The return of the Temple Mount to Jewish sovereignty was predicted to happen in 1967 in the Bible/Tanach, just as it did during the Six-Day War. If you want to read a full explanation, see http://www.prophecysociety/Daniel8.pdf

As of January of 2010, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Mount from the gate next to the Western Wall from 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM and from 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Sunday - Thursday. When I first visited in the 80's, there were no daytime or entryway restrictions. Many Jews do not go up onto the Mount for religious reasons; others do visit. On the positive side, although sadly the Second Temple no longer stands, and atop its ruins sits the Dome of the Rock and nearby the Al Aqsa Mosque, the area is generally beautiful. Entry into Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock is no longer allowed to non-Muslims, but the structures, especially the Domeof the Rock, are very interesting. The entry area and the southern area where Solomon's Stables once stood contain many pieces of ornate pillars that were once part of Herod's rebuilt Second Temple. Although the Mount is cleaner than it was when I visited in the 80's, there are dirt and debris piles on its eastern side, left there from illegal construction. [That illegal construction to build a below-ground mosque on the southeastern side on the Mount, included the dumping of dirt and debris as if it was trash when what amazingly continues to be found in the debris are many pieces of ancient Jerusalem history, such as Hasmonean coins, pottery shards, tools, arrowheads and much more. By the way, if you want to sift through that ancient history and maybe find a 2000+ year old coin (as my nephew did), you can go to the Temple Mount Sifting Project - http://digs.bib-arch.org/digs/temple-mount.asp. The staff is great and they could use your help and support. And you can visit and sift for an hour or two only if you wish.] Another interesting part of the Mount is along the eastern wall. The wall faces the Mount of Olives and openings within the wall give spectacular views of the Jewish cemetery there as well as beautiful churches and other notable structures along the mount and the valley below. The closed Golden Gate, aka the Gate of Mercy, looks exactly the same on the inner wall as the outer although there appears to be a room there in which no entry is allowed. Most of the Mount area is paved over and lower down it contains only pathways with some small trees, but there is a beauty to the place and a history that cannot be denied Now for the negative. I was warned earlier by friends not to even appear to be praying because I could be arrested. No longer observant, I still found that highly offensive. I had already found the limited visitation time disturbing. At 1:30 exactly, several Arab men asked me to leave. And not too politely. I found that offensive as well. I exited through another gate on the east that opened into the Arab market. Now for some commentary. Israel's not taking control of the Temple Mount upon its victory in the 1967 6-Day War was an abomination. The Israelis would be tolerant of the Moslems and when they pray, but they would allow others to visit as they once were able to do, at least when Moslems were not praying. Even if I did not consider the site holy to Jews, in fact the property of the Jewish people, which I do, I would hope that all faiths could pray freely and openly at sites holy to them. I was wearing a baseball cap, not a yarmelkah, and looked simply like a tourist as I took picture after picture. The site was nearly empty of people and no people were arriving or gathering for prayers. Not too smart to be so rude to tourists, I thought. Were the people on the Mount nicer they could probably convince some of them to shop at the market that literally begins a few feet from the gate. Although some may feel sad or upset regarding visitation or religious expression restrictions at the holiest Jewish site in the world, I recommend a visit.

As of January of 2010, non-Muslims are allowed to visit the Mount from the gate next to the Western Wall from 7:30 AM - 10:00 AM and from 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM, Sunday - Thursday. When I first visited in the 80's, there were no daytime or entryway restrictions. Many Jews do not go up onto the Mount for religious reasons; others do visit. On the positive side, although sadly the Second Temple no longer stands, and atop its ruins sits the Dome of the Rock and nearby the Al Aqsa Mosque, the area is generally beautiful. Entry into Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock is no longer allowed to non-Muslims, but the structures, especially the Domeof the Rock, are very interesting. The entry area and the southern area where Solomon's Stables once stood contain many pieces of ornate pillars that were once part of Herod's rebuilt Second Temple. Although the Mount is cleaner than it was when I visited in the 80's, there are dirt and debris piles on its eastern side, left there from illegal construction. [That illegal construction to build a below-ground mosque on the southeastern side on the Mount, included the dumping of dirt and debris as if it was trash when what amazingly continues to be found in the debris are many pieces of ancient Jerusalem history, such as Hasmonean coins, pottery shards, tools, arrowheads and much more. By the way, if you want to sift through that ancient history and maybe find a 2000+ year old coin (as my nephew did), you can go to the Temple Mount Sifting Project - http://digs.bib-arch.org/digs/temple-mount.asp. The staff is great and they could use your help and support. And you can visit and sift for an hour or two only if you wish.] Another interesting part of the Mount is along the eastern wall. The wall faces the Mount of Olives and openings within the wall give spectacular views of the Jewish cemetery there as well as beautiful churches and other notable structures along the mount and the valley below. The closed Golden Gate, aka the Gate of Mercy, looks exactly the same on the inner wall as the outer although there appears to be a room there in which no entry is allowed. Most of the Mount area is paved over and lower down it contains only pathways with some small trees, but there is a beauty to the place and a history that cannot be denied Now for the negative. I was warned earlier by friends not to even appear to be praying because I could be arrested. No longer observant, I still found that highly offensive. I had already found the limited visitation time disturbing. At 1:30 exactly, several Arab men asked me to leave. And not too politely. I found that offensive as well. I exited through another gate on the east that opened into the Arab market. Now for some commentary. Israel's not taking control of the Temple Mount upon its victory in the 1967 6-Day War was an abomination. The Israelis would be tolerant of the Moslems and when they pray, but they would allow others to visit as they once were able to do, at least when Moslems were not praying. Even if I did not consider the site holy to Jews, in fact the property of the Jewish people, which I do, I would hope that all faiths could pray freely and openly at sites holy to them. I was wearing a baseball cap, not a yarmelkah, and looked simply like a tourist as I took picture after picture. The site was nearly empty of people and no people were arriving or gathering for prayers. Not too smart to be so rude to tourists, I thought. Were the people on the Mount nicer they could probably convince some of them to shop at the market that literally begins a few feet from the gate. Although some may feel sad or upset regarding visitation or religious expression restrictions at the holiest Jewish site in the world, I recommend a visit.