Back in 1927 an earthquake damaged the Al-Aqsa mosque, which occupies the Temple Mount. During the repairs Robert Hamilton, a British archaeologist, was allowed to sift through the rubble, but he was forced to hide much of what he found. Certain artifacts were hidden away, but have now come to light as part of the Antiquities Authority archives at the Rockefeller Museum. Among other things, it appears that the Al-Aqsa mosque is built over the site of a mikveh, a baptismal pool in which Jewish worshippers would immerse before entering the temple.
More recent discoveries indicate that a Byzantine church occupied the temple mount before the Muslims built the Al-Aqsa mosque. Evidently these discoveries are creating a bit of a stir. Read the entire story at Israel Hayom.
