Destruction of Antiquities
Following the unification of the city in 1967, the destructive activities carried out by the Waqf in the Temple Mount compound were documented. In many cases, the Waqf had removed the remnants of ancient walls or hidden relics revealed during the construction work. In 1995, the Antiquities Authority allowed the Waqf to open up the huge underground area of Solomon’s Stables in order to turn the entire area of the Temple Mount into a single large mosque including all the historic underground chambers and buildings that had never been mosques in the past.
In relation to these actions, Dr. Mordechai (Moti) Kedar said:
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"These actions are being carried out in the context of a practice known in Arabic as Tams al-ma'alem, an expression that means ‘erasing the signs’ in the sense of destroying the relics of all cultures that preceded Islam.”
[Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Department of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University]
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The destruction of antiquities from 2001 on
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The purpose of the Muslim activities
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