Masjid Al-Aqsa

Jerusalem, Palestine

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

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Al-Aqsa is the compound of Islamic religious buildings atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, regarded as the third holiest site in Islam. The complex encompasses the Dome of the Rock, multiple mosques and prayer halls, madrasas, zawiyas, khalwas, and four encircling minarets. The main congregational mosque, built initially by Umayyad caliphs in the late seventh or early eighth century, was destroyed and rebuilt several times—most notably after earthquakes in 746 and 1033. The current structure, reduced to seven aisles with an elaborate central archway adorned with vegetal mosaics, preserves the eleventh-century outline established by the Fatimid caliph al-Zahir. During the Crusader occupation beginning in 1099, it served as a palace and headquarters for the Knights Templar before Saladin's conquest in 1187 restored it to Islamic use. The compound is now recognized as a World Heritage Site.