Al-Aqsa Mosque is located in the southeast corner of the Old City of Jerusalem, covering one-sixth of its area.
Al-Aqsa Mosque, also referred to as Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), comprises the entire area within the compound walls (a total area of 144,000 m2) - including all the mosques, prayer rooms, buildings, platforms and open courtyards located above or under the grounds - and exceeds 200 historical monuments pertaining to various Islamic eras
Hover your mouse over the monuments and buildings inside Al-Aqsa Mosque to discover what they are.
The Dome of the Rock is the earliest existing model of Islamic architecture, was built over what Muslims believe to be the Rock of Ascension*. It is sitting on top of an octagonal-shaped building with four doors; the building’s dimensions are 20.59 meters in length and 9.5 meters in height.
Al-Qibly Mosque is the first physical structure ever built by Muslims on Al-Aqsa compound. When Muslims first entered Jerusalem in 15 AH/638 AC the site was deserted and neglected with no signs of construction on it.
The Mamluk Judge Sharf Ad-Din bin Fakhr Ad-Din Al-Khalili built the Moroccan’s Gate Minaret in 677AH/1278AC next to the Moroccan’s Gate. The 23 meters high minaret is the shortest minaret inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and is standing without any foundations.
Prince Saif Ad-Din Tankz bin Abdullah An-Nasry built this minaret over Al-Aqsa’s northern corridor in 730 AH/1329 AC next to the Gate of the Chain. The square-shaped minaret can be accessed through Al-Ashrafya School using a staircase made of 80 steps
The Ayoubi judge Sharaf AdDin bin Abdul Rahman Bin AsSahib built the Bani Ghanim Gate Minaret in 677 AH/1278 AC. It is a square-shaped minaret located near Bani Ghanim’s Gate which is considered the most decorated of Al-Aqsa’s minarets. With a height of 38.5 meters
The Tribes Gate Minaret was first built by the Governor of Jerusalem Saif Ad-Din Qatlo Pasha during the Mamluk Sultan Al-Ashraf Sha’ban reign next to the Tribes Gate. It used to be a square shaped minaret until the Ottomans ordered its reconstruction in 1007 AH/1599 AC
The Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan ordered the building of this dome in 72 AH/691 AC. It is located to the east of the Dome of the Rock; although some people believe it was built as a prototype for the Dome of the Rock, yet it is smaller in size and different in shape.
Sultan Saif Ad-Din Ennal built this sabeel in 860 AH; however, only a well remained of its original structure. The Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay reconstructed the Sabeel and added the building made of colourful bricks and the marble floors.
The Supreme Judge Burhan Ad-Din bin Jamaa’ ordered building the marble pulpit in 709 AH/1309 AC to replace a small portable one made of wood.
Mohammad Bek Hafez, an Ottoman Governor of Jerusalem, ordered the building of this dome in 1112 AH/1700 AC. The dome is located to the northwest of the Dome of the Rock and consists of two rooms
The Gate is located in the northwest part of Al-Aqsa Mosque and was last renovated in 707AH/1308AC. It is a relatively small gate named after the Old City’s Bani Ghanim Quarter to which it leads.
The Inspector’s Gate is located in Al-Aqsa Mosque’s western corridor to the south of Bani Ghanim’s Gate. It was renovated in 600AH/1203AC by King Moathem Sharaf Ad Din. It is a huge gate with a 4.5 meter high entrance.
The Iron Gate is located in the western corridor of Al-Aqsa Mosque between the Inspector’s Gate and the Cotton Merchants’ Gate; it was last renovated in 755-758 AH/1354-1357 AC. It is also called Aragun’s Gate
The Mamluk Sultan Mohammad bin Qaloun built the Cotton Merchants’ Gate in 737 AH/1336 AC, in the western part of Al-Aqsa Mosque between the Iron Gate and the Ablution Gate.
(Al-Matharah)
This gate is located in the western corridor of Al-Aqsa Mosque near the Cotton Merchants’ Gate which is close to the Dome of the Rock. It is the only gate of Al-Aqsa that does not lead to one of the Old City’s quarters
The Gate of the Chain which was built during the Ayoubi era is one of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s main entrances; it is located in the southern part of Al-Aqsa’s western wall.
The Gate of the Chain which was built during the Ayoubi era is one of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s main entrances; it is located in the southern part of Al-Aqsa’s western wall.
The Moroccan Gate is located in Al-Aqsa Mosque’s western wall (Al-Buraq Wall). It was last renovated in 713AH/1313AC. The gate leads to the Moroccan Quarter that was demolished by the Israeli Occupation Forces in 1967
The Gate of Darkness is located in Al-Aqsa’s northern part; it was last renovated in 610 AH/1213 AC by the Ayoubi King Al-Moatham Sharf Ad-Din Issa. The gate is known by a variety of names such as the Gate of Darkness, the Gate of Faisal
The Gate of Remission is one of the oldest gates inside Al-Aqsa; it is located in the Mosque’s northern corridor between the Gate of the Tribes and the Gate of Darkness. The accurate year in which the gate was built remains unknown
The Fatimid Caliph Ath-Thaher L’Izaz Din Allah ordered building the Triple Gate in 452AH/1034 AC, in the middle of the Southern Wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It consists of three entrances that overlook the Umayyad palaces outside
The Funeral’s Gate is one of Al-Aqsa’s hidden gates, located on its eastern wall. Its name stems from the fact that it was used by Muslims restrictedly to carry out funerals to Al-Rahma (Mercy) Graveyard
The Golden Gate is an ancient historical door carved inside Al-Aqsa’s eastern wall. It consists of two gates, one to the south (Al-Rahma - Mercy) and one to the north (Al-Tawbah - Repentance).
