Most scholars believe that the Dome of the Rock occupies the spot where the first and second temples once stood. This makes sense because the Dome of the Rock sits on a natural high point in the center of the Temple Mount. However, no identifiable remains survive of the temples, and probably none will ever be found. The reason is simple. The second temple was destroyed some 600 years before the Dome of the Rock was constructed. In the intervening centuries, much of the stone was carried off for reuse, and under the Byzantines the Temple Mount became a garbage dump. When Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock, he presumably cleared away the refuse to expose the rocky outcrop. In other words, the Dome of the Rock was founded on bedrock (which lies at a high level at this spot), rather than having been built on top of the remains of the second temple building. Even if excavations could be conducted under the Dome of the Rock (which is impossible), they probably would reveal little of the second temple aside from cuttings in the bedrock. The fact that the Dome of the Rock sits on bedrock provides a stability that has helped the building survive earthquakes. In contrast, the al-Aqsa mosque has suffered damage because it sits on the southern end of the platform, which is supported by Solomon's Stables (the underground arches built by Herod).
Nearly all archaeological work relating to the Temple Mount generates controversy. In the 1970s, Mazar's excavations were widely condemned because of the misperception that they were being conducted underneath the Temple Mount. In recent years, the Waqf (the Muslim religious authority that has custody of the Temple Mount) has cleared the area under the al-Aqsa mosque (Solomon's Stables) in order to install another mosque. The dirt and debris cleared out of this area was dumped in the Kidron Valley. A group led by Israeli archaeologists has been collecting the dumped material and sifting it for finds. Both the Waqf and the archaeologists have been criticized for these activities.
Important remains from various periods, including the late Iron Age, Hero-dian period, and Byzantine period. Perhaps the most important and surprising remains date to the early Islamic period. Under the Umayyads, a series of huge buildings were erected surrounding the southern and western sides of the Temple Mount. These buildings consisted of two stories of rooms surrounding large open courtyards paved with stone. The rooms were decorated with mosaic floors and colorful wall paintings.
Although scholars debate whether these buildings functioned as royal palaces or administrative centers, there is no doubt they were constructed by the Umayyad caliphs. The building immediately to the south of the al-Aqsa mosque was connected to the Temple Mount by a bridge, providing direct access to the
Mosque. The size and richness of these buildings reflect a substantial investment
By the Umayyads in the development of Jerusalem, and attest to the importance
Of the holy city for Islam.
Recommended Reading
Meir Ben-Dov, In the Shadow of the Temple: The Discovery of Ancient Jerusalem (New York: Harper & Row, 1985).
Oleg Grabar, The Shape of the Holy: Early Islamic Jerusalem (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 1996).
Oleg Grabar and Benjamin Z. Kedar (eds.), Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred Esplanade (Austin: University of Texas, 2009).
Joshua Prawer and Haggai Ben-Shammai (eds.), The History of Jerusalem: The Early Muslim Period, 638-1099 (New York: New York University, 1996).
Robert Schick, “Palestine in the Early Islamic Period: Luxuriant Legacy,” Near Eastern Archaeology 61.2 (June 1998): 74-108.
Alan Walmsley, Early Islamic Syria: An Archaeological Assessment (London: Duckworth, 2007).
World History
