Wender·Vista
Temple Mount
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileIsrael
in the Old City of Jerusalem, above the Western Wall

Temple Mount

— the hill three faiths have not stopped returning to.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The platform rises above the Old City on the hill the Hebrew Bible calls Moriah, the rock at its centre held sacred by Jews, Christians, and Muslims for more than three thousand years. The gold of the Dome of the Rock catches the morning sun first and holds it longest. Below the western retaining wall, the worn limestone where the prayers slip in. The air over this hill is older than the city around it.

from the studio
Temple Mount
— bring it home

Temple Mount, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Temple Mount

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Temple Mount, known in Arabic as al-Haram al-Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary, is a walled esplanade of about 14 hectares in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem. The platform was first raised by Herod the Great in the late first century BCE around the Second Temple and remains the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. The Foundation Stone at its centre is held by tradition to be the place of Abraham's binding of Isaac and, in Islamic tradition, the point of the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey.

— the stone

The retaining walls are the original Herodian construction, ashlar limestone blocks cut in the first century BCE and laid without mortar. The largest of them, in the western wall's lower courses, weigh more than 500 tonnes. Above the platform the Dome of the Rock, completed in 691 CE by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik, shelters the Foundation Stone beneath a gilded dome 20 metres across. The Al-Aqsa Mosque at the southern end was first built in 705 CE and rebuilt several times after earthquakes.

— the visit

Access to the platform is governed by the Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf. Non-Muslim visitors enter only via the wooden Mughrabi Bridge from the Western Wall plaza, during morning hours Sunday through Thursday and outside Muslim prayer times. Interior access to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa is restricted to Muslims. The Western Wall plaza below remains open continuously to all visitors. Modest dress is required and security screening is thorough. Friday closures and high-holiday closures should be checked the day of the visit.

— where
Israel · Old City, Jerusalem
— elevation
740 m · 2,428 ft
— position
31.7780° N · 35.2354° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Western Wall
Jewish holy site
1 km NW
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Christian holy site
1 km E
Mount of Olives
ridge and cemetery
1 km S
City of David
archaeological site
N
Temple Mount
Western Wall
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Mount of Olives
City of David
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Temple Mount — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, walled on four sides and raised above the surrounding quarters. The platform covers about 14 hectares and is bordered to the west by the Western Wall plaza.

An Islamic shrine completed in 691 CE by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik. The gilded dome is 20 metres across and shelters the Foundation Stone, the bedrock summit of the hill held sacred in three faiths.

The exposed bedrock summit of Mount Moriah at the centre of the Dome of the Rock. Jewish tradition places the Holy of Holies of the First and Second Temples here. Islamic tradition holds it as the launch point of the Night Journey.

The exposed western retaining wall of the Herodian platform, built around 19 BCE. It is the holiest accessible site in Judaism and the focus of continuous prayer for nearly two millennia. The plaza below remains open at all hours.

The Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf has religious custody of the platform, with Israeli security responsibility for the perimeter. The arrangement dates from 1967 and has held in its general shape since.

Through the Mughrabi Bridge from the Western Wall plaza, during morning hours Sunday through Thursday, outside Muslim prayer times. Interior access to the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa is restricted to Muslims.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well for those whose faith — Jewish, Christian, or Muslim — turns toward this hill in prayer, for pilgrims marking a journey, and for families with roots in the Old City. A Small with a handwritten studio note travels well.

The piece reads well in Mediterranean and Levantine interiors with warm stone and brass, in Jewel-tone Maximalist palettes where the gold and the limestone can speak, and in quieter contemplative spaces.

Yes. Many of our customers place WenderVista pieces in studies, prayer corners, and quiet rooms. The Keepsake and Small sit well on a shelf or desk; the Large carries a wall in a study without dominating.

A single Large reads from across the room above a console. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the wall; for a longer wall, a 9-tile Mural holds the full sweep.

Yes — order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for any room with moisture or steam. Both are scratch-resistant and read softer than the Glossy, which is meant for framed dry-wall display.

A dry or barely damp microfibre cloth. The colour lives in the ceramic surface beneath a thin glossy finish, so no chemical cleaners are needed and abrasive pads are not recommended.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is curated and finished in our Knoxville studio. We do not licence the work and the same image does not appear under any other brand.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.