Temple Mount

Temple Mount
Name	Temple Mount
Native name	Haram al-Sharif / Har HaBayit
Location	Jerusalem

Temple Mount is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that is one of the most contested religious and historical sites in the world. It is venerated in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity and has been the focus of pilgrimages, conquests, architectural projects, and archaeological investigations across millennia. Control and access to the site have been central issues in the histories of the Kingdom of Judah, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Umayyad Caliphate, the Crusader States, the Ottoman Empire, the British Mandate for Palestine, and the modern states and authorities in the State of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

Names and terminology

The plateau is known by several historical and modern designations in different languages and texts: the Arabic name Haram al-Sharif appears in sources related to the Umayyad Caliphate and later Islamic administrations, while the Hebrew name Har HaBayit appears in rabbinic literature and modern Israeli discourse. Classical sources including Josephus and Roman writers used Greco-Roman terms during the period of the Herodian Temple and after the Great Jewish Revolt (66–73 CE). Medieval Christian pilgrims recorded Latin and Greek names during the era of the Crusades, and Ottoman archival documents used Ottoman Turkish nomenclature. Modern diplomatic documents from the League of Nations and the United Nations use varied terminology reflecting political and legal debates over sovereignty and custodianship.

Historical significance

The site's layered history includes the First Temple traditionally attributed to Solomon, the Second Temple renovated by Herod the Great, and destruction by forces of the Roman Empire during the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE). Post-70 CE transformations included construction of Roman-Byzantine structures and later monumental Islamic buildings commissioned by the Umayyad Caliphate such as the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. During the Crusader States period, the area was repurposed for Christian rites and then restored to Islamic administration after the campaigns of Saladin. Under the Ottoman Empire, the site was administered within the provincial structures centered on Jerusalem Sanjak, later passing into British Mandate for Palestine oversight following World War I. The 1948 Arab–Israeli War and the 1967 Six-Day War produced pivotal changes in control, diplomatic arrangements, and arrangements codified by actors including the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and later negotiations involving the Oslo Accords and the Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Religious importance and sites

For adherents of Judaism, the site is associated with the Holy of Holies and the location of offerings described in the Hebrew Bible, connecting to figures such as David and Solomon. For Islam, it is tied to traditions concerning the Isra and Mi'raj and the Prophet Muhammad, and it contains major Islamic landmarks such as the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, with custodial links to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. For Christianity, the site appears in pilgrimage narratives and apocryphal accounts tied to early Byzantine devotion and later Crusader liturgical practices involving orders like the Knights Hospitaller. Nearby religious institutions and figures—Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mount of Olives—feature in interlinked devotional geographies and pilgrimage itineraries that include patriarchs, bishops, and pilgrims from centers such as Constantinople, Rome, and Cairo.

Architecture and archaeology

The platform is notable for its monumental retaining walls, including the western face with prominent stones like the so-called ""Western Stone"" set in the Herodian second-temple period under Herod the Great. Above the platform stand the Dome of the Rock, with its Umayyad-era mosaics and octagonal plan, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque whose compound includes the Qibli Mosque and the Marwani Mosque (Solomon's Stables). Archaeological engagement by scholars and institutions—ranging from work by Charles Warren and Claude Conder in the 19th century to surveys by the Israel Antiquities Authority and international scholars—has produced debates about stratigraphy, reused building materials, and controversially excavated areas such as the City of David (archaeological site), Robinson's Arch, and the Southern Wall excavations. Architectural influences link to Byzantine mosaics, Umayyad ceramic and epigraphic programs, Crusader rebuilding campaigns, and Ottoman-era restoration techniques.

Governance and access

Administrative and custodial arrangements have varied: the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan maintains a longstanding religious custodianship recognized in bilateral understandings with the State of Israel after the Six-Day War, while day-to-day administration inside the compound is managed by a Muslim religious trust historically referred to as the Waqf (Islamic) which traces institutional continuity to Ottoman registers and later mandates. Security and access policies involve the Israel Police, municipal authorities of Jerusalem Municipality, and international diplomatic actors including representatives from the United States and the European Union in periodic mediation. Arrangements for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian worship and visitation have been shaped by agreements, regulations, and periodic orders issued by courts such as the Israeli Supreme Court and influenced by negotiations involving parties like the Palestinian Authority and the Hashemite custodial office.

Conflicts and incidents

The site has been a flashpoint in episodes such as the 1929 Jerusalem riots (1929), confrontations during the 1950s–1960s tensions, the 1969 arson attack by an Australian national that damaged the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and recurring clashes during the First Intifada and the Second Intifada. Political incidents involving visits by figures like Ariel Sharon have precipitated riots and diplomatic crises. Archaeological and construction controversies have provoked protests involving organizations such as UNESCO and diplomatic interventions by the United States Department of State and foreign ministries from capitals like Amman and Washington, D.C.. International responses have ranged from UN resolutions to bilateral communiqués by states including Egypt and Jordan, while civil society groups and religious institutions continue to contest narratives and policies surrounding the plateau.

Category:Jerusalem