We were worried we weren't going to get an opportunity to visit the Dome on the Rock. Our tour guide had mentioned that he had had to cancel his 3 previous tour groups from going up there because of fights breaking out while they were there. It's definitely not the safest place to be at any given time so the travel & tourism people in Israel really like to make sure everything is completely safe before taking tourists there. He had scheduled for us to visit every morning we were in Jerusalem, but there was just too many things that made it unsafe for us to go, until our final day.
We got up early & made sure we were the first people to go up to the mount & that made it safe enough for us to go. We were very excited. To get to the temple mount, you have to climb up next to the Western Wall.
It is heavily guarded with security. You have to pass through metal detectors & armed guards before you can enter the temple mount. They ask that you bring as little as possible with you. No backpacks, water bottles, or extra anything. Once you're up there, you can not touch each other & must stay as calm as possible (which is very hard for young children. . . no running around, tag, or games). There are armed guards everywhere. It's a little unnerving, but as long as you follow the rules, you're fine.
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic Shrine. It is forbidden for anyone to come to the temple mount & pray unless you are of the Islamic faith. This is why there is so much contention here. People of other faiths pretend to be tourists, find their way to the temple mount & openly pray to their God on Islamic sacred ground which is completely against the rules. Fights break out, & the area becomes unsafe very quickly. We could not go inside their church because we do not belong to their faith, but we enjoyed seeing it from the outside. It is truly beautiful.
Inside the Dome of the Rock is a rock they call the "Foundation Rock." According to Jewish tradition, the world was founded on this rock & they believe it was part of the original temple. They also believe this is where the ark of the covenant was once located. According to Islam, this rock is the rock that the prophet Mohammed ascended from.
Also on the temple mount is a small area sectioned off & covered. This is called the "threshing floor" of the temple mount. This is the tip of Mount Moriah where Abraham brought his son Isaac to be sacrificed.
Genesis 22: 2
"And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, & get thee into the land of Moriah; & offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
This is where Abraham built his alter to offer Isaac as a sacrifice.
This whole area is so special to so many different religions, which is why so many people fight over this area.
As we left the temple mount, we exited near the Golden Gate (also known as "the beautiful gate") of Jerusalem. This is one of the oldest gates in Jerusalem & is said to have been built during King David's time in Jerusalem. Nobody can prove that, but it's an interesting story nonetheless.
I'm so glad we were able to get up to the temple mount to see it. We were unsure it would happen, but it really added to our experience there in Jerusalem.
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