The Old City of Jerusalem, perched upon sacred Mount Moriah, has been a place of holiness, devotion and spiritual love since archaic times. An ancient Semitic tradition tells that the rock atop the mount was held in the mouth of the serpent Tahum, and that the site was the intersection of the underworld and the upper world. It was also the location where Abraham had built an altar on which he prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. From this altar, Isaac’s son Jacob used stone for a pillow and spent the night sleeping upon Mount Moriah. Upon waking from a visionary dream, the stone sank into the earth, to become the foundation of the great temple that would later be built by King Solomon. This hallowed site, known as Bethel, meaning ‘Gate or House of Heaven,’ was also a holy place of the harvest deity Tammuz.

The earliest archaeological traces of human settlement are from 3000 BC and excavations have shown that a Jebusite town existed on Mount Moriah, called Urusalim, meaning ‘Founda…

See all »

The best things to do in Jerusalem

Add comment

Comments, reviews and questions

There are no posts. Why not be the first to have your say?

Add a comment, review or question

Make a comment Ask a question Write a review

Review title

Your comment

Your rating

Choose rating... Don't go Go Must go

Your name

Your email address