Fascinating Factual Information About Har Habayit – Part Two

Part Two

Circles of Holiness – The Foundation Rock

The history of the Holy Temple Mount begins during the time when G-D created the universe. The intention of G-D from the beginning was to create 'first' the place which would be the location of His Holy House where He would dwell in the midst of His people Israel. So G-D created first the 'foundation rock' which is located until today on the top of Mount Moriah or the Holy Temple Mount as it is commonly called. A very old tradition that was passed along the Jewish people from father to son says that this rock was the 'foundation rock' upon which G-D created the entire universe. G-D created the universe in circles of holiness. The first circle which is the most holy place in the world is the foundation rock. The second circle which is also very holy is the location of the Holy Temple Mount until today. The third circle of holiness is Jerusalem. The fourth circle of holiness that G-D created is the Holy Land of Israel. The fifth circle is the rest of the world.

It is not an accident that the holy rock was called the 'foundation rock' of the universe and was located in the midst of the Holy of Holies of the First and the Second Holy Temples. In the First Holy Temple and situated on the 'foundation rock' was located the most important and holy component of the Holy Temple which was the Ark of the Covenant. Inside the Ark of the Covenant were located the two tablets with the Ten Commandments that G-D gave to Moses. When Israel liberated the Holy Temple Mount in the year 1967, the original 'foundation rock' still existed under the Dome of the Rock on the Holy Temple Mount.

The discovery of the 'foundation rock' after the Six Days War in 1967 completely confirms that the well-known Holy Temple Mount is the authentic location of the Holy Temple Mount and the Holy Temples. This is the most conclusive evidence that cancels any other theory concerning the location of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem. The 'foundation rock' was and still is located on the peak of Mount Moriah, the Holy Temple Mount, exactly as the 1st century CE Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, described in his book “The Wars of the Jews”.  Josephus, who was born in Jerusalem in 37 CE, provided an eyewitness account of Herod's Temple and the Holy Temple Mount in his historical writings.

Byzantines / Caliphs

The Byzantines, who occupied the Holy Land from the 4th century CE, found many remains of the Second Holy Temple on the Holy Temple Mount and covered these remains with garbage in order to humiliate the Jewish people.

When the Arab Caliph Omar occupied Jerusalem and the Holy Temple Mount in the year 638 CE, he brought a Jewish companion with him who showed him the location of the Holy of Holies on the peak of the Holy Temple Mount, the location of the 'foundation rock'. Indeed, the Caliph Omar still found on the Holy Temple Mount many remains of the Second Holy Temple, including the original western wall of the Holy Temple itself and the 'foundation rock' and the holy altar. He declared that the Holy Temple Mount is holy only for the Jewish people and not for Muslims or other religions. The many remains of the Second Holy Temple completely confirmed for him that this was the location of the First and the Second Holy Temples. He cleared away the garbage from the remains of the Holy Temple and also from the 'foundation rock'.

Caliph Abd al-Malik

Between the years 691-701 CE, the Islamic Caliph Abd al-Malik, who ruled from Damascus, built the Dome of the Rock that still stands today atop the Holy Temple Mount. He built the Dome of the Rock precisely on the 'foundation rock' of the Holy Temple Mount as a respectable and honorable building that designated the location of the Holy of Holies and the holy 'foundation rock' of the Jewish Temple. He anointed the Dome of the Rock to be an house of prayer for the Jewish people as he wrote about in his writings. The walls of the Dome of the Rock are filled with the Jewish symbol of the 'star of David' and inside the dome-capped shrine are designs of Jewish ornaments. Abd al-Malik also built the Dome of the Chain on the location of the holy altar of the Holy Temple. For both caliphates, the remains of the Second Holy Temple and it's holy altar confirmed that this place was the location of the Holy Temple Mount and the location of the First and the Second Holy Temples. Caliph Abd al-Malik even anointed ten Jewish families and gave them responsibilities of guardianship of the Holy Temple Mount in the name of the Jewish people. Until today, the Muslims call the Holy Temple Mount: “Bayt Al-Maqdis” which is Arabic for the exact Jewish name of the Holy Temple, which in Hebrew is called: “Beit HaMikdash”. These facts alone could serve as enough evidence to confirm that the Holy Temple Mount was and is the real location of the First and the Second Temples. However, we shall bring more evidence and historical facts. These will enrich the knowledge of everyone about the most holy and important godly site in the world.

For thousands of years since the First Holy Temple was built in the approximate year 960 BCE and since the destruction of the Second Holy Temple in the year 70 CE, Jewish travelers have journeyed to make special pilgrimages to the Holy Temple Mount during the times when foreigners ruled over the Land of Israel and allowed them to do so. They came to the Holy Temple Mount, the location of both Holy Temples, and not to any other place in the City of David or any other site. Many of the visitors down through the centuries, Jews and non-Jews alike, described in their journals the location of the Holy Temple Mount and they documented valuable observations of what they saw when they were able to ascend the Holy Temple Mount.