Temple Mount - the shrine of three religions

Arriving in Jerusalem, you can not climb the Temple Mount. This place is sacred for believing people of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to legend, here Abraham had to sacrifice his own son. The Temple Mount became the place where, during the seas, an angel of the Lord appeared to King David. To end the epidemic, an altar was erected on top of it for the Lord. Here the ruler of Jerusalem wanted to build the Temple. But this was done by his son - King Solomon. After the consecration of the House of God, a cloud filled him, signifying the presence of God. There were many treasures in it, but the main was the Ark of the Covenant, where the Mosaic scripture was kept. The mere mortals were not allowed to approach him. This was allowed only to the high priest the only day of the year. The First Temple united all Jews, becoming their sanctuary.

Four hundred years later the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, enslaving the Israelites. The first Jerusalem Temple was looted and destroyed. All the treasures were taken out by King Nebuchadnezzar, but no one knows what became of the Ark of the Most High.

Seven more decades passed, and the Jews returned to their lands, deciding to revive their shrine. The mountain in Jerusalem became the site of the construction of the Second Temple. The Israeli people restored their beauty and power to their city. Under King Herod, the Temple Mount was surrounded by walls, from which only one Western Wall reached us. Pilgrims from all over the world are praying beside her, thrusting scraps in their slots with their hopes. It was named the Wailing Wall as a symbol of sorrow because of the destruction of the two Jerusalem House of the Lord. After all, the Second Temple was also destroyed, but already by the Romans in our era. And the Jews got the right only once a year to come to the Wailing Wall and pray for the cessation of persecution.

As if in mockery of the Jewish faith, Muslims built their mosques in a sacred place. The Dome of the Rock marks the place where the creation of the world began by the Lord, the place from where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Until now, the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock store a footprint and hairs from the beard of Mohammed. If we ignore the religious significance of the mosque, then this is one of the oldest Muslim buildings that has survived to this day. It embodied all the art and skill of the architects of the ancient world.

Another mosque of Muslims is the Al-Aqsa Mosque, erected next to the Dome of the Rock. Although the definition of "one more" is incorrect. This is the third most important shrine in the Islamic world. Above it, Muslims appreciate only Mecca and Medina. It was addressed to her during the prayer by all Muslims. Much later the landmark became the Reserve Mosque in Mecca. So far, thousands of Muslims go to this holy place every Friday.

Now the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is under Muslim rule. Neither Christians nor Jews can do prayers here. Several gates lead to it. Two of them can only be used by Muslims who came to pray in a holy place. Tourists Temple Mount is accessible only if you go through the Maghreb Gate, which go to the Jewish Quarter.

But there is also one more gate: the Gate of Mercy, otherwise called the Golden Gate . But they are laid with a brick and wait with the whole Israeli people of the parish of the Messiah, who will build the Third Temple and return peace and harmony to the world.