Solomon's Temple on a map

Israel’s First Holy Temple

Solomon’s Temple, also called the First Temple, was built in Jerusalem about 3,000 years ago by King Solomon, the son of David. It stood on Mount Moriah, the same place where Jewish tradition says Abraham once prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Today, this spot is known as the Temple Mount, a sacred site for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Three-parted Temple

The temple was a large, beautiful building made of stone and covered in gold. It had three main sections:

• the courtyard, where people gathered to pray and offer sacrifices;
• the Holy Place, where priests burned incense and kept sacred items;
• and the Most Holy Place, a small, inner room that held the Ark of the Covenant—a golden chest containing the Ten Commandments. Only the high priest could enter this room, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, to ask for God’s forgiveness on behalf of the people.

Israel's only worship center

Solomon’s Temple was the center of Jewish worship and national identity. It was the only place where Israelites could offer sacrifices to God. People traveled from all over to pray there, especially during important festivals like Passover. Tragically for the Jewish people, the Temple was destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, who burned it down and took many Jews into captivity. This was one of the most painful events in Jewish history. Even today, Jewish prayers often include a hope for the Temple to be rebuilt. But at the moment, a 1,400-year-old Muslim shrine sits on the site, the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem's most famous landmark. Though the Temple is gone, its importance remains. It symbolized God’s presence among His people and their special relationship with Him.