Archaeological Sites may seem fixed in time—once important in people's day-to-day lives, but now more like curiosities to be admired and photographed. In Jerusalem, however, ancient sites carry deep religious meaning, and among them one of the most important is the Dome of the Rock—as Muslims call it—a structure located on a 35-acre site in the city.
Muslims believe that the rock marks the site from which Muhammad made his Miraaj, or Night Journey, into the heavens and then was miraculously transported to Mecca. Described as the third holiest site in Islam, the Dome of the Rock was built on this site in 687 AD. The Al Aqsa Mosque and the Marwani Mosque are also on this site.
This same area is called the Temple Mount by Jews, because it is the site of the first and second Jewish temples, sacred to Judaism. Tradition says that it is the place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Jews believe that the third temple must be built on this site before the Messiah can come. The relationship with the Muslim religious authorities is highly politicized because the mosques have been built on the ancient ruins of the Jewish temples.
