335, is the site where many Christians believe Jesus was crucified and where his resurrection occurred. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built in A.D. Because Muslims control the Temple Mount (the true site of the ancient Temples), the Western Wall is considered the holiest place where Jews can pray. It’s located on the western side of the Temple Mount and is sometimes referred to as the “Wailing Wall” because many Jews pray and weep at the site of the destroyed Temple.Įach year, millions of Jews from around the world visit the wall. The Western Wall is a section of ancient remnant wall from the second Jewish Temple. Both structures are considered holy to Muslims. In 1187, Muslims recaptured the Dome of the Rock and re-designated it as a shrine.Ī silver-domed mosque, called al-Aqsa, sits adjacent to the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. It’s the oldest surviving Islamic building and was constructed at the very site where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended to heaven.ĭuring the Crusades, the Christians turned the landmark into a church. The Dome, located on the Temple Mount, was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik. 691, the Dome of the Rock, a gold-domed Islamic shrine, was built on the site of the destroyed Jewish Temples in Jerusalem. But today, the Islamic Waqf governs what happens inside the compound, while Israeli forces control external security. It’s a place that prophets mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, and was visited by Jesus according to the New Testament.īecause it has religious and historical implications, occupation of the Temple Mount has been the cause of bitter conflict for centuries, especially between Jews and Muslims living nearby.ĭuring the Six-Day War, Israel gained control of the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is thought to be the third holiest site in Islam (after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia) and where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.Ĭhristians also believe the site is significant to their faith. The site is also the location of the first and second Temples and the spot where many Jewish prophets taught. References to the area date back to Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son Isaac in Jewish scripture. This ancient landmark is the holiest place in Judaism. It contains religious structures such as the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. The Temple Mount is a compound located on a hill in Jerusalem that’s comprised of about 35 acres of land. After the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel seized all of Jerusalem. Israel controlled the Western portions of it, while Jordan controlled East Jerusalem. Jerusalem was divided during the first 20 years of Israel’s existence. The British controlled the city and surrounding region until Israel became an independent state in 1948. The Ottoman Empire ruled Jerusalem and much of the Middle East from about 1516 to 1917.Īfter World War I, Great Britain took over Jerusalem, which was part of Palestine at the time. From about 1099 to 1187, Christian crusaders occupied Jerusalem and deemed the city a major religious site.
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