- Address: Jerusalem, Israel;
- Discovery: 705 of the Nativity of Christ;
- Owner: Jerusalem Islamic Waqf.
The Al-Aqsa mosque is an architectural and cultural monument in Israel , which is of great importance to all Muslims. It is the third most important shrine of Islam. The mosque is located on the Temple Mount, with which Islam is associated with the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad to heaven.
Features of the place
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is very close to another Kubbat al-Sahra temple, so sometimes they are confused. Compared with the neighboring building, the temple is smaller and unpretentious. He only has one minaret, but the mosque is quite roomy.
At the same time, up to 5,000 believers can be inside. The name of the temple is translated as a "distant mosque". On the site where it was built, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven after he prayed with the other three prophets. They symbolically cut his chest and washed his heart with righteousness, only then Muhammad was able to stand before Allah, who discovered the rules of prayer.
Given the events that took place on this site, the Mosque in Israel Al-Aqsa has a special status. For a long time it served as a landmark, to which Muslims had to turn their faces during prayer. Then this status passed to the temple in Mecca.
Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem - history
At the site of the modern building was once a simple prayer house. It was built by order of the Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab, because of this the mosque is also called by the name of the caliph. The subsequent caliphs brought many changes to the exterior of the house.
The temple had to be restored after the strongest earthquake. He suffered particularly badly in 1033. Two years later, a building appeared on the site of the former, which has survived to this day. Who built the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the site of the destroyed building? It was erected by order of the Caliph Ali al-Zihir. A little later the minaret was added, the façade and the dome were changed.
Interestingly, there is a spacious basement under the temple, called the Solomon Stables. Whence there was such name, it is possible to learn, if to address to history. Before we need to understand what the Temple Mount is, the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in the place where once there was a temple of Solomon. It was destroyed, but the name behind the mountain was fixed.
In 1099, the building was turned into a Christian church by the crusaders, who turned the internal premises into headquarters, and in the basement contained fighting horses. Sultan Salah ad-Din conquered the territory and returned the former appointment to the building.
Description of the mosque
The Al-Aqsa Mosque has the following structure and features:
- in the modern building there are seven galleries, which are quite spacious rooms, one of them is central;
- The facade is faced with lead plates, and the interior is decorated with mosaic;
- in the mosque there are many columns of stone and marble;
- From the north side, seven doors lead to the temple, each to a certain gallery;
- The lower half of the temple is faced with marble slabs, and the upper half is beautiful mosaic.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the photo of which must be made when visiting it, is included in the architectural complex called Kharamal-Sharif. To visit the mosque, you need to buy a single ticket for the Mosque "Dome of the Rock" and the Museum of Islamic Art.
The temple now and then turns out to be at the center of disagreement between the Israeli and Arab authorities. Even archaeological excavations, conducted 200 meters from the mosque, cause discontent.
How to get there?
Where the Al-Aqsa Mosque is located, is of interest to everyone who visits the Old City of Jerusalem . It is located 600 meters southeast of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher . You can reach the place by bus number 1,43, 111 or 764.