Temple Mount

The elevated platform in Jerusalem’s Old City, Judaism’s holiest site, Christianity’s significant sacred space, and Islam’s third holiest site. The Temple Mount is where Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood, where Jesus taught and predicted the Temple’s destruction, and where the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque now stand. Few places on earth carry such profound religious significance for so many faiths—or such contested political meaning.

Physical Description

Geography and Structure

Location:

• Southeastern corner of Jerusalem’s Old City
• Overlooks Kidron Valley (east)
• Adjacent to City of David (south)
• Western Wall below platform (west)

Dimensions:

• Platform: ~37 acres (150,000 square meters)
• Roughly trapezoidal shape
• Elevated ~2,400 feet above sea level
• Massive retaining walls support platform

Current Structures:

• Dome of the Rock (691 CE): Gold dome, Islamic shrine
• Al-Aqsa Mosque (705 CE): Southern end, prayer hall
• Western Wall (Kotel): Retaining wall, Jewish prayer site
• Various gates, fountains, smaller structures

Mount Moriah Identification

Biblical Tradition:

• 2 Chronicles 3:1: “Solomon began to build the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah”
• Genesis 22: Abraham’s binding of Isaac traditionally located here
• “The place the LORD will provide” (Genesis 22:14)

Significance:

• Links Temple to Abrahamic covenant
• Sacred from patriarchal period
• Continuity through Jewish history

Historical Periods

Pre-Solomonic Period

Jebusite Era:

• Pre-Israelite inhabitants of Jerusalem
• Threshing floor owned by Araunah the Jebusite
• City unconquered until David

David’s Acquisition (c. 1000 BCE):

• 2 Samuel 24:18-25: David buys threshing floor
• Purchases site to build altar after plague
• 1 Chronicles 21:25: Paid 600 shekels of gold
• Prepared materials for Temple, but didn’t build (1 Chronicles 22)

Why David Couldn’t Build:

• 1 Chronicles 22:8: “You have shed much blood”
• Man of war, not peace
• Left construction to Solomon

Solomon’s Temple (First Temple) (c. 957-586 BCE)

Construction (c. 957 BCE):

• 1 Kings 6: Seven years to build
• Phoenician craftsmen (Hiram of Tyre)
• Finest materials: cedar, gold, bronze
• Detailed biblical descriptions

Design:

• Porch (ulam)
• Main hall (heikhal)
• Holy of Holies (debir): Housed Ark of the Covenant
• Bronze pillars (Jachin and Boaz)
• Bronze Sea (massive basin)
• Elaborate decoration, gold overlay

Dedication:

• 1 Kings 8: Solomon’s prayer
• Ark brought to Holy of Holies
• God’s glory filled Temple (1 Kings 8:10-11)
• Covenant center for Israel

Function:

• Sacrifice and worship center
• Pilgrim destination (three annual festivals)
• Symbol of God’s presence
• National and religious heart

Desecrations and Reforms:

• Rehoboam: Pharaoh Shishak plundered (c. 925 BCE)
• Various kings: Idolatry introduced, removed, reintroduced
• Hezekiah: Reforms and cleansing (c. 715 BCE)
• Josiah: Major reforms, Book of Law discovered (622 BCE)
• Manasseh: Worst desecrations

Destruction (586 BCE):

• 2 Kings 25:8-10: Babylonians burned Temple
• Nebuchadnezzar’s forces
• Treasures taken to Babylon
• Ark of the Covenant lost/hidden (never recovered)
• Catastrophic loss for Jewish people

Exile and Return (586-516 BCE)

Babylonian Exile (586-539 BCE):

• Temple Mount desolate
• Jews mourned: Psalm 137 “By the rivers of Babylon”
• Ezekiel’s visions of future temple (Ezekiel 40-48)

Cyrus’s Decree (539 BCE):

• Ezra 1:2-4: Permission to rebuild Temple
• Exiles began returning (538 BCE)

Second Temple Construction (536-516 BCE):

• Foundations laid (536 BCE): Ezra 3:10-13
• Opposition halted work (536-520 BCE)
• Resumed under Haggai and Zechariah’s encouragement (520 BCE)
• Completed (516 BCE): Ezra 6:15
• Less magnificent than First Temple
• Ezra 3:12: Old men wept remembering Solomon’s Temple

