assigned a Muslim council management of the site. Politics of Israel takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic Republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Israel is A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim

Current features of the site

Due to the extreme political sensitivity of the site, few archaeological excavations have been conducted on the Temple Mount itself. Protests commonly occur whenever archaeologists conduct projects on or near the Mount. Aside from visual observation of surface features, most other archaeological knowledge of the site comes from the 19th century survey carried out by Charles Wilson and Charles Warren. Charles Wilson may refer toPoliticians Charles Wilson (Texas politician (born 1933 U General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS ( 7 February 1840 &ndash 21 January 1927) was an officer in the This sensitivity has not prevented the Muslim Waqf from destroying archeological evidence ^[2] on a number^[3] of^[4] occasions^[5]

The Temple Mount is a large flat-topped construction built over a natural hill; the side walls of the Mount are hidden behind residential buildings on the northern side and northern portion of the western side. The southern portion of the western side is the Western Wall, only half visible above ground. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit On the southern and eastern sides the walls are visible almost to their full height. A northern portion of the Western Wall may be seen from within the Western Wall Tunnel, which was excavated through buildings adjacent to the platform. The Western Wall Tunnel ( Hebrew: מנהרת הכותל translit The platform itself is separated from the rest of the Old City by the Tyropoeon Valley, though this once deep valley is now largely hidden beneath later deposits, and is imperceptible in places. Tyropoeon Valley (ie "Valley of the Cheesemakers quot is the name given by Josephus the historian to the Valley or rugged Ravine, in The platform can be reached via Bridge Street — a street in the Arab quarter at the level of the platform, actually sitting on a monumental bridge; the bridge is no longer externally visible due to the change in ground level, but it may be seen (from beneath) via the Western Wall Tunnels.

An additional flat platform is built above the portion of the hill rising above the general level of the top of the Temple Mount, and this upper platform is the location of the Dome of the Rock; the rock in question is the bedrock at the peak of the hill, just breaching the floor level of the upper platform. The Foundation Stone ( Hebrew: אבן השתייה translit Even haShetiya) or Rock ( Arabic: translit Beneath the rock is a natural cave known as the Well of Souls, originally accessible only by a narrow hole in the rock itself, Crusaders hacked open an entrance to the cave from the south, by which it can now be entered. The Well of Souls ( Arabic: Bir el- Arweh) is the name of a natural Cave located immediately beneath the Sakhrah (the Foundation Stone in The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents There is also a smaller domed building on the upper platform, slightly to the east of the Dome of the Rock, known as the Dome of the Chain — traditionally the location where a chain once rose to heaven. Several stairways rise to the upper platform from the lower; that at the northwest corner is believed by some archaeologists be part of a much wider monumental staircase, mostly hidden or destroyed, and dating from the Second Temple era.

Washing station on the southern portion of the lower platform.

The lower platform — that constituting most of the surface of the Temple Mount — has at its southern end the al-Aqsa Mosque, which takes up most of the width of the Mount. Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque Gardens take up the eastern and most of the northern side of the platform; the far north of the platform houses an Islamic school. ^[6] The lower platform also houses a fountain (known as al-Kas), originally supplied with water via a long narrow aqueduct leading from pools at Bethlehem (colloquially known as Solomon's Pools), but now supplied from Jerusalem's water mains. Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a There are several cisterns embedded in the lower platform, designed to collect rain water as a water supply. For cisterns in Neuroanatomy, see Cistern (neuroanatomy.For the village in England see Syston. These have various forms and structures, seemingly built in different periods by different architects, ranging from vaulted chambers built in the gap between the bedrock and the platform, to chambers cut into the bedrock itself. Of these, the most notable are (numbering traditionally follows Wilson's scheme^[7]):

• Cistern 1 (located under the northern side of the upper platform). There is a speculation that it had a function connected with the altar of the Second Temple (and possibly of the earlier Temple),^[8] or with the bronze sea.
• Cistern 5 (located under the south eastern corner of the upper platform) — a long and narrow chamber, with a strange anti-clockwise curved section at its north western corner, and containing within it a doorway currently blocked by earth. The cistern's position and design is such that there has been speculation it had a function connected with the altar of the Second Temple (and possibly of the earlier Temple), or with the bronze sea. Charles Warren thought that the altar of burnt offerings was located at the north western end. ^[9]
• Cistern 8 (located just north of the al-Aqsa Mosque) — known as the Great Sea, a large rock hewn cavern, the roof supported by pillars carved from the rock; the chamber is particularly cave-like and atmospheric,^[10] and its maximum water capacity is several hundred thousand gallons.
• Cistern 9 (located just south of cistern 8, and directly under the al-Aqsa Mosque) — known as the Well of the Leaf due to its leaf-shaped plan, also rock hewn.
• Cistern 11 (located east of cistern 9) — a set of vaulted rooms forming a plan shaped like the letter E. Probably the largest cistern, it has the potential to house over 700,000 gallons of water.
• Cistern 16/17 (located at the centre of the far northern end of the Temple Mount). Despite the currently narrow entrances, this cistern (17 and 16 are the same cistern) is a large vaulted chamber, which Warren described as looking like the inside of the cathedral at Cordoba (which was previously a mosque). ||-||-||} Córdoba ( Cordova in English is a City in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Warren believed that it was almost certainly built for some other purpose, and was only adapted into a cistern at a later date; he suggested that it might have been part of a general vault supporting the northern side of the platform, in which case substantially more of the chamber exists than is used for a cistern.

The Golden Gate

The walls of the platform contain several gateways, all currently blocked. In the east wall is the Golden Gate, through which legend states the Jewish Messiah would enter Jerusalem. Messiah ( משיח; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, ("anointed " is a term used in the Hebrew Bible On the southern face are the Hulda Gates — the triple gate (which has three arches) and the double gate (which has two arches, and is partly obscured by a Crusader building); these were the entrance and exit (respectively) to the Temple Mount from Ophel (the oldest part of Jerusalem), and the main access to the Mount for ordinary Jews. The Huldah Gates are the two sets of now-blocked gates in the south wall of the Temple Mount, which is also one of Jerusalem's Old City walls. The Ophel ( Hebrew: עופל meaning fortified hill or risen area is the biblical name given to a certain part of a settlement or city that is elevated from its surroundings In the western face, near the southern corner, is the Barclay's Gate — only half visible due to a building on the northern side. Also in the western face, hidden by later construction but visible via the recent Western Wall Tunnels, and only rediscovered by Warren, is Warren's Gate; the function of these western gates is obscure, but many Jews view Warren's Gate as particularly holy, due to its location due west of the Dome of the Rock (traditional belief considers the Dome of the Rock to have earlier been the location at which the Holy of Holies was placed). Warren's Gate is an ancient entrance into the Temple platform which lies about 150 feet into the Western Wall Tunnel. The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered

Warren was able to investigate the inside of these gates. Warren's Gate and the Golden Gate simply head towards the centre of the Mount, fairly quickly giving access to the surface by steps. ^[11] Barclay's Gate is similar, but abruptly turns south as it does so; the reason for this is currently unknown. The double and triple gates (the Huldah Gates) are more substantial; heading into the Mount for some distance they each finally have steps rising to the surface just north of the al-Aqsa Mosque. ^[12] The passageway for each is vaulted, and has two aisles (in the case of the triple gate, a third aisle exists for a brief distance beyond the gate); the eastern aisle of the double gates and western of the triple gates reach the surface, the other aisles terminating some way before the steps — Warren believed that one aisle of each original passage was extended when the al-Aqsa Mosque blocked the original surface exits.

East of and joined to the triple gate passageway is a large vaulted area, supporting the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount platform — which is substantially above the bedrock at this point — the vaulted chambers here are popularly referred to as King Solomon's Stables. Solomon's Stables is the common name of an area located directly underneath the south eastern corner of the Temple Mount, an area where the bedrock falls away steeply from the ^[13] They were used as stables by the Crusaders, but were built by Herod the Great — along with the platform they were built to support. In the process of investigating Cistern 10, Warren discovered tunnels that lay under the Triple Gate passageway. ^[14] These passages lead in erratic directions, some leading beyond the southern edge of the Temple Mount (they are at a depth below the base of the walls); their purpose is currently unknown — as is whether they predate the Temple Mount — a situation not helped by the fact that apart from Warren's expedition no one else is known to have visited them.

