Misplaced Pages

#531468

125-528: The mosque is located inside the vaulted passage that once led to the old Hittah Gate, also known as Barclay's Gate in reference to the discoverer who held the position of the American Consul at the time (James Barclay), who discovered and documented the gate in the year (1852 CE). But the gate was already known to Muslims, as it was mentioned by the Mufti of Jerusalem, Muhammad al-Taflati al-Maghribi (d. 1777 CE): "It

250-575: A cistern adjacent to al-Buraq Mosque. Even though the main gate of al-Buraq Mosque located in the Western Wall is permanently sealed, the mosque is still accessible for worship from another entrance in Al-Aqsa mosque's western portico ( riwāq ). The oldest mention of it was made by the historian Ibn al-Faqih (903 CE), where he mentioned that it is located in the corner of the Qibla lighthouse. The Qibla lighthouse

375-612: A height of 3.5 m. It was renovated during the reign of the Mamluk emir Alaa al-Din al-Busairi in the year 666 AH (1266 CE). It is the only gate that does not lead to the streets and alleys of the Old City, but to a private road that leads to the Ablutions Place al-mathara located 50 meters away from it. The Waqf (Islamic Endowments) Department in Jerusalem, which is in charge of managing

500-524: A long tunnel which measures more than 77 metres towards the north from the Southern wall. On the side of the doorways, above the arch there are floral engravings which according to Ben-Dov 1985, p138 is an “arch in the style of the Muslim Period” According to Ratrout, p. 256, Bab Al Nabi leads to a square domed vestibule which then leads to a flight of stairs leading to a double passage tunnel up to

625-664: A passageway stretching underneath the esplanade of the Mount, and then to steps leading up to the esplanade itself. The Single Gate is located along the southern wall . It once led to the underground area of the Temple Mount known as Solomon's Stables . Bāb al-Janā’iz ( باب الجنائز ), or Bāb al-Burāq ( باب البراق ) (Gate of the Funerals/of the Burāq ) is a hardly noticeable postern , or maybe an improvised gate, once opening into

750-462: A recent earthquake and snowfall may have been responsible, while Hamas and Muslim officials blamed the collapse on Israelis working in the area. The Maghariba Gate is the only access for non-Muslims to enter the site, meaning its closure will prevent both Jews and tourists from visiting until a replacement structure is built. The ramp leads from the plaza by the Western Wall up to the adjoining compound, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, which houses

875-424: A wide flight of stairs leading into it, and where the current ground floor is built in the shape of a rectangle measuring 24 metres (79 ft) × 17 metres (56 ft) (exterior wall measurements), is surrounded by walls, the length of which space is divided by a row of columns forming two equal divisions. At the ground level can be seen the top of an ancient arch (the lower stones still buried underground),

1000-668: Is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years, including in Judaism , Christianity and Islam . The present site is a flat plaza surrounded by retaining walls (including the Western Wall ), which were originally built by King Herod in the first century BCE for an expansion of the Second Jewish Temple . The plaza is dominated by two monumental structures originally built during

1125-662: Is already referred to as a distinct entity. In 2 Chronicles, Solomon's Temple was constructed on Mount Moriah (3:1), and Manasseh 's atonement for his sins is associated with the Mountain of the House of the Lord (33:15). The conception of the Temple as being located on a holy mountain possessing special qualities is found repeatedly in Psalms, with the surrounding area being considered an integral part of

1250-499: Is considered the third holiest site in Islam . According to Islamic tradition, the plaza is the location of Muhammad 's ascension to heaven from Jerusalem , and served as the first " qibla ", the direction Muslims turn towards when praying. As in Judaism, Muslims also associate the site with Abraham , and other prophets who are also venerated in Islam. Muslims view the site as being one of

1375-575: Is derived from the Quran 's Surah 17 ("The Night Journey") which writes that Muhammad travelled from Mecca to the mosque, from where he subsequently ascended to Heaven . Arabic and Persian writers such as 10th-century geographer Al-Maqdisi , 11th-century scholar Nasir Khusraw , 12th-century geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi and 15th-century Islamic scholar Mujir al-Din , as well as 19th century American and British Orientalists Edward Robinson , Guy Le Strange and Edward Henry Palmer explained that

SECTION 10

#1732863115532

1500-520: Is four meters tall, with an arched roof. At least a couple renovations are known, once circa 1213, during the reign of Ayyubid King al-Mu'azzam Isa , and then circa 1930 by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the three gates on the north. The gate is also known as the "Gate of Honor of the Prophets" ( باب شرف الانبیاء ). The Gate of the Bani Ghānim ( Arabic : باب الغوانمه Bāb al-Ghawānima )

1625-450: Is located in the southwestern corner and has been replaced by the current minaret, Al-Fakhriyyah minaret dating back to the Mamluk era. At the end of the western corridor there is a gate that leads through steps to a rectangular underground room. On its southern side there is a small mihrab, and to its right there is a metal ring symbolizing the event when Muhammad tied the Buraq before entering

1750-606: Is located on the north-western corner. The name is the Arabic collective for the clan name Ghanim, a name documented since at least the 16th century . It was called the al-Khalil gate ( باب الخلیل ). A twelfth gate still open during Ottoman rule is now closed to the public: Bab as-Sarai (Gate of the Seraglio, or of the Palace); a small gate to the former residence of the Pasha of Jerusalem ; in

1875-501: Is located on the northern wall of the Haram al-Sharif and it is in the double gateway also, it is almost directly opposite Ahwab Mihrab Mariam. The entrance to the gate is impressively decorated. There has the single opening of a semicircular arch with a distinctive 45-degree chamfer and segmental inner arch at the part of the gate that has reached the present time, also the masonry of the wall shows that there are two gates because 1.20 meters of

2000-724: Is the closed, twin gate of the Chain Gate . It is situated on the north side of the 'Chain Gate'. The Chain Gate ( Arabic : باب السلسلة , Bāb as-Silsila ; Hebrew : Shaar HaShalshelet ) is located on the western flank. Though not without dispute, some think that this was the site of the Kipunos (Coponius) Gate, which existed during the Second Temple period . The Moors' Gate , also known as Magharibah Gate ( Arabic : باب المغاربة Bāb al-Maghāriba ; Hebrew : Shaar HaMughrabim ),

2125-489: Is the lower door, which is blocked by filling up soil and stones near the door of the Maghribeh Mosque." which is at the south end of the Western Wall. The inside of the gate, which served as an entrance to the compound during the early Islamic period, is currently known as al-Buraq Mosque. While it was known as Marbat Al-Buraq in the early periods. The entrance to the underground structure faces north and immediately left of

2250-562: Is the southernmost gate on the western flank of the compound, built directly over the Herodian-period gate known as the Gate of the Prophet (also known as Barclay's Gate , named for James Turner Barclay ). It is believed that the current gate was built during the Ayyubid period and renovated and connected to the western section of the compound during Mamluke rule. The gate was constructed around

2375-638: The Binding of Isaac , Jacob's dream, and the prayer of Isaac and Rebekah . According to the Talmud, the Foundation Stone is the place from where the world was created and expanded into its current form. Orthodox Jewish tradition maintains it is here that the third and final Temple will be built when the Messiah comes. The Temple Mount is the place Jews turn towards during prayer. Jewish attitudes towards entering

2500-513: The Crusader period . The gate was refurbished during the reign of the Ayyubid Sultan, al-Mu'azzam 'Issa, in 1203 CE. An inn for wayfarers was built on the road leading from the gate in the years 1260–1277, and was later converted into a prison compound, hence the name Bāb al-Ḥabs (= "Prison Gate"). The name 'Council Gate' ( Bāb al-Majlis ) is derived from the fact that on the north side of

2625-565: The Dome of the Rock , was the spot from where the world was created and expanded into its current form, and where God gathered the dust used to create the first human, Adam . Jewish texts predict that the Mount will be the site of a Third and final Temple , which will be rebuilt with the coming of the Messiah . The rebuilding of the Temple remained a recurring theme among generations, particularly in thrice daily Amidah (Standing prayer), central prayer of

SECTION 20

#1732863115532

2750-545: The Encyclopaedia of Islam , the phrase was originally understood as a reference to a site in the heavens. A group of Islamic scholars understood the story of Muhammad's ascension from al-Aqsa Mosque as relating to the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem . Another group disagreed with this identification and preferred the meaning of the term as referring to heaven. Al-Bukhari and Al-Tabari , for example, are believed to have rejected

2875-579: The First Temple was built by King Solomon , the son of King David , in 957 BCE, and was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire , together with Jerusalem , in 587 BCE. No archaeological evidence has been found to verify the existence of the First Temple, and scientific excavations have been limited due to religious sensitivities. The Second Temple, constructed under Zerubbabel in 516 BCE,

3000-569: The Haram esh-Sharif (Temple Mount enclosure). A small mosque was built near the Golden Gate to cater to the brick burners, but which was later destroyed, along with part of the Gate's wall, by order of the Sultan in the 19th-century in order to make room for renovations. A new wall and two new arches were added to the Gate's western interior. The gate house, which is accessed from the Temple Mount by descending

3125-574: The Hebrew Bible indicate that during the time when they were written, the Temple Mount was identified as Mount Zion. The Mount Zion mentioned in the later parts of the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 60:14), in the Book of Psalms , and the First Book of Maccabees ( c.  2nd century BCE ) seems to refer to the top of the hill, generally known as the Temple Mount. According to the Book of Samuel , Mount Zion

3250-514: The High Priest of Israel entered the sanctuary once per year on Yom Kippur , carrying the blood of a sacrificial lamb and burning incense . According to the Bible, the site functioned as the center of all national life – a governmental, judicial and religious center. The Genesis Rabba , which was probably written between 300 and 500 CE, states that this site is one of three about which the nations of

3375-662: The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). Firas Dibs, Press Spokesperson for the Jerusalem Islamic Foundations Administration, stated that the Israeli police attacked the al-Haram as-Sharif community. Dibs pointed out that there was a dispute and friction between Palestinian youth and Israeli police in front of the Al-Maqariba (Moroccans) Gate in the south west of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and write that

3500-690: The Jewish liturgy , which contains a plea for the building of a Third Temple and the restoration of sacrificial services . A number of vocal Jewish groups now advocate building the Third Temple without delay in order to bring to pass God's "end-time prophetic plans for Israel and the entire world." The Temple was of central importance in Jewish worship in the Tanakh ( Old Testament ). In the New Testament , Herod's Temple

3625-619: The Little Western Wall . The Cotton Merchants' Gate ( Arabic : باب القطانين Bāb al-Qaṭṭānīn Hebrew : שער מוכרי הכותנה ) leads onto the Temple Mount. Merchant shops align both sides of the passage-way leading to the Cotton Merchants' gate, a mercantile zone known as the Bazaar of the Haram . The gate was built by the ruler of Damascus , Tankiz , during the reign of Mamluk Sultan ibn Qalawun , as marked by an inscription over

3750-553: The Moors' Gate ( Bāb al-Magharibah ). It is believed that Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi closed the old Hittah gate (which Known as Barclay's Gate since the 19th century) and established the al-Magharibah Gate in its place. Temple Mount traditionalists identify Barclay's Gate with the Kiponus Gate, mentioned as the western gate of the outer court in the Mishnah ( Middot 3:1). They also suppose that

