A TOUR of the MODEL of the SECOND TEMPLE of

JERUSALEM

The model of the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem is displayed at The Israel Museum.

The model recreates Jerusalem in 66 CE.

The ancient city was then at its largest, covering an area of about 445 acres.

Ancient Jerusalem is shown at its peak, just before all was lost.

The model is on a scale of 1:50; two centimeters on the model represents one meter of the ancient city.

The original of this model was the Second Temple of Jerusalem.

The first temple was built by King Solomon and destroyed in 586 BCE.

The work of rebuilding the Temple began in 19 BCE by Herod the Great.

10,000 skilled laborers were needed. Because only the priests were allowed to enter certain parts of the building…

1000 Levites were specially trained as builders and masons…

…and carried out their work so well that at no time was there any interruption in the sacrifices and other services.

City of David

A wall surrounded the whole area and a small portion of it, known as HaKotel, remains to this day.

By reading Biblical descriptions, we get an idea of how the interior of the Ancient Temple may have looked.

In the year 66 CE, the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans erupted, resulting in the destruction of the city and the Temple.

In the year 70 CE Emperor Hadrian's Roman Army finally crushed the Bar Kochba revolt in Israel ending the Jewish State for nearly two thousand years and scattering Jewish communities all over Europe and Asia.

The spoils of the war were carried off to Rome as were many prisoners. It is believed that the golden menorah from the Ancient Temple was taken there.

Today many of the ruins still remain nestled within the modern city.

The Dome of the Rock Mosque stands in the place where the temples once stood.

Hundreds of people come each day to HaKotel to pray and leave messages in the cracks of the 2000 year old remains of Second Temple.

The Jerusalem skyline displays ancient ruins, a modern business center, and views of mosques, churches, and synagogues the three religions that call Jerusalem home.

Jerusalem of Gold, of copper and of light, for all your songs, I am a harp.