Note: Some\u00a0musallas\u00a0are not used now as a musalla for reasons related to the conversion of their functions.<\/span><\/p>\n This section includes 6\u00a0musallas\u00a0in detail, then we will talk about the Dome of the Rock under the domes section, where classified by some references as a dome and by others as a\u00a0musalla.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 1) Al-Qibly Mosque<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Al-Qibly Mosque is the first physical structure ever built by\u00a0Muslims on Al-Aqsa compound. When Muslims first entered\u00a0Jerusalem in 15 AH\/638 AC the site was deserted and neglected\u00a0with no signs of construction on it. Caliph Omar bin Al-Khatab and\u00a0his companions cleared it from debris and dirt and built a simple\u00a0mosque on its southern part after deliberating the best location\u00a0for it, as some of the Prophet\u2019s (PBUH) companions suggested\u00a0building it before the Rock of Ascension to the north facing the\u00a0Qibla. Nonetheless, the Caliph decided to build the mosque in\u00a0the heart of Al-Aqsa next to the southern wall instead.\u00a0The first mosque was a simple building that sat on wooden trusses and was designed to accommodate 3,000 worshipers. However, the mosque that is standing in Al-Aqsa today is not the one that was built by Omar bin Al-Khatab. Al-Qibly Mosque, as we know it today, was first built by the Umayyad Caliph Walid bin Abdul Malek bin Marwan between 90-96 AH\/706-714 AC to replace the simple one built by Caliph Omar bin Al-Khatab and his companions. Some narratives say that Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan was the one who initiated the mosque\u2019s constructions, but he died before the building was completed and his son AlWalid carried on the mission. During the Umayyad era Al-Qibly Mosque consisted of 15 naves, with the widest being the one in the middle. The building was covered with a brick ceiling and topped with a magnificent dome at the end of the middle nave. The Mosque was renovated for the first time during the Abbasid era by Caliph Abu Jaafar Al-Mansour, and again by Caliph Al-Mahdi after the collapse of its eastern part due to a strong earthquake that hit Jerusalem, while Al-Ma\u2019moun, another Abbasid Caliph rebuilt the central hallway. 2) The Ancient Aqsa<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019s exterior corridor which is made of 18 steps. The Ancient Aqsa building ends with another door that is called \u201cThe Door of the Prophet\u201d in Arabic literature and \u201cThe Double Gate\u201d in English writings. The Mosque is a barrel shaped vault, comprised of three cylindrical arches, that has an inclination towards the south due to the geographical nature of Al-Aqsa Mosque\u2019s location; the interior building consists of two naves that are surrounded by huge stone pillars. It originally served as passage for the Umayyad caliphs connecting their palaces to Al-Aqsa, as the palaces were built next to its southern wall. When the Umayyads restored this building they reused older construction material which could have pertained to the Roman or the Herodian era. However, the Ancient Mosque\u2019s building that was restored and reopened by Al-Aqsa\u2019s Committee for the Reconstruction of Holy Sites in 1998 is an Umayyad building. Today, the building hosts Al-Aqsa Mosque\u2019s library, called \u201cAl-Khutniyah Library.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 3) Al-Musalla Al-Marwani<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Al-Musalla Al-Marwani or 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 in order to be on the same level of Al-Aqsa Mosque\u2019s northern courtyards, as Muslims wanted to build the Al-Qibly Mosque on strong foundations. Although the accurate year of construction remains unknown, it has been confirmed that the Al-Musalla Al-Marwani was built before the Al-Qibly Mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n 4) Al-Buraq Mosque<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Al-Buraq Mosque is a subterranean barrel vault built next to Al-Buraq Wall (Western Wall). It is called Al-Buraq Mosque because of a ring that is nailed to its wall which Muslims believe Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) used to tie Al-Buraq, a magnificent animal that carried him from Mecca to Jerusalem in the Night Journey of \u201cAl-Isra\u2019 wa Al-Mi\u2019raj.\u201d The main gate of Al-Buraq Mosque is located in Al-Aqsa\u2019s western wall, but is permanently sealed. Yet, the mosque is still open for prayers as worshipers use another entrance located in Al-Aqsa\u2019s western corridor.<\/span><\/p>\n 5)\u00a0The Moroccan Mosque<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n 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; however, the accurate year for its construction and the name of its founder remains unknown. The mosque was dedicated to the followers of the Maliki* School of Jurisprudence in the past, while it is now used as the western hall of the Islamic Museum where a number of Islamic historical pieces and monuments are displayed.<\/span><\/p>\n 6)<\/strong><\/b>\u00a0The Women\u2019s Mosque<\/strong><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The Women\u2019s 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. The building extends from Al-Aqsa\u2019s western wall to its southwestern corner. During the past three decades the building was divided into three sections:<\/span>
\n<\/span>Prince Abdullah bin Taher of the Tahriah State (855- 923 AH\/1451-1517 AC) later built the corridor leading to the mosque. The Fatimid Caliphs also renovated Al-Qibly Mosque more than once, including the time when Caliph Addahir Li Ezaz Din Allah renovated the mosque in 436 AH\/1034 AC. During the Crusaders\u2019 occupation of Jerusalem Al-Qibly Mosque was turned into a church, but when the Ayoubi Caliph Saladin liberated Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in 583 AH\/1187 AC he ordered the renovation of the building and returned it to its former state. He also brought the magnificent wooden pulpit which Nur Ad-Din Mahmoud Ibn Zinki, a Mamluki king from the Zinki dynasty, had ordered to be made in Aleppo and be placed next to the main\u00a0mihrab\u00a0<\/em>(i.e. niche) in Al-Qibly Mosque.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/staging.aqsapedia.net\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Al-Qibly-Mosque.jpg\")
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\n(1) The southwestern section, used as the southern hall of the Islamic Museum; (2) The central section, used to host the Faculty of Da\u2019wa and Origins of Religion before it moved to Al-Bireh, and then to Abu Dis as part of Al-Quds University, and also served as Al-Aqsa\u2019s main library before it was moved to the Ancient Aqsa Mosque; (3) The eastern section, which is adjacent to Al-Qibly Mosque and used as a warehouse.<\/span><\/p>\n