Destruction of antiquities 1995-2001

Solomon’s Stables is the name given to a huge underground chamber (about 4,000 square meters) located in the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount compound. The chamber was first constructed during the reign of Herod the Great to provide support for the Temple Mount esplanade in the area where the bedrock falls away steeply from the level of the Temple Mount platform. One can find Herodian masonry bearing engravings typical of the period on the many vaulted arches that divide the huge chamber. During the crusader period, the structure was used as a stable, and the crusaders, believing the construction dated back to King Solomon, named it Solomon’s Stables. Since that period, including during the entire period of Muslim control of the Temple Mount and up to the present day, the Solomon’s Stables chambers were deserted and neglected, serving as a repository for dirt and refuse.

Solomon’s Stables and the Double Gate passageway in the southeastern corner of the Temple Mount compound

The Cradle of Jesus. Compliments of Ariel Publishing 

“During the joint tour by representatives of the IAA and the engineers of the Waqf in Solomon’s Stables, the IAA representatives were shown a proposal to create yet another entrance to replace the old one, which had been sealed closed some thirty years earlier; they proposed reopening it. This was carried out some time later.”

[“The Temple Mount 1917-2001,” Gideon Avni and Jon Seligman, p. 29)

 
From August to September 1996, large-scale construction work was carried out in the Solomon’s Stables subterranean chamber and the passageway in the east Hulda gate in order to convert them into a mosque. The work was done by volunteers led by Sheikh Rayadh Salah. The volunteers removed the ancient paving stones, dug up the earth underneath, laid a new floor and installed lighting. The new mosque was named the Marwani prayer area, and with a capacity of 10,000 worshippers in an area of about 5,000 square meters became the largest mosque in the State of Israel!

 

Construction work inside Solomon’s Stables

The initial damage caused to the structure of Solomon’s Stables lies in the fact that it has been converted into a mosque from its original purpose. The structure is originally Herodian and was an inseparable part of the Temple Mount compound during the Herodian period. Consequently, the structure should be treated as a historic relic of the highest order, its unique ancient character must be preserved and tourists should be allowed to visit it. Turning it into a mosque undermines its standing and enables the Waqf to prevent its preservation as a historical site and bar the entry of visitors. After the Muslims turned the historic structure into a mosque, they barred tourists from entering with the claim that it is “a religious structure.” In addition to the considerable damage caused to the original structure, the construction work itself also demolished antiquities.
During the work on the conversion of the Solomon’s Stables structure and the Triple Gate passageway into a mosque, the Waqf refused to allow Israel Antiquities Authority inspectors to enter the sites and supervise the construction activity. The ancient paving was ripped up, the earth underneath dug up with heavy machinery without any examination of its archeological value, and electrical and other infrastructures were installed, causing grave damage to the structure’s ancient masonry. Because no inspectors were present during the work, there is no way of knowing the full extent of the destruction of the antiquities.

For a description of the timeline of events according to the IAA inspectors, click here.

Destruction of the floor of Solomon’s Stables by a Backhoe Loader

Transporting construction materials in Solomon’s Stables

Modern light fixtures attached to ancient art on ancient stones covered with decorative engravings

The destruction of the floor of Solomon’s Stables

In order to clean the walls of the structure, the Waqf sandblasted them, a process that removes the stones’ patina, stripping the stone of its original surface. The rich Second Temple period architectural ornamentation, which was part of the wall, was severely damaged by the sandblasting, possibly deliberately. Before the damage was done, images of grape vines including grape tendrils, bunches of grapes and leaves, as well as olive branches and geometrical shapes typical of the period were clearly visible. Additional relics and perhaps even ancient inscriptions may also have been obliterated by the sandblasting, although there is no way of ever finding out. 
 

Second Temple architectural ornamentation before the destruction

Second Temple architectural ornamentation after the destruction

The intense construction activity was carried out without any planning and without obtaining the necessary engineering permits, altering the drainage regime of the rainwater that gathered behind the walls of the Temple Mount, thereby undermining its foundations. In 2001, the mounting water pressure ultimately caused the wall to buckle and swell, causing a 70-centimeter protrusion over an area of about 190 square meters.
Temple Mount Antiquities Rescue Committee discovered the damage and aware of the danger, warned that the wall could collapse. The Waqf counterclaimed that this was a Zionist provocation. Ultimately, after the situation worsened and the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) intervened, a Jordanian team attended to the hazard. The preservation, however, was carried out on a low level and was not done in accordance with the principles of preservation as accepted in the world. The news stones do not resemble the original ancient wall stones, and consequently, the patched area is very noticeable.
 

  Protrusion in the Southern Wall as a result of the Waqf construction

Preservation of the Southern Wall

“Later additions must respect the archeological potential of historical relics or structures without obscuring the original substance. The harmonious integration with the original design of the structures and relics must be assured.”
 

]From “The policy of the IAA to preserve constructed cultural heritage”[