Temple Mount

The Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem is a contested site for Jews and Muslims because both religions consider it a holy site. Muslims refer to the area as the Noble Sanctuary which they view as the third holiest place in the Muslim tradition.

Both Judaism and Islam identify the Temple Mount as being located on Mount Moriah, where Abraham was prepared to follow God's command and sacrifice his son.

The Mount is the site where King Solomon built the First Temple nearly 3,000 years ago. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 560 BCE, but the Second Temple was rebuilt some 70 years later.

According to Muslims, it was from this site that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to God.

The Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple in 70 CE.

In 685 CE, Muslims built the Dome of the Rock on the site to mark the site of Abraham's near sacrifice of his son, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built nearby about 20 years later.