Editing Temple Mount (section)

===Al-Aqsa Mosque===
[[File:Mesjid el-Aksa and Jami el-Aksa in the 1841 Aldrich and Symonds map of Jerusalem (cropped).jpg|thumb|Extract of an [[1840–41 Royal Engineers maps of Palestine, Lebanon and Syria|1841 British map]] showing both "Mesjid el-Aksa" and "Jami el-Aksa"]]
The English term "al-Aqsa Mosque" is a translation of either ''al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā'' ({{langx|ar|ٱلْمَسْجِد ٱلْأَقْصَىٰ}}) or ''al-Jâmi' al-Aqṣā'' ({{langx|ar|ٱلْـجَـامِـع الْأَقْـصّى}}).<ref name=Robinson>{{cite book | last1=Robinson | first1=E. | last2=Smith | first2=E. | title= Biblical Researches in Palestine |title-link= Biblical Researches in Palestine | publisher=John Murray | year=1841 | quote="The Jámi'a el-Aksa is the mosk alone; the Mesjid el-Aksa is the mosk with all the [[sacred enclosure]] and precincts, including the [[Dome of the Rock|Sükhrah]]. Thus the words Mesjid and Jāmi'a differ in usage somewhat like the Greek ίερόν and ναός."}}</ref><ref name=Palmer>{{cite journal | author-link= Edward Henry Palmer|last=Palmer | first=E.H. | title=History of the Haram Es Sherif: Compiled from the Arabic Historians | journal=Palestine Exploration Quarterly | volume=3 | issue=3 | year=1871 | issn=0031-0328 | doi=10.1179/peq.1871.012 | pages=122–132|quote=Excursus in the Name Masjid el Aksa. In order to understand the native accounts of the sacred area at Jerusalem, it is essentially necessary to keep in mind the proper application of the various names by which it is spoken of. When the Masjid el Aksa is mentioned, that name is usually supposed to refer to the well-known mosque on the south side of the Haram, but such is not really the case. The latter building is called El Jámʻi el Aksa, or simply El Aksa, and the substructures are called El Aksa el Kadímeh (the ancient Aksa), while the title El Masjid el Aksa is applied to the whole sanctuary. The word Jámi is exactly equivalent in sense to the Greek συναγωγή, and is applied to the church or building in which the worshippers congregate. Masjid, on the other hand, is a much more general term; it is derived from the verb sejada “to adore," and is applied to any spot, the sacred character of which would especially incite the visitor to an act of devotion. Our word mosque is a corruption of masjid, but it is usually misapplied, as the building is never so designated, although the whole area on which it stands may be so spoken of. The Cubbet es Sakhrah, El Aksa, Jam'i el Magharibeh, &c., are each called a Jami, but the entire Haram is a masjid. This will explain how it is that 'Omar, after visiting the churches of the Anastasis, Sion, &c., was taken to the "Masjid" of Jerusalem, and will account for the statement of Ibn el 'Asa'kir and others, that the Masjid el Aksa measured over 600 cubits in length-that is, the length of the whole Haram area. The name Masjid el Aksa is borrowed from the passage in the Coran (xvii. 1), when allusion is made to the pretended ascent of Mohammed into heaven from ·the temple of Jerusalem; "Praise be unto Him who transported His servant by night from El Masjid el Haram (i.e., 'the Sacred place of Adoration' at Mecca) to El Masjid el Aksa (i.e., 'the Remote place of Adoration' at Jerusalem), the precincts of which we have blessed," &c. The title El Aksa, "the Remote," according to the Mohammedan doctors, is applied to the temple of Jerusalem "either because of its distance from Mecca, or because it is in the centre of the earth."}}</ref><ref name="PEF">[[PEF Survey of Palestine]], 1883, [[iarchive:surveyofwesternp00warruoft/page/119|volume III Jerusalem]], p. 119: "The Jamia el Aksa, or 'distant mosque' (that is, distant from Mecca), is on the south, reaching to the outer wall. The whole enclosure of the Haram is called by Moslem writers Masjid el Aksa, 'praying-place of the Aksa,' from this mosque."</ref> ''Al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā'' – "the farthest mosque" – is derived from the [[Quran]]'s ''[[Al-Isra|Surah 17]]'' ("The Night Journey") which writes that [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] travelled from Mecca to the mosque, from where he subsequently ascended to [[Heaven]].