Jerusalem - On the Temple Mount
The ancient city of the Jebusites came to be known as "Jerusalem." The "salem" part of the name means "peace," but this city has been the site of a great many battles and conflicts. This is the site of the Jewish Temple, today occupied by the Muslim shrine known as the Dome of the Rock.
The Dome of the Rock
The Temple Mount has undergone numberous changes in its history. At the top of the mountain stands the Dome of the Rock, so named because it encases the bedrock that serves as the peak of the mountain.
The Dome is a Muslim shrine, considered holy to Islam which states that Mohammed had a heavenly experience here. Its presence is remeniscent of the warning of Jesus that there would stand upon the site of the temple an "abomination of desolation" (Matthew 24:15).
The Eastern Gate
On the eastern side of the Temple Mount stands the Eastern Gate, also known as "the Golden Gate." The present gate dates back to the Muslim period, but it is built over the ruins of an older gate which has not yet been excavated.