“The Nestorians, a sect of
Christianity, built several monasteries around the mountain,
including one on the summit called the Cloister of
the Ark; it was destroyed by lightning in A.D. 766. The Muslims
later built a mosque on the site.”
Bill
Crouse, Bible & Spade Vol. 19 No. 4
Could part of the wood and asphalt have been
from one of these two structures, one of which was destroyed
by fire? Yes, very easily