Temple Mount is where Christians turn towards during prayer.
The Temple Mount -LRB- הר הבית , Har HaBayit , `` Mount of the House -LSB- of God , i.e. the Temple -RSB- '' -RRB- , known to Muslims as the Haram esh-Sharif -LRB- الحرم الشريف , al-Haram al-Sarif , `` the Noble Sanctuary '' , or الحرم القدسي الشريف , al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sarif , `` the Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem '' -RRB- , a hill located in the Old City of Jerusalem , is one of the most important religious sites in the world .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Old City of Jerusalem. Old City of Jerusalem. It has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years by Judaism , Christianity , and Islam .. Judaism. Judaism. Christianity. Christianity. Islam. Islam. The present site is dominated by three monumental structures from the early Umayyad period  : the al-Aqsa Mosque , the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain , as well as four minarets .. Umayyad period. Umayyad dynasty. al-Aqsa Mosque. al-Aqsa Mosque. Dome of the Rock. Dome of the Rock. Dome of the Chain. Dome of the Chain. four minarets. Minarets of the Temple Mount. Herodian walls and gates with additions dating back to the late Byzantine and early Islamic periods cut through the flanks of the Mount .. Herodian. Herodian dynasty. Byzantine. Byzantine Empire. Currently it can be reached through eleven gates , ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims , with guard posts of Israeli police in the vicinity of each .. eleven gates. Gates of the Temple Mount. Israeli police. Israeli police. The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism , which regards it as the place where God 's divine presence is manifested more than in any other place .. Judaism. Judaism. divine presence. Shekhinah. According to the rabbinic sages whose debates produced the Talmud , it was from here the world expanded into its present form and where God gathered the dust used to create the first human , Adam .. Talmud. Talmud. Adam. Adam ( Bible ). Since at least the first century CE , the site has been associated in Judaism with Mount Moriah -LRB- הר המוריה , Har HaMoriya -RRB- ; Mount Moriah is the name given by the Hebrew Bible to the location of Abraham 's binding of Isaac , this identification being perpetuated by Jewish and Christian tradition .. Judaism. Judaism. Mount Moriah. Mount Moriah. binding of Isaac. binding of Isaac. Jewish. Jewish legend. Christian tradition. Christian legend. Hebrew Bible. Hebrew Bible. Several passages in the Hebrew Bible indicate that during the time when they were written , the Temple Mount was identified as Mount Zion .. Hebrew Bible. Hebrew Bible. Mount Zion. Mount Zion. The Mount Zion mentioned in the later parts of the Book of Isaiah , in the Book of Psalms , and the First Book of Maccabees -LRB- c. 2nd century BCE -RRB- seems to refer to the top of the hill , generally known as the Temple Mount .. Mount Zion. Mount Zion. Book of Isaiah. Book of Isaiah. Book of Psalms. Book of Psalms. First Book of Maccabees. First Book of Maccabees. According to the Book of Samuel , Mount Zion was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the `` stronghold of Zion '' , but once the First Temple was erected , according to the Bible , at the top of the Eastern Hill -LRB- `` Temple Mount '' -RRB- , the name `` Mount Zion '' migrated there too .. Mount Zion. Mount Zion. Book of Samuel. Book of Samuel. First Temple. Solomon's Temple. The name later migrated for a last time , this time to Jerusalem 's Western Hill .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Western Hill. Mount Zion. According to the Bible , both Jewish Temples stood at the Temple Mount , though archaeological evidence only exists for the Second Temple .. Jewish. Jewish legend. Temples. Temple in Jerusalem. However , the identification of Solomon 's Temple with the area of the Temple Mount is widespread .. Solomon. Solomon. According to the Bible the site should function as the center of all national life -- a governmental , judicial and religious center .. During the Second Temple period it functioned also as an economic center .. Second Temple period. Second Temple period. According to Jewish tradition and scripture , the First Temple was built by King Solomon the son of King David in 957 BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE .. Jewish. Jewish legend. First Temple. Solomon's Temple. Solomon. Solomon. David. David. Babylonians. Babylonians. The second was constructed under the auspices of Zerubbabel in 516 BCE and destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE .. second. Second Temple. Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel. Roman Empire. Roman Empire. In the 2nd century , the site was used for a temple to Jupiter Capitolinus .. Jupiter Capitolinus. Jupiter Capitolinus. It was redeveloped following the Arab conquest .. Arab conquest. Arab conquest of Syria. Jewish tradition maintains it is here a Third and final Temple will also be built .. Jewish. Jewish legend. Third and final Temple. Third Temple. The location is the holiest site in Judaism and is the place Jews turn towards during prayer .. Judaism. Judaism. Due to its extreme sanctity , many Jews will not walk on the Mount itself , to avoid unintentionally entering the area where the Holy of Holies stood , since according to Rabbinical law , some aspect of the divine presence is still present at the site .. divine presence. Shekhinah. Holy of Holies. Holy of Holies. It was from the Holy of Holies that the High Priest communicated directly with God .. Holy of Holies. Holy of Holies. The Temple was of central importance in Jewish worship , in the Tanakh and the Christian Old Testament .. Jewish. Jewish legend. Tanakh. Tanakh. In the New Testament it remains the site of several events in the life of Jesus , and Christian loyalty to it as a focal point remained long after his death .. New Testament. New Testament. After the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE , which came to be regarded by early Christians , as it was by Josephus and the sages of the Jerusalem Talmud , to be a divine act of punishment for the sins of the Jewish people , the Temple Mount lost its significance for Christian worship with the Christians considering it a fulfillment of Christ 's prophecy at , for example , and .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Talmud. Talmud. Jewish. Jewish legend. Josephus. Josephus. Jerusalem Talmud. Jerusalem Talmud. It was to this end , proof of a biblical prophecy fulfilled and of Christianity 's victory over Judaism with the New Covenant , that early Christian pilgrims also visited the site .. Judaism. Judaism. Christianity. Christianity. victory. supersessionism. New Covenant. New Covenant. Byzantine Christians , despite some signs of constructive work on the esplanade , generally neglected the Temple Mount , especially when a Jewish attempt to rebuild the Temple was destroyed by the earthquake in 363 .. Byzantine. Byzantine Empire. Jewish. Jewish legend. earthquake in 363. Galilee earthquake of 363. and it became a desolate local rubbish dump , perhaps outside the city limits , as Christian worship in Jerusalem shifted to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre , and Jerusalem 's centrality was replaced by Rome .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Almost immediately after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in 638 CE , Caliph ` Omar ibn al Khatab , disgusted by the filth covering the site , had it thoroughly cleaned , and granted Jews access to the site .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Muslim conquest of Jerusalem. Muslim conquest of Syria#Capturing Jerusalem. Among Sunni Muslims , the Mount is widely considered the third holiest site in Islam .. Islam. Islam. Sunni. Sunni. the third holiest site in Islam. Holiest sites in Sunni Islam. Revered as the Noble Sanctuary , the location of Muhammad 's journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven , the site is also associated with Jewish biblical prophets who are also venerated in Islam .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Islam. Islam. Jewish. Jewish legend. Muhammad. Muhammad. journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven. Isra and Mi'raj. Muslims preferred to the esplanade as the heart for the Muslim quarter since it had been abandoned by Christians , to avoid disturbing the Christian quarters of Jerusalem .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Umayyad Caliphs commissioned the construction of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock on the site .. al-Aqsa Mosque. al-Aqsa Mosque. Dome of the Rock. Dome of the Rock. The Dome was completed in 692 CE , making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world .. The Al Aqsa Mosque rests on the far southern side of the Mount , facing Mecca .. Al Aqsa Mosque. Al Aqsa Mosque. Mecca. Mecca. The Dome of the Rock currently sits in the middle , occupying or close to the area where the Holy Temple previously stood .. Dome of the Rock. Dome of the Rock. Holy Temple. Holy Temple. In light of the dual claims of both Judaism and Islam , it is one of the most contested religious sites in the world .. Judaism. Judaism. Islam. Islam. Since the Crusades , the Muslim community of Jerusalem has managed the site as a Waqf , without interruption .. Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Crusades. Crusades. Waqf. Waqf. As the site is part of the Old City , controlled by Israel since 1967 , both Israel and the Palestinian Authority claim sovereignty over it , and it remains a major focal point of the Arab -- Israeli conflict .. Israel. Israel. Palestinian Authority. Palestinian National Authority. In an attempt to keep the status quo , the Israeli government enforces a controversial ban on prayer by non-Muslims .