Traditions relating to the site

A reconstruction of Herod's Temple in Jerusalem. The mount draws its name from the Jewish Temples which once stood at the site

The Foundation Stone

Jewish

See also: Jerusalem in Judaism

According to an Aggada in the Talmud, the world was created from the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount^[15] According to the Bible, the place where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac was Mount Moriah, which the Talmud says was another name for the Temple Mount. See also Religious significance of Jerusalem Since the 10th century BCE Jerusalem in Judaism has been the holiest city, focus and spiritual centre of Aggadah ( Aramaic אגדה tales lore pl Aggadot or (Ashkenazi Aggados) refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history The Foundation Stone ( Hebrew: אבן השתייה translit Even haShetiya) or Rock ( Arabic: translit Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Moriah ( Hebrew: מוריה Mōriyyā = "ordained/considered by YHWH " is the name given to a mountain range by the book of Genesis

The Bible recounts that Jacob dreamt about angels ascending and descending a ladder while sleeping on a stone. Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; The Talmud says that this took place on the Temple Mount. Rashi also identifies the site as the place where Isaac and Rebekah prayed, asking God to grant them children. For the astrological concept see Rāshi (Jyotiṣa. Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, (רבי שלמה יצחקי better known by the acronym Rashi This article is about the biblical matriarch For other uses of the word Rebecca see Rebecca (disambiguation Rebecca (also Rebekah also ^[16]

According to the Bible, King David purchased a threshing floor owned by Aravnah the Jebusite^[17] overlooking Jerusalem upon the cessation of a plague, to erect an altar. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place He wanted to construct a permanent temple there, but as his hands were "bloodied", he was forbidden to do so himself, so this task was left to his son Solomon, who completed the task c. King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" 950 BCE. Events and trends 959 BC — Psusennes II succeeds Siamun as king of Egypt.

The Western Wall, also known as The Kotel, is a part of the Temple Mount that survived the destruction of the Second Temple and remains standing. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit The Second Temple (בית המקדש romanized 'Beit HaMikdash' meaning 'Holy House' was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE The Western Wall is holy due to its proximity to the location on the Temple Mount of the Holy of Holies of the Temple, the Most Holy Place in Judaism. The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Many religious traditions have a most sacred site, a physical location which is considered especially holy Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut Due to Jewish religious restrictions on entering the most sacred areas of the Temple Mount, the Western Wall has become, for practical purposes, the holiest generally accessible site for Jews to pray. Many Jews often leave written prayers addressed to God in the cracks of the wall. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity.

According to a commonly held belief in Judaism, the Temple Mount is to be the site of the final Third Temple, to be rebuilt with the coming of the Jewish Messiah. This article is about a potential but unbuilt future temple For Herod the Great 's massive renovation of the Second Temple see Herod's Temple. Messiah ( משיח; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, ("anointed " is a term used in the Hebrew Bible

Jewish religious law concerning entry to the site

1978 sign at entrance to Temple Mount

During Temple times, entry to the Mount was limited by a complex set of purity laws. Maimonides wrote that it was only permitted to enter the site to fulfil a religious precept. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and After the destruction of the Temple there was discussion as to whether the site, bereft of the Temple, still contained holiness or not. Jewish codifiers accepted the opinion of Maimonides who ruled that the holiness of the Temple sanctified the site for eternity and consequently the restrictions on entry to the site are still currently in force. As nowadays all Jews are considered ritually impure, most will not step foot on the Mount, fearing that they will incur the severe spiritual punishment of karet. There are those, however, who claim that certain areas of the Mount are permitted to enter under Jewish law. Maimonides is said to have ascended the Mount to pray there in 1165. Moses Maimonides ( March 30 1135 – December 13 1204) also known as the Rambam, was a Rabbi, Physician, and ^[18] It appears that David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra also ascended to a portion of the Temple Mount and gave advice to others how to do this. Rabbi David ben Solomon ibn (Abi Zimra (דוד בן שלמה אבן אבי זמרא also called Radbaz ( רדב"ז) after the initials of his name R He permits entry from all the gates and into the 135 x 135 cubits of the Women's Courtyard in the east since the biblical prohibition only applies to the 187 x 135 cubits of the Temple in the West. ^[19] There are also Christian and Islamic sources which indicate that Jews accessed the site. ^[20]

Opinions of modern-day rabbis concerning entry to the site

In August 1967 after Israel's capture of the Mount, the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Isser Yehuda Unterman and Yitzhak Nissim, together with other leading rabbis, asserted that "For generations we have warned against and refrained from entering any part of the Temple Mount. Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman (1886 - 1976 was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1964 until 1972 Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim (1896 - 1981 (יצחק נסים was a former Sephardic Chief rabbi of Israel. " Rabbinical consensus in the Religious Zionist stream of Orthodox Judaism hold that it is forbidden for Jews to enter the Temple Mount. Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement (a branch of which is also called Mizrachi) is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious Orthodox Judaism is the formulation of Judaism that adheres to a relatively strict interpretation and application of the laws and ethics first canonized These rabbis include: Mordechai Eliyahu, former Sefardi Chief Rabbi of Israel; Zalman Baruch Melamed, rosh yeshiva of the Beit El yeshiva; Eliezer Waldenberg, former rabbinical judge in the Rabbinical Supreme Court of the State of Israel; Avraham Yitzchak Kook, Chief Rabbi of Palestine ^[21]; Avigdor Nebenzahl, Rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem. Mordechai Eliyahu (Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu מרדכי אליהו born 12 March 1928, Jerusalem) is a former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Rabbi Zalman Baruch Melamed is the Rosh yeshiva of the Beit El yeshiva in Beit El, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. For the ancient Sephardic and Yemenite Yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem well known for the study of Kabbalah, see Beit El Synagogue Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Waldenberg ( December 10 1915 - November 21 2006 was known as the Tzitz Eliezer after his monumental halachic Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935 was the first Ashkenazi Chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl is the former Chief rabbi of the Old City of Jerusalem after handing over the post to his son Rabbi Chizkiyahu Nebenzahl The Old City (העיר העתיקה HaIr HaAtika, البلدة القديمة al-Balda al-Qadimah) is a 0 All Haredi rabbis, including Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky^[22] and Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, are also of the opinion that the Mount is off limits to Jews and non-Jews alike. Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, known as The Steipler or The Steipler Gaon (1899&ndash1985 was a world-renowned Posek ("decisor" of Jewish Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv (יוסף שלום אלישיב (born April 19 1910 is a Haredi Rabbi and Posek (arbiter of Jewish law Their opinions against entering the Temple Mount are based of the danger of entering the hallowed area of the Temple courtyard and the impossibility of fulfilling the ritual requirement of cleansing oneself with the ashes of a red heifer (see Numbers 19). Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The Book of Numbers, ( Bamidbar, meaning in the wilderness) is the fourth book of the Torah, the Tanakh, and the Old Testament. ^[23][24] The boundaries of the areas which are completely forbidden, while having large portions in common, are delineated differently by various rabbinic authorities.

In January 2005 a large group of leading national-religious rabbis signed a declaration confirming that the 1967 decision of Chief Rabbis Unterman and Nissim was still valid, declaring that it is absolutely forbidden for Jews to ascend on the Temple Mount until Moshiach, the Jewish Messiah comes. Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement (a branch of which is also called Mizrachi) is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious Messiah ( משיח; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, ("anointed " is a term used in the Hebrew Bible Rabbis who signed on to the declaration were:^[25]

• Rabbi Yona Metzger, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Sefardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of Sefardi Haredi Judaism and of the Shas party, and former Sefardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, former Sefardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
• Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall
• Rabbi Avraham Shapiro, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel ^[26]
• Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva
• Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and current Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv

There are some rabbis, however, primarily belonging to right-wing Religious Zionism, who disagree with the majority position and maintain that it is commendable to visit certain parts of the Temple Mount which they believe are permitted according to most medieval rabbinical authorities. Yona Metzger ( יונה מצגר; born 1953 has been the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel since his appointment in 2003 Rabbi Shlomo Amar (שלמה עמאר born in 1948 in Casablanca) has been the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Rabbi Ovadia Yossef ( עובדיה יוסף) (born in 1920 in Basra, Iraq) is a Haredi Rabbi, Talmudic scholar a recognized Shas (ש״ס is a political party in Israel, primarily representing Haredi Sephardi and Mizrahi Judaism. Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (born 1941 is a former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira (אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא May 20, 1914, Jerusalem &ndash September 27, 2007) was Rabbi Shlomo Chaim haKohen Aviner is the Rosh yeshiva of the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem and the rabbi of Rosh yeshiva, ( pl. Heb. Roshei yeshiva; Yeshivish Rosh yeshivas) (ראש ישיבה is the title given to the dean of Ateret Cohanim, ( lit Crown of the Priests also known as Ateret Yerushalyim, is a Religious Zionist Yeshiva located in the Muslim Quarter Yeshiva or yeshivah (jəʃi'və ( Hebrew: ישיבה "sitting (n Yisrael (Israel Meir Lau is the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel Religious Zionism, or the Religious Zionist Movement (a branch of which is also called Mizrachi) is an ideology that combines Zionism and religious In May 2007, a group of right-wing Religious Zionist rabbis entered the Temple Mount. ^[27] This elicited widespread criticism from other religious Jews and from secular Israelis, accusing the rabbis of provoking the Arabs. An editorial in the newspaper Haaretz accused the rabbis of 'knowingly and irresponsibly bringing a burning torch closer to the most flammable hill in the Middle East,' and noted that rabbinical consensus in both the Haredi and the Religious Zionist worlds forbids Jews from entering the Temple Mount. (הארץ "The land" referring to the Land of Israel) founded in 1918 is Israel 's oldest Daily newspaper. ^[28] On May 16, Rabbi Avraham Shapiro, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel and rosh yeshiva of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, reiterated that it is forbidden for Jews to enter the Temple Mount. Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira (אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא May 20, 1914, Jerusalem &ndash September 27, 2007) was Rosh yeshiva, ( pl. Heb. Roshei yeshiva; Yeshivish Rosh yeshivas) (ראש ישיבה is the title given to the dean of Mercaz HaRav (מרכז הרב lit The Rav Centre) also known as Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, is a Hardal Yeshiva Yeshiva or yeshivah (jəʃi'və ( Hebrew: ישיבה "sitting (n ^[29] The Litvish Haredi newspaper Yated Ne'eman, which is controlled by leading Litvish Haredi rabbis including Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv and Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, accused the rabbis of transgressing a decree punishable by 'death through the hands of heaven. Rabbi Yosef Sholom Elyashiv (יוסף שלום אלישיב (born April 19 1910 is a Haredi Rabbi and Posek (arbiter of Jewish law Rabbi Nissim Karelitz is the chairman of the Beis din tzedek (rabbinical court of Bnei Brak. '^[24]

A sign placed by the Chief Rabbinate forbidding Jews from entering the Mount.

Those who permit Jews to access certain parts of the Temple Mount include Rabbis: Shlomo Goren, former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel; Chaim David Halevi, former Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv and Yaffo; Dov Lior, Rabbi of Kiryat Arba; Yosef Elboim; Yisrael Ariel; She'ar Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa; Yuval Sherlo, rosh yeshiva of the hesder yeshiva of Petah Tikva and Meir Kahane. Shlomo Goren (1917-1994 was an Orthodox Religious Zionist Rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Dov Lior (דב ליאור born 1933 is the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank. Kiryat Arba or Qiryat Arba is an urban Jewish community in the southern Judea region of the West Bank adjoining the city of Hebron. Rabbi Yisrael Ariel was the Chief rabbi of the evacuated Israeli settlement of Yamit in the Sinai desert during the years when the Sinai was controlled Rabbi Eliyahu Yosef She'ar Yashuv Cohen ( Hebrew: אליהו יוסף שאר ישוב כהן is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel Haifa (חֵיפָה; حَيْفَا) is the largest City in Northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country with Rosh yeshiva, ( pl. Heb. Roshei yeshiva; Yeshivish Rosh yeshivas) (ראש ישיבה is the title given to the dean of Hesder (in Hebrew: "arrangement" or Yeshivat Hesder ישיבת הסדר is an Israeli Yeshiva program which combines advanced Talmudic Petah Tikva (פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה "Opening of Hope" known as Em HaMoshavot ("Mother of the Moshavot " is a city in the Rabbi Meir David Kahane (מאיר דוד כהנא also known by the Pseudonyms Michael King and David Sinai, 1 August 1932 – According to Rabbi Shlomo Goren, it's possible that Jews are even allowed to enter the heart of the Dome of the Rock, the probable location of the Holy of Holies, according to Jewish Law of Conquest. The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered ^[30]

Authorities who permit ascending the Temple Mount generally advise observing the elements of the laws of ritual purity that are possible in the absence of the ancient Temple rites. Tumah is a state of ritual impurity in Halakha ( Jewish law A person or item which contracts tumah is said to be tamei, or "impure These include cleansing following seminal emissions and menstrual discharges. KERI (1180 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format Niddah (or nidah, nidda, nida; Hebrew:נִדָּה is a Hebrew term which literally means separation, generally considered to refer Although laws relating to ritual impurity through male seminal emissions, which were a significant aspect of the laws of ritual purity in Talmudic times, have gradually disappeared from Orthodox Judaism since the Middle Ages, they still apply in full force to contemporary Orthodox Jewish law concerning ascending the Temple Mount. Following a seminal emission, even one resulting from marital intercourse, Orthodox men immerse in a mikvah (ritual bath) for ritual cleansing prior to ascending the Mount. Ritual washing or ablution takes two main forms in Judaism tevilah, full body immersion in a Mikvah, and netilat yadayim, washing Mikvah (or mikveh) ( plural mikva'ot or mikves) is a ritual bath designed for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism. Women likewise do not ascend during the period of niddah (during and immediately after menstruation) and, following receiving a seminal emission (intercourse), and immerse in a mikvah to attain ritual purity prior to ascending. Niddah (or nidah, nidda, nida; Hebrew:נִדָּה is a Hebrew term which literally means separation, generally considered to refer Because the rules involved are complex and may be unfamiliar since many are not applicable to circumstances other than the Temple Mount, some authorities advise always immersing in a mikvah as a precaution prior to ascending. ^[31]

The law committee of the Masorti movement (Conservative Judaism in Israel) has issued two responsa on the subject, both holding that Jews may visit the permitted sections of the Temple Mount. The Masorti movement is the name given to Conservative Judaism in the State of Israel. Conservative Judaism (also known as Masorti Judaism in Israel and Europe) is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out Responsa ( Latin: plural of responsum, "answers" comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by Legal scholars in response to questions One responsa allows such visits, another encourages them.

Muslim

See also: Jerusalem in Islam

The Temple Mount is traditionally regarded by Muslims as the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. See also Religious significance of Jerusalem Jerusalem in Islam is considered a sacred city and has played a significant role in the faith There are many Holy sites in various Islāmic traditions For all muslims the Ka'bah is considered the Holiest shrine followed by Masjidun Nabawi ( The Prophet's Mosque Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as Many Muslims see Mashad (in Iran) as being more holy to Islam as well. ^[32][33] The primary reason for the Temple Mount's importance, however, is because both Kings David and Solomon are regarded as Prophets, and the Temple is (mentioned in Qur'an 17:7, and described in much more detail in the noncanonical Qisas al-Anbiya) as one of the earliest and most noteworthy places of worship of God. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Sura Al-Isra ( Arabic: سورة الإسراء, Sūratu al-Isrā, "The Night Journey " also called Sura Bani Isra'il The "Qisas Al-Anbiya" (قصص الأنبياء or Stories of the Prophets refers to various collections of tales adapted from the Quran. In Islam, God is believed to be the only real supreme being all-powerful and all knowing Creator Sustainer Ordainer and Judge of the universe Islam puts a heavy emphasis (The Kaaba's sanctity has a similar basis in the Islamic tradition that it was built, or rebuilt, by Abraham. The Kaaba ( Arabic: ar الكعبة; 'kɑʕbɑ or 'kæʕbæ "Cube" is a Cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: ) In fact, Muslims faced the Temple Mount during prayer until Muhammad was later commanded to change the direction of prayer toward the Kaaba. Thus Muslims no longer pray towards the Temple Mount, but face towards Mecca. In addition to this, the "farthest Mosque" (al-masjid al-Aqsa) in verse (17:1) of the Qur'an is traditionally interpreted by Muslims as referring to the site at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem on which the mosque of that name now stands. Sura Al-Isra ( Arabic: سورة الإسراء, Sūratu al-Isrā, "The Night Journey " also called Sura Bani Isra'il The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran References to Jerusalem and events there have been made mostly in various states of ambiguity, in the Quran, and many times in the Hadith. The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic ^[34]

Another reason for its importance in Islam is because it is believed that in 621, Muhammad arrived there after a miraculous nocturnal journey aboard the winged steed named Buraq, to take a brief tour of heaven with the Archangel Gabriel. IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics In Islamic tradition the Isra and Mi'raj (الإسراء والمعراج) are the two parts of a journey that Muhammad took in one night around the year 620 This article is about the creature of Islamic legend For the chemical element see Boron. Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل This happened during Muhammad's time in Mecca, years before Muslims conquered Jerusalem (638).

