Haram ash-Sharif/Temple Mount

Lonely Planet review

A walk up to the Haram ash-Sharif/Temple Mount is a time-honoured privilege sanctified by the thousands of pilgrims who have trod before you. An open plaza of cypress trees and ancient paving stones, the architecture that exists today dates back to the first Muslim conquest, around 1400 years ago, including the unmistakable Dome of the Rock. But the history of the Mount goes back much further, with the first Jewish Temple having been placed here a thousand years before Christ.

There are few patches of ground as holy, or as disputed, as this one, and as such it's one of the required stops on a visit to the Old City.

The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram ash-Sharif, has been headlining news events for quite a few millennia. It all started with a large slab of rock protruding from the ridge Mt Moriah. According to Jewish lore, this rock was identified as the foundation stone of the world. The Talmud states that it was here that God gathered the earth that was used to form Adam, and it was here that Adam, Cain, Abel and Noah all performed ritual sacrifices. The most well-known such event occurred when Abraham nearly sacrificed his own son Isaac in a test of faith. (In the 11th hour an angel spared Isaac and replaced him with a ram).

As a holy place, it was here that Solomon built the First Temple. It took seven and a half years to complete but for reasons unknown it stood unused for 13 years. When finally consecrated, Solomon placed the Ark of the Covenant inside and celebrated with a seven-day feast. After weathering a number of raids, the temple was destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. A second temple was erected in 515 BC, and King Herod later improved the site by building a wall around the mount and filling it with rubble, levelling off the enormous plaza we can identify with today. Any civic improvements were for naught, however, as the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 66.

Despite the destruction they had wrought, the Romans too felt a spiritual affinity for the Mount and erected a temple to Zues, which was later turned into a Christian church.

Fast forward to the mid-7th century in Mecca, where the prophet Mohammed is believed to have announced to his fellow Meccans that in a single night he had travelled to Jerusalem, and led other prophets in prayers at the Temple Mount. This was called the isra (night journey), and was followed by the miraj (ascension to heaven), where he joined Allah. Mohammed's isra sealed the Temple Mount's importance for Muslims and it is now Islam's third holiest place after Mecca and Medina.

Immediately following the Six Day War, Israeli commander Moshe Dayan handed over the Temple Mount to Jerusalem's Muslim leaders. Their control of the Mount has never gone down well with Jewish extremists and there have been a number of protests and incidents of violence, including failed plots to blow up Muslim holy sites.

For the uninvolved visitor, the Temple Mount is a relaxing contrast to the noise and congestion of the surrounding narrow streets. It's a flat paved area the size of a couple of adjacent football fields, fringed with some attractive Mamluk buildings and with the Dome of the Rock positioned roughly in the centre. There are nine gates connecting the enclosure to the surrounding narrow streets, but although you can leave the compound by any of them, non-Muslims are only allowed to enter at the Bab al-Maghariba (Gate of the Moors), reached from the Western Wall plaza. Line up early for security checks and bear in mind that the Mount closes on Muslim holidays. It's best to visit early in your trip in case you don't get in on the first try. Modest dress is required.

The self-appointed guides will offer their services and will provide commentary as you walk around the grounds. If you choose to hire one, negotiate a price before you set off.