Totally Jewish Travel

According to the Bible, King David bought a barn belonging to Aravnah the Jebusites (2 Samuel 24:18-25) overlooking Jerusalem upon the cessation of the plague, to erect an altar. He wanted to build a permanent temple there, but that his hands were "bloodied," he was prohibited from doing so himself, if that task was left to his son Solomon, who completed the task c. 950 BC. After standing for 410 years, the first temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 BC.

The rebuilding of the Temple began after the Babylonian exile. The Second Temple was destroyed by Roman Emperor Titus 420 years later, in 70 CE. The Romans were, however, unable to topple the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.

After the destruction of the Temple, the Rabbis revised prayers, and introduced new application for the rapid reconstruction of the temple. They also say the established parties of the Torah commanding the sacrifices put in place of the sacrifices themselves.

After the Muslim conquest of this region, the Temple Mount became known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). He is revered by Muslims as the place of worship of God by long-time Jewish prophets and the site of Prophet Muhammad's night journey to heaven. The Temple Mount is regarded by Muslims as the third most important holy site after Mecca and Medina.

In 690 CE after the Islamic conquest of Palestine, an octagonal temple Muslims (but not a mosque) was built around the rock, which became known as the Dome of the Rock (Qubba did Sakhra). In 715 CE the Umayyads Chanuyos rebuilt the Temple in a mosque, which they called al-Masjid al-Aqsa, "the furthest mosque."

The mosque has been destroyed several times in earthquakes, the current version date of the first half of the 11th century. Both buildings are considered sacred to Muslims and make Jerusalem the third holiest city, after Mecca and Medina.

The mosque and shrine are currently administered by a Waqf (Islamic Foundation) which was granted autonomy by the almost total state of Israel in 1967.

The Temple Mount was opened to the public until September 2000 when Palestinians began throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then a candidate for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

After the outbreak of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians. The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. According to the Bible, the Talmud, and other sources of Jewish tradition, several important events in Jewish history took place on the Temple Mount:

aec Here, God gathered the earth from which he formed Adam.

aec Here's Adam, Cain, Abel, Noah offered sacrifices to God.

aec Here, Abraham passed the test of God by showing his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac (the Bible says it is on Mount Moriah, which the Talmud is another name for the Temple Mount).

aec Here Jacob dreamed of angels ascend and descend a ladder while sleeping on a stone (stone in the Dome of the Rock is considered the very stone).

aec The Temple Mount is considered the site of the area overlooking Jerusalem that King David purchased Aravnah the Jebusites (2 Samuel 24:18-25).

aec Here, King Solomon built the Temple in 950 BC, who was 410 years until it was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC.

aec This is the second Temple was built after the Babylonian exile, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.