Antiquities and Islamic sanctities
The Dome of the Rock
Built in the 7th century, this beautiful blue-and-gold shrine houses
the rock from which the Prophet took his Night Journey into heaven
The Dome of the Rock is located at the visual center of a platform
known as the Temple Mount
Second Jewish Temple
the Roman Siege of Jerusalem Jerusalem
surrendered to the Rashidun Caliphate army during the Muslim
conquest of Syria
Al Aqsa Mosque
Al-Masjid El-Aqsa is an Arabic name which means the Farthest Mosque.
To understand its name, and its importance, it must be remembered
that the roots of Islam began in the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia
today
Ten years after the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) received his first
revelation, he made a miraculous night journey from Mecca
Al-Buraq El-Sharif. During his interval in Jerusalem
stopped to pray at the rock (now covered by the golden Dome), and
was given the commandment to pray five times a day.
Today, Muslims throughout the World use Mecca
prayers (Qibla). However, for 16½ months following the Prophet
Mohammad's miraculous journey, Jerusalem
During Prophet Mohammad's life (pbuh), he instructed Muslims to
visit not only the mosque where they lived in Mecca
'Farthest mosque' from them which lay 2000 kilometers north, in
Al-Aqsa Mosque is the second oldest mosque in Islam after the Ka'ba
in Mecca
The rectangular Al-Aqsa Mosque is 144,000 square meters , 35 acres ,
or 1/6 of the entire area within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem
as it stands today.
It is also called Al-Haram El-Sharif (the NobelSanctuary)
The Dome of the Chain marks the exact central point of this Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque holds up to 400,000 worshippers at one time, bearing
in mind that the space required for each person is roughly 0.8m x .5m
to enable the submissive kneeling in prayer. On Fridays at noon,
during the fasting month of Ramadan, and particularly the 27th of
Ramadan (Lailat El-Qadr), the area is filled to virtual capacity.
There are 11 gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque: 7 of which are open.
Of the 4 closed gates, one is the Golden Gate .
Chapel of the Ascension
Both a Christian and Muslim holy site, this Crusader-era chapel
marks the spot where Jesus ascended into heaven after his
resurrection. His footprint is imprinted in the floor
