Glossary — al-Aqsa

al-Aqsa
the mosque that was the Muslims' first qibla, before Mecca
the third sanctuary
the third of the mosques journeys are made to, in Islamic teaching
the first qibla
the direction the Prophet first prayed toward while in Medina
the night journey
the night journey of the Isra, which ended at its mosque
the Umayyads
the dynasty that began its building in its early reign
the Abbasids
the dynasty that rebuilt it after the repeated earthquakes that razed it
the Fatimids
the dynasty that restored and renewed it in its era
1099
the year Jerusalem fell into the hands of the Crusaders
1187
the year of its recovery from the Crusaders with Saladin
the earthquakes
the natural disasters that razed it and saw it rebuilt, time and again
the Noble Sanctuary
the wide sanctuary that the mosque and the dome stand in together
Saladin
he who returned al-Aqsa to the Muslims after freeing Jerusalem

60-second explainer · Practice set