Al-Aqsa Mosque

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Haram al-Sharif / Temple Mount) in Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and is believed to be the destination of the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj). [1][2]

Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad was transported from Mecca to Jerusalem and ascended to heaven from this site. The Dome of the Rock, built in 691 CE by Caliph Abd al-Malik, is one of the oldest surviving Islamic structures. The Al-Aqsa Mosque itself was first constructed in the early 8th century and has been rebuilt and expanded multiple times. [1][2]

The compound is sacred in Islam as the site of Muhammad's Night Journey and as the location of the "Farthest Mosque" (al-masjid al-aqsa) mentioned in the Quran (17:1). The Dome of the Rock enshrines the Foundation Stone, which is also sacred in Judaism as the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. [1][2]

The compound is a highly sensitive site at the intersection of Israeli-Palestinian and Jewish-Muslim tensions. Non-Muslim visitors may access the compound during limited hours but may not pray there. [1][2]

The compound draws Muslim worshippers for the five daily prayers and especially for Friday congregational prayer, with attendance swelling during the month of Ramadan. Because the site sits within the contested Old City of Jerusalem, access and the conduct of prayer are governed by long-standing arrangements and are sensitive to political circumstances. [1][2][3]

The walled esplanade holds two principal structures: the congregational Al-Aqsa Mosque at its southern end and the golden Dome of the Rock at its center, the latter built in 691 CE and among the oldest surviving works of Islamic architecture. The Dome encloses the Foundation Stone, a feature also sacred in Judaism. [1]

Muslim tradition identifies the compound with the Farthest Mosque named in the Quran (17:1) and with the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey and ascension, which fixed Jerusalem as a focus of Islamic devotion alongside Mecca and Medina. The same elevated platform is the Temple Mount of Judaism, making the site one of the most theologically layered places on earth. [1][3]