<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=Al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem |publisher=Atlas Travel and Tourist Agency |url=http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/al_aqsa_mosque.html |access-date=29 June 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080726195105/http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/al_aqsa_mosque.html| archive-date= 26 July 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Lailat al Miraj |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC MMVIII |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/holydays/lailatalmiraj.shtml |access-date=29 June 2008 }}</ref> Arabic and Persian writers such as 10th-century geographer [[Al-Maqdisi]],<ref name=MukaddasiNasir>{{cite book | last=Le Strange | first=Guy | author-link= Guy Le Strange| title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Translated from the Works of the Medieval Arab Geographers | publisher=Houghton, Mifflin | year=1890 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxUyssIX-H4C&pg=RA1-PA94 | pages=96|quote=Great confusion is introduced into the Arab descriptions of the Noble Sanctuary by the indiscriminate use of the terms Al Masjid or Al Masjid al Akså, Jami' or Jami al Aksâ; and nothing but an intimate acquaintance with the locality described will prevent a translator, ever and again, misunderstanding the text he has before him-since the native authorities use the technical terms in an extraordinarily inexact manner, often confounding the whole, and its part, under the single denomination of "Masjid." Further, the usage of various writers differs considerably on these points : Mukaddasi invariably speaks of the whole Haram Area as Al Masjid, or as Al Masjid al Aksî, “the Akså Mosque,” or “the mosque," while the Main-building of the mosque, at the south end of the Haram Area, which we generally term the Aksa, he refers to as Al Mughattâ, “the Covered-part.” Thus he writes "the mosque is entered by thirteen gates," meaning the gates of the Haram Area. So also "on the right of the court,” means along the west wall of the Haram Area; "on the left side” means the east wall; and “at the back” denotes the northern boundary wall of the Haram Area. Nasir-i-Khusrau, who wrote in Persian, uses for the Main-building of the Aksâ Mosque the Persian word Pushish, that is, “Covered part,” which exactly translates the Arabic Al Mughatta. On some occasions, however, the Akså Mosque (as we call it) is spoken of by Näsir as the Maksurah, a term used especially to denote the railed-off oratory of the Sultan, facing the Mihrâb, and hence in an extended sense applied to the building which includes the same. The great Court of the Haram Area, Nâsir always speaks of as the Masjid, or the Masjid al Akså, or again as the Friday Mosque (Masjid-i-Jum'ah).}}</ref> 11th-century scholar [[Nasir Khusraw]],<ref name=MukaddasiNasir/> 12th-century geographer [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]]<ref>{{cite book | last1=Idrīsī | first1= Muhammad | author-link1=Muhammad al-Idrisi| last2=Jaubert | first2=Pierre Amédée  | author-link2=Pierre Amédée Jaubert  | title=Géographie d'Édrisi | publisher=à l'Imprimerie royale | year=1836 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BRA7AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA343 | language=fr | pages=343–44|quote= Sous la domination musulmane il fut agrandi, et c'est (aujourd'hui) la grande mosquée connue par les Musulmans sous le nom de Mesdjid el-Acsa مسجد الأقصى. Il n'en existe pas au monde qui l'égale en grandeur, si l'on en excepte toutefois la grande mosquée de Cordoue en Andalousie; car, d'après ce qu'on rapporte, le toit de cette mosquée est plus grand que celui de la Mesdjid el-Acsa. Au surplus, l'aire de cette dernière forme un parallelogramme dont la hauteur est de deux cents brasses (ba'a), et le base de cents quatre-vingts. La moitié de cet espace, celle qui est voisin du Mihrab, est couverte d'un toit (ou plutôt d'un dôme) en pierres soutenu par plusieurs rangs de colonnes; l'autre est à ciel ouvert. Au centre de l'édifice est un grand dôme connu sous le nom de Dôme de la roche; il fut orné d'arabesques en or et