Pennod 2 Jerwsalem: Tir Sanctaidd

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-The Temple Mount...

-..is one of the holiest places

-on the face of the earth.

-For the Jew, it is the site

-of the Temple of Solomon.

-For the Christian, the location of

-Herod's Temple, where Jesus walked.

-And for every Muslim...

-..it is the site from where

-Muhammad ascended to heaven.

-Three faiths, each laying claim...

-..to this sacred mount.

-Throughout Jerusalem's

-long history...

-..the faithful

-have always fought for possession.

-Today, archaeologists

-are embroiled in the conflict.

-Their work holds the key to

-understanding Jerusalem's history.

-A history

-that could change our future.

-That's why I've come here...

-..to try and discover

-the truth about the Temple Mount...

-..and the battle

-for the Holy Land of Jerusalem.

-The holy city of Jerusalem.

-It is here that the immortal

-and mortal commune and battle.

-There is the dream of Jerusalem,

-the image and the reality.

-For over 3,000 years

-it has been the site...

-..of constant

-and continuous warfare.

-For centuries, the Temple Mount

-has been occupied by Muslims.

-Prior to that, it was

-the focal point of the Jewish faith.

-According to the Bible, the Jews

-built two temples on this site.

-The Temple of Solomon...

-..and the Temple of Herod,

-frequented by Jesus Christ.

-20 years

-before the birth of Jesus...

-..King Herod the Great

-had been restoring the temple.

-Herod was far from being a holy man.

-He was trying to make amends

-for killing the nation's sages.

-He killed all the sages...

-..and as an act of remorse...

-..beautified the temple.

-Born out of Herod's sin and shame...

-..a beautiful building

-was erected...

-..and a platform for Jesus Christ.

-It was here that Jesus gave his

-sermons and practised his teachings.

-"My house

-shall be called a house of prayer...

-"..but you make it

-a den of robbers," he said.

-Shortly after Jesus' death,

-the Temple of Herod was destroyed.

-In 70AD there was

-all-out war on the Temple Mount.

-War and merciless bloodshed.

-After years

-of trying to merge Palestine...

-..with the rest of its empire...

-..Rome eventually lost patience

-with the inhabitants.

-Initially,

-the Romans burnt the Jews' food...

-..and brought

-the city centre under siege.

-The might of the Romans overpowered

-the city's defensive walls.

-Slaying everyone in their path...

-..four legions entered the city.

-They eventually advance

-to the temple.

-Some of the Jews

-tried to defend the sanctuary.

-But their efforts were in vain.

-6,000

-of Jerusalem's natives were slain.

-But Rome's intent

-went much further...

-..than winning a battle

-and occupying a city.

-The aim was to destroy

-Jewish religion and culture...

-..once and for all.

-After the battle...

-..the Roman legions dismantled

-and destroyed Herod's Temple.

-Anything of value

-was snatched by the conquerors.

-They looted and stole...

-..before burning the structure

-to the ground...

-..and ensuring that none

-of the stones were left standing.

-The destruction of Herod's Temple

-shaped Israel's history.

-For the Jews,

-a nation without a temple...

-..is a nation without a heart.

-The Jews were forced

-out of the Old City...

-..and for centuries

-battles have been fought over it.

-In 187AD...

-..the Temple Mount became

-Muslim territory under Saladin.

-The Dome of the Rock

-and al-Aqsa Mosque...

-..stand on the Temple Mount today.

-Muslims don't refer to the site

-as the Temple Mount.

-It is called the Noble Sanctuary.

-Al-Aqsa is the third holiest site

-in the Islamic faith.

-Centuries of worship

-have created an ambience here.

-An ambience which acknowledges

-the presence of the immortal.

-The holy city saw another period

-of change following WWII...

-..when the Jews returned

-to establish the state of Israel.

-There was tension between Jews

-and Palestinians from the outset.

-In 1967, during the Six-Day War...

-..Israel

-occupied the east of Israel.

-But the Temple Mount remained

-in the hands of the Palestinians.

-I think that the Temple Mount

-is representing two narratives.

-For the Palestinians, they used

-to live here for hundreds of years.

-It's a religious place,

-it's a holy place...

-..it's a very ancient place, so

-that's what makes it so complicated.

-Complicated for everybody...

-..including those who wanted to

-investigate the site's archaeology.

-Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of

-the Rock were under Muslim control.

-Because it was their

-hallowed ground...

-..they prohibited excavation.

-It was impossible to search

-for the ruins of Herod's Temple...

-..or to establish that a temple

-had ever stood there...

-..before its destruction.

-There was no likelihood of anyone

-inspecting this hallowed ground...

-..or what lay beneath it...

-..until fate dictated otherwise.

-10 years ago, Muslim authorities...

-..wanted to create an underground

-passage to a mosque on the Mount.

-Tonnes of soil had to be removed.

-The authorities claimed

-the soil was good for nothing...

-..but for one young student,

-it was a treasure.

-He set about sifting the soil.

-Despite his efforts,

-there was nothing to see at first.

-We began sifting the dirt

-and we didn't find much things.

-After two weeks of sifting...

-..we started

-a new method of wet sifting.

-Since then

-we've been finding many finds.

-Zweig consulted his old mentor...

-..Gabriel Barkay.

-Today, the pair

-welcome help from tourists...

-..who want to lay their hands

-on the Promised Land's soil.

-Each morning, a busload of visitors

-arrives in the morning...

-..and another in the afternoon.

-They are eager

-to uncover remains...

-..that no-one has touched

-since Jesus Christ's day.

-Welcome to the sifting project

-of soil from the Temple Mount.

-This picture

-was taken by the police.

-You can see

-the bulldozer and the truck.

