Mount Moriah. ―― Site of Solomon’s Temple. ―― Surrounding Walls.
―― Great Fosse. ―― Pasha’s Palace. ―― Council Chamber of the
Jewish Sanhedrim. ―― Jews’ Place of Wailing. ―― Their cruel
Treatment. ―― Scene on Friday Afternoon. ―― Mournful Spectacle.
―― High-priest. ―― Prophecy fulfilled. ―― Solomon’s Bridge. ――
Its Antiquity. ―― Temple Area. ―― Tower of Antonia. ―― Shrines
within the Inclosure. ―― Imposing View. ―― Dome of the Chain.
―― Mosque of Omar. ―― Its grand Exterior. ―― Its History.
―― Its Portals. ―― Its magnificent Interior. ―― Sacred Rock
within the Mosque. ―― Traditions. ―― Scene of the Offering of
Isaac and of other Scriptural Events. ―― Mosque of El-Aksa. ――
Its Interior and History. ―― Solomon’s subterranean Passageway.
―― Extraordinary Workmanship. ―― Mosque of Jesus. ―― Solomon’s
great Vaults. ―― They reflect his Genius. ―― Evidence of their
Antiquity. ―― Solomon’s great Lake beneath his Temple. ―― His
Work. ―― Vicissitudes of Mount Moriah.
GREAT events monopolize great names. Originally the term “Land of
Moriah” was applied to Jerusalem and its environs, but in the lapse
of ages the name “Moriah” became more restricted, and is now employed
to designate the smallest of the five hills on which the Holy City
stands. Mount Moriah was formerly a continuation of the Bezetha ridge,
from which it is now separated by a deep fosse, traditionally called
Bethesda. Bounded on the west by the Tyropean Valley and the broad
depression coming down from the Damascus Gate, it has the Fosse of
Antonia on the north, the Valley of Jehoshaphat on the east, and Mount
Ophel on the south. Ophel is also a part of the Bezetha ridge. Its
summit is 100 feet lower than the top of Moriah, and is separated from
the latter by the Haram wall. Having a length of 1560 feet, it is 300
wide from brow to brow. It is the fifth hill of the city, and is at
present terraced like Mount Zion, and planted with fruit-trees. In the
reign of Solomon it was included within the city walls, and after the
return of the Jews from captivity under Nehemiah it was occupied by the
Nethinims, or Temple servants.
What is now known as the Temple area is a beautiful inclosure of
thirty-six acres, surrounded by a wall nine feet thick at the base and
three at the parapet, and ranging from fifty to eighty feet high on
the exterior, and from ten to fifteen on the interior, according to
the surface of the ground. It is composed of large blocks of limestone,
many of which are of great antiquity. The area being inclosed on the
east and south by the city walls, which have already been described,
it only remains to consider those on the north and south.
A hundred feet south of St. Stephen’s Gate the north wall of the
Haram commences, running westward 1060 feet, nearly the whole of which
is encumbered with buildings clinging to the side and top. Judging
from the description of the extent and form of the Temple area as
given by Josephus,[108] this wall has been carried some 600 feet north
of the line of its original location. It is now penetrated by three
portals――the largest and most beautiful one is reached by a path from
St. Stephen’s Gate. Extending from this portal east and west is one of
the most remarkable excavations in Jerusalem, supposed to be the fosse
mentioned by Josephus for the defense of the Tower of Antonia.[109]
In length 460 feet, 130 broad, and seventy-five deep, its sides are
constructed of small stones covered with cement, suggesting that in
times of peace it served as a reservoir, and in war as a moat. In the
southwest corner are two high-arched vaults, extending side by side
under the modern buildings. Whether the water which supplied this
reservoir came from the clouds, or was conveyed by a subterranean
conduit from the Pool of Hezekiah, or from the aqueduct of Pontius
Pilate, is an undecided question. The fosse itself is one of the
greatest monuments of antiquity, pointing back to the days of national
grandeur, and to those sanguinary sieges when Antonia, rising from the
“abyss,” stood a tower of strength against the assaulting foe.
