ESPLANADE OF THE MOSQUES - TEMPLE MOUNT

The Temple Mount, a Jewish holy site, is located above the Wailing Wall. Its upper part houses the Esplanade of the Mosques, the third holiest place in Islam after the Great Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia. As a legacy of history, the esplanade remains under the custody of Jordan, but Israel controls access to it.

The Esplanade of the Mosques(al-Ḥaram aš-Šarīf in Arabic, meaning "Noble Sanctuary") is a huge paved and cypress-planted area, laid out as a holy place, with more than 140 areas set aside for the prayers of the faithful, but also for relaxation, where people come to have a picnic or to revise their exams. Surrounded by minarets, this open space occupies 1/6 of the old city of Jerusalem!

This religious site is very disputed. On Mount Moriah stood the First, then the Second Jewish Temple, and today it is one of the holiest places of the Muslim religion. Muslim tradition identifies Mount Moriah as the place where Mohammed ascended to the seven heavens to join Allah. Although the management of the Esplanade of the Mosques has been entrusted to the Waqf (the authority for Muslim holy places) in Jerusalem since the Six Day War in 1967, the site, like the rest of the Old City, remains under Israeli control.

The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Sakhra in Arabic), at the centre of the esplanade, was built in the 7th century and takes its name from the "rock" it shelters, an outcrop of Mount Moriah. According to Muslim tradition, it was from this rock that Mohammed left to join Allah. The rock tried to follow him and Mohammed pushed it away with his foot, leaving his mark on it. The dome was erected by the Caliph Abd al-Malik to counterbalance the influence of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, whose circular structure the dome replicates. Originally gilded, its dome was quickly hijacked by a caliph in debt. It was gilded again in 1994 by King Hussein of Jordan. The facades of the dome are covered with verses from the Qur'an in blue, white and yellow, making it a dream of the Arabian Nights. The interior, inaccessible to non-Muslims, is decorated with marble on the lower part and sumptuous mosaics on the upper part (while the exterior is decorated with ceramic painting).

Opposite it is the al-Aqsa Mosque. Nothing remains of the original mosque, which was built in the 8th century on the remains of an ancient Byzantine church and was destroyed twice (748 and 1033) by earthquakes. It was rebuilt before the Crusaders took it over in 1099 during the capture of Jerusalem. In 1119 it became the headquarters of the Temple Order, and again became a mosque after the Muslim reconquest in 1187. After the mosque was damaged again in 1928 and 1937 by further earthquakes, it was rebuilt in 1939, and today can accommodate 3,000 worshippers. The beautiful marble columns inside were donated by Mussolini.

Al-Kas Purifying Fountain. Between the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque you will see a beautifully decorated and preserved circular fountain, used in the past for ritual ablutions before prayer.

Security measures. The entrance to the Esplanade of the Mosques is highly secured. A word of advice: come dressed in long clothes.