What is included in the plan of a regular sightseeing tour of Jerusalem (Israel)? The Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, the Garden of Gethsemane, the road to Golgotha… Let's stop at the first sight. Tourists who have visited Jerusalem never cease to be surprised that some places in the Old City are holy places for three world religions at once - Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The Temple Mount is no exception. We can say that Christians honor the Old Testament, and Muslims consider Jesus Christ the prophet Isa. But here is another story. The mountain, nicknamed the Temple, according to the Oral Torah, is the basis of the entire universe. This is a kind of cornerstone from which God began to create the earth and sky. Is it worth visiting such a place? "Of course!" tourists say. Even if you are not a supporter of any of the three religions. At least you will have unforgettable impressions and colorful photos.
Jewish shrine
In ancient times, the Temple Mount was called Moriah, which means "The Lord sees." In addition to the fact that the creation of the world began with it, the Jews believe that it was here that God created Adam. After the expulsion of people from paradise, Cain and Abel sacrificed to the Almighty on the first altaron the Temple Mount. And after the Flood, the righteous Noah also stopped here, and not at Ararat. He built a new altar on the Temple Mount. But this landmark is most famous for the fact that here Abraham, out of love for God, was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. Therefore, the name of Mount Moriah was given, since Yahweh, seeing the thoughts of the prophet, sent an angel who stopped the hand with the knife raised. Tour guides tell tourists about all this, and these stories make the blood run cold in the veins even of non-believers. After all, this is, after all, a "touch to the sacrum".
First Temple
And at this place, King David saw an angel with a sword and realized that the pestilence that struck the population of Jerusalem was an expression of the wrath of the Lord. He offered rich sacrifices to God, after which the epidemic stopped. And the son of David - the Wise Solomon, built the first Jerusalem temple at the end of the 10th century BC on the top of the mountain. Thirty thousand Israelis and five times as many captured Phoenicians worked on the construction. After the House of the Lord was consecrated, it was filled with a cloud of shekinah - evidence of the presence of God. Since then, Moriah has received a different name - the Temple Mount. Jerusalem did not know a greater shrine, because there was the Ark of the Covenant, that is, a chest with stone tablets that God handed over to Moses. But tourists will no longer see this building, since in 587 BC. e. it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
Second Temple
It was erected after the liberation from the Babylonians in 536 BC. e. The temple became a symbolthe unity of the Jewish people, therefore, no efforts or means were spared for its decoration and expansion. King Herod is the one! - expanded the shrine, built powerful walls around it, which towered thirty meters above the streets of the city. The Temple Mount became an impregnable citadel at that time. And then Christian tourists realize that they are standing in the very place where the disciples of Jesus said to their teacher: “Look at these great buildings, how they are decorated!” To which the Son of Man replied: "The days will come when no stone will be left here on stone." Christ turned out to be inaccurate: something still survived from the second temple. This is the Wailing Wall, the former western facade of the building.
Muslim shrine
In 691, the Arab conquerors built two mosques on the Temple Mount. The first - Kubbat as-Sahra - marks the place where the prophet Mohammed landed in his miraculous instantaneous movement from Mecca. On a winged horse and surrounded by angels, he descended to the mountain, leaving for posterity to honor the footprint of his foot and three hairs from his beard. Muslims also worship the "foundation of the world" - a small rock under a golden dome, from which the Lord began the creation of all things. The second mosque on the Temple Mount is Al-Aqsa. Despite its more modest size and lead dome, this sacred building is of great importance for Muslims (the third after Mecca and Medina). Since at this place Mohammed - as the supreme imam - performed a night prayer along with all the prophets, the Al-Aqsa mosque for a long timetime was the qibla. All Muslims during prayer turned their faces to this landmark. And only later did the qibla move to Mecca.
Christian shrine
Besides what Jesus said about the Temple in Jerusalem, predicting its destruction, the Temple Mount is of more importance for those who believe in the New Testament. According to the teaching of the Church (which is based on the Book of Ezekiel), it is here that the Son of God will come in glory and with the host of heaven to make the Last Judgment on the world. With the sound of the trumpet, all the dead will come out of their graves. And in such a place, - tourists say, - you involuntarily think about your unrighteous deeds.
Esoteric shrine
Since all three religions consider the dark rock on top of the mountain to be the place from which the Lord created the earth, this belief is reflected in various ideas of scientism. Esotericists believe that the tellurgical axis passes through Moria, on which the entire universe is based. During the short reign of the Christian Crusaders in Jerusalem, the Al-Aqsa Mosque was the main residence of the Knights Templar. It is because of this that the congregation of knight-monks received its second name - the templars. There are many (not confirmed by historians) ideas that the Templars used some kind of secret texts and apocrypha, performed Gnostic cults and the like. Therefore, in this place you can meet crowds of esotericists who are attracted by the mystery of the Temple Mount. Actually in the cellars of the mosque in the XII centurythe usual stables were located.
Temple Mount (Jerusalem): tourist tips
This attraction is located in the southeast of the Old City. The golden dome of the Qubbat-as-Sakhra mosque is visible from afar. The complex itself is a large rectangular, walled square. In its center stands the Dome of the Rock, and on the edge is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Although the Temple Mount, the photo of which is the “calling card” of Jerusalem, seems so high, climbing it even in summer is not difficult. It is much more difficult, as tourists assure, to get into the complex itself. The fact is that due to religious conflicts that now and then break out at shrines (there are enough fanatics in any religion), the police block access to the square in order to restore order. It is best, as seasoned travelers advise, to arrive early. Only at the checkpoint you have to stand in line for an hour. It should be remembered that for women (for some reason, in any of the mentioned religions they find fault with the fair sex), long skirts and covered shoulders are obligatory. At the same time, everyone is not allowed to bring any religious objects into the territory of the Temple Mount if you pass through a wooden bridge through a special checkpoint for tourists.