d'autres beaux ouvrages, par les soins de divers califes musulmans. Le dôme est percé de quatre portes; en face de celle qui est à l'occident, on voit l'autel sur lequel les enfants d'Israël offraient leurs sacrifices; auprès de la porte orientale est l'église nommée le saint des saints, d'une construction élégante; au midi est une chapelle qui était à l'usage des Musulmans; mais les chrétiens s'en sont emparés de vive force et elle est restée en leur pouvoir jusqu'à l'époque de la composition du présent ouvrage. Ils ont converti cette chapelle en un couvent où résident des religieux de l'ordre des templiers, c'est-à-dire des serviteurs de la maison de Dieu.}} Also at {{cite book | last1=Williams | first1=G. | last2=Willis | first2=R. | title=The Holy City: Historical, Topographical, and Antiquarian Notices of Jerusalem | publisher=J.W. Parker | chapter= Account of Jerusalem during the Frank Occupation, extracted from the Universal Geography of Edrisi. Climate III. sect. 5. Translated by P. Amédée Jaubert. Tome 1. pp. 341–45. | issue=v. 1 | year=1849 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T_sqAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA3-PA131 | ref=none}}</ref> and 15th-century Islamic scholar [[Mujir al-Din]],<ref name=MujiralDin>{{cite book | last=Williams | first=George | author-link=George Williams (priest) | title=The Holy City: Historical, Topographical and Antiquarian Notices of Jerusalem | publisher=Parker | year=1849 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fd07AAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA151|pages=143–60|quote= The following detailed account of the Haram es-Sherif, with some interesting notices of the City, is extracted from an Arabic work entitled “ The Sublime Companion to the History of Jerusalem and Hebron, by [[Mujir al-Din|Kadi Mejir-ed-din, Ebil-yemen Abd-er-Rahman, El-Alemi]],” who died A.H. 927, (A.D. 1521)… “I have at the commencement called attention to the fact that the place now called by the name Aksa (i. e. the most distant), is the Mosk [Jamia] properly so called, at the southern extremity of the area, where is the Minbar and the great Mihrab. But in fact Aksa is the name of the whole area enclosed within the walls, the dimensions of which I have just given, for the Mosk proper [Jamia], the Dome of the Rock, the Cloisters, and other buildings, are all of late construction, and Mesjid el-Aksa is the correct name of the whole area.”}} and also {{cite book | last=von Hammer-Purgstall | first=J.F. | author-link=Joseph von Hammer-Purgstall|title=Fundgruben des Orients | publisher=Gedruckt bey A. Schmid| volume=2 | year=1811 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kSowAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA240 | language=fr |page=93|chapter= Chapitre vingtième. Description de la mosquée Mesdjid-ol-aksa, telle qu'elle est de nos jours, (du temps de l'auteur, au dixième siècle de l'Hégire, au seizième après J.C.)|quote= Nous avons dès le commencement appelé l'attention sur que l'endroit, auquel les hommes donnent aujourd'hui le nom d'Aksa, c'est à-dire, la plus éloignée, est la mosquée proprement dite, bâtie à l'extrêmité méridionale de l'enceinte où se trouve la chaire et le grand autel. Mais en effet Aksa est le nom de l'enceinte entière, en tant qu'elle est enfermée de murs, dont nous venons de donner la longueur et la largeur, car la mosquée proprement dite, le dôme de la roche Sakhra, les portiques et les autres bâtimens, sont tous des constructions récentes, et Mesdjidol-aksa est le véritable nom de toute l'enceinte. (Le Mesdjid des arabes répond à l'ίερόν et le Djami au ναός des grecs.)}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Abu Sway |first=Mustafa |date=Fall 2000 |title=The Holy Land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Islamic Sources |url=https://www.academia.edu/6338726 |journal=Journal of the Central Conference of American Rabbis |pages=60–68 |quote=Quoting [[Mujir al-Din]]: "Verily, ‘Al-Aqsa’ is a name for the whole mosque which is surrounded by the wall, the length and width of which are mentioned here, for the building that exists in the southern part of the Mosque, and the other ones such as the Dome of the Rock and the corridors and other [buildings] are novel."