Saturday, April 05, 2014

Temple Mount (Al-Haram ash-sharif

 The Jews call it 'temple mount' where their two temples were but now has disappeared. It is now replaced by the dome of the rock and the Al Aqsa mosque. Israel is a very small country but the history is so full and goes back thousands of years. Jews are not allowed into this area for fear they'll step on the Holy of Holies. The first temple was built to house the 'ark' and this area is the Holy of Holies where only the priest can enter. It was destroyed by the Babylonians and therefore was absent in the second temple. But rabbis believe that the pieces are still buried in the compound and therefore Jews are not allowed in there for fear they'll step on the Holy of Holies. This is a beautiful gate but only Muslims can go in and out of them.


 A water feature for washing before prayers.
 Both Christians and Muslims believe that the Messiah will appear here when He comes. Scales will appear from these columns and these are scales to weigh the souls.
 Throughout the compound, faithful Muslims read the Koran, teach and learn in groups everyday.
 A view of the Mount of Olives from the temple mount.
Its been a great visit to such an iconic place, a place contested by three religions!

1 comment:

Hafiza Amina said...

Good post! Thanks for sharing. Really very useful and informative post. Very interesting post.