-You can see the southern wall

-was excavated brutally...

-..by those bulldozers.

-The material...

-..was dumped into the Kidron Valley.

-The training

-available here is basic.

-You saw me

-picking one of these buckets.

-Spread the material on the tray.

-That way.

-And then we'll wash the mud off it.

-And that's it.

-You can start at these stations

-this side of the tent.

-Good luck to everyone.

-The hope it to find proof...

-..that supports Israel's claim

-to the Temple Mount.

-People would tell me sometimes,

-"Show me evidence of the temple.

-"Show me a physical remnant."

-You cannot

-hold the rope in both hands.

-You cannot prohibit excavations

-upon the Temple Mount...

-..and then ask me

-to show you remains.

-If you let me dig,

-I'll show you the remains.

-But Muslims believe that Barkay

-is playing political games...

-..in order to justify ousting them

-from the Temple Mount.

-But he wants to play

-by the political something.

-He wants to change

-the situation of the area.

-We are the Muslims.

-What we believe in the Quran...

-..and what we believe the prophet of

-Muhammad and the holy land of Islam.

-This is a very interesting thing.

-The denial of the existence

-of the temple is more serious...

-..than the denial of the Holocaust.

-.

-Subtitles

-Subtitles

-

-Subtitles

-At the holy site of the

-Temple Mount here in Jerusalem...

-..there is a continuous

-archaeological battle.

-Israel's faithful

-are trying to uncover proof...

-..that the Temple of Herod

-stood on this site.

-The cornerstone of the Jewish faith

-and the home of God's spirit.

-For the Jew,

-it is the holiest place on earth.

-Jesus would've come here as a boy.

-He would've later taught

-and worshipped here as a man.

-It was here that he vented his anger

-at the Jews' lack of respect...

-..for God's sanctuary.

-Shortly after Jesus' day,

-the Romans destroyed the temple.

-Military power entered

-the Lord's house and destroyed it.

-The Romans demolished every sign...

-..that a temple once stood here.

-It was burnt to the ground.

-Since the seventh century...

-..Muslims

-have worshipped on the Temple Mount.

-Muslims refer to it

-as the Noble Sanctuary...

-..and it's easy to see why.

-The Dome of the Rock

-stands above a place...

-..that is sacred

-to both Muslims and Jew.

-It was here

-that Muhammad ascended to heaven...

-..accompanied by the Angel Gabriel

-in the Islamic tradition.

-This natural cave is called

-the Well of Souls beneath the Rock.

-There are Jews who claim

-that the Ark of the Covenant...

-..has been concealed

-in a chamber down here.

-But Muslims are unwilling

-to yield their control of the site.

-This Dome of the Rock where

-Muhammad travelled by the sky...

-..and to God.

-Here, the land of the prophet

-and the holy land of Islam.

-Two faiths

-clinging to their history.

-Is there room for compromise?

-With all respect to

-somebody's belief in the temple...

-..there are other beliefs

-and other reality.

-So the question is, can we

-separate between other beliefs...

-..and continuing

-the life of Jerusalem?

-Many times people criticise...

-..what the Muslim

-is doing in the Temple Mount...

-..but you have to remember

-the balance is between...

-..what Israel is controlling

-and having comparing to them.

-Seeing both sides of the coin,

-as it were.

-You'd assume that an archaeologist

-would be eager to do so.

-After all, science

-is supposed to be impartial.

-But here, the emphasis

-is on uncovering evidence...

-..to support only one faith.

-Soaring visitor numbers are used

-as justification for the venture.

-More than 10,000 people

-have come here voluntarily to help.

-That is a very impressive thing.

-You do not have such an exposure...

-..in other

-archaeological projects.

-So this is unique

-because of the special nature...

-..of the Temple Mount.

-For past archaeologists...

-..the main information

-comes from the small finds...

-..such as pottery...

-..bones, glass.

-They tell us a lot

-about the history of the site.

-But it's difficult

-to tell what's being proved here.

-Almost every find dates back to

-a time centuries after the temple.

-Looks like a coin in shape.

-She said those are hard to figure.

-But it's fun to spend the day

-pretending to be an archaeologist!

-They were saying that if it's green,

-then it might be a coin.

-Dina, can you look at something?

-Is that possibly a coin?

-Yes, it is!

-You're a very lucky group.

-Well done!

-Guys, we have another coin!

-But something very serious

-is at work here too.

-Not archaeology but politics.

-I'm frequently asked,

-"What proof do you have...

-"..that there was a temple

-of the Jews on the Temple Mount?"

-That is very strange.

-But, of course,

-it is a political tool.

-Nobody's denying what happened...

-..after

-the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.

-The Jews were displaced

-to four corners of the world.

-This was a tragedy

-for the entire Jewish nation.

-Uprooting their way of life...

-..and ruining the focus

-of their daily worship rituals.

-That suddenly stopped.

-We've been in exile for 2,000 years.

-The history of the Jews

-is familiar to us all.

-It's natural for them to remember

-the destruction of Jerusalem...

-..as a series of events

-that should never arise again.

-But there are some who are keen

-to acknowledge another truth.

-They aren't the only people

-to have suffered pain and loss.

-They aren't the only ones...

-..with a claim

-to the holy land of Jerusalem.

-We believe Jerusalem must be

-considered a World Heritage Site.

-Jerusalem

-must be open to different cultures.

-This is the only future I see.

-Any other future for Jerusalem

-is very dangerous.

-It's believed that the

-Temple of Herod, Jesus' temple...

-..was the most beautiful

-in the world 2,000 years ago.

-Today it's the focus

-of vicious conflict.

-The battle over

-the Holy Land of Jerusalem rages on.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

-.