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"Hulda Gates" on the southern side of Jerusalem's Old City. The picture shows the sealed "Triple Gate" (circa 1900) |
"Robert Hamilton, the director of the antiquities department during the Mandatory period in pre-state Israel, reach[ed] an agreement with the [Islamic] waqf that would allow archaeological investigation on the Temple Mount, for the first time ever, in the area where the mosque had collapsed."
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Remnant of the sealed "Double Gate" of "Hulda Gates." Above the gate's lintel are stones from Hadrian's temple to Jupiter, destroyed by Constantine in 400 CE and re-used by the Arabs to build al-Aqsa. One stone is an inscription stone honoring Hadrian who crushed the Bar-Kochba revolt in 135 CE and plowed over the Temple Mount |
"Beneath the floor of Al-Aqsa mosque, which had collapsed in the earthquake, Hamilton discovered the remains of a Jewish mikveh [ritual pool used for purification] that dated back to the Second Temple era. Apparently, Jews immersed in this mikveh before entering the Temple grounds."
Now we can understand other pictures in the Library of Congress collection
The collection includes two inexplicable pictures dated between 1920 and 1933 entitled "Ancient entrance to Temple beneath el-Aksa." The pictures were taken on the other side of the Hulda Gates, one of the major entrances to the Temple by pilgrims coming from the vast Shiloah (Silwan) pool. According to the Mishna, the gates were used for entering and exiting the Temple complex.
Clearly, the American Colony photographers entered the sacred area, like Hamilton, after the earthquake destroyed parts of the mosque in 1927 to take these rare photos. Otherwise, the area would have been off-limits.
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Original caption: "The Temple area. The Double Gate. Ancient entrance to Temple beneath el Aqsa." Note the staircase that apparently led to the surface and the Temple plaza. |
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Original caption: "The Temple area. The Double Gate. Ancient entrance showing details of carving." |
The Hulda Gates date back to King Herod's Second Temple period, perhaps even to Hasmonean times. According to some commentaries, "Hulda" was a prophetess during the First Temple who apparently prophesized around the area where the gates were built (See Kings II, 22:14).
The Library of Congess collection also includes several pictures showing the extent of the damage to the al-Aqsa mosque in the earthquake.
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Al Aqsa Mosque, partly under repair after the earthquake |
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Al Aqsa Mosque without roof, "open to wind and weather" (circa 1934) |
Fascinating! I was on Har Habayit last week during Sukkot and took some photos of the back of the closed gate on the eastern side--Shaar Harachamaim, or Golden Gate in English. They're at https://plus.google.com/photos/107952928266299022185/albums/5797054513316719265
ReplyDeletethanks for that and based on it, I posted this about the 1986-87 riots.
ReplyDeleteGreat catch, Len. Kol hakavod.
ReplyDelete