Editing Temple Mount (section)

== Location and dimensions ==
[[File:JerusalemTopography.png|thumb|Topographical map of Jerusalem, showing the Temple Mount on the eastern peak]]
The Temple Mount forms the northern portion of a narrow spur of hill that slopes sharply downward from north to south. Rising above the [[Kidron Valley]] to the east and [[Tyropoeon Valley]] to the west,{{sfn|Gonen|2003|p=9–11}} its peak reaches a height of {{cvt|740|m|ft|0}} above sea level.<ref name="Lundquist2007p.103">[[Temple Mount#ref Lundquist2007|Lundquist (2007)]], p. 103.</ref> In around 19 BCE, [[Herod the Great]] extended the Mount's natural [[plateau]] by enclosing the area with four massive retaining walls and filling the voids. This artificial expansion resulted in a large flat expanse which today forms the eastern section of the [[Old City of Jerusalem]]. The [[Trapezoid|trapezium]] shaped platform measures {{cvt|488|m}} along the west, {{cvt|470|m}} along the east, {{cvt|315|m}} along the north and {{cvt|280|m}} along the south, giving a total area of approximately {{cvt|150000|m2|acre}}.<ref name="Finkelstein1999p43">[[Temple Mount#refFinkelstein1999|Finkelstein, Horbury, Davies & Sturdy (1999)]], p. 43.</ref> The northern wall of the Mount, together with the northern section of the western wall, is hidden behind residential buildings. The southern section of the western flank is revealed and contains what is known as the [[Western Wall]]. The retaining walls on these two sides descend many meters below ground level. A northern portion of the western wall may be seen from within the [[Western Wall Tunnel]], which was excavated through buildings adjacent to the platform. On the southern and eastern sides, the walls are visible almost to their full height. The platform itself is separated from the rest of the Old City by the Tyropoeon Valley, though this once deep valley is now largely hidden beneath later deposits and is imperceptible in places. The platform can be reached via Gate of the Chain Street – a street in the [[Muslim Quarter (Jerusalem)|Muslim Quarter]] at the level of the platform, actually sitting on a monumental bridge;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Temple Mount – Other sites |url=https://www.biblewalks.com/templemountsites}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=September 2015}} the bridge is no longer externally visible due to the change in ground level, but it can be seen from beneath via the Western Wall Tunnel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Montefiore |first=Simon Sebag |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QO0-lV0rxsQC&dq=%22Gate+of+the+Chain+Street%22&pg=PA371 |title=Jerusalem: The Biography |date=2011 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-59448-8 |page=371 |language=en}}</ref>