JERUSALEM 40 TEMPLE MOUNT DOME OF THE ROCK

THE TEMPLE MOUNT also known as HARAM AL-SHARIF ('The Noble Sanctuary') al-Aqsa Mosque compound or al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (literally 'The Furthest Mosque') and sometimes as Jerusalem's holy esplanade is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem that has been venerated as a holy site for thousands of years, including in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

The present site is a flat plaza surrounded by retaining walls (including the Western Wall) which were originally built by King Herod in the first century BCE for an expansion of the Second Jewish Temple

The plaza is dominated by two monumental structures originally built during the Rashidun and early Umayyad caliphates after the city's capture in 637 CE: the main praying hall of al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, near the center of the hill, which was completed in 692 CE, making it one of the oldest extant Islamic structures in the world

The Herodian walls and gates, with additions from the late Byzantine, early Muslim, Mamluk and Ottoman periods flank the site which can be reached through eleven gates ten reserved for Muslims and one for non-Muslims with guard posts of the Israel Police in the vicinity of each

The courtyard is surrounded on the north and west by two Mamluk-era porticos (riwaq) and four minarets

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism and where two Jewish temples once stood

FIRST TEMPLE
According to Jewish tradition and scripture-the First Temple was built by King Solomon the son of King David in 957 BCE and was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire together with Jerusalem in 587 BCE

SECOND TEMPLE
The Second Temple, constructed under Zerubbabel in 516 BCE, was later renovated by King Herod and was ultimately destroyed by the Roman Empire in 70 CE

COMING OF MESSAIAH-THIRD TEMPLE
Jewish texts predict that the Mount will be the site of a Third and final Temple, which will be rebuilt with the coming of the Messiah

CHRISTIANITY
The Temple was of central importance in Jewish worship in the Tanakh (Old Testament)

In the New Testament, Herod's Temple was the site of several events in the life of Jesus, and Christian loyalty to the site as a focal point remained long after his death

AL-AQSA MOSQUE COMPUND
The Al-Aqsa mosque compound atop the site, is the second oldest mosque in Islam and one of the three Sacred Mosques the holiest sites in Islam

It is revered as "the Noble Sanctuary". Its courtyard (sahn) can host more than 400000 worshippers making it one of the largest mosques in the world

For Sunni and Shia Muslims alike, it ranks as the third holiest site in Islam

The plaza includes the location regarded as where the Islamic prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven and served as the first "qibla", the direction Muslims turn towards when praying

LOCATION AND DIMENSIONS
The Temple Mount forms the northern portion of a narrow spur of hill that slopes sharply downward from north to south

Rising above the Kidron Valley to the east and Tyropoeon Valley to the west. Its peak reaches a height of 740 m (2428 ft) above sea level

The trapezium shaped platform measures 488 m (1601 ft) along the west, 470 m (1540 ft) along the east 315 m (1033 ft) along the north and 280 m (920 ft) along the south, giving a total area of approximately 150000 m2 (37 acres)

The northern wall of the Mount, together with the northern section of the western wall, is hidden behind residential buildings

The southern section of the western flank is revealed and contains what is known as the Western Wall

The retaining walls on these two sides descend many meters below ground level

A northern portion of the western wall may be seen from within the Western Wall Tunnel, which was excavated through buildings adjacent to the platform

The Temple Mount has historical and religious significance for all three of the major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It has particular religious significance for Judaism and Islam