Travelers of All Ages: Temple Mount

I wrote this post to convince people to ascend onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, where the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque are located. The Mount is a large platform on the edge of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is visible from almost everywhere in the city, but it isn't enough just to see it from a distance. In order to really absorb it, you have to go up on the top for a closer look.

Going up on Temple Mount-Jerusalem

Before Going: 10/10

Reason for score- I knew it was a very important place for history and religion.

Why you should: This was one of the greatest experiences of my entire trip- and my entire life. It was stunning to see the world famous Dome of the Rock and stand where King David, Jesus, and Mohammad once walked. Most people associate Jerusalem with the world renowned Golden Dome, another name for the Dome of the Rock. This is where the Jewish Temple once stood, and where now stands the spectacular Muslim shrine. If you’re Christian, Muslim, or Jewish, this place has immense religious significance. This is, after all, the place where God traditionally asked Abraham to sacrifice his son. Even for atheists or people of other religious faiths, this place is very important in history. In fact, I can’t think of any other place that has been at the center of so much conflict. There has been bloodshed over this place by Jews, Romans, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Christians, and Muslims for millennia. It isn’t enough to see it, you have to go up.

How: There are many entrances to the Temple area, but there is only one for non-Muslims. If you go through one of the Muslim entrances, I've been told that the guards will ask you to recite something like the first verse of the Koran. The Islamic Authorities only open up the Mount to visitors for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the afternoon. It is a good idea to arrive 20-30 minutes before opening time, as the lines tend to be very long and it takes a while to get through security. I was early getting there, and nearly didn’t make it to the top regardless. I also recommend having a fallback day in case you can’t get up on the first day.

Be very careful about offending people. This is the third holiest place in Islam, and Muslims are justifiably angry about blundering tourists acting disrespectful at a holy site. Make sure not to bring bibles, rosaries, crosses, stars of David, Torah scrolls, Talmudic scrolls, or any other religious items. Also, don’t stray into any Muslim-only areas or try to enter the Dome of the Rock. Please, listen to any guard’s orders, for your own safety.

This is all much easier if you take a tour of the city that includes this. Personally, I loved the Holy City Tour from Sandeman’s New Jerusalem tours. Visit them at www.newjerusalemtours.com. If you decide to go on one, ask for Alon. He was a great guide, one of my favorite over my whole Middle Eastern experience.

After Going: 11/10

Reason for score: It was among the top three experiences I had in the Middle East.

If you liked this post on Jerusalem, consider reading about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.