}}</ref> as well as 19th century American and British [[Orientalism|Orientalists]] [[Edward Robinson (scholar)|Edward Robinson]],<ref name=Robinson/> [[Guy Le Strange]] and [[Edward Henry Palmer]] explained that the term Masjid al-Aqsa refers to the entire esplanade plaza which is the subject of this article – the entire area including the [[Dome of the Rock]], the fountains, the [[Gates of the Temple Mount|gates]], and the [[Minarets of the Temple Mount|four minarets]] – because none of these buildings existed at the time the Quran was written.<ref name=Palmer/><ref>{{cite book | last=Le Strange | first=Guy | author-link= Guy Le Strange| title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Translated from the Works of the Medieval Arab Geographers | publisher=Houghton, Mifflin | year=1890 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxUyssIX-H4C&pg=RA1-PA89 | quote=The Askà Mosque. The great mosque of Jerusalem, Al Masjid al Aksà, the "Further Mosque," derives its name from the traditional Night Journey of Muhammad, to which allusion is made in the words of the Kuran (xvii. I)... the term "Mosque" being here taken to denote the whole area of the Noble Sanctuary, and not the Main-building of the Aksà only, which, in the Prophet's days, did not exist.}}</ref><ref name="Strange 1887 pp. 247–305">{{cite journal | last=Strange | first=Guy le | title=Description of the Noble Sanctuary at Jerusalem in 1470 A.D., by Kamâl (or Shams) ad Dîn as Suyûtî | journal=Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland | publisher=Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland | volume=19 | issue=2 | year=1887 | issn=0035-869X | jstor=25208864 | pages=247–305 | doi=10.1017/S0035869X00019420 | s2cid=163050043 | url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/25208864 | quote=…the term Masjid (whence, through the Spanish Mezquita, our word Mosque) denotes the whole of the sacred edifice, comprising the main building and the court, with its lateral arcades and minor chapels. The earliest specimen of the Arab mosque consisted of an open courtyard, within which, round its four walls, run colonades or cloisters to give shelter to the worshippers. On the side of the court towards the Kiblah (in the direction of Mekka), and facing which the worshipper must stand, the colonade, instead of being single, is, for the convenience of the increased numbers of the congregation, widened out to form the Jami' or place of assembly… coming now to the Noble Sanctuary at Jerusalem, we must remember that the term 'Masjid’ belongs not only to the Aksa mosque (more properly the Jami’ or place of assembly for prayer), but to the whole enclosure with the Dome of the Rock in the middle, and all the other minor domes and chapels.}}</ref>

''Al-Jâmi' al-Aqṣá'' refers to the specific site of the silver-domed [[congregational mosque]] building,<ref name=Robinson/><ref name=Palmer/><ref name=PEF/> also referred to as [[Qibli Mosque]] or Qibli Chapel (''al-Jami' al-Aqsa'' or ''al-Qibli'', or ''Masjid al-Jumah'' or ''al-Mughata''), in reference to its location on the southern end of the compound as a result of the Islamic [[qibla]] being moved from Jerusalem to Mecca.<ref>* {{cite journal |last=Abu-Sway |first=Mustafa |date=2013-03-31 |title=Al-Aqsa Mosque: Do Not Intrude! |url=https://pij.org/articles/1644/alaqsa-mosque-do-not-intrude |journal=Palestine-Israel Journal |quote=Not only do the Israeli occupation authorities prevent freedom of movement and freedom of worship, they interfere in defining Al-Aqsa Mosque by restricting the meaning of Al-Aqsa Mosque to the southernmost building, Qibli Mosque, rather than all 144 dunums or 36 acres. |ref=none}}
* {{cite journal |last=Omar |first=Abdallah Marouf |date=2017 |title=Al-Aqsa Mosque's Incident in July 2017: Affirming the Policy of Deterrence. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/26300531 |journal=[[Insight Turkey]] |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=69–82 |doi=10.25253/99.2017193.05 |jstor=26300531 |quote=As shown before, Israel tried first to play with the definition of al-Aqsa as being only the Qibli Mosque building. This would give Israel an excuse to request a share in administrating the whole compound, claiming that not all of it is al-Aqsa Mosque. |ref=none |issn=1302-177X }}
