Background:

For thousands of years, the Temple Mount has been an important and sacred site for three of the world’s monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It is the “place where heaven and earth meet, an epicenter of religious and national life” (Isaiah 2: 2-4).

However, despite its prevalence in religious life, much of its past remains a mystery. This is because no archaeological excavation has ever taken place on the site due to political concerns. The absence of archaeological data has resulted in many unresolved and hotly debated historical questions. Although most scholars (including Muslim scholars) assert that the Jewish Temples were located on this site, Palestinian and Muslim leaders have begun denying their existence here. This claim was then supported in the recent UNESCO resolution in October 2016. See our response to this resolution here.

How we came into the picture:

In 1999, the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement bulldozed a large pit on the Temple Mount for the construction of an entrance to an ancient underground structure which was converted into a mosque. Israeli antiquities law requires a salvage excavation before construction at archaeological sites, thus these actions were illegal. Making matters worse, approximately 400 truckloads – 9,000 tons – of soil saturated with priceless archaeological artifacts were dumped as garbage in the nearby Kidron Valley.

Heavy machinery used for digging a new entrance to “Solomon’s Stables” (November 1999). This work was done without archaeological supervision, removing 9000 tons of earth, rich with ancient artifacts.

Archaeologists Dr. Gabriel Barkay and Zachi Dvira understood that this discarded earth represented a rare glimpse at the past, despite the fact that it had been wrenched from its archaeological context. (Context like location, layer, and relation to other artifacts make up the basic parameters for evaluating archaeological significance.)

In 2004, Barkay and Dvira removed truckloads of dirt from the debris dumped in the Kidron Valley and began a large-scale sifting project to recover treasures that were slated for the garbage. In doing so, they established the Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP), with the goal of rescuing ancient artifacts and conducting research to enhance our understanding of the archeology and history of the Temple Mount.

The ancient artifacts retrieved by the Sifting Project provide valuable and previously inaccessible information about this important and contested site. In response to the archaeological challenges posed by the endeavor, our team of experts has implemented innovative methodologies and technologies for studying the finds. For example, we employ advance quantitative and statistical methods that reestablish the archaeological context of the finds.

Volunteers sifting at our sifting site in Emek Tzurim National Park.

In 13 years, and with over 200,000 volunteers from around the world, the project has become a major global educational and historical endeavor. The public’s help has proven critical for the operation and advancement of the project and attests to the importance of what is being revealed.

This idea is vividly expressed in the Book of Psalms:

“For your servants have cherished her stones, and have redeemed her dust” (Psalms 102:14-15)

Coming Next:

Ultimately, the Temple Mount Sifting Project is the closest anyone has come to excavating the Temple Mount itself.

Now we are inviting you to join us and be a part of the next phase of the project. Please help us fund the research required for a full scientific publication. Publishing the results of our work will shed more light on the long history of this sacred site and will contribute to the resolution of debates related to this site.

We plan on having at least three volumes of research published in 2021. This will include the history of the Temple Mount, Coins, Pottery, and Special Finds.

Our Next Goal:

Our mission is to publish at the first three volumes of our research on the Temple Mount’s history, special finds, coins, and pottery in 2020. Without being able to publish, it will be as if our 500,000 artifacts had never been found.

Lack of access to the Temple Mount archaeological evidence breeds ignorance and misinformation about its history and compounds the controversies surrounding it. Our research has the ability to challenge theories, clarify understandings, and present the factual data about the Temple Mount. Our scientific research can undermine the Temple Denial Movement; but only if it is shared with the scientific community and the public and we encourage educated discussion on the history of the Temple Mount.

With your help, we can keep our focus on our research and not on ways to raise money or cut the budget to keep the lights on.

Here is your chance to take part in revealing Jerusalem’s ancient past.

Please Donate Now

Help Preserve the History of the Temple Mount

Every bucket of earth we sift contains ancient artifacts representing the Temple Mount’s rich and diverse 3000 year history. The most common finds are pottery fragments, glass vessel pieces, metal objects, animal bones, worked stones and mosaic tesserae.

In addition to these general categories, there are many fascinating finds, such as fragments of stone vessels, jewelry, beads, terracotta figurines, arrowheads and other weaponry, weights, clothing accessories, gaming pieces and dice, bone and shell inlays, furniture decorations, ornaments, bone and ivory objects, and fragments of inscriptions on stone and pottery.

Various pieces of jewelry from different periods. Materials include semi-precious stones, glass, bronze, silver and gold.

We have also recovered elaborate architectural remains, including fragments of columns and their capitals, fragments of mosaic floors, Opus Sectile floor tiles, frescoes (colored wall plaster pieces) and glazed wall tiles.

To date, the Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP) has uncovered more than 7,000 coins, ranging from tiny silver coins from the 4th century BCE to coins minted in modern times. Among them are very rare and exciting coins such as the silver half-shekel discussed in greater detail below.

Selected coins from the Second Temple period

Although the earth excavated from the Temple Mount was moved from one place to another several times, it was not completely mixed. Consequently, many of the finds remain in context-associated clusters. This will allow us to learn more about the context of the finds through the appropriate application of quantitative analysis.

Once the sorting and analysis process is completed, the data will help provide fresh insights into the archaeology and history of the Temple Mount.

Bronze arrowhead dated to the 10th century BCE, the time of King Solomon. Arrowheads from this period are rarely found in Israel.

From the First Temple period (1000 to 586 BCE, from King David to the destruction of the First Temple) we have recovered an abundance of pottery fragments originating from bowls, pots, jars, and jugs, as well as chalices, stands, rattles and other unique objects.

Some of the finds date to the 10^th-9^th centuries BCE, the time of King Solomon, builder of the First Temple, and his successors. These finds are rare in Jerusalem, and they have brought forth critical evidence in the heated debate about the size of Jerusalem in this period. Some scholars doubt that the Temple Mount was annexed to Jerusalem during the 10^th century BCE. They suggest that Jerusalem was not a capital city but rather a small village. Our finds contradict this minimalist assertion and confirm the Biblical account regarding Jerusalem during this period.

The TMSP found a large number of terracotta figurine fragments. Most are zoomorphic quadruped legs (probably horses) and torso parts. Others are pillared female figurine fragments. Scholars have widely debated the figurines’ symbolism and function. Some see them as means to evoke a goddess during prayers for fertility, while others have associated them with healing and protection. We found them all fragmented and they appear to have been intentionally broken in antiquity. Some scholars have associated this phenomenon with the reforms of King Josiah at the end of the 7^th century BCE, which included the smashing of idols (2 Kings 23: 4-13; 2 Chron. 34: 3-5).

The sifting also yielded a group of stone weights of the shekel series. No coinage system existed at this time, so trade was done using these weights for weighing precious metals. Some of the weights found are less than a shekel unit and represent weight units of gera (20 or 24 gera to a shekel).

Other finds from this period include weaponry items such as sling stones and arrowheads. Among them are several arrowheads commonly found in Judah which date to the mid-late First Temple period. One very rare bronze arrowhead is dated to the 10^th century BCE, the time of King Solomon. Arrowheads from this period are rarely found. This one, the first of its type found in Jerusalem, may attest to the existence of an armed force on the Temple Mount. Another distinctive arrowhead found by the project was a bronze Irano-Schythic triple-bladed type used by the Babylonian army that conquered Judah and destroyed the First Temple.

Inscribed artifacts include dozens of ostraca (inscribed pottery) fragments and 25 clay seal impressions (bullae). One seal impression bears the Hebrew names ליהו… and אִמֶר, meaning “(Belonging to) […]lyahu (son of) Immer.” Immer was the name of a priestly family mentioned in the books of Jeremiah and Chronicles.

This seal impression is the first ancient Hebrew inscription ever found from the Temple Mount and is the first piece of evidence attesting to priests’ administrative functions in the First Temple. Other finds include a rare cone-shaped seal from the time of King Solomon depicting two animals, a black stone seal depicting a gazelle, and a seal made of lapis lazuli, a semi-precious gem stone.

A 7th century BCE seal impression with ancient Hebrew writing, This seal impression is the first ancient Hebrew inscription ever found on the Temple Mount and is evidence of the administrative activity in the First Temple.

During the Second Temple period (515 BCE to 70 CE) the Temple and its esplanade underwent several construction projects, primarily during the reign of King Herod and his descendants. The finds from this period include numerous pottery shards, especially from cooking pots, and many burnt livestock bones. These finds may be linked to the massive pilgrimages to the Temple described in written sources. The sifting also yielded fragments of architectural members that may be the remains of magnificent porticos that encircled the Temple Mount, or perhaps even remains of the Temple itself!