3875-494: The Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE, Caliph 'Omar ibn al Khatab , reportedly disgusted by the filth covering the site, had it thoroughly cleaned, and granted Jews access to the site. According to early Quranic interpreters and what is generally accepted as Islamic tradition, in 638 CE Umar, upon entering a conquered Jerusalem, consulted with Ka'ab al-Ahbar – a Jewish convert to Islam who came with him from Medina – as to where

Al-Buraq Mosque - Misplaced Pages Continue

4000-461: The Rashidun and early Umayyad caliphates after the city's capture in 637 CE: the main praying hall of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock , near the center of the hill, which was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world. The Herodian walls and gates, with additions from the late Byzantine , early Muslim , Mamluk , and Ottoman periods, flank

4125-633: The Second Temple . During the Second Temple Period , Jerusalem was the center of religious and national life for Jews, including those in the Diaspora . The Second Temple is believed to have attracted tens and maybe hundreds of thousands during the Three Pilgrimage Festivals . The holiday of Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean revolt in

4250-648: The Six-Day War of 1967. Shortly after capturing the site, Israel handed its administration back to the Waqf under the Jordanian Hashemite custodianship , while maintaining Israeli security control. The Israeli government enforces a ban on prayer by non-Muslims as part of an arrangement usually referred to as the "status quo". The site remains a major focal point of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict . The name of

4375-610: The United Nations , by its Secretary-General and by the UN's subsidiary organs. The Temple Mount forms the northern portion of a narrow spur of hill that slopes sharply downward from north to south. Rising above the Kidron Valley to the east and Tyropoeon Valley to the west, its peak reaches a height of 740 m (2,428 ft) above sea level. In around 19 BCE, Herod the Great extended

4500-560: The al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf or Al-Aqsa , contains twelve gates. One of the gates, Bab as-Sarai, is currently closed to the public but was open under Ottoman rule. There are also six other sealed gates. This does not include the Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem which circumscribe the external walls except on the east side. The following is an anti-clockwise list of gates which open onto the Al-Aqsa Compound. Currently eleven gates are open to

4625-490: The largest mosques in the world . For Sunni and Shia Muslims alike, it ranks as the third holiest site in Islam . The plaza includes the location regarded as where the Islamic prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven , and served as the first " qibla ", the direction Muslims turn towards when praying. As in Judaism, Muslims also associate the site with Solomon and other prophets who are also venerated in Islam. The site, and

4750-577: The twelve Israelite tribes , conquered Jerusalem and brought the Israelites ' central artifact, the Ark of the Covenant , into the city. When a great plague struck Israel, a destroying angel appeared on Araunah's threshing floor. The prophet Gad then suggested the area to David as a fitting place for the erection of an altar to Yawheh . David bought the property from Araunah, for fifty pieces of silver, and erected

4875-709: The "Noble Sanctuary". It mirrors the terminology of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca ; This term elevated the compound to the status of Haram , which had previously been reserved for the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina . Other Islamic figures disputed the haram status of the site. Usage of the name Haram al-Sharif by local Palestinians has waned in recent decades, in favor of

5000-409: The 2nd century BCE. During the first century BCE, the Temple was renovated by Herod . It was destroyed by the Roman Empire at the height of the First Jewish-Roman War in 70 CE. Tisha B'Av , an annual fast day in Judaism , marks the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which according to Jewish tradition, occurred on the same day on the Hebrew calendar . The Book of Isaiah foretells

5125-438: The Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is known that Israel has been carrying out archaeological excavations in an area outside the compound, inviting the charge that they are trying to destabilise the mosque, Islam's third holiest site. In 2007, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) built a temporary wooden pedestrian bridge to the Maghariba Gate. No agreement could be reached over a more permanent structure. The damaged ramp, situated beneath

Al-Buraq Mosque - Misplaced Pages Continue

5250-409: The Chain Street – a street in the Muslim 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 can be seen from beneath via the Western Wall Tunnel. In 1980, Jordan proposed that the Old City be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was added to the List in 1981. In 1982, it

5375-400: The Christians considering it a fulfillment of Christ's prophecy at, for example, Matthew 23:38 and Matthew 24:2. It was to this end, proof of a biblical prophecy fulfilled and of Christianity's victory over Judaism with the New Covenant , that early Christian pilgrims also visited the site. Byzantine Christians, despite some signs of constructive work on the esplanade, generally neglected

5500-399: The Dome of the Rock was the site of Solomon's Temple , gave it the name " Templum Domini " and set up their headquarters in al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to the Dome for much of the 12th century. In Christian art , the circumcision of Jesus was conventionally depicted as taking place at the Temple, even though European artists until recently had no way of knowing what the Temple looked like and

5625-411: The Door of Repentance, Bab al-Taubah. Closed by the Muslims in 810, reopened in 1102 by the Crusaders, it was walled up by Saladin after regaining Jerusalem in 1187. Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt it together with the city walls, but walled it up in 1541, and it has stayed that way until today. The 1st-century historian, Josephus , who mentions the "eastern gate" in his Antiquities , makes note of

5750-446: The Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. This has been construed to mean that Jesus dispensed with physical location for worship, which was a matter rather of spirit and truth. Among both Sunni and Shia Muslims, the entire plaza, known as the al-Aqsa Mosque, also known as Haram al-Sharif or "the Noble Sanctuary",

5875-406: The Gospels do not state that the event took place at the Temple. Though some Christians believe that the Temple will be reconstructed before, or concurrent with, the Second Coming of Jesus (also see dispensationalism ), pilgrimage to the Temple Mount is not viewed as important in the beliefs and worship of most Christians. The New Testament recounts a story of a Samaritan woman asking Jesus about

6000-401: The High Priest and his entourage. This gate was not used by the masses to enter the Temple Mount, but reserved only for the High Priest and all those that aided him when taking out the Red Heifer or the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement. Dutch archaeologist Leen Ritmeyer , who explored the gate in the 1970s, reached the conclusion that the two monolithic massive gateposts seen on the inside of

6125-443: The Jordanian military periodical published since the early 1970s, and the associations of both the southern and northern branches of the Islamic Movement in Israel are all named Al-Aqsa after this site. During the period of Mamluk (1260–1517) and Ottoman rule (1517–1917), the wider compound began to also be popularly known as the Haram al-Sharif, or al-Ḥaram ash-Sharīf (Arabic: اَلْـحَـرَم الـشَّـرِيْـف ), which translates as

6250-403: The Kiponus Gate was named after Coponius (AD 6–9), a Roman procurator, thus one of the four gates described by Josephus . According to Barclay's and his followers' archeological researches, the gate measures 5.06 metres in width and 8.80 metres in height of the doorway, which provides insight into the dimensions of the mosque. According to archeological sites, this gate was used as an entrance to

6375-442: The Mount's natural plateau by enclosing the area with four massive retaining walls and filling the voids. This artificial expansion resulted in a large flat expanse which today forms the eastern section of the Old City of Jerusalem . The trapezium shaped platform measures 488 m (1,601 ft) along the west, 470 m (1,540 ft) along the east, 315 m (1,033 ft) along the north and 280 m (920 ft) along

SECTION 50

#1732863115532

6500-403: The Muslim public. Non-Muslims are only permitted to enter through the Moroccan (or Magharibah) gate. The keys to all the gates, with the exception of the Moroccan gate are held by the Islamic Waqf; they can only open or close gates with the permission of Israel. The Gate of the Tribes ( Arabic : باب الأسباط Bāb al-ʾAsbāṭ , Hebrew : שער השבטים ) is located at the north-eastern corner of

6625-428: The North African inhabitants who came and settled in the area since the time of Saladin. Over the years, the ground level outside the Magharibah Gate rose by many meters above its threshold and the Gate of the Prophet (Barclay's Gate) was finally walled up in the 10th century. At some stage, a new gate called Bab al-Magharibah was installed in al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall) above the Gate of the Prophet (Barclay's Gate), at

6750-402: The One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing. The Qur'an does not mention the exact location of "the furthest place of prayer", and the city of Jerusalem is not mentioned by any of its names in the Qur'an. According to

6875-434: The South Western corner of the Compound. According to Khusru, Bab al Nabi was named as such because it was believed to be the place that the Prophet Muhammed entered Al Aqsa on the night of Isra and Miraj. Since the 19th Century according to Ratrout, the name “Double Gate” was given due to the two rectangular doorways which opened up into the long tunnel leading to the “Ancient Mosque” or “Al Aqsa Qadeem”. The Gateway enters into

7000-410: The Temple Mount area. The war between Seljuqs and Byzantine Empire and increasing Muslim violence against Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem instigated the Crusades . The Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 and the Dome of the Rock was given to the Augustinians , who turned it into a church, and al-Aqsa Mosque became the royal palace of Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1104. The Knights Templar , who believed

7125-405: The Temple Mount during the Umayyad period, in connection with structural features, such as the chamfered edge: a distinctive feature of all Umayyad gates in the vicinity, such as the Golden Gate and the Double Gate . A sign outside the mosque indicates that it dates back to the Mamluk period . Overall, the gate passage was in use until some time after AD 985, when it was blocked and changed into

7250-406: The Temple Mount, especially when a Jewish attempt to rebuild the Temple was destroyed by the earthquake of 363 . It became a desolate local rubbish dump, perhaps outside the city limits, as Christian worship in Jerusalem shifted to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , and Jerusalem's centrality was replaced by Rome. During the Byzantine era, Jerusalem was primarily Christian and pilgrims came by

7375-398: The Temple in Jerusalem. Mujir al-Din , a 15th-century Jerusalemite chronicler, mentions an earlier tradition related by al-Wasti, according which "after David built many cities and the situation of the children of Israel was improved, he wanted to construct Bayt al-Maqdis and build a dome over the rock in the place that Allah sanctified in Aelia." According to the Qur'an , Muhammad

7500-412: The Temple itself. The governmental organization which administers the site, the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf (part of the Jordanian government), have stated that the name "The Temple Mount" is a "strange and alien name" and a "newly-created Judaization term". In 2014, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) issued a press release urging journalists not to use the term "Temple Mount" when referring to

7625-418: The affairs of the Al-Aqsa Mosque , rebuilt it in the 1980s. The name of the Ablution Gate is an euphemistic indication that it leads toward public latrines . These might well be the oldest still in use worldwide, dating back to 1193, when Saladin 's brother Adil had them built. The Tranquility Gate ( Bāb as-Salām ), or what is also known as the Gate of the Divine Presence ( Bāb as- Sakīna ),

SECTION 60

#1732863115532

7750-409: The aftermath of the Babylonian conquest of Judah were eventually allowed to return following a proclamation by the Persian king Cyrus the Great that was issued after the fall of Babylon to the Achaemenid Empire . In 516 BCE, the returned Jewish population in Judah, under Persian provincial governance , rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem under the auspices of Zerubbabel , producing what is known as

7875-433: The altar. God answered his prayers and stopped the plague. David subsequently chose the site for a future temple to replace the Tabernacle and house the Ark of the Covenant; God forbade him from building it, however, because he had "shed much blood". The First Temple was instead constructed under David's son Solomon , who became an ambitious builder of public works in ancient Israel : Then Solomon began to build

8000-431: The appropriate place to worship, Jerusalem (as it was for the Jews) or Mount Gerizim (as it was for the Samaritans ), to which Jesus replies: Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship

8125-426: The area where the Holy of Holies stood, since, according to rabbinical law, there is still some aspect of the divine presence at the site. The Al-Aqsa mosque compound, atop the site, is the second oldest mosque in Islam , and one of the three Sacred Mosques, the holiest sites in Islam ; it is revered as "the Noble Sanctuary". Its courtyard ( sahn ) can host more than 400,000 worshippers, making it one of

8250-415: The best spot would be to build a mosque. Al-Ahbar suggested to him that it should be behind the Rock "... so that all of Jerusalem would be before you." Umar replied, "You correspond to Judaism!" Immediately after this conversation, Umar began to clean up the site – which was filled with trash and debris – with his cloak, and other Muslim followers imitated him until the site was clean. Umar then prayed at

8375-402: The body's experts access Jerusalem's holy sites to determine their conservation status". While the text acknowledged the "importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its walls for the three monotheistic religions", it referred to the sacred hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City only by its Muslim name Al-Haram al-Sharif. In response, Israel denounced the UNESCO resolution for its omission of

8500-441: The bridge and not connected to it, consists of an accumulation of archaeological layers which have been excavated by the IAA, who removed surface material and made visible several ruined structures. This was done in contravention to the action plan initially submitted by the IAA to the UNESCO . In 2013, an archaeological excavation was conducted at the Maghariba Gate by Hayim-Her Barbe, Roie Greenvald, and Yevgeni Kagan, on behalf of

8625-410: The compound. Its name refers to the Twelve Tribes of Israel ("Bani Isra'il") who left Egypt and came to the Holy Land/Bayt al-Maqdis to find the Promised Land . Bab al-Asbāt is located to the east of the short northern side of the compound. Behind the gate, there is also a road as the Lions' Gate in the old city (also known as St Stephen's Gate). Asbāt gate is one of the important ancient gates and

8750-400: The concept of the Mount as a topographical feature separate from the Temple or the city itself first came into existence is a matter of debate among scholars. According to Eliav, it was during the first century CE, after the destruction of the Second Temple. Shahar and Shatzman reached different conclusions. In the Books of Chronicles , edited at the end of the Persian period , the mountain

8875-434: The door. Since this site is the closest a person can get to the Foundation Stone without setting foot on the mount itself, the gate was a popular place of prayer for Jews during the 19th century. The small Ablution Gate ( Arabic : باب المطهرة Bāb al-Maṭhara or باب المتوضأ Bāb al-Mutawaḍḍaʾ , or Bāb aṭ-Ṭahāra ( باب الطهارة ) is located on the western flank. The gate is rectangular in shape and reaches

9000-520: The earliest and most noteworthy places of worship of God . They preferred to use the esplanade as the heart for the Muslim quarter, since it had been abandoned by Christians, to avoid disturbing the Christian quarters of Jerusalem. Umayyad Caliphs commissioned the construction of al-Aqsa Mosque on the site, including the shrine known as the " Dome of the Rock ". The Dome was completed in 692 CE, making it one of

9125-543: The eastern wall a short distance south of the Golden Gate . Temple Mount The Temple Mount ( Hebrew : הַר הַבַּיִת , romanized:  Har haBayīt , lit.   'Temple Mount'), also known as The Noble Sanctuary ( Arabic : الحرم الشريف, 'Haram al-Sharif'), al-Aqsa Mosque compound , or simply al-Aqsa ( / æ l ˈ æ k s ə / ; The Furthest Mosque المسجد الأقصى , al-Masjid al-Aqṣā ), and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade ,

9250-552: The eastern wall of the Temple Mount, was probably built in the 520s CE , as part of Justinian I 's building program in Jerusalem , on top of the ruins of an earlier gate in the wall. An alternate theory holds that it was built in the later part of the 7th century by Byzantine artisans employed by the Umayyad khalifs . It has two vaulted halls which lead to the Door of Mercy, Bab al-Rahma, and

9375-722: The end of the 10th century and the internal gate room was transformed into a mosque dedicated to Buraq . Today the room is closed and entrance to it is prohibited without the approval of the Waqf . After the Six-Day War , the Israel Religious Affairs Ministry and Benjamin Mazar , who was at the time conducting the dig outside the southern wall of the Temple Mount, planned to uncover this gate, but they were prevented from doing so by both Jewish and Muslim religious leaders. The Huldah Gates comprise two sets of bricked-up gates in

9500-574: The existence of which leads to the conclusion that the original ground level was much lower than what it is today. Barclay's Gate lies within the Al-Buraq Mosque , under the Moroccans' Gate (Moors' Gate) and is one of the four Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa original gates on its western side. Its Arabic name is Bāb an-Nabi , "Gate of the Prophet [Muhammad]" —not to be confused with the Triple Gate, which has

9625-506: The fact that this gate was considered within the far northeastern extremity of the inner sacred court. According to the Mishnah , there was formerly a causeway which led out of the Temple Mount eastward over the Kidron Valley , extending as far as the Mount of Olives . Rabbi Eliezer , dissenting, says that it was not a causeway, but rather marble pillars over which cedar boards had been laid, used by

9750-640: The gate belong to an old structure of the gate, thought to be the Shushan Gate (mentioned in Mishnah Middot 1:3 as being the only gate in the Eastern Wall), and that it dates from the First Temple period . During the Ottoman-Turk era , the inner recess (vestibule) built within the western side of the Golden Gate was used for brick burning, which bricks were then used to renovate buildings and structures in