Christian

See also: Jerusalem in Christianity

The Temple is mentioned many times in the New Testament (for example, Mark 11:11) in addition to the Old Testament. See also Religious significance of Jerusalem For Christians, Jerusalem's place in the life of Jesus gives it great importance in addition to its In these scriptures, Jesus prays there (Mark 11:25-26) and chases away money changers and other merchants from the courtyard, turning over their tables and accusing them of desecrating a sacred place with secular ways (see Jesus and the Money Changers). Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The narrative of Jesus and the Money Changers occurs in both the Synoptic Gospels and in the Gospel of John, although it occurs close to the end of the Synoptic Gospels Jesus also predicts the destruction of the Second Temple (Matthew 24:2) and allegorically compares his body to a temple that will be torn down and raised up again in three days.

Though some Christians believe that the temple will be reconstructed before, or concurrent with, the Second Coming of Christ, the Temple Mount is largely unimportant to the beliefs and worship of most Christians. In Christianity, the Second Coming is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic To wit, the New Testament recounts a story of a Samaritan woman asking Jesus about the appropriate place to worship, Jerusalem or the Samaritan holy place at Mt. Gerazim, to which Jesus replies, "neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. . . But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. "

History

While the point at which the Temple Mount enters history may be disputed (see the religious traditions mentioned above), history records that there was a First Temple that stood for 410 years, being built by the Israelites in 996 BCE and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE. Solomon's Temple (בית המקדש transliterated Beit HaMikdash) also known as the First Temple, was according to Nebuchadrezzar II, more often called Nebuchadnezzar (c 630-562 BC was a ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, who reigned c Events and trends 589 BC — Apries succeeds Psammetichus II as king of Egypt.

A stone (2. 43x1 m) with Hebrew inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by Benjamin Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount is believed to be a part of the Second Temple

Construction of the Second Temple began under Cyrus in 538 BCE, and was completed on the sixth year of Darius the Great in 516 BCE, 70 years after the exile to Babylonia. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International Benjamin Mazar ( June 28, 1906 - September 9, 1995) was a pioneering Israeli Archaeologist who shared the national passion The Second Temple (בית המקדש romanized 'Beit HaMikdash' meaning 'Holy House' was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE Events and trends 539 BC — Babylon is conquered by Cyrus, defeating Nabonidus; noted in such documents as that of Africanus Darius I the Great (c 549 BC&ndash486 BC 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 Dārayavahuš: "Possessing goodness" Having ascended to power amidst controversy and bloodshed Events and trends 519 BC — Zhou Jing Wang becomes King of the Zhou Dynasty of China. The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to

A drawing of Ezekiel's Visionary Temple from the Book of Ezekiel 40–47

Around 19 BCE, Herod the Great expanded the Temple Mount and rebuilt the Temple (see Herod's Temple). According to religious texts Ezekiel ((יְחֶזְקֵאל Yehezkel, jəx This article is about a potential but unbuilt future temple For Herod the Great 's massive renovation of the Second Temple see Herod's Temple. Year 19 BC was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho Herod's Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Temple Mount and construction of a completely new and much larger Jewish Temple by King In the course of the First Jewish-Roman War it was destroyed by Titus in 70 CE. Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Titus ( December 30 39 &ndash September 13 81) was a Roman Emperor who Year 70 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Romans did not topple the Western Wall. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit Upon the destruction of the Temple, the Rabbis revised prayers, and introduced new ones to request the speedy rebuilding of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master They also instituted the saying of the portions of the Torah commanding the bringing of the sacrifices in place of the sacrifices themselves. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to

During the time of the Byzantine Empire, it is believed that Constantine's mother, St. Helena, built a small church on the Mount in the 4th century, calling it the Church of St. Constantine ( Latin: Cōnstantīnus, Greek:) is a given name and surname derived from the Latin word constans, meaning constant or Saint Helena (Flavia Iulia Helena Augusta also known as Saint Helen, Helena Augusta or Helena of Constantinople (c As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century Cyrus and St. John, later on enlarged and called the Church of the Holy Wisdom. The church was later destroyed and on its ruins the Dome of the Rock was built. ^[35];

In 363, Emperor Julian II, on his way to engage Persia, stopped at the ruins of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. Events By Place Roman Empire March 5 — Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 against the Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit The Second Temple (בית המקדש romanized 'Beit HaMikdash' meaning 'Holy House' was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE In keeping with his effort to foster religions other than Christianity, Julian ordered the Temple rebuilt. A personal friend of his, Ammianus Marcellinus, wrote this about the effort:

"Julian thought to rebuild at an extravagant expense the proud Temple once at Jerusalem, and committed this task to Alypius of Antioch. Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian. Alypius of Antioch was a Geographer and a Vicarius of Roman Britain, probably in the late 350s AD Alypius set vigorously to work, and was seconded by the governor of the province; when fearful balls of fire, breaking out near the foundations, continued their attacks, till the workmen, after repeated scorchings, could approach no more: and he gave up the attempt. A Roman governor was an official either elected or appointed to be the chief administrator of Roman law throughout one or more of the many provinces constituting the "

The failure to rebuild the Temple has been ascribed to an earthquake, common in the region, and to the Jews' ambivalence about the project. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Sabotage is a possibility, as is an accidental fire. Divine intervention was the common view among Christian historians of the time. ^[36]

After the Muslim conquest of this region, Islamic tradition holds that when Muslims first entered the city of Jerusalem under the leadership of Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in 637, the ruins of the Temple were being used as a rubbish dump by the Christian inhabitants, perhaps in order to humiliate the Jews and try to fulfill Jesus's prophecy that not a stone would be left standing on another there (Matthew 24:1–2); Caliph Omar (a contemporary of Muhammad, who had died a few years earlier), ordered it cleaned and performed prayer there. The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Umar (a=عمر بن الخطاب|t=`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c 581-83 CE &ndash 7 November, 644) also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great Events By Place Europe Battle of Mag Rath Dál Riata influence in Ulster is greatly reduced or ended A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics However, he refrained from building a mosque at the site but ordered a mosque to be constructed at the South East corner facing Mecca, near which the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built 78 years later. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque

In 691 an octagonal Muslim building topped by a dome was built by the Caliph Abd al Malik around the rock, for political reasons, in violation of the Caliph Omar's teachings. See 691 (number Events By Place Europe Theuderic III is succeeded by Clovis III as king of Austrasia Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (646-705 (عبد الملك بن مروان was the 5th Umayyad Caliph. The shrine became known as the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat as-Sakhra قبة الصخرة). The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit The dome itself was covered in gold in 1920. In 715 the Umayyads led by the Caliph al-Walid I, rebuilt the Temple's nearby Chanuyos into a mosque (see illustrations and detailed drawing) which they named al-Masjid al-Aqsa المسجد الأقصى, the Al-Aqsa Mosque or in translation "the furthest mosque", corresponding to the Muslim belief of Muhammad's miraculous nocturnal journey as recounted in the Quran and hadith. Events By Place Europe September 26 — Battle of Compiègne: Ragenfrid defeats Theudoald, becoming mayor Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik ( الوليد بن عبد الملك or Al-Walid I (668 - 715 was a wise and powerful Umayyad Caliph who ruled from 705 The chanuyot (or chanuyos in Ashkenazic Hebrew was the storehouse for the Temple in Jerusalem, where the Priests ( Kohanim Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics In Islamic tradition the Isra and Mi'raj (الإسراء والمعراج) are the two parts of a journey that Muhammad took in one night around the year 620 The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Hadith ( ar الحديث, pl aḥadīth; lit. "narrative" are oral Traditions relating to the words and deeds of the Islamic The term al-Haram al-Sharif الحرم الشريف (the Noble Sanctuary) refers to the whole area that surrounds that Rock as was called later by the Mamluks and Ottomans^[37]