* {{cite web |author=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |date=2022-04-04 |title=39 COM 7A.27 – Decision |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6243/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530124745/https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6243/ |archive-date=30 May 2022 |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre |quote=…the historic Gates and windows of the Qibli Mosque inside Al-Aqsa Mosque/ Al-Haram Al-Sharif, which is a Muslim holy site of worship and an integral part of a World Heritage Site. |ref=none}}
* [https://ecf.org.il/media_items/1507 Jordan-PLO Agreement on the Jerusalem Holy Sites – English (2013)]: "Recalling the unique religious importance, to all Muslims, of al-Masjid al-Aqsa with its 144 Dunums, which include the Qibli Mosque of al-Aqsa, the Mosque of the Dome of the Rock and all its mosques, buildings, walls, courtyards, attached areas over and beneath the ground and the Waqf properties tied-up to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, to its environs or to its pilgrims (hereinafter referred to as "Al-Haram Al-Sharif")."
* Yehia Hassan Wazeri "The Farthest Mosque or the Alleged Temple an Analytic Study", ''Journal of Islamic Architecture'' Vol. 2 Iss. 3 June 2013, “The blessed Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, which is mentioned in the Ever Glorious Qur'an (in Sura Al-Isra'), is the blessed spot that is now called Al-Haram Al-Qudsi and is surrounded by the great wall along with the buildings and monuments that have been built on it, on top of which is Al-Masjid Al-Qibli (covered Masjid) and the Dome of the Rock.”
* {{cite journal |last=Kamil |first=Meryem |date=2020-09-01 |title=Postspatial, Postcolonial |journal=Social Text |publisher=Duke University Press |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=55–82 |doi=10.1215/01642472-8352247 |issn=0164-2472 |s2cid=234613673 |quote=The compound is an enclosed platform, with its western portion demarcated as the Jewish holy site of the Wailing Wall. Within the com- pound are two hallowed buildings: the Dome of the Rock and al-Qibli mosque.19 Muslims venerate the Dome of the Rock as the site where Muhammad ascended to heaven, and Jews honor the site where Abraham sacrificed Isaac. Al-Qibli mosque is noted by Muslims as the initial direction for prayer before Mecca. |ref=none}}
* Omran M. Hassan, A Graphical Vision of Aesthetics of Al-Quds Architecture through the Digital Technology, International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology Vol. 29, No. 7s, (2020), pp. 2819–38: “As shown, it is a part of the building of Al-Qibli mosque which is part of Al-Aqsa Mosque and one of its monuments with a roofed building topped by a dome covered by a layer of lead, located in the south side of Al-Aqsa Mosque towards Al-Qiblah in which the name Al-Qibli came from.”
* [[Mahdi Abdul Hadi]], [http://www.tika.gov.tr/upload/2016/INGILIZCE%20SITE%20ESERLER/TANITIM%20BROŞÜRLERİ/PDF/Haram-Ash-sharief-Final-En_2013.pdf Al-Aqsa Mosque] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200216194529/https://www.tika.gov.tr/upload/2016/INGILIZCE%20SITE%20ESERLER/TANITIM%20BRO%c5%9e%c3%9cRLER%c4%b0/PDF/Haram-Ash-sharief-Final-En_2013.pdf|date=16 February 2020}}, [[Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs]]: "Al-Aqsa Mosque, also referred to as Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), comprises the entire area within the compound walls (a total area of 144,000 m2) – including all the mosques, prayer rooms, buildings, platforms and open courtyards located above or under the grounds – and exceeds 200 historical monuments pertaining to various Islamic eras. According to Islamic creed and jurisprudence, all these buildings and courtyards enjoy the same degree of sacredness since they are built on Al-Aqsa’s holy grounds. This sacredness is not exclusive to the physical structures allocated for prayer, like the Dome of the Rock or Al-Qibly Mosque (the mosque with the large silver dome).