Significance:

• Restored sacrificial worship
• Symbol of God’s faithfulness (return from exile)
• Rebuilt community identity

Second Temple Period (516 BCE - 70 CE)

Persian Period (516-332 BCE):

• Temple functioning
• Ezra’s reforms (458 BCE)
• Nehemiah’s wall rebuilding (445 BCE)

Hellenistic Period (332-167 BCE):

• Alexander the Great spared Temple (332 BCE)
• Ptolemaic and Seleucid rule

Desecration and Cleansing:

• Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167 BCE):
  • Sacrificed pig on altar
  • Dedicated Temple to Zeus
  • Triggered Maccabean Revolt
• Judah Maccabee cleansed Temple (164 BCE):
  • Hanukkah origin
  • Rededication festival

Hasmonean Period (140-63 BCE):

• Independent Jewish state
• Priest-kings ruled
• Temple center of religious and political life

Roman Conquest (63 BCE):

• Pompey entered Holy of Holies (sacrilege to Jews)
• Did not plunder, surprisingly

Herod’s Temple (c. 20 BCE - 70 CE)

Herod’s Renovation (began c. 20 BCE):

• Herod the Great massively expanded and beautified
• Doubled platform size with retaining walls
• Main building completed in ~10 years
• Finishing touches continued until 64 CE
• One of the wonders of the ancient world

Magnificent Structure:

• White stone and gold accents
• “Whoever has not seen Herod’s Temple has not seen a beautiful building” (Talmud)
• Largest religious structure of its time
• Visible from afar (gold reflected sunlight)

Jesus’s Time:

• Temple still under construction during Jesus’s ministry
• John 2:20: “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple”
• Center of Jewish religious life
• Jesus taught in Temple courts

Jesus and the Temple Mount

Presentation as Infant:

• Luke 2:22-38: Brought to Temple, Simeon and Anna prophesied

Childhood Visit:

• Luke 2:41-50: Age 12, discussed with teachers

Temptation:

• Matthew 4:5-7: Devil took Jesus to Temple pinnacle

Cleansing the Temple:

• John 2:13-22 (early ministry)
• Matthew 21:12-13 (Passion Week)
• “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers”
• Overturned money changers’ tables

Teaching:

• Daily teaching in Temple courts during final week (Matthew 26:55)
• Debates with Pharisees, Sadducees

Widow’s Offering:

• Mark 12:41-44: Widow’s two coins
• Observed in Temple treasury

Prophecy of Destruction:

• Mark 13:1-2: “Not one stone here will be left on another”
• Disciples amazed (magnificent building)
• Olivet Discourse followed

Significance:

• Jesus’s body as new temple (John 2:19-21)
• Veil torn at crucifixion (Matthew 27:51)
• Temple system superseded by Christ’s sacrifice

Early Church and Temple

Apostles at Temple:

• Acts 2:46: Believers met in Temple courts
• Acts 3:1: Peter and John at Temple (healed lame man)
• Paul visited Temple (Acts 21:26)

Tensions:

• Jewish Christians still observed Temple rituals
• Gradually separated from Temple worship
• Gentile inclusion challenged Temple centrality

Destruction of Second Temple (70 CE)

First Jewish Revolt (66-70 CE):

• Jewish rebellion against Rome
• Romans besieged Jerusalem (April-September 70 CE)

Destruction (August 70 CE):

• Titus (future emperor) commanded Roman forces
• Temple burned (9th of Av, same date as First Temple)
• Josephus (eyewitness): Described destruction
• Only Western Wall (retaining wall) survived
• Titus’s Arch in Rome depicts spoils (menorah, etc.)