Surmounting this wall on its western end, and extending a distance of
370 feet, is the Pasha’s Palace, a pile of irregular and ill-shaped
buildings externally, but containing within all the magnificence and
luxuries of an Oriental abode. From the Governor’s House the western
wall of the Haram runs southward 1528 feet, and is nearly hidden from
view by the structures built against it. Seven streets approach the
sacred inclosure from the west, having at their _termini_ as many
gates, most of which correspond in their location to the sites of the
ancient portals of the Temple. Attached to this wall, near the Gate
es-Silsilah, is the Hall of the “Turkish Divan,” which is identical
with the council-chamber of the Jewish Sanhedrim. It is a square stone
building, with arched ceiling and flattened domes, wearing the aspect
of great age, and without violence will endure for ages to come. Here,
in all probability, the apostles were arraigned for trial,[110] and
here “stood up Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among
all the people, and advised the council touching these men.”[111]
Adjoining the building on the south is the “Jews’ Place of Wailing,” a
spot no less remarkable for its antiquity than for the touching scenes
which there transpire. It is reached by a narrow lane running out of
the Jewish Quarter, and consists of a small quadrangular area 112 feet
long, thirty wide, and is inclosed by common dwellings on the west
and the Haram wall on the east. Well paved and cleanly kept, it is so
secluded as to allow the worshipers to lament their departed national
greatness undisturbed. The chief attraction of the spot is the five
courses of large stones, bearing the well-known bevel, and remaining
_in situ_ where they were placed thousands of years ago. Time has
dealt gently with them, and, though slightly displaced by the shock of
earthquakes, and worn smooth by the kisses of pilgrims, they are well
preserved.
Here, as before an altar, on each returning Friday the descendants
of Abraham assemble to bewail their once mighty but now fallen nation.
Proscribed by their Moslem masters, this is the nearest point of
approach to which they are allowed to come, and even for a boon so
humble Mohammedan cupidity demands an exorbitant sum. Unparalleled in
their history, seldom have a people been treated with such unmitigated
cruelty as the Jews. From the time of Adrian to the age of Constantine
they were expelled from Jerusalem, and it was only by the clemency
of the latter emperor that they were permitted to behold their native
city from the neighboring hills; and it was by bribing the Roman guard
that they at length gained admission to Jerusalem once a year, on the
anniversary of its capture by Titus, to weep over the ruins of their
fallen Temple. Though now suffered to dwell within the walls of the
city, it is instant death to a Jew to cross the threshold of the sacred
inclosure. From the beginning of the twelfth century it has been their
custom to linger around these ancient stones and make their complaint
to Jehovah.
Illustration: JEWS’ PLACE OF WAILING.
It was two o’clock on a lovely Friday afternoon when, for the first
time, I threaded the narrow streets leading to this mournful spot.
About seventy men and women of all ages were engaged in their devotions.
In their midst stood the high-priest, whose tall and majestic form
distinguished him from those around him, and whose open and intelligent
face was pale and sorrowful as he mingled his prayers and tears with a
people whose ruined fortunes he was powerless to retrieve. Accustomed
to see him, attended by his two sons, walking thoughtfully the streets
of what was once the imperial city of his fathers, I had become
familiar with his noble bearing and with the calm expression of his
Jewish countenance; but, moved by the reflections of his own powerful
mind, and touched with sympathy by the scene before him, he lifted up
his voice and wept.
Around him were groups of his people, some of whom were standing,
some sitting, some kneeling, while others were lying prostrate upon
the stone pavement. Here sat a group of Jewish matrons, whose black
tresses time had whitened, weeping as if broken-hearted; there stood an
old man, leaning, like the patriarch Jacob, upon his staff, reciting,
with faltering voice, his complaint before the Lord. Nearer the wall
were men in the prime of life, absorbed in their recitations from the
Prophets; while along the whole length of the wall, with their sacred
books resting against it, were men and women of all ages, reading,
weeping, and ever and anon smiting their troubled breasts.
In the northeast corner of the inclosure, half hidden by the pavement,
is one stone more sacred than the rest. Around it were gathered the
rich and elegantly attired mothers and daughters of Israel, waiting to
bow low and affectionately kiss the relic as a thing of love.