The structures have been ruined or destroyed several times in earthquakes; the current version dates from the first half of the 11th century. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish For Muslims, the importance of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque make Jerusalem the third-holiest city after Mecca and Medina. There are many Holy sites in various Islāmic traditions For all muslims the Ka'bah is considered the Holiest shrine followed by Masjidun Nabawi ( The Prophet's Mosque Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as The mosque and shrine are currently administered by a Waqf (an Islamic trust). A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim

In 1867, a team from the Royal Engineers, led by Lieutenant Charles Warren (later the London police commissioner of Jack the Ripper fame) and financed by the Palestine Exploration Fund (P. The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers ( RE) and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS ( 7 February 1840 &ndash 21 January 1927) was an officer in the Jack the Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified Serial killer active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society it is often simply known as the PEF E. F. ), discovered a series of tunnels beneath Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, some of which were directly underneath the headquarters of the Knights Templar. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order Various small artifacts were found which indicated that Templars had used some of the tunnels, though it is unclear who exactly first dug them. Some of the ruins which Warren discovered came from centuries earlier, and other tunnels which his team discovered had evidently been used for a water system, as they led to a series of cisterns. ^[38][39]

1969 Al-Aqsa arson and other conflicts and complaints

On August 21, 1969, an Australian, Michael Dennis Rohan, set the Al-Aqsa mosque on fire. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Michael Dennis Rohan is an Australian citizen who gained worldwide infamy on August 21, 1969, when he attempted to set fire to the Al-Aqsa Rohan was a reader of The Plain Truth magazine published by the Worldwide Church of God headed by Herbert W. Armstrong, which was best known for its radio and television programs called The World Tomorrow featuring his son Garner Ted Armstrong. The Plain Truth is a US -based Magazine founded by Herbert W Armstrong who also founded the Radio Church of God (later renamed the The Worldwide Church of God (WCG formerly the Radio Church of God, is a Christian church currently based in Glendora California, United States. Herbert W Armstrong ( 31 July 1892 - 16 January 1986) was the founder of the Worldwide Church of God and an early pioneer of The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct Radio and Television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God (later renamed Garner Ted Armstrong ( February 9, 1930 - September 15, 2003) was an American evangelist and the son of Herbert W Rohan had read an editorial in the June 1967 edition by Herbert W. Armstrong, concerning rebuilding of the Temple on Temple Mount. The article implied that the present structures would have to be removed and then when a new Temple had been built a series of events would take place resulting in the return of Jesus as the Messiah. In Christianity, the Second Coming is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven to earth an event that will fulfill aspects of Messianic This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions This interpretation of prophetic events is now common within Fundamentalist Christianity, but was almost exclusive to the Worldwide Church of God at that time. Fundamentalist Christianity, also known as Christian Fundamentalism or Fundamentalist Evangelicalism, is a movement that arose mainly within British and Herbert W. Armstrong claimed that Rohan was not a member of the church, only a subscriber to the magazine. The incident made worldwide news and The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London pictured Rohan on its front page with a folded copy of The Plain Truth sticking out of his outside jacket pocket. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

The front entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Arab world and the USSR (see role of the Soviet Union) blamed Israel for the incident and Yassar Arafat constantly used it as the foundation of his attacks on Israel. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Michael Dennis Rohan is an Australian citizen who gained worldwide infamy on August 21, 1969, when he attempted to set fire to the Al-Aqsa Several Arab and Islamic media agencies, including the Jordanian News Agency, IslamOnline,^[40] and Palestine Chronicle, incorrectly reported that Rohan was Jewish. IslamOnlinenet describes its mission as to create a unique global Islamic Website on the Internet that provides services to Muslims and However, Herbert W. Armstrong was not a stranger to King Hussein and he had been working with Jordanian government to put his daily radio program called The World Tomorrow on their AM and shortwave stations that broadcast from the Jordanian West Bank. Hussein bin Talal King of Jordan (حسين بن طلال Ḥusayn bin Ṭalāl) ( November 14, 1935 – February 7, 1999) was The World Tomorrow is a now-defunct Radio and Television half-hour program which had been sponsored by the Radio Church of God (later renamed That contract had been negated due to the Six Day War and the sudden capture of the Jordanian radio stations by Israel. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt

Israeli sources claim that Israeli firemen attempting to extinguish the blaze were hampered by Arabs who mistakenly believed that the fire hoses contained petrol rather than water;^[41]

On February 1, 1981, an article "Islam Reborn" written by Don A. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Schanche appeared in the opinion section of The Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily Newspaper published in Los Angeles California and distributed It related the following information:

The Islamic conference, for example, was born in a worldwide surge of Muslim outrage over the August, 1969, burning of Jerusalem's Al Aksa mosque, third holiest shrine in Islam after Mecca and Medina, by a deranged Australian Jew, who many Muslims believed was a pawn in a Zionist plot. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Medina mɛˈdiːnə (المدينة المنورة ælmæˈdiːnæl muˈnɑwːɑrɑ or المدينة ælmæˈdiːnæ also transliterated into English as For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the The call to gather in Rabat, Morocco, to unify and do something to redress the outrage drew only 25 of the more than 40 nations in the world with Muslim majorities. Rabat ( Arabic الرباط, transliterated ar-Rabāṭ or ar-Ribāṭ) population 2 million ( 2007 estimate) is the Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa With only one cause to unite them, the kings and presidents talked for only a day and issued a call for the restoration of Arab sovereignty over Jerusalem and other territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Then they adjourned. The meeting and the newly founded organization were all but ignored by the rest of the world. . . . Last week, with its membership now grown to 42, but attendance weakened by the suspension of Egypt and Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and the pointed absence of Iran and Libya, the Islamic conference went a long way toward achieving its long-sought goal of power in unity. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation.

On April 11, 1981, an American-born Israeli Jewish soldier, Alan Harry Goodman, entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque and started firing randomly, killing two Palestinians. Events 491 - Flavius Anastasius becomes Byzantine Emperor, with the name of Anastasius I. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981

In recent years many complaints have been voiced by Israelis about Muslim construction and excavation on and underneath the Temple Mount, and by Muslims about Israeli excavations, two under the Temple Mount, the rest around it. Ironically, for a time Ambassador College — the liberal arts educational institution of the Worldwide Church of God — regularly provided students and money during summer breaks to assist with these excavations. Ambassador College was a four-year Liberal arts College established in 1947 in Pasadena, California by radio evangelist Herbert W The Worldwide Church of God (WCG formerly the Radio Church of God, is a Christian church currently based in Glendora California, United States.

Some claim that this will lead to the destabilization of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount, of which the Western Wall is one, and/or the al-Aqsa Mosque, and allege that one side is doing so deliberately to cause the collapse of the sacred sites of the other. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit Al-Aqsa Mosque ( Arabic:المسجد الاقصى /æl'mæsdʒɪd æl'ɑqsˁɑ/ {{Audio|ArAqsaMosque Israelis allege that Palestinians are deliberately removing significant amounts of archaeological evidence about the Jewish past of the site and claim to have found significant artifacts in the fill removed by bulldozers and trucks from the Temple Mount. Muslims allege that the Israelis are deliberately damaging the remains of Islamic-era buildings found in their excavations. ^[42]

Since the Waqf is granted almost full autonomy on the Islamic holy sites, Israeli archaeologists have been prevented from inspecting the area; they have, however, conducted several excavations around the Temple Mount. A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim

Changes and damage to existing structures

In 1968–69, Israeli archeologists carried out excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount, immediately south of the al-Aqsa mosque and opened two ancient Second Temple period tunnels there that penetrate beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque in the area of the Hulda and Single gates, penetrating five meters into one and 30 meters into another. "At the Temple Mount's south wall digging took place to uncover the Arabic Umayyad palaces and Crusader remains. "^[43]

Over the period 1970–1988, the Israeli authorities excavated a tunnel passing immediately to the west of the Temple Mount, northwards from the Western Wall, that became known as the Western Wall Tunnel. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit The Western Wall Tunnel ( Hebrew: מנהרת הכותל translit They sometimes used mechanical excavators under the supervision of archeologists. Palestinians claim that both of these have caused cracks and structural weakening of the buildings in the Muslim Quarter of the city above. Israelis confirmed this danger:

"The Moslem authorities were concerned about the ministry tunnel along the Temple Mount wall, and not without cause. Two incidents during the Mazar dig along the southern wall had sounded alarm bells. Technion engineers had already measured a slight movement in part of the southern wall during the excavations. The Technion &ndash Israel Institute of Technology (הטכניון &ndash מכון טכנולוגי לישראל is an internationally-acclaimed Institute of technology in . . There was no penetration of the Mount itself or danger to holy places, but midway in the tunnel's progress large cracks appeared in one of the residential buildings in the Moslem Quarter, 12 meters above the excavation. The dig was halted until steel buttresses secured the building. "^[44]

In 1981, Yehuda Meir Getz, rabbi of the Western Wall, had workmen open the ancient Warren's Gate, accessing the innards of the Temple Mount itself from the Western Wall Tunnel. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit Warren's Gate is an ancient entrance into the Temple platform which lies about 150 feet into the Western Wall Tunnel. Arabs on the Mount heard excavation noises from one of the more than two dozen cisterns on the Mount. Israeli Government officials, upon being notified of the unauthorized tunneling, immediately ordered the Warren's Gate resealed. The 2000-year-old stone gate was filled with cement, and remains cement-shut today. ^[44] In 1996, Israel opened up an exit to the tunnel, which led to riots.

Archeologist Leon Pressouyre, a UNESCO envoy who visited the site in 1998 and claims to have been prevented from meeting Israeli officials (in his own words, "Mr Avi Shoket, Israel's permanent delegate to UNESCO, had repeatedly opposed my mission and, when I expressed the wish to meet with his successor, Uri Gabay, I was denied an appointment"^[45], accuses the Israeli government of culpably neglecting to protect the Islamic period buildings uncovered in Israeli excavations. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 More recently, Prof. Oleg Grabar of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University has replaced Leon Pressouyre as the UNESCO envoy to investigate the Israeli allegations that antiquities are being destroyed by the Waqf on the Temple Mount. The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton New Jersey, United States is a center for theoretical research Princeton University is a private Coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ^[46] Initially, Grabar was denied access to the buildings by Israel for over a year, allegedly due to the threat of violence resulting from the al-Aqsa Intifada. His eventual conclusion was that the monuments are deteriorating largely because of conflicts over who is responsible for them, the Jordanian government, the local Palestinian Authority or the Israeli government.

In autumn 2002, a bulge of about 700 mm was reported in the southern retaining wall part of the Temple Mount. It was feared that that part of the wall might seriously deteriorate or even collapse. The Waqf would not permit detailed Israeli inspection but came to an agreement with Israel that led to a team of Jordanian engineers inspecting the wall in October. They recommended repair work that involved replacing or resetting most of the stones in the affected area which covers 2,000 square feet (200 m²) and is located 25 feet (8 m) from the top of the wall. ^[47] Repairs were completed before January 2004. The restoration of 250 square meters of wall cost 100,000 Jordanian dinars ($140,000). ^[48]

On February 11, 2004, the eastern wall of the Temple Mount was damaged by an earthquake. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The damage threatens to topple sections of the wall into the area known as Solomon's Stables. ^[49]

On February 16, 2004, a few days after the earthquake, a portion of a stone retaining wall, supporting the ramp that leads from the Western Wall plaza to the Gate of the Moors on the Temple Mount, collapsed. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The Temple Mount, located in Jerusalem, can be accessed through eleven gates and contains a further six sealed gates ^[50]

Physical changes to adjoining areas

The southern wall of Temple Mount

In 1967, after the Six Day War, Israel razed the Moroccan Quarter (Harat al-Magharbah) of the Old City, immediately adjacent to the Temple Mount. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt The Moroccan Quarter or Mughrabi Quarter ( Arabic حارة المغاربة Harat al-Maghariba) was an 800 year old neighborhood in the southeast corner The Moroccan Quarter or Mughrabi Quarter ( Arabic حارة المغاربة Harat al-Maghariba) was an 800 year old neighborhood in the southeast corner Before the demolition the only way to access the Western Wall was through a blind alley in the quarter. This had long been an area of tension between the residents of the neighborhood and the Jewish Pilgrims. A plaza was built in front of the Western Wall.

Alterations to antiquities

In 1996 the Waqf began construction in the structures known since Crusader times as Solomon's Stables, and in the Eastern Hulda Gate passageway, allowed the area to be (re)opened as a mosque called the Marwani Musalla (claimed by Israel to be new, by Palestinians to be restored from pre-Crusader times, having been built by a calif named Marwani, and the Crusaders having turned it into stables) capable of accommodating 7,000 individuals. Solomon's Stables is the common name of an area located directly underneath the south eastern corner of the Temple Mount, an area where the bedrock falls away steeply from the The Huldah Gates are the two sets of now-blocked gates in the south wall of the Temple Mount, which is also one of Jerusalem's Old City walls. Many Israelis regard this as a radical change of the status quo under which the site had been administered since the Six-Day War which should not have been undertaken without consulting the Israeli government; Palestinians regard these objections as irrelevant. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt Though the building was built at the same time as the Al-Aqsa Mosque, whether the building had been a mosque before Crusader times or not is open to discussion.

The ongoing construction work taking place atop the Temple Mount.

Tractor on the Temple Mount, December 2006

In 1997, the Western Hulda Gate passageway was converted into another mosque. The Huldah Gates are the two sets of now-blocked gates in the south wall of the Temple Mount, which is also one of Jerusalem's Old City walls. In November 1999, a buried Crusader-era door was reopened as an emergency exit for the Mosque located within the Solomon's Stables area, opening an excavation claimed by Israel to be 18,000 square feet (1,700 m²) in size and up to 36 feet (11 m) deep. According to The New York Times, an emergency exit had been urged upon the Waqf by the Israeli police, and its necessity was acknowledged by the Israel Antiquities Authority. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA העתיקות (before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority ^[51]

In early 2001, Israeli police said they observed bulldozers destroying an ancient arched structure located adjacent to the eastern wall of the Temple Mount in the course of construction during which 6,000 square meters of the Temple Mount were dug up by tractors, paved, and declared to be open air mosques, which is assumed to have intermixed the underlying strata. Some of the earth and rubble removed was dumped in the El-Azaria and in the Kidron Valleys, and some of it (as of September 2004) remained in mounds on the site. The excavation and removal of earth with minimal archaeological supervision became an issue of controversy, with some scholars such as Jon Seligman, Hershel Shanks and Eilat Mazar claiming that valuable history material is being destroyed and others, such as Dan Bahat and Meir Ben-Dov, disputing this assessment. Hershel Shanks (born March 8, 1930, Sharon Pennsylvania) is the founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society and the editor of the Biblical Eilat Mazar ( אילת מזר; born September 10 1956) is a third-generation Israeli Archaeologist, specializing in Jerusalem The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) inspected the material and declared it of no archaeological value, but a group called the Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount campaigned against this position and in September 2004 obtained a temporary injunction against the IAA and the Muslim Waqf preventing them from removing the material which still lies in mounds on the site. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA העתיקות (before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount is an Apolitical group of Archaeologists, intellectuals and other prominent individuals Both sides accuse the other of having political motivation.

The Ir David Foundation is currently funding the Israel Antiquities Authority sifting of the rubble^[52] and a sampling of its finds of archaeologically significant items are available on the internet. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA העתיקות (before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority ^[53]

Robinson's arch on the south western side: A staircase built by Herod led to this arch and to an old Gate to the Temple Mount

Vandalism to the southern wall

On March 30, 2005, the southern wall of the Temple Mount was found to have been the target of vandals. Herod (הוֹרְדוֹס Horodos, Greek: Herōdes) also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (73 BC – 4 BC in Jericho The word "Allah" in approximately a foot tall Arabic script was found newly carved into the ancient stones. Allah ( Arabic: الله, ʔalˤːɑːh) is the standard Arabic word for ' Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language The vandalism was attributed to a team of Jordanian engineers and Palestinian laborers in charge of strengthening that section of the wall. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The discovery caused outrage among Israeli archaeologists and many Jews were angered by the graffiti at Judaism’s holiest site. ^[54]

Proposed synagogue

During the Sukkot festival in 2006 Uri Ariel, a member of the Knesset from the National Union party (a right wing opposition party) ascended to the mount,^[55] and said that he is preparing a plan where a synagogue will be built on the mount. Sukkot ( also known as Succoth, Sukkos, Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles) is a Biblical Pilgrimage Uri Yehuda Ariel (אורי אריאל born 22 December 1952) is an Israeli politician and Member of the Knesset. For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit The National Union (האיחוד הלאומי HaIhud HaLeumi) is a right wing political party in Israel and consists of an alliance of His suggested synagogue would not be built instead of the mosques but in a separate area in accordance with rulings of 'prominent rabbis. A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of ' He said he believed that this will be correcting a historical injustice and that it is an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove that it is tolerant to all faiths.