Consequences:

• End of sacrificial system
• Loss of priesthood function
• Judaism transformed (synagogue-centered, rabbinic)
• Jesus’s prophecy fulfilled

Later History:

• Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE): Failed to retake Jerusalem
• Hadrian built temple to Jupiter on site (135 CE)
• Jews banned from Jerusalem
• Temple Mount essentially abandoned by Jews

Byzantine Period (324-638 CE)

Christian Control:

• Constantine’s mother Helena visited
• Temple Mount left in ruins (sign of Judaism’s rejection, they thought)
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre built (elsewhere in Jerusalem)
• Temple Mount used as garbage dump (some sources claim)

Islamic Period (638 CE - present)

Muslim Conquest (638 CE):

• Caliph Umar took Jerusalem peacefully
• Recognized Temple Mount’s sanctity

Dome of the Rock (691 CE):

• Built by Caliph Abd al-Malik
• Covers Foundation Stone (bedrock outcrop)
• Oldest existing Islamic structure
• Magnificent architecture, gold dome
• Quranic inscriptions

Al-Aqsa Mosque (705 CE):

• Caliph al-Walid I
• Southern end of platform
• “Farthest Mosque” (al-masjid al-aqsa)

Crusader Period (1099-1187):

• Crusaders conquered Jerusalem (1099)
• Converted Dome of the Rock to church
• Al-Aqsa became royal palace, then Templar headquarters

Saladin Reconquest (1187):

• Restored Islamic control
• Removed Christian additions
• Re-sanctified site

Ottoman Period (1517-1917):

• Suleiman the Magnificent renovated structures
• Maintained Islamic control
• Jews prayed at Western Wall below

Modern Period:

• British Mandate (1917-1948)
• Jordanian control (1948-1967)
• Israeli control since 1967 (Six-Day War)
• Administered by Jordanian Islamic Waqf
• Highly contested, politically sensitive

Religious Significance

In Judaism

Holiest Site:

• Even holier than Western Wall (which is retaining wall)
• Site of First and Second Temples
• Divine presence (Shekhinah) dwelt there
• “The place the LORD will choose” (Deuteronomy 12:5)

Spiritual Geography:

• Foundation Stone (Even ha-Shetiyah): World’s creation point (tradition)
• Abraham’s binding of Isaac
• Jacob’s ladder (some traditions)
• Entrance to Gan Eden (Garden of Eden)

Messianic Hope:

• Third Temple to be built when Messiah comes
• Sacrifices will resume
• Glory will return
• Prophecies of future restoration (Ezekiel 40-48)

Current Practice:

• Most Jews pray at Western Wall (below platform)
• Halakhic prohibition: Many rabbis forbid ascending Temple Mount
  • Reason: Might step on Holy of Holies location
  • Ritual impurity without red heifer ashes
• Some Jews do ascend (with restrictions)
• Orientation: Jews worldwide pray facing Temple Mount

Tisha B’Av:

• 9th of Av: Mourning day
• Both Temples destroyed on this date
• Fasting, reading Lamentations

In Christianity

Historical Significance:

• Jesus presented, taught, cleansed Temple
• Apostles worshiped there initially
• Fulfilled Old Testament worship system

Theological Transformation:

• Temple veil torn at crucifixion (Matthew 27:51)
  • Access to God opened through Christ
• Jesus’s body as temple (John 2:19-21)
• Believers as temple (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)
• New Jerusalem needs no temple (Revelation 21:22)
  • “Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple”

Eschatology:

• Some Christians expect Third Temple
  • Context for end times events
  • Antichrist will desecrate (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
• Others see spiritual fulfillment only
• Debate over prophecy interpretation

Pilgrimage:

• Christian tourists visit
• See where Jesus walked
• Historical interest more than ongoing worship site

In Islam

Third Holiest Site (after Mecca and Medina):

• Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary)
• Al-Aqsa = “the farthest mosque”

Night Journey (Isra and Mi’raj):

• Quran 17:1: Muhammad’s miraculous night journey
• Transported from Mecca to al-masjid al-aqsa
• Ascended to heaven from Foundation Stone
• Received command for five daily prayers
• Met earlier prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, others)

Prophetic Continuity:

• Site connected to prophets honored in Islam
• Abraham, David, Solomon
• Jesus (Isa) taught there
• Connection to shared prophetic heritage

Dome of the Rock:

• Covers Foundation Stone (rock of ascension)
• Quranic verses emphasize monotheism
• Magnificent Islamic art and architecture

Al-Aqsa Mosque:

• Primary prayer space
• Accommodates thousands
• Friday prayers especially significant