A very illuminating find is the collection of more than one thousand fragments of floor tiles in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors.

A fragment of an elaborately decorated frieze. The design is of an acanthus leaf typical of Herodian architecture. The stone has burn marks and may have originated in the Temple itself!.

These are identified as floor tiles used in a paving technique known in the Roman world as opus sectile, in which the tiles were assembled in various ways to form rich geometric patterns. The writings of Flavius Josephus testify that this technique was used as ornamentation for the open courts that surrounded the Temple:

Those entire courts that were exposed to the sky were laid with stones of all sorts (War. 5 5:2)

Josephus’ description is completely consistent with our finds and allows us to suggest a comprehensive reconstruction of the patterns of the Temple Mount floors.

We also recovered Roman period arrowheads that may originate from the Roman siege before the destruction of the Temple. The sifted earth contains large amounts of ash from repeated conflagrations. This, too, may attest to the Roman destruction of the Temple.

Floor tiles of various shapes, colors and sizes which were used in the opus sectile Roman Paving technique in royal structures. This type of floor is mentioned in the writings of Flavius Josephus regarding the floor of the open courts that surrounded the Temple. This research was published in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of the Biblical Archaeology Review.

A suggested reconstruction of the Temple courts according to Flavius Josephus’ writings and the floor tiles found at the Sifting Project.

Arrowheads from the Second Temple period.

The finds from the Late Roman period (70 to 324 CE) reflect the pagan nature of the site under Roman control. These finds include coins, pottery, gaming pieces, and evidence for a bone tools workshop at the site.

Bone and ivory dice common to the Roman period. Jewish law from that exact time, per the Mishnah, disqualifies as a legal witness any person who plays with dice (Sanhedrim 24b).

The TMSP has uncovered rich archaeological remains from the Byzantine period (324 to 638 CE). These include mosaic tesserae, roof tiles, fragments of Corinthian pillar capitals, church chancel screens and numerous coins. The pottery includes many oil lamps, some bearing misspelled Greek inscriptions, and others emblazoned with a cross or stylized cruciform lamp handles. An important group of crucifixes and cross-shaped pendants of various styles and materials was also found. On some of them the image of Jesus appears in relief or incised.

The abundance of finds from this period challenges the standard assumption that the Temple Mount was deserted and devoid of structures during this period.

Byzantine period marble and limestone architectural fragments.

A very large percentage of the finds come from the Early Islamic period (638 to 1099 CE). In this period the name of the site was changed to Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). The Dome of the Rock was built by the Umayyad Khalif Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in 691 CE as a shrine to commemorate the spot where Solomon’s Temple once stood. Later on, in 705-714 CE, his son al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik built the Al-Aqsa mosque at the southern edge of the Haram al-Sharif above the ruins of a Byzantine structure.

Gilded glass mosaic tesserae from the Early Islamic period which were removed from the Dome of the Rock exterior walls during later renovations.

These edifices were renovated in later periods. During the 16^th century CE, the magnificent exterior gilded mosaics of the Dome of the Rock were replaced with decorated glazed wall tiles. The floor tiles of the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain were replaced in modern times. These renovations included the removal of earlier architectural elements and the construction debris was dumped on the eastern side of the Temple Mount. Accordingly, the TMSP has recovered tens of thousands of gilded glass tesserae cubes originating from the mosaics on the exterior walls of the Dome of the Rock, as well as many engraved marble architectural elements from other structures. Some of these architectural fragments were used within Umayyad structures, though they originated from the Byzantine or even Second Temple periods.

In addition, we recovered inscribed pottery, mother-of-pearl inlays, jewelry, gaming pieces, glass and metal weights with inscriptions, and many coins (including gold ones) and inscribed stones from this period.

The finds from the TMSP greatly contribute to the archaeological and historical research of the Temple Mount during the Crusader period (1099 to 1187 CE). We discovered the biggest and most varied collection of silver coins ever found in Jerusalem from this period; among them are extremely rare coins and a one-of-a-kind Knights Templar medallion. The Crusader finds include many cruciform pendants, pottery and architectural remains. Many opus sectile floor tiles -that were installed in the Dome of the Rock and dismantled in later periods – were recovered in the sifting, enabling us to replicate the elaborate floor of the Dome of the Rock during the Crusaders’ times.