9875-458: The gate names had been given by Ibn al-Fakih and Ibn Abd' Rabbih two earliest authorities. The Asbāt gate was first built by the Mamluk ruler Baybars . Later, the door was renewed by Sultan Süleyman I during the Ottoman period. According to a legend, Sultan Suleyman I, who had a bad dream, is claimed to have started to renew the walls of Jerusalem (Beit el-Maqdis) after this dream. The Asbāt gate

10000-656: The gate stood the office of the Supreme Muslim Council during the British Mandate over Palestine. The Iron Gate ( باب الحديد Bāb al-Ḥadīd , Hebrew : Shaar Barzel ) is located on the western side, at the end of Bab al-Hadid Street, being within the Muslim Quarter, and where, before entering, one gains access to an exposed and contiguous section of the ancient wall of the Temple Mount , known locally as

10125-477: The gate wall reaches to the west side. According to Ratrout, the Early Muslim architecture of Bab al-Asbāt and its dimensions coincide with those of Bab al-Hashmi. Bab al-Asbāt is 2.81 meters in the width of the doorway, 3.30 meters in the width of the inner threshold of the doorway, and 4.30 meters in height of its arch. Due to its level with the ground, this gate is the only gate through which ambulances can enter

10250-519: The hands of Islamic Waqf organization, access to the al-Magharibah gate has been dictated by Israel since 1967. The gate, specifically the excavation of the historic ramp leading up to it, has been a point of contention between Israelis and Arab Muslims. In February 2004, a wall which supported the 800-year-old ramp jutting out from al-Buraq Wall ( Western Wall ) and leading up to the Maghariba Gate, partially collapsed. Israeli authorities believed

10375-758: The house of the LORD at Jerusalem in Mount Moriah, where [the LORD] appeared unto David his father; for which provision had been made in the Place of David, in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Solomon placed the Ark in the Holy of Holies – the windowless innermost sanctuary and most sacred area of the temple in which God's presence rested; entry into the Holy of Holies was heavily restricted, and only

10500-635: The international importance of the Temple Mount: And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth

10625-410: The later books of the Hebrew Bible or in the New Testament . The term remained in use throughout the Second Temple period , although the term “Mount Zion”, which today refers to the eastern hill of ancient Jerusalem, was used more frequently. Both terms are in use in the Book of Maccabees . The term Har haBayīt is used throughout the Mishnah and later Talmudic texts. The exact moment when

10750-427: The law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. In Jewish tradition, the Temple Mount is also believed to be the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac . 2 Chronicles 3:1 refers to the Temple Mount in the time before the construction of the temple as Mount Moriah ( Hebrew : הַר הַמֹּורִיָּה , har ha-Môriyyā ). The " land of Moriah " ( אֶרֶץ הַמֹּרִיָּה , ereṣ ha-Môriyyā ) is the name given by Genesis to

10875-535: The level of the compound esplanade. It was named after the residents of the adjacent neighborhood , who had come to Jerusalem from the Maghreb in the days of Saladin . This gate is open to this day and since 1967 has been the entrance to the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, accessible to non-Muslims only. Muslims have been banned from using this gate since 1967. Although the keys to the Al-Aqsa compound gates are in

11000-480: The level of the compound. The tunnel according to Ratrout during the early Islamic Period was much shorter but was extended to the north by the Abbasid Caliphs Al Mansur and Al Mahdi in 154-163 AH/ 771-780 AD [Hamilton, 1949, p63] The set on the right is a triple-arched gate, known as the Triple Gate - not to be confused with Barclay's Gate , which has the same Arabic name. Each of the gates once led into

11125-457: The location of the binding of Isaac. Since at least the first century CE, the two sites have been identified with one another in Judaism, this identification being subsequently perpetuated by Jewish and Christian tradition . Modern scholarship tends to regard them as distinct (see Moriah ). According to the rabbinic sages whose debates produced the Talmud , the Foundation Stone , which sits below

11250-405: The major Abrahamic religions : Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has particular religious significance for Judaism and Islam. The Temple Mount is considered the holiest site in Judaism. According to Jewish tradition, both Temples stood at the Temple Mount. Jewish tradition further places the Temple Mount as the location for a number of important events which occurred in the Bible, including

11375-427: The mosque in case of emergency. The Gate of Remission ( Arabic : باب الحطه Bāb al-Ḥiṭṭa ), where 'remission' means 'forgiveness', is located on the north side, about 130 metres (430 ft) westward of the far eastern-end of the Temple Mount. It is one of the oldest gates of the Al-Aqsa compound, and is the main entrance for visitors entering from the northern side of the city of Jerusalem (al-Quds), including

11500-505: The mosque on the Night of the Night Journey. In the west of the room, the upper part of a huge stone-blocked gate can be seen. Some believe that Muhammad entered through it, and then tied Al-Buraq next to the door, as it was previously a corridor for Al-Buraq Gate, then the place turned into Al-Buraq Musalla. According to the traveler Abu Salem Al-Ayashi (1662 CE). It was a perforated stone on

11625-465: The neighborhood of Bab Huta .The gate is said to have taken its Arabic name from a verse in the Quran ( Surah 2, 55–56), which has a reference to 'remission of sins'. The Gate of Darkness ( Arabic : باب العتم Bāb al-ʿAtim or -ʿAtam ) is one of the three gates located on the north side. It was called "Gate of al-Dawadariya" ( باب الدوادرية ), after a nearby school. It is now also known as King Faisal's Gate ( باب الملك فيصل ). The gate

11750-523: The northern part of the western wall, between the Bani Ghānim and Council Gates. The Council Gate ( باب المجلس Bāb al-Majlis ), also known as the Inspector's Gate ( Bāb an-Nāẓir or Nadhir ), is located on the northern side of the western Temple Mount wall. It was called Bāb al-Mīkāʾīl ( باب المیکائیل ) and Bāb al-Ḥabs ( باب الحبس ). The gate is thought to have existed as early as