Some, with a copy of Isaiah before them, audibly read, “Be not wroth
very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity forever; behold, see, we
beseech thee, we are all thy people. Thy holy cities are a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation. Our holy and beautiful
house, where our fathers praised thee, is burnt up with fire, and
all our pleasant things are laid waste. Wilt thou refrain thyself for
these things, O Lord? wilt thou hold thy peace and afflict us very
sore?”[112] Others, reading from the Psalms, would passionately break
forth, “O God, the heathen have come into thine inheritance; thy holy
temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps. We are
become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to them that
are round about. How long, Lord? wilt thou be angry forever? shall thy
jealousy burn like fire?”[113]
It is the opinion of the Jews that this portion of the wall belonged
to the court of the Temple, and not to the Temple itself; but, in
conceding with them the great antiquity of these stones, and that they
remain intact, we do not thereby affect our Lord’s prediction touching
the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus informs us that such was the
unevenness of Mount Moriah, that in laying the foundation of the wall
for the western court of the Temple it was necessary to lay it far
below the general surface of the ground, which is evident from the fact
that while the inside of the wall is only twelve feet high, the outside
is seventy feet high.[114] To this circumstance is due the preservation
of this wall as it was originally laid, and also to the fact that
the Romans, beginning their work of destruction within the area,
first removed the upper layers, throwing the broken fragments over the
outside, which, accumulating at its base, inhumed the lower courses,
and literally fulfilled the Savior’s words, “And shall lay thee even
with the ground.”[115] In every particular that fearful prediction was
fulfilled. The Romans cast a trench about the devoted city, keeping the
inhabitants in on every side; and such was the utter destruction which
followed their capture of the city, that, in the words of the historian,
“there was nothing left to make those that came thither believe it had
ever been inhabited.”[116]
Owing to the rapid descent of the ground in the direction of the
southwest corner of the Haram wall, lower courses of stones are there
exposed to view. Measuring thirty-one feet in length, seven in width,
and five in height, the chief cornerstone is no doubt identical with
the one placed there by order of Solomon, and now marks the southwest
angle of the area which inclosed his Temple. Thirty-nine feet to the
north is the foot of the ancient bridge which once spanned the Tyropean
Valley. Viewed casually, these stones appear to have been pushed out
from their places by some violent concussion within, but, when examined
with care, they indicate the design of an architect, and the occupancy
of their original position. Consisting of three courses of huge stones,
projecting one over the other as they rise, they form the segment of
an arch. With their external surface hewn to a regular curve, they each
measure from twenty to twenty-four feet long, and from five to six high;
and extending along the wall about forty feet, they spring therefrom
nearly the same distance. From the apparent width of the valley from
this arch to the precipitous rocks on the eastern brow of Mount Zion,
this bridge was 350 feet long, and consisted of five arches, supported
by four intervening piers.
Illustration: SOLOMON’S BRIDGE.
Without giving us the date of its construction, Josephus speaks of this
bridge as existing in his day,[117] and the colossal proportion of the
remaining blocks, together with the manner in which they are dressed,
evince their great age, and also their Jewish origin. It is older than
Herod, as it is mentioned in connection with Pompey’s siege of the
Holy City, which occurred twenty years prior to the accession of the
Idumean.[118] It is not, therefore, unreasonable to suppose it as old
as Solomon, whose wonderful works have ever been the admiration of
mankind. Attended by a gorgeous retinue of princes and soldiers, he
often passed over it from his palace on Zion to the Temple of the
Highest on Mount Moriah; and to this magnificent structure the sacred
historian probably alludes, who, in describing the effect of Solomon’s
works upon the mind of the Queen of the South, declares that when
she beheld “the ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord,
there was no more spirit in her.”[119] Centuries later, it was no doubt
the way by which the Redeemer frequently passed from the Temple to the
“Upper City;” and when the day of retribution came, and the hour of the
destruction of Jerusalem drew nigh, the triumphant Titus stood upon one
of its remaining sections and addressed the infatuated Jews, appealing
to the remnant to spare themselves from farther carnage by submitting
to Rome.
These mural examinations awakened a desire to stand, if possible, upon
the very site of Solomon’s Temple. This, however, was both difficult
and expensive. For many centuries the inclosure, together with the
Mosque of Omar, had been closed against all Christians, but, thanks to
the civilization of the West, the fanaticism of the East has yielded to
a superior power, and many places hitherto inaccessible are now open to
the Christian traveler.
The Temple area is an oblong quadrangle, extending north and south
1600 feet, and more than 1000 east and west. Since the reign of Herod
the Great it has been enlarged, and now includes the space formerly
occupied by the Tower of Antonia. It is only on this supposition that
its present dimensions can be made to correspond with the measurements
of Josephus, who describes it to have been a square,[120] and such it
is if the above-mentioned space is excluded. If a line be drawn from
the south side of the Golden Gate, and at right angles to it, to a
point 150 feet north of the modern gate, called Bal el-Katanên, an
area is left for the Temple and its courts 1018 feet long and 926 wide,
which, in popular language, would be called a square, and to the eye
presents such a figure.
On the space north of this imaginary line stood the famous Tower of
Antonia, constructed by Judas Maccabeus, or by some other member of the
Asmonean family, and which, at a subsequent period, was enlarged and
rendered exceedingly grand by Herod the Great, who called it Antonia,
in honor of Anthony, his benefactor. Quadrangular in form, it had a
tower at each angle, three of which had an elevation of 87½ feet each,
while the one at the southeast corner rose to the height of 122½ feet,
uniting in this structure the strength of a fortress with the splendor
of a palace. The interior was adorned with baths, courts, and porticoes.
In the very centre of the inclosure was an open space for encampments,
from which extended elegant passage-ways, connecting the tower with the
colonnades of the Temple. From a rock eighty feet high, situated in the
northwest corner, rose the Acropolis, seventy feet higher, which was
incased with polished stones. As this was the fortress of the Temple,
here was stationed the military guard; and, during the jurisdiction of
the Romans, it was the seat of public justice. On the exterior of the
present wall are two arches, now walled up, where the _Scala Santa_,
or Pilate’s Staircase, which led to his judgment-hall, formerly stood.