The Dome of Ascension was built in commemoration of Prophet Mohammad’s (PBUH) ascension to heaven (Al-Mi’raj). It is a small octagonal dome based on 30 marble columns; the open space between the columns was later sealed using marble slabs.
The Prophet’s Dome is an octagonal dome located northwest of the Dome of the Rock. In 945 AH/1538-1539AC, Mohammad Bek, the governor of Gaza and Jerusalem during the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s reign, built a niche on this location
It was built by the commander of al-Quds Brigade, Muhammad Bek, in 974AH /1567AD. The hermitage contains two floors; on the upper floor, there are two rooms, the Eastern is used as a room for the guards of the mosque, and the Western as the office of the imams of Al-Aqsa Mosque
This is a small octagonal dome located on the Dome of the Rock’s courtyard. It is based on eight marble columns attached to eight arches carrying the dome’s drum.
It was built by Muhammad ibn Erwa al-Musali (613 AH / 1216 AD) during the era of King Issa al-Ayyubi. There are three engravings on the sabeel’s frontage, the first -from the left- indicates to the Ayyubid renovation and the middle to the Mamluk renovation, while the right engraving indicates to the Ottoman renovation.
It is also called the gate of imprisonment (al-Habs). It is located to the east of The Inspector’s Gate (An-Nadhir). This sabeel was built by Prince Alaa Al-Din Al-Busiri and then renovated by Ibrahim Al-Roumi during the period of the Mamluk Sultan Barbesai.
The dome was built in 587 AH/1191 AC by the Ayoubi King Saladin; it was renovated in 1092 AH/1681 AC during the Ottoman Era. According to some historians it was named Yusuf Dome in commemoration of Prophet Yusuf (PBUH).
King Issa Al-Moatham ordered building this dome’s basic structure in 604 AH/1207 AC and dedicated it to teaching Arabic language and grammar in particular. In 608 AH/1213 AC he added a dome on top of it.
Qasim Pasha Fountain is located on the southwest side of A-lAqsa Mosque close to the Gate of the Chain. Built by Qasem Pasha the Prince of Jerusalem in 933 AH/1527 AC
This dome is located in the middle of the Moses Platform in the western courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It was built by the Ayoubi King Najm Ad-Din bin Al-Malk Al-Kamel in 647 AH/1249-1250 AC
It is located to the east of The Moroccan Gate (al-Maghariba Gate) and to the north of al-Maghariba Mosque (The Islamic Museum). It was built at the beginning of the Ottoman era in 987 AH / 1579 AD but it is out of service now.
Yusuf Agha, an Ottoman governor of Jerusalem, built this dome to the west of Al-Qibly Mosque in 1092 AH/1681 AC. It is a square-shaped building topped with a small dome.
This dome is located in the northern part of Al-Aqsa Mosque to the southwest of the Gate of Darkness. It is believed that it was first built during the Umayyad era.
The Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II wanted to leave a landmark that commemorates him inside Al-Aqsa Mosque, thus he built this dome in the northern part of the mosque next to the Gate of Darkness in 1223 AH/808 AC.
Al-Ka’as is an ablution that was built by the Ayoubi Sultan Al-Adel Abu Bakr bin Ayoub in 589 AH/1193 AC. It is a circular basin with a fountain in the middle which is surrounded by an ornamented iron fence encircled by stone stools.
The Ancient Aqsa is located underneath the central nave of Al Qibly Mosque; it is a linear building that extends from north to south. It can be accessed by using an old staircase sitting in front of Al-Qibly Mosque’s exterior corridor which is made of 18 steps
Al-Marwani
The Eastern Basement is a subterranean massive hall located in the southeastern corner of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Originally a very steep hill, this area was raised through various structures
The accurate year or era in which this gate was constructed remains unknown. Some historians claim it was built during the Abbasid era, while others say it was built during the Fatimid era.
The North-western Arched Gate was built by the Mamluk King Al-Ashraf Sha’ban in 778 AH/1386 AC, and was renovated in 926AH/1519 AC by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
The North Arched Gate, 4 meters hight, was built during the Mamluk era in 721 AH/1321 AC.
Sultan Mohammad bin Qalawun has built this gate in 726 AH/1325 AC. It consists of two stone trusses that have two thin stone columns between them which are topped with arches.
The Western Arched Gate was built in 320 AH; however, its founder remains unknown. It consists of two stone pillars that have three marble columns between them which are topped with a number of arches.
This ancient mosque is located in the southwestern part of Al-Aqsa compound next to the Moroccan Gate (Western Wall). It was built during the 12th or 13th Century AC and pertains to the Ayoubi era
The Women’s Mosque was originally built and used by the Crusaders as a dining room for the Knights Templar; however, when Saladin liberated Jerusalem he turned the building into a mosque for women.
This arched gate was first built during the Abbasid Era and renovated twice after that: once during the Fatimid Era and once by the Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II in 1311/1893 AC.
Al-Buraq Wall represents the southwestern section of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s wall, some 50 meters in length and approximately 20 meters in height. It is part of Al-Aqsa Mosque and considered an Islamic property.