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An aerial view of the Temple Mount, one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. Dominated by three religious structures from the early Umayyad period—the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain—the mount also has walls which date to the Herodian dynasty, including the Western Wall.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism, in which it is regarded as the place where God's divine presence is manifested most frequently. In Christianity, it is held to have been the location of both Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple. Sunni Muslims consider the Mount the third holiest site in Islam, associating it with Muhammad's journey to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven. Owing to its importance to these religions, claims over the Mount have been heavily contested.Photograph: Andrew Shiva