1099 Crusader Massacre of Jews and Muslims in Jerusalem

July 15th, 1099 The Temple Mount

Within hours of breaching the walls of Jerusalem in 1099, the victorious Crusaders had massacred almost all of the city’s Jewish and Muslim inhabitants. The Crusaders ascended the Temple Mount and after giving thanks to God for their victory, converted the mosques into churches, renaming the Dome of the Rock the Temple of God (Templum Domini) and al-Aqsa Mosque, the Temple of Solomon (Templum Solomnis). The Mount was declared off-limits to all non-Christians and became the center of religious and civil life in Crusader Jerusalem.

Source: F.M. Loewenberg. Middle East Quarterly. Summer 2013, pp. 37-48. http://www.meforum.org/3556/temple-mount