Plans for a new minaret?

October 14, 2006, it was reported in The Times^[56] that there are plans to build a new minaret, the first of its kind for 600 years, on the Temple Mount. Events 1066 - Norman Conquest: Battle of Hastings - In England on Senlac Hill seven miles from Hastings, the forces Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. King Abdullah II of Jordan announced a competition to design a fifth minaret for the walls of the Temple Mount complex, imprinting his Hashemite dynasty on the site. Abdullah II bin al-Hussein King of Jordan ( الملك عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين al-Malik ʿAbdullāh aṯ-ṯānī bin al-Ḥusayn born 30 Hashemite is the Latinate version of the Arabic: هاشمي ( Transliteration: Hāšimī and traditionally refers to those belonging to the Banu Hashim The new addition would, the King said, “reflect the Islamic significance and sanctity of the mosque”. The scheme is likely to cost £200,000. The plans are for a seven-sided tower — after the seven-pointed Hashemite star — and at 42 metres (130 ft), it would be 3. 5 metres (11 ft) taller than the next-largest minaret. The minaret will be constructed on the eastern wall of the Temple Mount near the Golden Gate.

Some reports about plans on track for construction to begin early 2007, ^[57], but these never took place. A leading Israeli archeologist lambasted the plan. "I am against any change in the status quo on the Temple Mount", said Bar-Ilan University's Dr. Gabi Barkai, a member of the Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount. The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount is an Apolitical group of Archaeologists, intellectuals and other prominent individuals "If the status quo is being changed, then it should not just be the addition of Muslim structures at the site”.

The existing four minarets include three near the Western Wall and one near the northern wall. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit The first minaret was constructed on the southwest corner of the Temple Mount in 1278. The second was built in 1297 by order of a Mameluk king, the third by a governor of Jerusalem in 1329, and the last in 1367.

Mugrabi Gate ramp reconstruction

A view overlooking the Temple Mount. To the right of the Western Wall, or the Kotel, in the center of the picture, is the wooden, temporary bridge connecting the Western Wall Plaza to the Mugrabi Gate. The Western Wall (הכותל המערבי translit: HaKotel HaMa'aravi) sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall or simply the Kotel (lit

During February 2007 the Israel Antiquities Authority started work on the construction of a new pedestrian pathway to the Temple Mount. The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA העתיקות (before 1990, the Israel Department of Antiquities) is an independent Israeli governmental authority The existing wooden structure was built as a temporary measure after a landslide in 2005 made the earthen ramp leading to the Mugrabi Gate unsafe and in danger of collapse. The Temple Mount, located in Jerusalem, can be accessed through eleven gates and contains a further six sealed gates ^[58] The works sparked condemnation from Arab leaders with a Syrian Foreign Ministry official stating that "Syria strongly condemns these violations, and considers them a blatant affront to Muslim waqfs and the feelings of Muslims worldwide. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the Foreign policy of a sovereign nation A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim " Similar views were made by Jordan's King Abdullah. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern Abdullah II bin al-Hussein King of Jordan ( الملك عبد الله الثاني بن الحسين al-Malik ʿAbdullāh aṯ-ṯānī bin al-Ḥusayn born 30 ^[59] However Jerusalem District Police Chief Ilan Franko said that the works were coordinated in advance with the Muslim Waqf that oversees the Temple Mount. A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim A recent UNESCO ruling on the incident cleared Israel of wrongdoing, saying that they had acted with professionalism, but nonetheless advised the continued cessation of construction until more concerned parties could be consulted, so that negative sentiments would not be inflamed.

External links:

• 11 arrested in riots following J'lem works
• Jordan attacks Israel over mosque excavations
• live broadcast from The Israel Antiquities Authority's website of the Excavation at the Mughrabi Ramp
• Israel blocks Jerusalem protest
• UNESCO Report

Temple Mount cable replacement controversy

Main article: Temple Mount cable replacement controversy

In July 2007, the Waqf began digging a ditch from the northern side of the Temple Mount compound to the Dome of the Rock as a prelude to infrastructure work in the area. The Temple Mount cable replacement controversy began in July 2007 when the Waqf Muslim religious trust which administers the Temple Mount began digging a 400-metre-long A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel Water. Although the dig was approved by the police, it generated protests from archaeologists. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount criticized the use of a tractor for excavation at the Temple Mount "without real, professional and careful archaeological supervision involving meticulous documentation". The Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount is an Apolitical group of Archaeologists, intellectuals and other prominent individuals A tractor is a Vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high Tractive effort at slow speeds for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used ^[60]

Management of the site

A Waqf has managed the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif continuously since the Muslim reconquest of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim This article is about the Christian kingdom For the history of the city see History of Jerusalem The Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Christian Since taking control of the area in the Six-Day War, Israel has permitted the Waqf to retain internal administration of the site. Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt Under this arrangement Jews and Christians are permitted to visit the site. As a security measure to prevent Intifada-related riots from destroying the site, however, the Israeli government has agreed to enforce a ban on non-Muslim prayer on the site. Non-Muslims who are observed praying on the site are subject to expulsion by the police. ^[61]

On 7 June 1967, immediately after the fighting had died down in Jerusalem, the then Prime Minister, Levi Eshkol, convened the spiritual leaders of all the communities in Jerusalem and assured them that "no harm whatsoever shall come to the places sacred to all religions", and that contacts should be maintained in order to make certain that spiritual activities of the religious leaders in the Old City may continue. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. (לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל born Levi Školnik (לֵוִי שׁקוֹלנִיק on 25 October 1895, died 26 February 1969) He also mentioned that upon his request the Minister of Religious Affairs had issued instructions according to which arrangements in connection with the Western Wall, Muslim Holy Places and Christian Holy Places should be determined by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, a council of Muslim clerics and a council of Christian clergy respectively. Together with the extension of Israeli jurisdiction and administration over east Jerusalem, the Knesset passed the Preservation of the Holy Places Law,^[62] ensuring protection of the Holy Places against desecration, as well as freedom of access thereto. ^[63]

According to a posthumously-published interview with Haaretz, General Uzi Narkiss reported that on June 7, 1967, a few hours after East Jerusalem fell into Israeli hands, Rabbi Shlomo Goren had told him "Now is the time to put 100 kilograms of explosives into the Mosque of Omar so that we may rid ourselves of it once and for all. (הארץ "The land" referring to the Land of Israel) founded in 1918 is Israel 's oldest Daily newspaper. Uzi Narkiss ( Jerusalem, 6 January 1925 - Jerusalem 17 December 1997) was an Israeli soldier and general who served as Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins Year 1967 ( MCMLXVII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. Shlomo Goren (1917-1994 was an Orthodox Religious Zionist Rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit " His request was denied; according to Goren's aide Menahem Hacohen, he had not suggested blowing up the mosque, but had merely stated that "if, during the course of the war a bomb had fallen on the mosque and it would have — you know — disappeared — that would have been a good thing. " Later that year, in a speech to a military convention, he added: "Certainly we should have blown it up. It is a tragedy for generations that we did not do so. . . . I myself would have gone up there and wiped it off the ground completely so that there was no trace that there was ever a Mosque of Omar there. The Dome of the Rock ( Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة translit "^[23] Shlomo Goren also entered the Dome of the Rock with a Torah book and the shofar. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to A shofar (שופר is a horn used for Jewish religious purposes ^[30]

