Anna’s encounter with Jesus took place at Jerusalem’s temple. The marker identifies the raised sacred compound on the eastern side of today’s Old City, commonly called the Temple Mount and known in Islam as the Noble Sanctuary. It does not identify the precise spot where Anna stood.
The place Anna knew
The temple complex in Luke’s account belonged to the period of King Herod’s rebuilding and enlargement. Covered walkways and courts surrounded the central temple building. The illustration uses a shaded walkway as plausible context; Luke does not name Anna’s exact position.
Reading a modern map
The temple building was destroyed by Roman forces in AD 70, also called 70 CE. The Dome of the Rock and other religious buildings now visible in the compound are later structures. They should not be pictured as part of Anna’s surroundings.
The Old City’s eastern edge and the valley beyond provide orientation. Today’s walls, gates, streets, and place names reflect many later periods. The map is a location guide, not a reconstruction of first-century Jerusalem.
Sources: Leen Ritmeyer: Herodian temple complex; Site coordinates and modern names; UNESCO: Old City of Jerusalem; Luke 2, NIV. Location notes checked September 15, 2026.