Al-Aqsa Mosque is an Islamic holy place in the Old City of Jerusalem

Al-Aqsa Mosque — also known as al-Aqsa — is an Islamic holy place in the Old City of Jerusalem. The mosque itself forms part of the al-Haram ash-Sharif or “Sacred Noble Sanctuary,” a site also known as the Temple Mount and considered the holiest site in Judaism, since it’s believed to be where the Temple in Jerusalem once stood.

Eastern view of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Fakhariyyah Minaret. Photo MathKnight

The Al-Aqsa along the southern wall of the Temple Mount. Photo David Shankbone

The dome of the Al-Aqsa in 1982, made of aluminum, replaced with its
original lead plating in 1983. Photo Barbara Kabel

The rectangular mosque and its precincts are 1,550,003 square feet (144,000 sq. meters), with a capacity of 400,000 people, although the mosque itself is about 376,737 square feet (35,000 sq. meters) and could hold up to 5,000, measuring 272 feet (83 meters) long by 184 feet (56 meters) wide.

The al-Aqsa Mosque was originally a small prayer house built by the Rashidun caliph Umar, but was rebuilt and expanded with additions of its dome, facade, minbar, minarets and the interior structure, after successions of earthquakes over the centuries.

When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they used the mosque as a palace and church, but its function as a mosque was restored after its recapture by Saladin. More renovations, repairs and additions were undertaken in the later centuries by the Ayyubids, Mamluks, the Supreme Muslim Council, and Jordan.

The Al-Aqsa silver-colored dome of lead sheeting. Photo Maryatexitzero

Facade and porch of the Al-Aqsa mosque. Photo Yaakov Shoham

Interior of the Al-Aqsa showing the central naves and columns. Photo Eric Stoltz

Al-Aqsa mosque. Photo Wilson 44691

The destruction of the First Temple — known as the Temple of Solomon — is attributed to the Babylonians in 587 B.C, and there are no physical remains attesting to its presence or structure. Building of the Second Temple began during the rule of the Persian king Cyrus the Great, but was destroyed by the Roman Emperor (then general) Titus in 70 CE.

All that remains of it is the Western Wall, which is thought to be a remnant of this second temple’s platform. Emperor Justinian built a Christian church on the site in the 530′s which was consecrated to the Virgin Mary and named “Church of Our Lady.” The church was later destroyed by Khosrau II, the Sassanian emperor in the early 7th century and left in ruins.

It’s unknown exactly when the al-Aqsa Mosque was first built and who ordered its construction, but it is certain that it was created in the early Ummayad period of rule in Palestine.


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