* {{cite book |author=Tim Marshall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ysYpDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA151 |title=A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-5011-6833-8 |page=151 |ref=none}}: "Many people believe that the mosque depicted is called the Al-Aqsa; however, a visit to one of Palestine's most eminent intellectuals, Mahdi F. Abdul Hadi, clarified the issue. Hadi is chairman of the Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, based in East Jerusalem. His offices are a treasure trove of old photographs, documents, and symbols. He was kind enough to spend several hours with me. He spread out maps of Jerusalem's Old City on a huge desk and homed in on the Al-Aqsa compound, which sits above the Western Wall. "The mosque in the Al-Aqsa [Brigades] flag is the Dome of the Rock. Everyone takes it for granted that it is the Al-Aqsa mosque, but no, the whole compound is Al-Aqsa, and on it are two mosques, the Qibla mosque and the Dome of the Rock, and on the flags of both Al-Aqsa Brigades and the Qassam Brigades, it is the Dome of the Rock shown", he said."</ref> The two different Arabic terms, translated as "mosque" in English, parallel the two different Greek terms translated as "temple" in the [[New Testament]]: {{langx|el|ίερόν|translit=hieron}} (equivalent to Masjid) and {{langx|el|ναός|translit=naos}} (equivalent to Jami'a),<ref name=Robinson/><ref name=MujiralDin/><ref name="Carpenter Comfort 2000 p. 404">{{cite book | last1=Carpenter | first1=E.E. | last2=Comfort | first2=P.W. | title=Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained | publisher=B&H Publishing Group | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-8054-9352-8 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K5ugZP7HQ6oC&pg=PA404 | access-date=2022-07-25 | page=404|quote=The New Testament writers used two different Greek words to describe the "temple": naos and hieron. Naos refers to the actual "sanctuary" of the temple, the place of God's dwelling. ''Hieron'' refers to the "temple precincts" as well as to the "sanctuary." Generally speaking, ''naos'' was used to designate the inner section of the temple known as the "holy place" and the "holy of holies," whereas ''hieron'' would designate the outer court and the temple proper.}}</ref> and use of the term "mosque" for the whole compound follows the usage of the same term for other early Islamic sites with large courtyards such as the [[Mosque of Ibn Tulun]] in Cairo, the [[Umayyad Mosque]] in Damascus and the [[Great Mosque of Kairouan]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Le Strange | first=Guy | author-link= Guy Le Strange| title=Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Translated from the Works of the Medieval Arab Geographers | publisher=Houghton, Mifflin | year=1890 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BxUyssIX-H4C&pg=RA1-PA94 | pages=94–96|quote=The main characteristics of the primitive Arab mosque are well exemplified in the accompanying plan representing the Jâmi' of Ibn Talûn. This is the oldest mosque in Cairo… As here seen in its simplest form, the mosque primarily consisted of an open courtyard, within which, and round its four walls, ran colonnades or cloisters, to give shelter to the worshippers. On the side of the court towards the Kiblah (in the direction of Makkah), and facing which the worshipper must stand and kneel during prayers, the colonnade, instead of being single, is, for the convenience of the increased numbers of the congregation, widened out to form the Jâmi', or “place of assembly.” In the case of Ibn Talūn's Mosque, five rows of columns, with the boundary-wall, form the five transverse aisles (A to a). In the centre of the boundary-wall on the Makkah side is set the great Mihrab of the mosque (a), indicating the direction of the Kiblah. Now in all descriptions of a mosque it is taken for granted that the visitor is standing in the Court (as Sahn) of the mosque, and facing the Kiblah. Fronting him therefore is the Main-building, called the “covered-part” (al Mughattâ), or the “fore-part" (al Mukaddamah) of the mosque (A to a); while in his rear is the colonnade (B), single or double, against the wall of the courtyard, furthest from the Makkah-side, and this is