The enclosure of the Temple Mount has the potential to provide answers to key questions concerning the development of rituals in Jerusalem. However, issues of management, control and politics have always had a crucial influence on the possibility of conducting historical and archaeological research at the site. This article attempts to analyze archaeologically the observations made at the site during the construction works conducted during 1999–2001. It includes photographs, plans and sections of the antiquities exposed at the time of those building activities.