Regarding it with religious reverence, Constantine removed it to Rome,
where it was placed in the Basilica of St. John Lateran; and, believing
that it was once pressed by the Savior’s feet, the pious Catholic now
ascends it upon his knees. A few paces to the west of these arches,
and spanning the Via Dolorosa, is the _Ecce Homo_ arch, traditionally
marking the spot where Pilate, having brought forth our Lord, exclaimed,
“Behold the man!”[121]
Yielding to the conquering arms of Titus, the Tower of Antonia was
taken by the Romans, who, razing it to its foundation, left it a mass
of ruins. Cutting away the Acropolis rock, they left but a projecting
fragment, now the site of the Pasha’s Palace. Removing the elegant
courts and porticoes to plant their engines of war against the Temple,
they cleared an area 500 feet long and 1000 wide, which is now in part
a scarped rock, and the rest is dotted with patches of grass. Inhumed
beneath the ruins lay the deep fosse, the foundation of the northeast
tower, and the base of the loftier tower at the southeast angle, all of
which remain to our own day, pointing to Antonia as one of the grandest
of human structures.
Equally superstitious with the Latins and Greeks, the Moslems have
many shrines within the Temple area consecrated either to the memory of
their great Prophet, or to that of some eminent saint. Near a graceful
minaret, which rises from the scarped rock, is a small dome, marking
the spot where Solomon, after the completion of the Temple, stood and
prayed. Along the western side of the Haran are cloisters, with square
pillars and pointed arches, devoted to meditation and prayer, and to
the accommodation of dervishes, eunuchs, and serpent-charmers. In a
small room beneath one of the cloisters is the legendary iron ring to
which Mohammed tied his Alborak on the night of his ascension.
In the centre of the oblong area within the walls is a raised platform
fifteen feet high, 550 long north and south, and 450 wide east and west.
It is paved with Palestine marble, and reached by eight flights of
stone steps, spanned by light Saracenic arches. Ascending the platform
by the northern steps, we lingered for a moment to enjoy a scene of
extraordinary beauty. On either side rose massive walls, with parapet
and tower; beneath the platform, and extending to the farthest verge
of the inclosure, were fields of grass adorned with flowers; decked in
all their vernal beauty were sombre olives, lofty palms, and graceful
acacias, and near them were marble fountains sparkling in the morning
light; beneath the trees white-veiled women reclined, and turbaned
Turks moved softly through the foliage; around the platform rose airy
arches; on it stood elegant pulpits, carved niches for prayer, and
miniature cupolas of faultless symmetry; while from the very centre
rose the Mosque of Omar, enameled with tiles of intricate patterns and
of variant hues, reflecting the colors of the rainbow, and surmounted
with that dome of domes, resplendent with the early light. Secluded
from the outer world, peace reigned within, and no sound was heard
save the solitary call of the muezzin from the balcony of a neighboring
minaret. Among the minor objects of interest within the Haram is the
Kubbet es-Silsilah――“the Dome of the Chain.” Situated twenty feet
east from the great mosque, it is a small fane of rare beauty. From
seventeen slender marble columns spring semicircular arches, supporting
a dome of great elegance, which is adorned with porcelain of different
colors and curious devices. According to the legend, here Mohammed
obtained his first view of the enchanting damsels of Paradise, and
hither the faithful now resort to meditate on love.
Illustration: MOUNT MORIAH, WITH A VIEW OF THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.
But the great attraction within the Temple area is the “Mosque of
Omar”――the pride of the Mohammedan, the contempt of the Jew, and the
grief of the Christian. Though bearing the name of the celebrated
Khalif Omar, who captured Jerusalem in 636 A.D., yet some Arabian
writers suggest the name of Khalif Abd-el-Melek Ibn Marwan as the
more probable founder of the present mosque. But so confused are
the accounts of historians, and so contradictory are the prevailing
traditions touching its origin, that it is difficult to reach a
correct conclusion on the subject. It is stated, however, by the best
authorities, that when Jerusalem capitulated to the arms of Omar, the
khalif, on entering the city, refused to pray in the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre, but inquired for the site of Solomon’s Temple. Led by
the venerable patriarch Sophronius to the sacred rock which forms the
summit ridge of Moriah, Omar, with his own hands, removed the filth
which Moslem contempt for the Jew had heaped upon it, and over it he
ordered the erection of a mosque at once worthy the wisdom of Solomon
and the conquests of Mohammed.
In the estimation of devout Moslems, this mosque is next in sacredness
to the mosques of Mecca and Medina, and, with the exception of a brief
interval, it has remained in their possession since its construction.
