About Temple Mount

Temple Mount is a flat plaza on an elevated area within the Old City of Jerusalem, behind the Western Wall. Temple Mount is the holiest Jewish site on earth as it was here that the Holy Temple once stood and where Abraham prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to prove his devotion to God.

Jesus and the Temple

Mary and Joseph presented the infant Jesus at the Temple. Twelve years later, Mary and Joseph found Jesus, teaching scholars in the temple courts (Luke 2:46). It is here that Jesus lashed out against the money changers (Matthew 21:12-13).

History of Temple Mount

King Solomon built the First Temple, only to be torn down by Nebuchadnezzar II in the siege of Jerusalem. King Herod the Great expanded and refurbished a Second Temple built by Jews who had returned after their exile, and eventually destroyed by Romans in 70 AD. Temple Mount remained in ruins until the Muslims conquered Jerusalem in 638 AD and the site was cleaned up.

Temple Mount Today

The plaza is dominated by the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Chain, as well as four minarets.