In 1999–2000, large quantities of soil and stone debris removed from the Temple Mount were dumped at locations around Jerusalem. Archaeologists did not document the material in its original layers before it was moved. The event became known through the work near the southeastern part of the compound associated with Solomon’s Stables, an ancient vaulted area later adapted as a mosque. Israel Antiquities Authority archaeologist Yuval Baruch’s report documents the debris and its destinations.
What the removal changed
Archaeological excavation records the position and relationship of objects before they are disturbed. Here, the removal mixed material from different periods and locations. That loss of stratigraphic context means researchers cannot treat every object as proof of a specific room or building. The IAA survey nonetheless identified architectural elements, pottery, glazed tiles, glass, stone vessels, metal objects, beads, and coins, ranging from Iron Age II to modern times.
The Temple Mount Sifting Project began in 2004 to recover and study artifacts from the dumped debris. The project’s history describes the scale of the removed soil and the decision to rescue material from the dumps. Its methodology explains that staff sort finds by category, record them, and compare labeled piles from different source areas. Statistical study can reveal patterns among the debris; it cannot recreate every original layer with certainty.
What was recovered
The material includes objects from many periods of Jerusalem’s history. The existence of Iron Age and later finds in debris from the compound supports the conclusion that ancient activity is represented in the removed soil. But because the finds were displaced, claims about a particular object’s original position require care. For the same reason, an artifact should not be used alone to settle the layout or date of a specific structure.
The project has published research on items including pottery, architectural fragments, and floor materials. Its findings are most useful when presented with the recovery method and limits. Read how archaeology relates to the Temple Mount’s Jewish history and the history of the compound’s Islamic buildings.