The Dome of the Rock

 

Dome of the Rock

Located on the Temple Mount in the Old City, the Dome of the Rock is the oldest extant example of early Islamic architecture, completed in 691 CE.  It was constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70CE. 

(This date has been en-grained in my memory forever.)

It is believed by some to be the location of the Holy of Holies in the Temple, and is the holiest site in Judaism.

 Positively one of the most B-E-A-U-T-F-U-L places in the Old City

 

AHHH I tried to contain my excitement...THIS IS GLORIOUS

The Western Wall Today

Located just outside the western side of the Temple Mount

According to the Mishna, of all the four walls of the Temple Mount, the Western Wall was the closest to the Holy of Holies... Jews pray by this wall.  

It is divided in half: one side is for the men and one side is for the women.

It has been a site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage for centuries.

The wall overflows with "prayers" 

(Prayers are written down and crammed into the cracks of the wall)   

Aside from the Temple Mount itself, this is one of the most sacred sites in Judaism.

It is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Temple constructed by Herod the Great, constructed around 19 BCE.

Religion radiates throughout the streets of this city.    

As I walked about the Dome of the Rock, I witnessed a man humbly kneeling next to his shoes praying.  I saw three women reverently walking up the street, quietly educating their children.  I noticed men and women, alike, rocking to and fro as they read the Torah.  I looked over to my left to see a young mother grasping onto her bundled child as she pressed her forehead to the rough stone of the Western Wall; with a look of deep sorrow, I could see her lips uttering an emotional prayer.  Religion is unmistakably the top priority to most individuals living in Jerusalem; it is their life. This is the Holy Land.