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The Dome of the Rock (Qubbatus Saqqara) is often mistaken to be the al-Aqsa mosque. This structure was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik from 688 to 691 CE and houses the sacred rock from which the Prophet Muhammed (s.a.w.) ascended to heaven (Mi’raj) after the night journey to Jerusalem (Isra’).
- When the Crusaders took over Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock mosque was re-named Templum Domini and had a cross placed on top of the golden dome. The al-Aqsa mosque was re-named Templum Solomonis. This Kingdom was to last eighty-seven years, during which time neither Jew nor Muslim was allowed to dwell within the walls of the city.
- Ibn Kathir (r.a.) writes in his book Kamil at-Tawarikh (The Perfect History) of the scene when the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders:
- “...At the top of the cupola of the Dome of the Rock there was a great gilded cross. When the Muslims entered the city on the Friday, some of them climbed the top of the cupola to take down the cross......a great cry went up from the city and from outside the walls, the Muslims crying ‘Allahu-akbar’ in their joy, the Franks groaning in consternation and grief. So loud and piercing was the cry that the earth shook.
...Saladin ordered that the shrines should be restored to their original state. The Templers had built their living quarters against al-Aqsa, with storerooms and latrines...This was all restored to its former state. The Sultan ordered that the Dome of the Rock should be cleansed of all pollution, and this was done...”
- The beautiful external tile work which can be seen today was commissioned by Sulayman II Qanuni (the Lawgiver), known throughout Europe as Sulayman the Magnificent. With the incomparable skills of Persian master ceramicists, 40,000 tiles were fired and put into place, crowned by the inscription of Surah Yasin, the 36th chapter and regarded as the heart of the Quran.
References:
Palestine: Beginner’s guide - Ismail Adam Patel
Al-Quds - Mohammed Abdul Hameed Al-Khateeb
The Crusades – Christine Hatt
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