The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount, located to the east of the Old City of Jerusalem, is a site that is scared to both Judaism and Islam. The Temple Mount is mentioned in the Bible as Mount Moriah, on which was built the First Jewish Temple by King Solomon and the Second Jewish Temple by King Herod. The Temple Mount is surrounded by supporting walls, the most famous of which is the Western Wall. On the Temple Mount stand today the al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock (the golden dome), the earliest Muslim structure in existence today. According to Jewish tradition, the rock that is located in the heart of the Dome of the Rock is the Foundation Stone, the spiritual junction of heaven and Earth, as well as the location in which the near Sacrifice of Isaac took place and where the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple was. The Temple Mount is run by the Islamic Waqf and it is forbidden to Jewish prayer. The accessibility to the Temple Mount changes according to the political fluctuations, but in general it is open for free to all visitors at the hours written below. The entrance to it is from the Moroccans' Gate (Mugrabi Gate or Sha’ar HaMughrabim) near the Western Wall plaza. There is a modest dress code at the Temple Mount and no weapons or Jewish ritual items (prayer shawl, prayer book or shofar blowing horn) are allowed.