In 1099 A.D. the Holy City yielded to the triumphant arms of the
Crusaders, whose heroic faith was only excelled by their unwavering
courage. Overpowered by their Christian conquerors, the followers of
the Prophet retreated within their sacred edifice, from which they were
at length driven with terrible slaughter. Some, creeping to the summit
of the dome, and clinging to its gilded spire, were pierced with arrows;
others, leaping into the deep cisterns beneath the mosque, were drowned
or sabred in their attempt to escape; while so great was the number
slain, that the whole area flowed with blood ankle deep.[122] Having
removed the dead, and cleansed the mosque from the stench and stains
of the slaughtered, the Crusaders consecrated it to Christ. Within they
erected a choir and an altar, and on the spire which surmounts the dome
they substituted the Cross for the Crescent. Receiving authority from
the sovereign pontiff, they established a regular chapter of canons,
endowed with all the immunities belonging to the Catholics of the West,
and calling the holy house, by way of excellence, _Templum Domini_,
they organized a special guard for its protection, to whom they gave
the name of Knights Templars.
But in less than a century thereafter the Mosque of Omar reverted to
its former masters, and, true to his religious faith, the proud Saladin,
having driven the Crusaders from the city, transferred the mosque from
Christ to Mohammed. The golden cross gave place to the gilded crescent;
the altar and choir were removed; the edifice was cleansed with
rose-water brought for the purpose from Damascus; and from its lofty
dome the muezzin announced the hour for prayer, while on his royal mat,
spread beneath that dome, Saladin performed his devotions.[123] As the
Egyptian conqueror left it we now behold it.
Consisting of three sections――the walls, the drum, and the dome――the
lower story is a true octagon, forty-six feet high and 170 in diameter.
Penetrated by fifty-six pointed windows of the Tudor style, the light
passes through stained glass, rivaling in the beauty and brilliancy of
its colors that of the famous cathedral windows of Central Italy. From
this section rises the drum, thirty-four feet high, pierced by sixteen
windows, and on which rests the dome, rising seventy feet higher, and
having a diameter of sixty feet. A graceful spire surmounts the dome,
supporting a gilded crescent. The exterior of the first and second
sections is incased with marbles of different hues and with porcelain
tiles of intricate patterns, while that of the dome is covered with
lead.
Corresponding in position to the four cardinal points are as many
doorways, three of which have inclosed marble porches, and the fourth
has a portico formed of slender columns, with a roof of the same
material. Two corridors encircle the interior of this noble edifice.
One, thirteen feet wide, is formed of eight massive piers and sixteen
Corinthian columns, connected at the top by a horizontal architrave;
the other, thirty feet wide, is formed of twelve columns and four
inner piers, from which spring the arches that support the dome. These
columns are polished porphyry of a purple hue, and are crowned with
richly gilded capitals. The walls and ceiling are covered with gilt
stucco, on which are traced, in the graceful curves and lines of the
Arabic characters, quotations from the Koran. Rising 150 feet from the
marble pavement, the interior of the dome is no less impressive than
the exterior is imposing; and though less in altitude than St. Peter’s
at Rome, it is more symmetrical, and from the dimness of the light the
eye wearies in searching for its loftier portions.
But the great attraction within the mosque is the celebrated rock
called by the Arabs es-Sukhrah. Situated directly beneath the dome, it
is unquestionably the summit ridge of Mount Moriah, and consists of a
naked limestone rock of a grayish color, sixty feet long, fifty-five
wide, and rises five feet above the surrounding floor. Over it,
suspended from the piers, is the war-banner of Omar, made of the
richest crimson silk; around it is an iron railing, with arrow-headed
points tipped with gilt, and on it stand metallic candlesticks
resembling Syrian lilies.
The fertile imagination of the Asiatic has invested this rock with
peculiar sanctity. According to a Mohammedan legend, it descended
from heaven when the spirit of prophecy was withdrawn from earth, and
attempted to return to its native quarry when the Prophet ascended to
glory, but was only restrained by the powerful arm of Gabriel. Refusing
to touch the earth again, _it remains suspended in the air seven feet
above the top of Mount Moriah!_ Arrogant in their spirit as they are
legendary in their taste, the Moslems believe that all the water on the
earth flows from beneath this rock; and that in one of its unvisited
caves are still preserved the armor of Mohammed, the saddle of his
favorite beast, the scales for weighing the souls of men at the last
judgment, the birds of Solomon, the pomegranates of David, and a
silver urn which was thrown from its pedestal by Gabriel’s wing on the
ever-memorable night of the Prophet’s ascension.
Reached by a flight of stone steps is the “Noble Cave,” excavated in
the heart of the rock, which is of irregular shape, eight feet high
and sixty in circumference. To deceive the unwary, and sustain the
story that the rock is suspended in the air, a plastered wall incloses
the sides of the vault, which, on being struck, emits a hollow sound,
indicating a vacant space beyond. In the centre of the floor is a
marble star, said to cover the mouth of _Hades_. It is more probably
the entrance to that great cavern beneath the city, which, according
to tradition, extends to this point.
