Presale and sponsoring
After many years of dedicated work, Mount Moriah – A History of the Temple Mount, authored by Meir Antopolsky and to be published by the Meeting Place Association, is finally nearing completion. The book is now in its final layout stage and is being prepared for publication.
We invite you to learn more about the book below. If you find the project worthwhile, please consider supporting it by pre-ordering a copy, becoming a sponsor of its publication (see below), or simply sharing this page with friends who may also be interested.
We do not have to explain to you the importance of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for Judaism, for Jewish people, and for Islam and Christianity as well. The public interest in this place is ever growing. Unfortunately, tensions and strife do not disappear with time as well. While the full-scale archeological study of this complex was never done, enough sound scientific information does exist. There is not small quantity of publications that describe this sacred space, both special and popular. But, unfortunately, existing literature on Temple Mount is inherently one-sided. Muslim literature on al-Aqsa tend to deny historical facts on Jerusalem Temples, to ignore or distort archeological data. Jewish religious editions (e.g. those of Temple Institute, very popular in Israel) completely ignore Muslim or Christian connection to the place. Moreover, academic editions, even the best of them – like excellent books by Professor Oleg Grabar from Harvard University – tend to ignore actual Jewish religious connection to the place or to show Jewish presence there in a negative light.
The situation of conflicting narratives is not a base for any interfaith dialogue. Thus, we sought to prepare a book that will integrate existing historical and archeological information with Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious narratives. What is important, we try to show that these narratives are not totally independent or conflicting; while conflict does exist, there is deep connection and interplay of religious traditions as well.
The book includes two parts: first part is history of the complex from prehistoric times until modern time; the second is collection of primary sources. In the first part, we not only tell the story, founded on archeological data and on literary sources – ancient and medieval, but also try to demonstrate deep interconnections of narratives. We read Muslim and Christian narratives of Temple Mount as rooted in Jewish tradition, and all three influencing one another – despite incessant and bitter struggle or sometimes due to it.
But the book is, of course, much more than a collection of narratives. Woven around them is a three-thousand-year history of the construction, reconstruction, and destruction of dozens of its buildings, great and small, the changing religious practices associated with the site, the administration of the complex, and the evolving rules governing who was permitted—and who was forbidden—to enter the sacred precinct.
As to second part of the book, starting with chapters from Bible, Mishna and Hellenistic sources, it proceeds with array of later descriptions of the complex, Muslim, Christian and Jewish. The texts, translated from Hebrew, Greek, Armenian, Arabic, Persian, Syrian, Ancient Russian, Latin and German, were accompanied by scholarly commentary.
Here is the book’s table of contents.
Our photographer Andrey Zeigarnik has prepared an album including hundreds of pictures of every detail of the sacred complex; we have chosen the most relevant of them, together with a collection of historical photos that will show the changes that the buildings have undergone in the last 160 years. Altogether, there are close to 170 illustrations to the book, including maps, most of them color and original.
Pre-sale and appeal for sponsors.
Printing a book of this size—560 pages, large format, full color, and hardcover—is a very expensive undertaking. We expect the book to return from the printer by the end of October 2026, or shortly thereafter.
You can help make this possible:
- Become a Major Sponsor by making a donation of $1,000. Your dedication (either in memory of loved ones or conveying your good wishes to family or friends) will be printed in the book in a prominent format (up to 150 characters, in large type and enclosed in a decorative frame). You will also receive two complimentary copies of the book.
- Become a Supporting Sponsor by making a donation of $500. Your dedication will also be included in the book, but in a more modest format (up to 150 characters, in smaller type and without a frame). You will receive one complimentary copy of the book.
Sponsorship donations are tax-deductible, and official tax-deductible receipts are available for donors in Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It can be done here:
- Pre-order the book for ₪250, including delivery within Israel. The print run will be limited to 200–300 copies, and only a pre-order can guarantee that you will receive a copy.
Pre-order ₪250: https://mrng.to/Oan7bWt8Ni
