Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Jerusalem - The Temple Mount - and conflict


Jerusalem - The Temple Mount
Originally uploaded by *Checco*
The Temple Mount, also known as the Noble Sanctuary, is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site for Judaism. The Jewish Temple in Jerusalem stood there: the First Temple (built c. 967 BCE, destroyed c. 586 BCE by the Babylonians), and the Second Temple (rebuilt c. 516 BCE, destroyed in the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE).

Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it is also the site of two major Muslim religious shrines, the Dome of the Rock (built c. 690)and Al-Aqsa Mosque (built c. 710).

It is one of the most contested religious sites in the world.

Under the Jordanian rule of Eastern Jerusalem between 1948 and 1967, Jews were forbidden from entering the Old City. Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over the site, which remains a key issue in the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Israeli government has granted management of the site to a Muslim Council (Waqf).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount

No comments: