Al-Aqsa is a mosque that has for all Muslimsgreat value. This is the third shrine of the Islamic world. The first two are the temple in Mecca Al-Haram and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. What is so famous about Al-Aqsa? This we will find out in the course of our article. About who built the temple, about its complex history and its present purpose, read below.
Confusion in the names
Immediately put all the points above the "and".Some unscrupulous guides point tourists at the huge gold dome of the mosque, called Kubbat al-Sahra, and say that this is the third most important shrine of Islam. The fact is that two churches stand side by side and are part of one architectural complex. But a beautiful building with a gold top, whose name translates as "the dome of the rock," and the Al-Aqsa mosque - still not the same thing. These are completely separate buildings. The third shrine in Islam has a modest size. And its dome is unpretentious. This mosque has only one minaret. Although the temple is quite roomy. He can receive at the same time five thousand worshipers. The name Al-Aqsa is translated as a "distant mosque". It is located in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount. The city itself is a shrine for Christians, Jews and Muslims. In order to avoid disputes and religious strife, all mosques and Islamic memorial sites are under the supervision and in the care of Jordan. This, by the way, was fixed by the 1994 agreement.
What is the exclusive sanctity of the temple of Al-Aqsa
The mosque was built on a place wheremiraculously the prophet Muhammad was transferred from Mecca. This night journey, which took place in 619, the Muslims call Isra. At the same time on the Temple Mount Mohammed appeared prophets who were sent by God before him to the people. These are Musa (Moses), Ibrahim (Abraham), and Isa (Christ). All of them prayed together. Then the angels symbolically cut the breast of the prophet and washed his heart with righteousness. After that, Muhammad was able to ascend. He climbed the ladder among the angels, penetrated the seven heavenly spheres and appeared before God. Allah also revealed and explained to him the rules of prayer. The ascension of the prophet to heaven is called Miraj. This explains the extraordinary status of the temple of Al-Aqsa. The mosque for a long time was a kibla - a landmark, towards which the Muslims turned their faces during the prayer. But Kaaba is considered more sacred. Therefore now the Qibla is the temple of Al-Haram in Mecca.
History of the mosque
Originally it was a small prayer house,which was built in 636 by the order of Caliph Umar bin al-Khattab. Therefore, there are two other names near the temple of Al-Aqsa. "The Dedication Mosque" and Umar. However, the original building did not reach us. Other caliphs expanded and completed the mosque. Abdullah-Malik ibn-Mervan and his son Walid laid a large temple on the site of the prayer house. The Abbasid dynasty rebuilt the mosque after every devastating earthquake. The last significant natural disaster occurred in 1033. The earthquake destroyed most of the mosque. But already in 1035 the Caliph Ali al-Zihir erected a building, which we still see. The subsequent rulers supplemented the interior and exterior of the mosque, its adjoining territory. In particular, the façade, the minaret and the dome are later.
Solomon Stables
The mosque of Umar has a spacious basementroom. It has a strange name - Solomon Stables. To understand the meaning of this concept, you need to know what the Temple Mount is. The Al-Aqsa Mosque stands on the site where the Solomon's Temple was previously. In the seventieth year of our era this structure was destroyed by the Romans. But the name behind the mountain is preserved. It is still called the Temple. But how could the stables be located in a holy place? And this is a later story. When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, part of the mosque was converted into a Christian church. In other rooms, the commander (headquarters of the head of the order), the Templars, was located. Knights-monks kept equipment and weapons in the mosque. There were stalls there for battle horses. Sultan Salladin (properly called Salah ad-Din) drove the Crusaders from the Holy Land and returned Al-Aqsa the title of the mosque. Later the memory of the Temple of Solomon and the stables of the Templars mixed, which led to such a strange name of the basement of the Muslim shrine.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
The modern temple consists of seven spaciousgalleries. One of them is central. From the east and west to it adjoin three more galleries. The mosque is crowned with one dome. From the outside, it is covered with lead plates, and is lined with mosaic from the inside. The interior of the mosque is decorated with a large number of columns of stone and marble, connected by arches. In the temple from the north side there are seven gates. Each door opens a passage to one gallery. The walls of the building in the lower half are covered with snow-white marble, and in the upper part - with beautiful mosaics. Temple utensils are often made of gold.
Information for tourists
Mosque in Israel Al-Aqsa with the Dome of the Rock (templeKubbat al-Sahra) is one architectural complex called Haram al-Sharif. The very place - the Temple Mount - is a shrine not only for Muslims, but also for the Jews. For here stood the Ark of the Covenant. And from this place, according to Judaic beliefs, the creation of the world began. Therefore the whole Temple Mount is a shrine. Entry to it is carried out only through one gate - the Maghreb. There are strict pass hours. In the winter from half past eight in the morning until half past two days (break from the fifteenth to the first half). In the summer, the Temple Mount is allowed from eight to eleven and from 13:15 to three hours. On Islamic holidays and on Friday, the entrance to the mosque is reserved exclusively for Muslims. Visiting the shrine of Isra and Miradzha is paid. For thirty shekels you can buy a comprehensive ticket, which also includes a visit to the Museum of Islamic Culture. Before you enter the mosque, you need to take off your shoes. The clothes of visitors should be decent and modest. Persons of the opposite sex, even if they are spouses, can not touch each other inside the temple.
