Arriving in Jerusalem, you can’t help but climb the Temple Mount. This place is sacred to believers of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to legend, here Abraham was to sacrifice his own son.
The Temple Mount became the place where the Angel of the Lord appeared to King David during the pestilence. To end the epidemic, an altar to the Lord was erected on top of it. Here, the ruler of Jerusalem wanted to build a temple. But his son, King Solomon, did this. After the consecration of the House of the Lord, a cloud filled him, signifying the presence of God. There were many treasures in it, but the
Ark of the Covenant was the main one
, where the tablets of Moses were kept. Ordinary mortals were not allowed to approach him. This was allowed only to the high priest the only day of the year. The first Temple united all the Jews, becoming their sanctuary.
Four hundred years later, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, enslaving the Israelites. The first Jerusalem Temple was looted and destroyed. All the treasures were taken out by King Nebuchadnezzar, but no one knows what happened to the Ark of the Most High.
Another seven decades passed, and the Jews returned to their lands, deciding to revive their shrine. The mountain in Jerusalem became the site of the construction of the Second Temple. The Israeli people have returned to their city its former beauty and power. Under King Herod, the Temple Mount was surrounded by walls, of which only one Western Wall reached us. Pilgrims from all over the world pray near her, stuffing notes with their hopes into the cracks. She received the name of the Wailing Wall, as a symbol of grief over the destruction of the two Jerusalem Houses of the Lord. After all, the Second Temple was also destroyed, but by the Romans in our era. And the Jews got the right only once a year to come to the Wailing Wall and pray for an end to the persecution.
As if in mockery of the Jewish faith, Muslims erected their mosques in a sacred place. The Dome of the Rock marks the place where the creation of the world by the Lord began, the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Until now, the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock retain a footprint and hairs from the beard of Mohammed. If we ignore the religious significance of the mosque, then this is one of the most ancient Muslim buildings that has survived to this day. It embodied all the art and skill of architects of the ancient world.
Another Muslim shrine is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, erected next to the Dome of the Rock. Although the definition of "another" is incorrect. This is the third most important shrine in the Islamic world. Above her, Muslims value only Mecca and Medina. It was she who was addressed during prayer by all Muslims. Much later, the landmark was the Preserve Mosque in Mecca. Until now, thousands of Muslims go to this holy place every Friday.
Now the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is ruled by Muslims. Neither Christians nor Jews can pray here. Several gates lead to it. Two of them can be used only by Muslims who came to pray in a holy place. The Temple Mount is accessible to tourists only if you go through the Maghrib Gate that opens to the Jewish Quarter.
But there is one more gate: the Gate of Mercy, otherwise called Golden. But they are bricked up and are waiting, together with all the people of Israel, for the coming of the Messiah, who will build the Third Temple and return peace and spiritual rebirth to the world.