Rejecting the idle tales of a false faith, the es-Sukhrah has a
history replete with interest to every Christian. Forming the ridge
of Mount Moriah, here Abraham offered his son;[124] here stood the
destroying angel when about to smite Jerusalem for the offense of an
ambitious king;[125] here was the threshing-floor of Ornan, which David
purchased to offer thereon a sacrifice to stay the hand of the avenging
messenger;[126] and on it rested the altar of burnt-offerings in the
first and second temples.[127] Viewed in this light, the “Noble Cave”
was no doubt the cess-pool of the altar of burnt-offerings, into which
the immense quantity of sacrificial blood was conveyed by the drain
that encompassed the altar.
From the southern portal of the Mosque of Omar a paved pathway leads
to the Mosque of El-Aksa, lined on either side with olives, palms, and
acacias. Near this avenue is the elegant Pulpit of David, from which
prayers are offered for the health of the Sultan and the triumph of
his arms. Extending a distance of 350 feet, the path terminates at
the porch of El-Aksa. Standing near the southwest corner of the Temple
area, and close to the southern wall, this mosque covers an area of
50,000 square feet. Measuring 280 feet long and 180 wide, its aisles
and nave are forty-eight feet high, and its dome 130. Though in its
general appearance the architecture is a compound of the Gothic and
the Saracenic, yet, owing to the frequent alterations and numerous
additions of the mosque, it is difficult to assign it a classification.
Facing the north, the imposing porch extends the entire breadth of the
building, and is divided into seven sections by arches supported by
slender columns. It is paved with marble, and is reached by eight steps
worn smooth by the feet of twelve centuries. The façade is penetrated
by seven portals opening into the interior, which consists of a grand
nave, three aisles on either side, and a transept surmounted with a
noble dome. The aisles and nave are formed by forty-five marble columns,
resembling the imposing colonnades in the magnificent basilicas of
Santa Maria Maggiore and San Paolo fuori le Mura in Rome. Springing
from these columns are arches connecting aisle with aisle, and
supporting the roof and dome. The pavement, now of stone, was once
adorned with beautiful mosaics, the remaining fragments attesting the
pristine grandeur of this ancient temple of Christian worship. Beneath
the dome is the elaborately-carved Pulpit of Saladin, and near it is
the gallery for the singers. Deriving their name from the daughter of
the Prophet, the Fatimites ordered a large section of the mosque to
be partitioned off and appropriated for the devotions of women. In the
western end of the transept are two polished marble columns standing
ten inches apart, and designedly arranged to discover the faith of
him who essayed to pass between them; no one, according to the legend,
but a true believer in the Koran could hope for success. Once regarded
as an infallible test, the charm, however, is now broken, as many
a Christian has succeeded in the attempt. Within this mosque is a
fountain called the “Well of the Leaf,” receiving its name from the
circumstance that centuries ago, one of the faithful, having descended
to the bottom to recover a lost bucket, unexpectedly found a door
opening into the delightful gardens of Paradise, into which he walked,
and, plucking a leaf from one of its fair trees, returned, bearing with
him the celestial memento, which proved its heavenly origin and nature
by retaining its freshness.
With the ever-changing fortunes of the Holy City, the Mosque of El-Aksa
has passed from master to master. Originally a Christian basilica,
built by order of the Emperor Justinian in the sixth century, and by
him dedicated to “My Lady,” the Virgin Mary, a hundred years thereafter
it was converted into a temple of Moslem worship. Four and a half
centuries later, Tancred and his brave knights drove out the Arabians,
and reconsecrated the Church of Justinian to the Blessed Virgin. In
1119 A.D. Baldwin II. gave it to his followers, whom he was pleased to
call “the poor fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ,” and for whose
accommodation he erected on its eastern side a dormitory, refectory,
and infirmary. A gift so humble was the beginning of the wealth, power,
and glory of the Knights Templars, whose mystic kingdom afterward
extended to the farthest limits of Christendom, and who received the
benedictions of pontiffs, the homage of kings, and the donations of the
pious. Beneath the green sod in front of the venerable basilica were
interred, in the year of our Lord 1170, the four knights who, at the
instigation of Henry II., assassinated Thomas à Becket in the ancient
cathedral of Canterbury. Remaining in the possession of the Crusaders
for eighty-eight years, in 1187 A.D. Saladin marched against Jerusalem,
captured the city, put the Templars to the sword, and reopened the
portals of the mosque to the children of the Prophet.[128]
Whatever pleasure is experienced in recalling the ever-shifting
fortunes of Moslem and Christian, and in reciting the legends of the
one and the traditions of the other, the traveler turns away from
scenes and memories so romantic to explore with deeper interest the
works of Solomon.
