The darling A-rabs had dumped precious antiquities into the city dump and broken them badly in the process. They also bulldozed part of the Temple Mount, destroying priceless artifacts, while building a stupid stairs. The rubble they created was painstakingly retrieved by Israeli archaeologists and taken to the Temple Mount Sifting Project for sifting.
All of our tour group stood in front of sieve-topped tables and each hosed down a bucket of rubble from the ruins of the Temple Mount. We were to sift through every single pebble and particle on the sieve table before us to find valuable archeological items. Three kids found ancient coins. I found a 1,000 year old shard of Byzantine pottery. Others found bone, ancient tile, glass, etc. That bone could have been from a Temple sacrifice. It filled me with awe that right there before me might have been the remains of one of the Torah's sacrificial bulls or lambs. I really could have stood there for hours, rinsing off bucket after bucket to see what I found. This was HISTORY right before me!
Two years ago our tour of Israel included sifting through that Temple Mount debris. Why the Israelis continue to let the Muslims control it is beyond me.