In scholarly texts, the Temple Mount has been commonly associated with the Knights Templar in this period. The Knights used the Al-Aqsa Mosque as their headquarters and turned the large southeastern substructure into stables for their horses, calling it “Solomon’s Stables.” The earth we are sifting originated in the area of Solomon’s Stables and has yielded many remnants of Crusader activity, including arrowheads, horseshoe nails of typical European medieval cavalry and armor scales. These finds constitute the first archaeological evidence for the Knights Templar’s utilization of Solomon’s Stables.

Crusader era iron horseshoe nails which belonged to the horses of the knights Templar that resided in Solomon’s Stables.

We have recovered numerous architectural elements from the Later Islamic periods (1187 to 1917 CE). Among the most notable finds are the glazed tiles used by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent to replace the original glass mosaics which ornamented the exterior walls of the Dome of the Rock. Moreover, we have found thousands of coins from the Mameluke and Ottoman periods, which contribute significantly to the study of coins from this period. This is also true regarding the abundant pottery from this period. We plan to publish these finds specifically in great detail. This is significant because most excavations tend to neglect later periods or publish the finds hastily. Our report aims to be the most extensive typology study published on pottery from the late antiquity (Medieval – Ottoman) periods.

Other finds from these periods include many jewelry pieces, clothing articles, military badges and insignia, old musket rounds and flint lock stones, an enormous number of Ottoman tobacco pipes, and much more.

Ottoman personal bronze seals. Among them is the seal of Abd al-Fattah al-Tamimi, who served as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem in the early 18th century.

The TMSP has proven to be an unprecedented and inexhaustible source of knowledge on the Temple Mount. Archaeological finds that lay hidden within its soil for thousands of years can now be scientifically analyzed and published for the first time. The results of this endeavor will shed much light on the Temple Mount’s past, its builders and rebuilders, its religious and social significance, its defenders and its conquerors. Today, 12 years into this project, about 75% of the debris removed from the Temple Mount has been sifted. The project requires more funds to continue sifting many more tons of removed earth and to find many more unique and important artifacts.

You should support our project because through us, you can ensure that facts, reality, and the heritage of all people who connect with the Temple Mount are protected and shared. Ignorance feeds conflict and dispute, while knowledge helps us better understand our common past.

The Temple Mount Sifting Project’s finds represent the first-ever archaeological data originating from within the Temple Mount because no proper excavation has ever been done there due to political concerns.

Our research has the ability to challenge theories, clarify understandings, and present the factual data about the history of the Temple Mount. We can undermine the Temple Denial movement; but only if our facts and research are shared with the scientific community and the public.

Our mission is to publish at least three volumes of our research on the Temple Mount’s history, special finds, coins, and pottery in 2021. We want our scientific research to encourage educated discussion on the history of the Temple Mount.

As a member of the global community, it is your responsibility to preserve this heritage. This is your chance to take part in revealing Jerusalem’s ancient past. You can ensure that facts, reality, and the heritage of all people who feel connected to the Temple Mount are protected and shared.

Why the Temple Mount?

For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56: 7)

The Temple Mount is sacred to more than half of the world’s population and three major religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. According to the Bible, it is a place where heaven and earth meet, which was designated to be an epicenter for all facets the religious and national life, and an anchor point from which the word of God is spread out to the world. Today it is Judaism’s holiest site, where the First and Second Temples once stood, and remains the focal point of Jewish prayers. For Christians, it is home to the Temple that Jesus knew. It is the third holiest site in Islam, the location of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Anything that happens on the Temple Mount resonates throughout the entire world, and yet no proper excavation has ever been conducted here.

Map of the Old City of Jerusalem with the major excavated areas in the last 150 years. Note the large blank rectangle of the Temple Mount where no systematic excavation has ever taken place.

From the outset, the Temple Mount Sifting Project (TMSP) was a risky endeavor. We didn’t know what would emerge from the truckloads of dirt or how to undertake this unique research. Despite the initial concerns, our efforts – and those of our dedicated volunteers – have proven to be amazingly worthwhile.

The discovery of seals and seal impressions has shed new light on the administrative activities that took place in the First Temple, contradicting minimalist claims that the site was a mere village in the 10^th century BCE, and confirming the biblical account that the Temple Mount was part of the city during that time. Opus sectile paving stones match Josephus’ descriptions of the elegant architectural style of the Herodian renovations to the Second Temple. Hundreds of thousands of mosaic tesserae and other architectural elements prove that the Temple Mount was occupied – not deserted as was previously believed – during the Byzantine period. In recent years, Palestinian political leaders have invented new claims completely denying the existence of the First and Second Temples at the site, and these claims have now been supported by UNESCO. Our finds, and most scholars, prove otherwise.