Thirty feet to the east from the Mosque of El-Aksa is the entrance to
a subterranean passage-way. A flight of stone steps leads down to a
broad and well-made avenue 259 feet long, forty-two wide, thirty high,
and having a gentle descent of 200 feet. Extending through the centre
are two rows of monolithic columns, connected by arches supporting the
ceiling, which is composed of flattened domes. These domes are formed
of large blocks of limestone, and each one has a circular keystone
six feet in diameter――a style of architecture nowhere else to be found,
except in some of the ancient tombs beyond the city, indicating a
contemporaneous age. Guided by the light of our wax tapers, we advanced
a distance of 259 feet to a flight of nine steps leading down into an
entrance-hall fifty feet long and forty-two wide. In the very centre
stands a massive column twenty-one feet high and six in diameter,
consisting of a single block of limestone, including a foliated capital,
on which is carved a palm-branch. From this central pier, and from
pilasters on the sides of the hall, spring arches on which rests a
vaulted ceiling of extraordinary workmanship. And corresponding, both
in its size and grandeur, is the original gateway in the south wall
of the city, the exterior of which is seen in part where the city wall
joins that of the Haram. Having a breadth of forty-two feet, it is
divided in the centre by a rectangular pier eight feet broad, and,
extending inward twelve feet, has a pillar-shaped termination. Both the
pier and jambs of the gateway are constructed of bevel stones of great
size and well finished. This is evidently one of the approaches to the
ancient city, and no doubt up through this colonnaded avenue Christ and
his disciples often passed to the House of the Lord. In some lateral
vault leading from this covered way, the Jews believe the treasures and
furniture of their Temple are now concealed; and so prevalent is this
opinion, that a breach has already been made in the wall to discover
the place of concealment.
Illustration: SOLOMON’S SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGE-WAY.
Standing in the southeast corner of the Temple area is the Mosque of
Issa (Jesus). It is a small, dome-like building, containing a large
marble basin, not unlike in form a sarcophagus, called by some the
“Cradle of Jesus,” by others the font in which the infant Savior was
washed previous to his presentation in the Temple. Through this chamber
is the true and easy entrance to the great substructions of Solomon’s
day; but, hoping to deter us from exploring them, the guide led us to
an opening in the area, down which we were compelled to leap more than
ten feet. Nothing daunted, each in turn made the leap, and turning to
the right, we stood beneath those grand vaults, unequaled in strength
and grandeur by any thing of the kind either in Greece or Rome.
Originally the summit of Mount Moriah naturally and rapidly declined
from the great rock which forms the ridge toward the southeast, leaving
a narrow and uneven surface. To elevate the surface of the hill to a
common level, Solomon constructed vaults supported by piers.[129]
Standing ten feet apart, and extending east and west 319 feet, and
north and south 250 feet, are fifteen rows of massive columns, composed
of beveled stones five feet square, and connected by semicircular
arches, on which rest the vaulted ceiling, five feet thick, supporting
the pavement above. These piers are from ten to thirty feet high,
according to the elevation and depression of the ground, and on some
of them has been chiseled a mason’s compasses, opened at an angle
of forty-five degrees, but whether ancient or modern the silent sign
of the honorable craft gives no response. The eastern wall of these
substructions is the eastern wall of the Haram inclosure, the blocks
of which are of the same material and of similar finish with those
seen from without. Through openings in an arched gateway, now closed,
the Valley of Jehoshaphat is distinctly seen. Through the thick vaults
above some olive-trees have forced their powerful roots, which have
taken hold on the soil below, uniting, by ligaments of life, the upper
and lower surfaces, while the more slender roots hang like graceful
pendents from the ceiling. Running along the wall in the western aisle
is a large pipe, of similar material to Solomon’s aqueduct, which
no doubt formerly served as a waste-pipe to carry off the refuse
water from the Temple; and near it is an oval well, twenty feet in
diameter. In the south corner of this aisle is a triple gate of curious
workmanship, consisting of an arched central doorway and two lateral
ones, so arranged as to form an obtuse angle. In the centre is an
octagonal column two and a half feet in diameter, from which spring
the arches of the side gateways. Though well preserved, this beautiful
gate is now walled up. In the palmy days of Jerusalem it opened to the
villages on the south of the city, and there is still a gradual ascent
to the open area above, up which the victims were driven to the Temple
for sacrifice.
Whether we consider the grandeur of these works or the wealth expended
in their construction, they reflect alike the wisdom and glory of
Solomon. The original declination of the hill――the measurements of the
Temple area as given by Josephus――the size of the stones of which they
are constructed, and the manner in which they are dressed, together
with the absence of any information that either Herod or any of his
successors ever touched the foundations of the sacred inclosure,
suggest that these substructions are coeval with the Holy House.
