In the grove on the eastern part of the Temple Mount are many items, many of them made of marble, that come from ancient buildings from the early Arab period, architectonic items from Byzantine churches, and black limestone floor tiles that Dvira says come from the plaza that surrounded the Second Temple. From time to time, bulldozers move those piles, crushing valuable objects, such as an inscription in early Arabic from the Fatimid period. Archaeological damage does not discriminate between Jewish, Muslim and Christian artifacts. Also, astonishingly, some of the surfacing stones brought in to repair the eastern wall are ancient, sometimes decorated stones used in ancient buildings. Officials of the Antiquities Authority know this situation very well, but they do not operate on the Temple Mount as they do at other archaeological sites.
Ismailimail 