What is included in the plan for a regular sightseeing tour of Jerusalem (Israel)? Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, Gethsemane, road to Calvary ... Let us dwell on the first attraction. Tourists who have visited Jerusalem do not cease to be surprised that some places of the Old City are shrines 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 to be the prophet Isa. But here is a different story. The mountain, nicknamed the Temple, according to the Oral Torah, is the foundation of the whole universe. This is a cornerstone from which God began to create earth and heaven. Is it worth it to go to such a place? "Of course!" - tourists assure. 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." Besides 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 made a sacrifice to the Almighty on the first altar on the Temple Mount. And after the Flood, the righteous Noah also stopped here, and not at Ararat. On the Temple Mount he built a new altar. But this attraction is best known for the fact that here Abraham, out of love for God, was ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. Therefore, the name was given to Mount Moriah, because Yahweh, seeing the thoughts of the prophet, sent an angel who stopped his hand with a knife carried. Guides tell tourists about all this, and from these stories the blood gets colder in the veins even among unbelievers. After all, this, after all, is a “touch to the sacrum."
First temple
Also at this place, King David saw an angel with a sword and realized that the pestilence that hit the people of Jerusalem is an expression of the wrath of the Lord. He made rich sacrifices to God, after which the epidemic stopped. And the son of David, the Wise Solomon, built the first Jerusalem temple at the top of the mountain at the end of the 10th century BC. 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 shekina cloud - a testament to the presence of God. Since then, Moriah has received a different name - 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 to Moses. But this structure will no longer be seen by tourists, since in 587 BC e. it was destroyed by the Babylonians.
Second Temple
It was erected after liberation from the Babylonians in 536 BC. e. The temple became a symbol of the unity of the Jewish people, therefore, they spared neither strength nor money on its decoration and expansion. King Herod is the same! - expanded the shrine, built powerful walls around it, which towered thirty meters above the city streets. The Temple Mount became an impregnable citadel for those times. And then tourists of the Christian faith realize that they are standing on the very spot where the disciples of Jesus told their teacher: “Look at these great buildings, at how they are decorated!” To which the Son of Man replied: "The days will come when there will be no stone upon stone here." Christ turned out to be inaccurate: something was preserved 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 al-Sahra - marks the place where the Prophet Magomed landed in his wonderful instant movement from Mecca. On a winged horse and surrounded by angels, he descended the mountain, leaving a trace of his foot and three hairs from his beard to honor the descendants. Muslims also worship the "foundation of the world" - a small rock under a golden dome, with 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 structure is of great importance for Muslims (the third after Mecca with Medina). Since Mohammed, as the supreme imam, performed prayer at night along with all the prophets, Al-Aqsa Mosque was a qibla for a long time. All Muslims turned to this landmark during prayer. And only later did the qibla move to Mecca.
Christian shrine
Besides the fact that Jesus spoke of the Jerusalem Temple , predicting its destruction, the Temple Mount is also more important 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 fulfill the Last Judgment on the world. With the sound of the trumpet, all the dead will come out of the graves. And in such a place, say the reviews of tourists, you involuntarily think about your unrighteous deeds.
Esoteric shrine
Since all three religions consider the dark rock on the top of the mountain the place from which the Lord created the earth, this belief is reflected in various ideas of scientism. Esotericists believe that the Telluric axis passes through Moriah, on which the entire universe is based. During the short reign of the Christian crusaders in Jerusalem, the main residence of the Knights Templar was located in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. It is because of this that the congregation of monastic knights got its second name - the templars. There are many (not confirmed by historians) ideas that the Templars used some secret texts and apocrypha, performed Gnostic cults and the like. Therefore, in this place you can meet crowds of esoteric people who are attracted by the mystery of the Temple Mount. In fact, in the cellars of the mosque in the XII century there were ordinary stables.
Temple Mount (Jerusalem): travel tips
This attraction is located in the southeast of the Old Town. The golden dome of the Kubbat as Sahra mosque is visible from afar. The complex itself is a large rectangular, walled area. In its center stands the Dome of the Rock, and on the edge is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Although the Temple Mount, whose photo is the “visiting card” of Jerusalem, seems so tall, it is not difficult to climb it even in summer. It is much more difficult, as tourists assure, to get into the complex itself. The fact is that due to religious conflicts that flare up at shrines (there are enough fanatics in any religion), the police shut down access to the square in order to restore order. It’s best, as experienced travelers advise, to arrive early. Only at the checkpoint will have to wait an hour in line. It should be remembered that for women (for some reason, in any of the religions mentioned, they find fault with the fair sex), long skirts and covered shoulders are mandatory. At the same time, everyone is not allowed to carry any cult objects into the territory of the Temple Mount if you pass through a wooden bridge through a special checkpoint for tourists.