The Temple Mount is a hill in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is considered sacred in Judaism as well as in Islam. The Temple Mount has a mystical significance because it is above the ruins the ruins of the Temple of Solomon, also known as the First Temple. Christian military order of Knight Templars established their first headquarters here in 1120. From this place, the order adopted its name.
The Dome of the Rock covers the Foundation Stone, the rock of biblical significance. It has to be the place where God created the world and the first man, Adam. It is also believed to be the place where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son to God. In Judaism, this is a place where God’s presence manifested is more than in any other place on Earth. The Temple Mount is the place to which Jews turn to during their prayers.
The site's great significance for Muslims derives from traditions connecting it to the creation of the world and the belief that Foundation Stone is the spot from which the prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven during his Night Journey. He traveled on the back of a winged mule-like white beast, called Buraq, to "the Farthest Masjid” (mosque) believed to be in Jerusalem. This is why Jerusalem for Muslim is the third holiest sites, after Mecca and Medina.
“ Glory to Him Who carried His beloved by night from the Sacred Masjid to the Furthest Masjid, whose precincts We have blessed, to show him of Our wonders! He it is Who is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. ”
Quran 17:1
During the Crusades times in Jerusalem, the dome on the Rock was turned into a Christian church. Currently, it is an Islamic shrine not a mosque, as one might suppose. There are no collective prayers inside, but nonetheless, entrance for non-Muslim is forbidden.
