The Temple Mount

I went to J-town the other day with our friends, the Risseeuws. I played tour-guide, as usual.
We went up to the Al-Aqusa Mosque & Dome of the Rock, which sit on the Temple mount today.
Here is the view from the Mt of Olives (looking East to West):


Short history lesson: this is an important site for lots of people. Religious people, to be precise.
For Jews, this is the sight where Abraham brought Isaac to sacrifice him (Genesis 22), as well as where David & his son Solomon built the first temple, and where the second temple was situated until it's destruction. A small number of very devout Jews still want to build a third temple on the same spot, but it has been occupied by this beautiful golden dome since the 700s.

For Muslims, the Al Aqsa Mosque is where the Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael, where the Angel Gabriel took the Prophet Mohammad on his Night Vision (Quran, Sura 17), as well as where the Mamluks built their 3rd holiest shrine: the Dome of the Rock, which is where the Prophet supposedly ascended into heaven. Below is Al Aqsa:

             

For Christians, the temple mount has much of the same significance as it does for the Jews, but it is also where Jesus once preached, and where he overturned tables of the moneychangers (Mark 11:15-18). He predicted it's destruction (Matthew 24:1-3), which occurred in the 70AD by the Romans.

Today, this is probably the most contentious piece of real estate in the world. The reason is simple--it is sacred to so many different people, and everyone wants to claim it as theirs. For example, when the Israelis captured Jerusalem in the 6-Day War of 1967, they took the Temple Mount from Jordanian control. They raised the Israeli flag there, but after 2 only hours the Israeli commander ordered it to be taken down, as he did not want to start WW-III. Ariel Sharon's controversial visit to the Mount in late September '00 is thought by many to have started the Second Palestinian Intifada (although this is debatable). 

Prayer at the Western Wall, the only portion of the temple mount where Jews freely worship.

Non-Muslims can only enter the temple mount during specific times of the day. My friends & I waited in line with 2 American groups, one of which were told not to bring any Bibles with them (not even in bags). Jews are not allowed to do any kind of praying at the sight, as this may be seen as an instigation.



The wooden ramp up to the Temple mount

On the way up the ramp, I saw lots of riot-police gear laying around. I hoped that it wouldn't be needed any time soon. Upon entering, we were met by two Arab men who looked us over and judged the appropriateness of our clothing. Phil and I were wearing shorts, which we had worn pulled-down-gangsta-rap-style to cover our knees. Apparently, this was not modest enough, so we were told we had to have an additional shawl (20 shekles/ 5$) in order to enter. So we bought them. I'm pretty sure this was a scam since there were plenty of other people walking around in shorts. Here is a picture of me feeling dejected about being swindled--once again--in the Old City of Jerusalem (you don't even want to know how much we paid for lunch).

Currently, the Temple Mount is controlled by the Waqf, which is kind of the Muslim Parks & Recreation service for holy Muslim sights. They were visible there and distinguished by their all-black, police-looking uniforms. The IDF soldiers were there too, but the Israeli soldiers kept a very low profile at the entrance & exit. This joint control was a surprise to me, but it stresses the complex nature of this place: Israeli control, Islamic jurisdiction, Jordanian police...it's a lot to take in.

So we walked around the Mount and saw the Golden Gate where Jesus would enter the Temple area from the Mt of Olives, which is also where Peter & John healed the lame man in Acts 3:1-10. We even tried to go into Al Aqsa Mosque, but when we got close we were told by the guard that it was 'closed, although Muslims went in and out freely. Phil was a bit frustrated, and I understood where he was coming from. 'Why can't we go in the Dome and see the actual rock?' Why can't the white guys just go in and look at the inside of the Mosque?' I think the answer is simple: whoever controls the area sets the rules. That's a general theme in this part of the world.

I came to find out later that during the Crusades, the Dome of the Rock was converted into a church, and the Mosque was used as a stable. Clearly, there is a history that whoever is in power on the Temple Mount sets the rules.  We may have felt restricted and annoyed at our lack of freedoms there (when to enter, what to wear, checkpoint controls, etc.), but it occurred to me that maybe that's how many Palestinians feel just getting to & from work every day. This was a good place to visit, but I was relieved to leave.

This Temple Mount is the centerpiece of Jerusalem, and it is sacred to a myriad of different people. It will surely be focus of any kind of peace agreement that Israel and her neighbors might eventually reach. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Shalom Ya'll,

Stew