Contemporary Importance:

• Symbol of Palestinian identity
• Rallying point for Muslim world
• Any perceived threat generates intense reaction

Archaeological Evidence

Excavations:

• Western Wall tunnels reveal Herodian construction
• Southern Wall: Pilgrims’ steps, ritual baths
• Robinson’s Arch: Ancient stairway remains
• Warren’s Gate: Underground passage

Herodian Construction:

• Massive stones (some 400+ tons)
• Precision engineering
• Retaining walls still standing after 2,000 years

Challenges:

• Platform itself largely unexcavated
• Political/religious sensitivities prevent full archaeology
• Islamic Waqf controls, limits access
• Controversy over any excavation

Finds:

• Trumpeting Stone inscription (“to the place of trumpeting”)
• Ritual baths (mikvaot)
• Coins, pottery from Second Temple period
• Evidence confirming Herodian magnificence

Modern Contested Status

Political Situation

Sovereignty Dispute:

• Israel controls Jerusalem (since 1967)
• Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as capital
• Temple Mount most sensitive site
• Core issue in Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Administration:

• Israeli security controls access
• Jordanian Islamic Waqf manages site
• Status quo arrangement (fragile)

Access Restrictions:

• Muslims: Freely pray
• Non-Muslims: Limited visiting hours
• Jews: Can visit but not pray (official policy)
• Tensions over violations

Flashpoints

1969: Australian Christian set Al-Aqsa fire 1990: Temple Mount killings (police-Palestinian clash) 2000: Ariel Sharon’s visit sparked Second Intifada Ongoing: Disputes over excavations, access, prayer rights

Religious Extremism

Jewish Temple Movement:

• Some seek to rebuild Third Temple
• Raise red heifers (for purification ritual)
• Train priests for future service
• Controversial, opposed by many Jews

Islamic Concern:

• Fear Third Temple will replace mosques
• Sensitive to any Jewish prayer on Mount
• Riots have erupted over perceived threats

Christian Zionism:

• Some support Temple rebuilding (eschatological)
• Believe necessary for Christ’s return
• Controversial theologically and politically

Significance

The Temple Mount is arguably the world’s most contested sacred space. For Jews, it’s where heaven and earth met, where the divine presence dwelt in the Holy of Holies. For Christians, it’s where Jesus walked, taught, and fulfilled the Temple’s purpose. For Muslims, it’s where Muhammad ascended to heaven and where magnificent shrines testify to Islamic heritage.

Three faiths, one mountain. Abraham bound Isaac (Jews and Christians say) or Ishmael (some Muslim traditions). Solomon built his Temple. Jesus prophesied destruction. Muhammad ascended to heaven. Each tradition claims the Mount. Each sees the others as interlopers or, at best, earlier chapters in the true story.

The stones themselves testify to layers: Herodian ashlars below, Byzantine neglect, Islamic golden dome above. What was Judaism’s heart became Christianity’s superseded symbol became Islam’s treasure. The irony is profound: the place meant to unite humanity in worship of one God becomes the site of bitter division.

Yet the Temple Mount also witnesses to shared heritage. All three faiths trace lineage to Abraham, who walked this mountain. All honor David and Solomon. All await messianic/prophetic fulfillment somehow connected to this place. The Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock might be where Abraham’s knife paused, where the Ark of the Covenant rested, where Muhammad’s foot left its mark.

The Temple Mount’s future remains uncertain. Will it see a Third Temple? Will Al-Aqsa and the Dome remain? Will peace ever allow shared access without resentment? The Mount has survived Babylonian fire, Roman destruction, Crusader conquest, earthquakes, and fires. It endures, sacred and contested, a perpetual reminder that the City of Peace (Jerusalem) knows little peace, and the place of God’s presence witnesses ongoing human conflict.

As Jews pray at the Western Wall below, Muslims prostrate in Al-Aqsa above, and Christian tourists photograph from a distance, the Temple Mount remains what it has always been: the place where earth meets heaven, where history meets hope, where the past shapes the future—sacred ground trodden by prophets, soaked in prayer, contested by nations, and awaiting (each faith believes) its ultimate fulfillment when God’s kingdom comes and his will is done on earth as in heaven.