The TMSP is focusing its efforts on the enormous tasks of processing and studying the finds and preparing them for scientific publication. Unpublished finds have little value for archaeological research. It is as though they had never been found. Presently, more than half a million finds are still waiting to be processed and analyzed in our laboratory. We cannot allow this to be the fate of the finds from such an important site as the Temple Mount.

You have the responsibility to support our efforts and bring to light the history of the Temple Mount. Help us prevent these antiquities and their history from being lost to illegal construction. Help us resolve scholarly and political debates about the long history of this important site by publishing the truth found in the archaeological record.

The publication of TMSP’s finds represent an opportunity for meaningful and educated dialogue that has the potential to reduce political conflicts. Ignorance feeds conflict and dispute, while knowledge helps us better understand our common past.

We have launched this campaign to ensure that we have the capability of continuing our important research. We need to cover costs like cataloguing finds, completing the core research for our planned publication, and doing advanced statistical analysis to better understand the context of our artifacts.

Our current goal is to fully fund current research on special finds, coins, and pottery so that we can stay on track for our publication deadline in 2021. With your help, we can keep our focus on our research and not on ways to raise money or cut the budget to keep the lights on.

More than half a million finds await processing and analysis in our laboratory. The study and publication of these finds are enormous tasks that require diligence and the expertise of many scholars.

Your contribution will fund the completion of our core research. This includes:

• Highly-trained researchers: Each artifact category and period requires a specialist in that field. Our artifacts span dozens of categories, and a comprehensive publication of our finds requires hiring many specialists. Our core research includes the analysis of pottery and coins from different time periods spanning 3000 years of Temple Mount history, as well as the analysis of glass, figurines, scarabs, and other special finds.

• Scientific analysis: Evaluation by Carbon-14 dating, mineralogical analysis, artifact preservation, computerized statistical analysis and comparative typological data mining all require sophisticated expertise and highly specialized equipment.

• Photography and media: High resolution studio photography, 3-D laser scanning, scientific drawing, sorting, classifying, compiling, and cataloguing of all of our finds facilitates the speed and accuracy of the research process.

All funds our managed by the Israel Archaeology Foundation, which is an Israeli Tax-Exempt Non-profit Organization. We are also capable of receiving donations from US, Canada and UK tax-exempt organization. Check out more information about this here.

Support us by sharing this website and video via social media – on Facebook, Twitter, and other networks. Raising awareness about the Temple Mount Sifting Project in your community, and even around your own dinner table, will help us give voice to the muted history of one of the world’s most sacred sites.

The absence of archaeological data has resulted in many unresolved and hotly debated historical questions. Although all scholars (including Muslim scholars) assert that the Jewish Temples were located on the Temple Mount, For the past few decades, Palestinian and Muslim leaders have begun denying their existence here. This claim was then supported in the recent UNESCO resolution in October 2016. See our response to this resolution here. We outline the archaeological evidence, from our sifting and other excavations in Jerusalem, supporting the existence of the First and Second Temple on the Temple Mount.

Below are links to a sample of the many reports about the Sifting Project that have appeared in past years in the media and are accessible online.

Smithsonian Magazine: What is Beneath the Temple Mount

National Geographic Magazine

Jerusalem Post: Archaeologists restore ancient tiles from Second Temple in Jerusalem

Haaretz: Uncovering Jerusalem’s History in the Rubble of Temple Mount

Israel Hayom: Second Temple-era mikveh discovered under Al-Aqsa mosque

NBC News: At Holy Site, Even Trash Holds Treasures

Scientific American: Archeologists Restore Flooring That Adorned the Second Temple of Jerusalem

TOI: UNESCO’s Jerusalem resolution ignores Christian roots, too

JPOST: Disproving ‘Temple Mount denial’ one bucket at a time

TOI: New Six Day War artifacts hint at a battle on the Temple Mount

Jewish Press: Fund the Temple Mount Sifting Project NOW

TOI: 3 tiny, extremely rare 4th century BCE Jewish-minted coins found in Jerusalem

TOI: Archaeologist for a day: Find Temple Mount treasures — at a school near you

MIDA: Temple Mount Sifting Project Reveals who Really Controls the Holy Site