Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islamic mosque in Jerusalem, Palestine
Al-Aqsa Mosque is a congregational mosque in Jerusalem, Palestine, covering around 144,000 square meters and including several buildings within its grounds. The main prayer hall has a silver dome and sits near the Dome of the Rock with its golden cupola, while four minarets in Mamluk style rise above the compound and over 200 monuments from different eras of Islamic architecture can be found throughout the site.
Islamic records mention this structure as having been built 40 years after the Kaaba in Mecca. Earthquakes during the Umayyad period prompted several rebuilding efforts under the Abbasids, before Crusaders converted the site into a church in the 12th century and Saladin restored it for Islamic worship in 1187.
Worshippers gather daily in the courtyards and halls to pray together and observe religious occasions. Pilgrims from many countries visit during Ramadan and other important times in the Islamic calendar, bringing a sense of devotion and community to the site.
Entry is through four main gates leading to different areas, and visitors need permits and must follow certain dress codes. Non-Muslims can enter the grounds only during set morning hours, while the prayer halls remain open only to Muslims and the outer courtyards can be visited under religious guidelines.
The grounds sit on the Temple Mount plateau, which holds religious meaning for Muslims and followers of other Abrahamic traditions. Underground structures such as cisterns and vaults from different eras lie beneath the surface, while geometric decoration on walls and ceilings was designed without figurative images and shows Islamic artistic tradition through mathematical patterns.
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