11875-545: The oldest extant Islamic structures in the world. The Al-Aqsa Mosque , sometimes known as the Qibli Mosque, rest on the far southern side of the Mount, facing Mecca . Early Islam regarded the Foundation Stone as the location of Solomon's Temple, and the first architectural initiatives on the Temple Mount sought to glorify Jerusalem by presenting Islam as a continuation of Judaism and Christianity. Almost immediately after

12000-462: The outside of some of the western doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque. The stone is in a wall that people visit and seek blessings from, and they say that it is the one with which Prophet Muhammad tied Al-Buraq on the night of the Isra’. After 120 years, Al-Meknasy described the ring and said that the current ring (1785 CE) is not the place where Al-Buraq was tied, but it is a sign of the place, after the original place

12125-429: The police intervened with sound bombs and rubber bullets. On 24 May 2021, the Temple Mount complex was reopened to Jews for the first time in 20 days after Muslim unrest. The wall surrounding the Temple Mount contains six sealed gates. The Golden Gate ( Arabic : باب الرحمة , romanized :  Bāb al-Raḥma , lit.   'Mercy Gate'; Hebrew : Sha'ar Harachamim , "Gate of Mercy"), located on

12250-642: The region. For example, the Al-Aqsa Intifada (the uprising of September 2000), the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank), al-Aqsa TV (the official Hamas-run television channel), al-Aqsa University (Palestinian university established in 1991 in the Gaza Strip), Jund al-Aqsa (a Salafist jihadist organization that was active during the Syrian Civil War),

12375-471: The same Arabic name. It is named after James Turner Barclay , a 19th-century Christian missionary who discovered the main structure of the gate buried underground within the Al-Aqsa compound in 1852. Several researchers identified it as one of the Second Temple period gates, possibly the Coponius Gate, which is mentioned in Jewish and Christian sources of the period. The gate was blocked with stones at

12500-467: The same places, sometimes under different names. The recognition, use of and respect for these names is paramount." The term Har haBayīt – commonly translated as "Temple Mount" in English – was first used in the books of Micah (4:1) and Jeremiah (26:18), literally as "Mount of the House", a literary variation of the longer phrase "Mountain of the House of the Lord". The abbreviation was not used again in

12625-449: The site is disputed, primarily between Muslims and Jews, in the context of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict . Some Arab-Muslim commentators and scholars attempt to deny Jewish connection with the Temple Mount , while some Jewish commentators and scholars attempt to belittle the importance of the site in Islam. During a 2016 dispute over the name of the site, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova stated: "Different peoples worship

12750-475: The site vary. Due to its extreme sanctity, many Jews will not walk on the Mount itself, to avoid unintentionally entering the area where the Holy of Holies stood, since, according to rabbinical law, there is still some aspect of the divine presence at the site. According to the Hebrew Bible , the Temple Mount was originally a threshing-floor owned by Araunah , a Jebusite . The Bible narrates how David united

12875-481: The site, which can be reached through eleven gates , ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, with guard posts of the Israel Police in the vicinity of each. The courtyard is surrounded on the north and west by two Mamluk-era porticos ( riwaq ) and four minarets . The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, and where two Jewish temples once stood. According to Jewish tradition and scripture,

13000-485: The site. In 2017, it was reported that Waqf officials harassed archeologists such as Gabriel Barkay and tour guides who used the term at the site. According to Jan Turek and John Carman, in modern usage, the term Temple Mount can potentially imply support for Israeli control of the site. 2 Chronicles 3:1 refers to the Temple Mount in the time before the construction of the temple as Mount Moriah ( Hebrew : הַר הַמֹּורִיָּה , har ha-Môriyyāh ). Several passages in

13125-409: The south, giving a total area of approximately 150,000 m (37 acres). The northern wall of the Mount, together with the northern section of the western wall, is hidden behind residential buildings. The southern section of the western flank is revealed and contains what is known as the Western Wall . The retaining walls on these two sides descend many meters below ground level. A northern portion of

13250-424: The southern end of the compound as a result of the Islamic qibla being moved from Jerusalem to Mecca. The two different Arabic terms, translated as "mosque" in English, parallel the two different Greek terms translated as "temple" in the New Testament : Greek : ίερόν , romanized :  hieron (equivalent to Masjid) and Greek : ναός , romanized :  naos (equivalent to Jami'a), and use of

13375-464: The southern wall of the Temple Mount. The fact that the original entrance gateways still exist reflects an ancient promise cited in a work of rabbinic literature , Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah : "The Kohen Gate and the Huldah Gate were never destroyed and God will renew them". The 1st-century historian, Josephus , mentions these gates in his Antiquities : "...the fourth front of the temple [mount], which

13500-520: The spot where it was believed that Muhammad had prayed before his night journey, reciting the Quranic sura Sad . Thus, according to this tradition, Umar thereby reconsecrated the site as a mosque. Muslim interpretations of the Quran agree that the Mount is the site of the Temple originally built by Solomon , considered a prophet in Islam , that was later destroyed. After the construction, Muslims believe,

13625-546: The temple was used for the worship of the one God by many prophets of Islam, including Jesus. Other Muslim scholars have used the Torah (called Tawrat in Arabic) to expand on the details of the temple. The term Bayt al-Maqdis (or Bayt al-Muqaddas ), which frequently appears as a name of Jerusalem in early Islamic sources, is a cognate of the Hebrew term bēt ha-miqdāsh (בית המקדש),

13750-579: The tens of thousands to experience the places where Jesus walked. After the Persian invasion in 614 many churches were razed, and the site was turned into a dump. The Arabs conquered the city from the Byzantine Empire which had retaken it in 629. The Byzantine ban on the Jews was lifted and they were allowed to live inside the city and visit the places of worship. Christian pilgrims were able to come and experience

