So many people are confused about the exact location of Masjid Al Aqsa, in this article, we will explain Al-Aqsa Mosque origin and exact location.
A little history of Al-Aqsa Mosque
The al-Aqsa Mosque or al-Aksa1 is the largest mosque in Jerusalem. It was built in the 7th century on the Temple Mount and is part, with the Dome of the Rock, of a group of religious buildings built on the Esplanade of Mosques (Haram al-Sharif).
According to Muslim tradition, the second caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab2 began building the mosque in 637 on the sacred site from where the Prophet Muhammad rose to heaven during the night journey.
Presentation of Mosque Al-Aqsa
The first prayer building at al-Aqsa, erected in 637, was rebuilt and enlarged by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik and then completed by his son al-Walid in 705.
The mosque was destroyed by an earthquake in 746 and rebuilt by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur in 754 and then rebuilt again in 780. Another earthquake destroyed most of the building in 1033 and the Fatimid caliph Ali az - Zahir builds a new mosque.
Subsequently, the building is renovated and constructions are added, such as its dome, its facade, its minbar, its minarets and the interior structure.
In 1099, the Crusaders used the mosque as a palace and the Dome of the Rock as a church, until its capture by Saladin in 1187. Reconstructions were undertaken in the following centuries until the Jordanian administration which lasted until 1967.
Today, the mosque is under the administration of the Jordanian-led Waqf (with Palestinian participation).
Although the mosque was not associated with Isra and Mi'raj in the Middle Ages, it was gradually associated with it from 1920.
The mosque has a capacity of 5,000 worshipers and the entire esplanade can accommodate nearly 200,000 people.
Why is Al-Aqsa so important?
Al-Aqsa is in the middle of the Old City of Jerusalem and stands on a hill known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary.
The 14-hectare site is known to Jews as Har ha-Bayit, or Temple Mount.
Muslims consider al-Aqsa to be the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina.
Various figures that Muslims consider prophets were worshiped there, such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Dawud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ilyas (Elijah), and Isa (Jesus).
Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was transported from Mecca to al-Aqsa, and from there to heaven, during a single night in 620 AD.
The same site, the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site for Jews.
They believe King Solomon built the first temple there 3,000 years ago. A second Jewish temple was built there and was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Where exactly is the Al-aqsa Mosque located?
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the name given to the entire complex, which houses two Muslim holy sites: the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa or Qibli Mosque, which was built in the 8th century CE.
Who manages and controls the Al-Aqsa site today?
Israel captured the Al-Aqsa site in the 1967 war with its Arab neighbors and annexed it along with the rest of East Jerusalem and neighboring parts of the West Bank.
These areas were then under Egyptian and Jordanian control, and Israel's action was never recognized internationally.
The Hashemite monarch of Jordan is the official custodian of the Muslim and Christian places of worship at the al-Asqa site.
He appoints members of an endowment fund called the Islamic Waqf to oversee it.
Under a long-standing agreement, non-Muslims can visit al-Aqsa, but only Muslims are allowed to worship within the mosque grounds.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel forbids Jews from entering the grounds of the Temple Mount, considered too sacred for them to set foot on.
Israeli government rules state that Christians and Jews can only visit the site as tourists, and only for four hours a day and five days a week.
Jews worship at the Western Wall, or Wailing Wall, located beneath the Temple Mount, which is considered the last remnant of Solomon's Temple.
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