Al-Aqsa Mosque, Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel, 21st March 2016; Shutterstock ID 601413530; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Israel Update 2017

Shutterstock / Richard Sevcik

Al Aqsa Mosque

Jerusalem


While the Dome of the Rock serves more as a shrine than a mosque, Al Aqsa is a functioning house of worship, accommodating up to 5000 worshippers at a time. The name Al Aqsa means ‘farthest mosque’, a reference to the journey Muhammad is believed to have made on his way to heaven to receive instructions from Allah. It's off-limits to non-Muslims, though it can be admired from the outside while visiting Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif.

Originally built by order of the Umayyad caliph Al Walid (r 705–15 CE), Al Aqsa stands on what the Crusaders thought to be the site of the First Temple and what others believe was a marketplace on the edge of the Temple. Some Christians revere it as the location where Jesus turned over the tables and drove out the moneychangers (Matthew 21:13).

Rebuilt at least twice after earthquakes razed it, the mosque was converted into the residence of the kings of Jerusalem after the Crusaders took the city in 1099 CE. On the death of Baldwin II in 1131, the building was handed over to a decade-old order of soldier-monks, whose members soon began referring to themselves as the Templars after their new headquarters. The order added a number of extensions, including the still-remaining refectory along the southern wall of the enclosure. The other Crusader structures were demolished by Saladin (Salah Ad Din; 1137–93), the first of the Sunni Ayyubid dynasty, who added an intricately carved mihrab (prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca) to the mosque.

Tragic events have repeatedly occurred at the mosque over the last century. King Abdullah of Jordan (1882–1951) was assassinated while attending Friday prayers here. In 1969, an arson attack by an Australian visitor irreparably damaged priceless religious objects. Israeli metal detectors were temporarily installed at entrances to Al Aqsa in 2017 as a response to the shooting of two Israeli police officers; this prompted bloody clashes and several deaths.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Jerusalem attractions

1. Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif

0.09 MILES

There are few patches of ground as holy – or as disputed – as this one. Known to Muslims as Al Haram Ash Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Har…

2. Western Wall

0.09 MILES

The air is electric at Judaism's holiest prayer site, where worshippers recite scriptures, lay their hands on 2000-year-old stone and utter impassioned…

3. Western Wall Tunnels

0.11 MILES

Guided tours of the Western Wall tunnels offer an entirely different perspective on Herod's epic construction: visitors are led along a 488m passage…

5. Journey to Jerusalem

0.12 MILES

For those interested in exploring their Jewish ancestry, head to the Kotel administration building to try out this computer-based multimedia program…

6. Dung Gate

0.13 MILES

The most convenient Old City gate for access to the Western Wall. The popular theory as to how this unflattering appellation came about is that at one…

7. City of David

0.14 MILES

As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…

8. Tomb of Turkan Khatun

0.14 MILES

Resting place of an Uzbek prince's daughter, the tiny tomb from 1352 is adorned with carved geometric designs. Little is known of the woman interred here,…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "jerusalem/old-city/attractions/al-aqsa-mosque/a/poi-sig/1469275/1342523",
      "destination": "Jerusalem",
      "continent": "Middle-East",
      "city": "Jerusalem",
      "position": "superzone"
    }