13875-596: The term "al-Aqsa", in relation to the whole plaza, is also a central identity symbol for Palestinians , including Palestinian Christians . Since the Crusades , the Muslim community of Jerusalem has managed the site through the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf . The site, along with the whole of East Jerusalem (which includes the Old City), was controlled by Jordan from 1948 until 1967 and has been occupied by Israel since

14000-694: The term "mosque" for the whole compound follows the usage of the same term for other early Islamic sites with large courtyards such as the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus and the Great Mosque of Kairouan . Other sources and maps have used the term al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā to refer to the congregational mosque itself. The term "al-Aqsa" as a symbol and brand-name has become popular and prevalent in

14125-544: The term Masjid al-Aqsa refers to the entire esplanade plaza which is the subject of this article – the entire area including the Dome of the Rock , the fountains, the gates , and the four minarets – because none of these buildings existed at the time the Quran was written. Al-Jâmi' al-Aqṣá refers to the specific site of the silver-domed congregational mosque building, also referred to as Qibli Mosque or Qibli Chapel ( al-Jami' al-Aqsa or al-Qibli , or Masjid al-Jumah or al-Mughata ), in reference to its location on

14250-567: The time that the Ayyubids endowed the quarter to North Africans and Moors of Andalusia, Malikites, who were living side by side in Jerusalem. The Magharibah, as these communities were called in Arabic, lived in this area until they were dispersed with the quarter's demolition in 1967 by Israel in order to construct the Western Wall Plaza for the Jews to pray. Some 130 homes were destroyed, displacing

14375-411: The traditional name of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Some scholars have used the terms Sacred Esplanade or Holy Esplanade as a "strictly neutral term" for the site. A notable example of this usage is the 2009 work Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred Esplanade , written as a joint undertaking by 21 Jewish, Muslim and Christian scholars. In recent years, the term "Holy Esplanade" has been used by

14500-571: The western wall may be seen from within the Western Wall Tunnel , which was excavated through buildings adjacent to the platform. On the southern and eastern sides, the walls are visible almost to their full height. 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. The platform can be reached via Gate of

14625-505: The words "Temple Mount" or "Har HaBayit", stating that it denied Jewish ties to the site. Israel froze all ties with UNESCO. In October 2017, Israel and the United States announced they would withdraw from UNESCO, citing anti-Israel bias. On 6 April 2022, UNESCO unanimously adopted a resolution reiterating all 21 previous resolutions concerned with Jerusalem. The Temple Mount has historical and religious significance for all three of

14750-527: The world cannot taunt Israel and say, "you have stolen them," since it was purchased "for its full price" by David. The First Temple was destroyed in 587/586 BCE by the Neo-Babylonian Empire under the second Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar II , who subsequently exiled the Judeans to Babylon following the fall of the Kingdom of Judah and its annexation as a Babylonian province . The Jews who had been deported in

14875-567: Was added to the List of World Heritage in Danger . On 26 October 2016, UNESCO passed the Occupied Palestine Resolution that condemned what it described as "escalating Israeli aggressions" and illegal measures against the waqf, called for the restoration of Muslim access and demanded that Israel respect the historical status quo and also criticized Israel for its continuous "refusal to let

15000-401: Was backfilled by the soil. Gates 1. Jaffa 2. Zion 3. Dung 4. Golden 5. Lions 6. Herod 7. Damascus 8. New ( Double, Single, Tanners ' ) Al-Mawazin 31°46′35″N 35°14′04″E  /  31.77642°N 35.23452°E  / 31.77642; 35.23452 Moors%27 Gate The Temple Mount , a holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem , also known as

15125-494: Was later renovated by King Herod and was ultimately destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. Orthodox Jewish tradition maintains it is here that the third and final Temple will be built when the Messiah comes. The Temple Mount is the place Jews turn towards during prayer. Jewish attitudes towards entering the site vary. Due to its extreme sanctity, many Jews will not walk on the Mount itself, to avoid unintentionally entering

15250-513: Was southward, had indeed itself gates in its middle." The Double Gate/ The Prophets Gate/ Bab Al Nabi The Prophets Gate or the Double Gate is one of the permanently closed gates along the Southern wall of Al Aqsa Compound. The Gate was used by the Umayyad Caliphs when they would visit Al Aqsa Mosque from their palaces to the south of the compound. This gate is located around 100 metres from

15375-491: Was the site of several events in the life of Jesus , and Christian loyalty to the site as a focal point remained long after his death. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, which came to be regarded by early Christians, as it was by Josephus and the sages of the Jerusalem Talmud , to be a divine act of punishment for the sins of the Jewish people, the Temple Mount lost its significance for Christian worship with

15500-594: Was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion", but once the First Temple was erected, according to the Bible, at the top of the Eastern Hill ("Temple Mount"), the name "Mount Zion" migrated there too. The name later migrated for a last time, this time to Jerusalem's Western Hill. The English term "al-Aqsa Mosque" is a translation of either al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā ( Arabic : ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلْأَقْصَىٰ ) or al-Jâmi' al-Aqṣā ( Arabic : ٱلْـجَـامِـع الْأَقْـصّى ). Al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā – "the farthest mosque" –

15625-476: Was transported to a site named Al-Aqsa Mosque – "the furthest place of prayer" ( al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā ) during his Night Journey ( Isra and Mi'raj ). The Qur'an describes how Muhammad was taken by the miraculous steed Buraq from the Great Mosque of Mecca to al-Aqsa Mosque where he prayed. After Muhammad finished his prayers, the angel Jibril ( Gabriel ) traveled with him to heaven, where he met several other prophets and led them in prayer: Glory be to

#531468