Returning to the surface of the area, we turned to the northwest
to explore the great lake beneath the Mosque of Omar. Any one who
for a moment has reflected upon the quantity of water requisite for
the frequent ablutions of the priests, and for the other demands of
the Temple service, must have concluded that artificial means were
employed to meet the demand. Ever fruitful in inventions, the genius of
Solomon was equal to the emergency, and to the aid of nature he brought
the mechanical art of his day. Near the mosque there is an aperture
resembling the mouth of a well, down which an inclined plane leads to
a flight of forty-four stone steps cut in the living rock. Descending,
we found an excavation in the solid limestone rock forty-two feet
deep, 736 in circumference, and capable of holding 2,000,000 gallons.
The form of the cavern is irregular, and the rudely-arched roof is
supported by large piers, which were designedly left at the time of the
excavation. These columns are arranged to afford the greatest support,
without regard to regularity or beauty, and an attempt had been made
to arch the intervening rock, but the work is so crudely done as to
give it a craggy appearance. Both the arches and upper portions of the
pillars were formerly incased with brass, but the metallic covering
has been removed by the Vandal captors of the city. Formerly there were
eight apertures in the pavement above through which the water was drawn
up; but only one remains open, admitting the light to the shades below.
More than three feet of water now covers the entire bottom, which is
perfectly clear and of a sweetish taste. Though at present the lake is
partially supplied with rain-water, which flows through a small tank,
from the Mosque of El-Aksa, yet originally the water was brought from
Solomon’s Pools at Etham, seven miles to the south of Jerusalem, and
the ancient aqueduct through which it flowed can now be traced to the
western side of the reservoir.
Standing in such a cavern, where the light and darkness alternately
chase each other, where no sound is heard save the measured tramp of
pilgrim feet on the marble floor above, and where History silently but
triumphantly points to her works in confirmation of her story, the mind
is filled with admiration for the past. Of all the works of Solomon,
there is nothing remaining which so impressively reflects his wonderful
intellect, and so truly conveys to the mind an idea of his unbounded
resources as this lake. Of its antiquity there can be no doubt; as to
its design there can be no dispute; and of the glory it reflects upon
the memory of its founder there can be no diversity of opinion. It was
seen and described by Aristeas in the century preceding Christ, and it
is subsequently mentioned by the Mishna, by Tacitus, and the Jerusalem
Itinerary, and it now invites the modern traveler to its cavernous
depths to drink of its crystal water, and thereby confirm those
traditions which the lapse of time had transformed into fables.[130]
Though permitted to explore the Temple area the second time, yet I
reluctantly left a spot where of old God had appeared to his people,
and where the Redeemer often taught as one having authority. And where,
on earth, have occurred events of greater grandeur and of more powerful
influence? Within an area of less than forty acres the history of our
religion may be said to have occurred, and there all that is now real
in our faith was once foreshadowed by the most costly and imposing
symbols; and to-day Moriah bears testimony no less to the fulfillment
of the prophetic judgments demanded against her than to the veracity of
her historians. In less than forty years after the Savior’s prediction
of the destruction of the Temple, his words were fulfilled by Titus,
who left the holy fane a mass of scorched and smoking ruins; and now
spanning the Appian Way in ancient Rome, the Arch of Titus remains the
monument of his terrible work. After a period of desolation lasting
seventy years, the Emperor Adrian rebuilt Jerusalem, calling it _Ælia
Capitolina_――the former after the family name of the emperor, and the
latter in honor of Jupiter Capitolinus. Plowing up the surface of the
area, he erected on the site of the Jewish Temple one to Jupiter, which
he adorned with the colossal statue of himself, placing the equestrian
one on the very site of the “Holy of Holies.” Nearly two and a half
centuries later the Jews were permitted, by Julian the Apostate, to
rebuild their Holy House, but they were deterred in the attempt by
flames of fire bursting suddenly out from the earth upon them, and
by other manifestations of the divine displeasure. For more than
150 years subsequently nothing is recorded of the Temple area till the
middle of the sixth century, when the Emperor Justinian ordered the
erection thereon of his magnificent church to the Virgin Mary, which,
in 636 A.D., Omar converted into the Mosque of El-Aksa, and upon
the site of Solomon’s Temple and of the Fane of Jupiter he reared
the famous mosque which now bears his name. Subject to the sway of
the False Prophet for 463 years, it was rescued from the grasp of
the Moslems by the brave Crusaders, who converted the mosques into
Christian churches, and who for eighty years worshiped Christ where
Jupiter and Mohammed had been adored. Yielding to the victorious arms
of its earlier captors, Saladin retook Jerusalem in 1189 A.D., and the
Crescent was again in the ascendant on Mount Moriah, where it remains
the symbol of Mohammedan power and glory, to give place at no distant
day to the Cross of a world’s Redeemer.[131]