The Well of Souls, is a partly natural, partly man-made cave located inside the Foundation Stone under the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. During the Crusader period, it was known to Christians as the "Holy of Holies", referring to the inner sanctum of the former Jewish Temple, which, according to modern scholarship, was probably located on top of the Foundation Stone.
"The Cave beneath the Holy Rock, Jerusalem". Watercolor over pencil on paper, Carl Haag, 1859
The Foundation Stone in the floor of the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem. The round hole at upper left penetrates to the Well of Souls below. The cage-like structure just beyond the hole covers the stairway entrance to the cave.
"The Cave Under the Great Rock on Mount Moriah" known as the Well of Souls (Illustration from Charles William Wilson's Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt, 1883)
Entrance to the Well of Souls in the Dome of the Rock, 2018
The Foundation Stone, or the Noble Rock is the rock at the center of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is also known as the Pierced Stone, because it has a small hole on the southeastern corner that enters a cavern beneath the rock, known as the Well of Souls.
The Foundation Stone in the floor of the Dome of the Rock shrine in Jerusalem. The round hole at upper left penetrates to a small cave, known as the Well of Souls, below. The cage-like structure just beyond the hole covers the stairway entrance to the cave (south is towards the top of the image).
The bottom of the Foundation Stone, photo taken from the Well of Souls
1859 watercolor of the Foundation Stone by Carl Haag
Picture of the Foundation Stone taken in the second half of the 20th century
