A Half Hour of Silence
(Temporary Cover)
Prologue Location:
The Prologue takes place in the Havasu Canyon, a southern branch of the Grand Canyon. Centuries ago the Havasupai Indians found this garden spot surrounded by desert. It is a favorite destination for hikers and adventurers to explore the beautiful canyon with its lush vegetation, abundant wildlife and many waterfalls.
Back in the 60s my Scout Troop hiked into the Havasu Canyon and spent several days hiking, swimming, and as young boys are want to do, scamper around on the canyon rocks and walls.
A bird’s-eye view of the Havasupai campground and Havasu Creek.
For more information see:
Adventures Great and Small, HAVASU CANYON, ARIZONA
Bearfoot Theory: The 5 Amazing Waterfalls of Havasu Canyon
The Temple Mount in Jerusalem
The Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Haram al-Sharif ("the Noble Sanctuary"), is a 37 acres plaza atop Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. It is holy ground for three of the world's major religions, Judaism, Islam and Christianity. This small piece of land is one of the most contested religious sites in the world. As it happens, only Muslims are allowed to worship there at this time.
The first Temple was built by King Solomon in 957 BC and then destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, in 586 BC. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 516 BC by Zerubbabel and the high priest, Joshua, after leading a large group of Jews out of Babylonian captivity. The Temple went through extensive remodeling by Herod the Great from about 25 BC to 10 BC. The Temple was again destroyed, this time by the Romans in 70 AD.
The exact location of the temple is in dispute and there are several theories about its location. (See Volume 1 of the THEE Newsletter)
The Haram al-Sharif is the third most holy site in Islam. The Dome of the Rock was constructed over the site where it is said Muhammad ascended into heaven. Just south of that is the al-Aqsa Mosque, built where Herod’s Royal Stoa (a basilica) once stood before being destroyed by the Romans. This is also the former location of Emperor Justinian's the New Church of the God-Bearer (the Nea Church), which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in 543 AD. The church was destroyed in 614 AD by an invading Persian army.
The Marwani Mosque is a recent addition to the Temple Mount. In December 1996 the Waqf converted an underground area commonly called Solomon’s Stables into a mosque by adding lights and floor tiles.
Israel reclaimed the Temple Mount and Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six-Day War. Due to the religiously delicate nature of the area, the Israeli government decided to return the management of the site to the Jordanian Waqf who had prior administration. The Waqf does not allow Christians or Jews to worship on the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount has an important part to play in A Half Hour of Silence.
A map of the Temple Mount
Looking west towards the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives. All along the eastern wall of the Temple Mount you can see thousands of headstones. The Ottomans built a cemetery in front of the large gate you see in the wall, in a mistaken belief that the Jewish Messiah would not want to defile himself by passing through a cemetery to get to the Golden Gate.
Looking North towards the Mount. On the left side of the Temple Mount opposite the group of trees is a crowd of Jews worshipping at the Wailing Wall, the closest spot a Jew may go to worship at the ancient Temple site without entering the Temple Mount itself.
Looking southwest towards the Temple Mount.
Looking North towards the Temple Mount.
The Golden Gate. Suleiman the Magnificent sealed off the Golden Gate in an attempt to prevent the Jewish Messiah from coming through the entrance as prophesied in the Bible.
Looking down at the Golden Gate from within the Temple Mount.
An older view of the Golden Gate.
The Al Kas fountain between the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque.
A view of the Gate of Tribes from the outside of the Temple Mount walls.
The Umariya madrassa is situated at the northwest corner of the Temple Mount and was built upon the foundations of the Fortress of Antonia (1st Century BC).
For more information on the Temple Mount see:
Sites & Places in Jerusalem: The Temple Mount
Visit Jesus’s Jerusalem with Virtual New Testament App
A Virtual Walking Tour: Al-Haram Al-Sharif
Secret Societies:
Secret Societies are as old as man himself. Man has always formed into groups who share common ideals and goals. A society can form at an institution of learning, such as the Skull and Bones Society that was formed at Yale University in 1832, or during a time if need, such as the Knights Templar who first formed in the early twelfth century to protect pilgrims traveling through the Holy Land. Some had ill intent and political power for their agenda, such as hatred for a race like the Klu Klux Klan, and organized crime such as the Mafia, who formed crime syndicates to gather wealth and power.
Ceremonies of initiation into such groups often begin with an oath pledging secrecy, assigning special obligations to the members, and agreeing to penalties for any violation of their oath, the most severe being death. A mentor is often assigned to the initiate to help him/her to learn the mysteries only the order possesses.
Fiction is replete with secret orders. There’s James Bond's nemesis, Spectre, Hydra of the Marvel universe, J.K. Rowling’s Death Eaters and the Sith of Star Wars. And now The Harvest at Earth's End is indroducing the Mustirmahani to the world of fiction. Human society has known them for millennia.