Jerusalem: Temple Mount

A special trip for us was to the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a particularly important place of worship for Jews and Muslims - and at the same time a powder keg where violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis ignite again and again.

After being in the wrong place at the wrong time on Monday, we obtained more detailed information about the access from our last guide. The access via the wooden walkway at the Western Wall was not unknown to us, but we had not perceived it as such.

But let's start from the beginning: the Temple Mount and the xx are the largest holy site for Arabs in Jerusalem. For non-believers, it is definitely an impressive building. There are times when non-Muslims are allowed on the forecourt. A few hours in the morning and another hour in the afternoon.

The Dome of the Rock is the most famous landmark in Jerusalem and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can visit the Temple Mount and admire the Dome of the Rock from the outside, but entry is prohibited. The Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount is considered the third most important mosque in Islam.

We didn't find the way to be so easy to find. You enter the Western Wall Plaza through one of the two security areas. On the plaza, facing away from the city, you go to the corner to the wooden walkway, which you cannot overlook on the plaza. Another security check - very harmless - and you're on the covered wooden walkway, which allows you to get a very close look at the female section of the Western Wall. A few more meters and our clothes are checked. Although we wear pants over the knees and a t-shirt, no tank top, we are given a skirt to put on and also a top. A cloth we brought along also served its purpose.

And we were allowed to pass the mosque and enter the forecourt of the Temple Mount. From a distance, we took the requested picture for the virtual and then entered the forecourt... We were amazed. A fumigation was taking place here. Yes, we're talking about fumigation in Jerusalem. A large number of locusts were gassed. And even after the action, numerous of these creatures were hopping around our feet.

Once we got used to it, we could admire and enjoy the beautiful building.

After we had returned our additional clothing, we were supposed to leave the grounds at another gate. A provocative group had just gathered here, seemingly trying to provoke with their songs. A lot of police came together, but it was very peaceful. As we were vaccinated, we waited on the side to avoid crowds and stress until the commotion was over.

Shortly afterwards, we found ourselves back in the narrow streets of the Old City.