Claims of exclusivity

Jewish claims

• Some Jews claim that the Temple Mount is one of the sites that were legally purchased by their ancestors and therefore remains the legitimate property of the Jewish people only. ^[64] They cite the midrash which states that “There are three places regarding which the nations of the world cannot taunt Israel and say ‘you have stolen them. Midrash ( Hebrew: מדרש plural midrashim, lit "to repeat" is a Hebrew term referring to the not exact but comparative ( homiletic ’ They are: The Cave of the Patriarchs, the Temple Mount and the burial site of Joseph", for it is recorded in the Bible that each of these places was purchased "for its full price" by Abraham, David and Jacob respectively. The Cave of the Patriarchs ( Hebrew: מערת המכפלה Me'arat HaMachpela, Trans Joseph's Tomb is a shrine near the city of Nablus in the West Bank. Abraham ( Ashkenazi   Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible Jacob ( Hebrew: יַעֲקֹב, Standard   Yaʿaqov Tiberian   Yaʿăqōḇ; ^[65]
• Another view is to establish not the Temple but a synagogue on the Mount. During the Camp David 2000 Summit, the then Prime Minister Ehud Barak raised the possibility of building a synagogue on the mount^[66] while more recently MK Uri Ariel has called for the construction of a synagogue on the mount. The Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (אֵהוּד בָּרָק born Ehud Brog on 12 February 1942) is an Israeli politician former Prime Minister, and Uri Yehuda Ariel (אורי אריאל born 22 December 1952) is an Israeli politician and Member of the Knesset. ^[67]

Muslim claims

In recent years many Muslims have made claims of exclusivity:

• Sheikh Raed Salah — head of the Islamic Movement in Israel has stated: "We remind, for the 1,000th time, that the entire Al-Aqsa mosque, including all of its area and alleys above the ground and under it, is exclusive and absolute Muslim property, and no one else has any rights to even one grain of earth in it. Raed Salah is the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. "^[68][69]
• "The archeology of Jerusalem is diverse — excavations in the Old City and the areas surrounding it revealed Umayyad Islamic palaces, Roman ruins, Armenian ruins and others. Outside of what is mentioned written in the Old and New Testaments, there is no tangible evidence of any Jewish traces remains in the old city of Jerusalem and its immediate vicinity. "^[70]
• Daniel Pipes says that Dennis Ross, a U. Daniel Pipes (born September 9 1949 is a American historian and political commentator who particularly focuses on the Middle East and Islam. Dennis B Ross (born November 26 1948 in San Francisco) is an American Author and Political figure who served as the director for policy planning S. envoy, said that Yasser Arafat said the Temple didn't exist in Jerusalem, but rather in Nablus, during the Camp David 2000 Summit. Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini ( Arabic: محمد عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني (August 24 1929 – November 11 Nablus ( sometimes Nābulus; Arabic:; næːblʊs is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem The Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David of July 2000 took place between United States President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister ^[71]

Acknowledgments of the basis for its holiness to other religions

Roman

In a Roman acknowledgment of the Jewish views to the site, a letter written by the Roman Emperor Julian (361–363), a pagan, tells of how he told the Jews that he would rebuild the sacred city of Jerusalem for them, ". The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Flavius Claudius Julianus, known also as Julian or Julian the Apostate (331 or 332 to 26 June 363) was Roman Emperor (Caesar Events By Place Roman Empire Julian the Apostate becomes Roman Emperor, and tries to restore paganism in the empire Events By Place Roman Empire March 5 — Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 against the . . which for so many years you have longed to see inhabited, . . . and together with you, glorify the Most High God therein". A personal friend of his, Ammianus Marcellinus, wrote about the effort to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, as did Sozomen (c. Amiricanus Gambilinus (325/330-after 391 was a fourth-century Roman historian. Salminius Hermias Sozomenus (Σωζομενός (c 400 - c 450 was a Historian of the Christian church 400–450) in his Historia Ecclesiastica. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Italy is first invaded by Alaric (probable date For the area code see Area code 450. Events By Place Eastern Roman Empire August 25 — Marcian is proclaimed ^[72]

Israel

Clause 3 of Israel's Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel (July 1980) states: "The Holy Places shall be protected from desecration and any other violation and from anything likely to violate the freedom of access of the members of the different religions to the places sacred to them or their feelings towards those places. " ^[73] President Chaim Weizmann has articulated recognition for the holiness of Jerusalem to "two other great monotheistic" religions. ^[74]

Muslim

Muslims have traditionally acknowledged that the Temple Mount is holy to the Jews, the main reason being that the Temple Mount was the site of the Temple of Solomon. ^[75] A Brief Guide to al-Haram al-Sharif, a booklet published in 1930 by the "Supreme Moslem Council", a body established by the British government to administer waqfs and headed by Hajj Amin al-Husayni during the British Mandate period, states on page 3:

"The site is one of the oldest in the world. A waqf ( plural, awqāf; vakıf wæqəf is an inalienable religious endowment in Islam, typically devoting a building or plot of land for Muslim Mohammad Amin al-Husayni (محمد أمين الحسيني properly transliterated al-Husseini, 1895 / 1897 - July 4, 1974) a member The Palestine Mandate, was a set of protocols or articles that formed a multilateral legal and administrative agreement Its sanctity dates from the earliest (perhaps from pre-historic) times. Its identity with the site of Solomon's Temple is beyond dispute. This, too, is the spot, according to universal belief, on which David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. " (A subsequent footnote refers the reader to 2 Samuel 26:25)

Imam Al-Qurtubi quotes the earlier commentator Imam Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari who related the Prophet Muhammad's response to a follower's query about the ruins of the fabled Jewish Temple. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Imam Abu 'Abdullah Al-Qurtubi or Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923 أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير الطبري was one of the earliest most prominent and famous Persian Historians IMPORTANT PLEASE READ ##### For all questions relating to the addition of (pbuh peace be upon him or other honorifics Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Qurtubi sets out in writing Tabari's words about the destruction of the Temple, which tally in every detail with biblical accounts of the Temple's destruction by the Babylonians, reconstruction, and final destruction by the Romans. Babylonia was an Amorite state in lower Mesopotamia (modern southern Iraq) with Babylon as its capital The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial ^[76] Shaykh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi suggests that the Quran expressly recognizes that Temple Mount in Jerusalem plays for Jews the same role that Mecca does for Muslims. Sheikh Prof Abdul Hadi Palazzi (شيخ عبد الهادي بالاتسي legally named Massimo Palazzi, is the leader of Italian Muslim Assembly and The Qur’an ( القرآن, literally "the recitation" also sometimes transliterated as Qur’ān, Koran, Alcoran Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored ^[77]

References

External links

General

• Forbidden sites on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (+Video) Video from the Mosques and Solomon Stables
• Temple Mount Photo Gallery
• Temple Mount Presentation (Forbidden Sites - Exclusive Photos) Exclusive Photos from the forbidden sites on the Temple Mount
• The Issue of the Temple Mount
• Jews Must Demand Rights to Temple Mount
• Restore Israeli Sovereignty Over Temple Mount
• A vision for the Temple Mount
• Friends of Al-Aqsa Defense of Al-Aqsa.
• Temple Mount, Jerusalem Watercolors from the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, by Kosinski
• The Temple Mount on foot Temple Mount on foot
• 2000 Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount — From Ariel Sharon's Life Story, a biography
• The Haram al-Sharif: An Essay in Interpretation by Oleg Grabar (discussing the history of the name "Haram al-Sharif")
• Protection of Holy Places Law, 1967 (Government of Israel)
• The Temple Mount (from US-Israel. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. org)
• The Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Christian source)
• Noble Sanctuary: The Online Guide to Al-Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem
• Pictures of the Temple Mount
• Entering the Temple Mount In Our Time, Masorti movement responsa
• Schestkow Temple Mount photos
• Jerusalem Photos
• Temple Mount and possible site of the 3rd Jewish Temple
• Liberation of the Temple Mount and Western Wall by Israel Defense Forces — Historic Live Broadcast on Voice of Israel Radio, June 7, 1967
• Rabbis visiting Temple Mount 'hope for an awakening

Archeological controversy

• Jerusalem's Temple Mount Flap (from Archeology magazine)
• The Archeological Destruction on the Temple Mount (from "Israel's War Against Terror")
• The Temple Mount Archaeological Destruction (with photographs of the construction) from Committee for the Prevention of Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount
• The Destruction of the Temple Mount Antiquities (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
• Islamic Research Academy on archeological damage
• Friends of Al-Aqsa Journal (on archaeological damage)
• Controversy over exact location of the Temples
• The Temples of Jerusalem in Islam Qur'anic and other references analyzed, by Martin Kramer
• Temple Mount Antiquities Salvage Operation