Al-Aqsa Mosque

Within the walled Old City of Jerusalem rises Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the most revered sanctuaries in the entire Muslim world. Muslims regard it as the third holiest site after the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and it occupies a place of profound spiritual and historical significance in Islamic tradition. The mosque rests on the elevated plateau known as the Haram al Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, which encompasses a vast area of roughly thirty five acres within the old quarter of Jerusalem. This same compound also houses the golden domed Dome of the Rock, though Al Aqsa itself refers specifically to the silver leaded congregational mosque at the southern end of the plateau.

The sanctity of this site for Muslims is drawn from the Night Journey, known in Arabic as Al Isra wal Mi'raj, during which the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, was miraculously transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to Al Aqsa, and from there ascended through the heavens. This event is referenced in the opening verse of Surah Al Isra in the Holy Quran, and it bound the hearts of Muslims to Jerusalem from the earliest days of the faith. Al Aqsa was also the first direction of Muslim prayer, the qibla, before it was redirected toward the Kaaba in Mecca during the second year of the Hijra.

The present structure traces its origins to the early Umayyad period in the seventh century, with the initial mosque commissioned during the reign of Caliph Umar ibn al Khattab, may God be pleased with him, after the peaceful surrender of Jerusalem in the year 637 CE. Caliph Abd al Malik ibn Marwan and his son al Walid expanded the structure in the late seventh and early eighth centuries, giving it the form that would later be refined through successive Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and Ottoman restorations. Each generation of Muslim rulers contributed something of lasting beauty, whether in carved cedar woodwork, delicate mosaics, Kufic inscriptions, or the soaring prayer hall supported by rows of marble columns.

Al Aqsa Mosque today accommodates tens of thousands of worshippers, with the entire Haram al Sharif capable of holding over four hundred thousand during the most significant days of the Islamic calendar. The five daily prayers are held without interruption, and Friday prayers draw large congregations from across Jerusalem, the West Bank, and wider Palestine. During the blessed month of Ramadan, the mosque fills with worshippers for Taraweeh prayers, iftar gatherings, and the recitation of the Holy Quran throughout the night, while Laylat al Qadr traditionally brings some of the largest gatherings of the year.

For Muslim visitors, Al Aqsa remains a destination of deep yearning and spiritual reverence. Every step upon its courtyards carries the weight of centuries of faith, and every prayer offered beneath its vaulted ceilings continues a tradition that reaches back to the earliest years of Islam.