called the “back" of the mosque (al Muakhkharah). The "right-hand side " of the mosque is in the neighbourhood of the colonnades (C), along the wall on the right of the Court when you face the Mihrab, and the "left-hand side" is on the opposite side (D). In the Court (as Sahn) thus enclosed, are often other buildings, such as tombs or minor chapels. In the Mosque of Ibn Tulan there is a domed building (E), originally intended to serve as the mausoleum of the founder, but which, as he died far away in Syria, was.subsequently fitted up with a water-tank to serve as a place for the ablution before prayer. Turning now to the Arab descriptions of the Haram Area at Jerusalem, the point it is of importance to remember is that the term Masjid (whence through the Egyptian pronunciation of Masgid, and the Spanish Mezquita, our word “mosque") applies to the whole of the Haram Area, not to the Aksâ alone. Masjid in Arabic means "a place of prostration (in prayer);" and therefore to revert once again to Ibn Tûlûn's Mosque, (1) the Mainbuilding, A; (2) the Court, and (3) the Colonnades at the back, B; with those (4) to the right, C; to the left, D; as also (5) the Dome E in the Court-one and all form essential parts of the mosque, and are all comprehended by the term “Al Masjid.' Bearing these points in mind, and coming to the Noble Sanctuary at Jerusalem, we find that the term “Masjid," as already stated, is commonly applied not only to the Aksâ Mosque (more properly the Jâmi', or “place of assembly," for prayer), but to the whole enclosure of the great Court, with the Dome of the Rock in the middle, and all the other minor domes, and chapels, and colonnades. The Dome of the Rock (misnamed by the Franks “the Mosque of 'Omar"), is not itself a mosque or place for public prayer, but merely the largest of the many cupolas in the Court of the Mosque, and in this instance was built to cover and do honour to the Holy Rock which lies beneath it.}}</ref> Other sources and maps have used the term ''al-Masjid al-'Aqṣā'' to refer to the congregational mosque itself.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yavuz |first=Yildirim |date=1996 |title=The Restoration Project of the Masjid Al-Aqsa by Mi̇mar Kemaletti̇n (1922–26) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1523257 |journal=Muqarnas |volume=13 |pages=149–164 |doi=10.2307/1523257 |jstor=1523257 |issn=0732-2992}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Salameh |first=Khader |date=2009 |title=A New Saljuq Inscription in the Masjid al-Aqsa, Jerusalem |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/175638009x427620 |journal=Levant |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=107–17 |doi=10.1179/175638009x427620 |s2cid=162230613 |issn=0075-8914}}</ref><ref>1936 [[Survey of Palestine]] map of the Old City of Jerusalem.</ref>
[[File:Solomon's_Stables_in_the_1936_Old_City_of_Jerusalem_map_by_Survey_of_Palestine_map_1-2,500_(cropped).jpg|thumb|Extract of a [[Survey of Palestine|1936 British map]] showing the entire site as "Moriah" or "Haram esh-Sharif"; the Al-Aqsa Mosque shown as "Mesjid el-Aksa"]]
The term "al-Aqsa" as a symbol and brand-name has become popular and prevalent in the region.<ref name=Reiter2>{{cite book | last=Reiter | first= Yitzhak |author-link= Yitzhak Reiter|title=Jerusalem and Its Role in Islamic Solidarity | publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US | year=2008 | isbn=978-0-230-61271-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bZbFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA23 | pages=21–23|ref=none|quote=During the Middle Ages, when the issue of Jerusalem's status was a point of controversy, the supporters of Jerusalem's importance (apparently after its liberation from Crusader control) succeeded in attributing to al-Quds or to Bayt-al-Maqdis (the Arabic names for Jerusalem) the status of haram that had been accorded to the sacred compound. The site was thus called al-Haram al-Sharif, or al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif. Haram, from an Arabic root meaning "prohibition," is a place characterized by a particularly high level of sanctity{{snd}}a protected place in which blood may not be shed, trees may not be felled, and animals may not be hunted. The status of haram was given in the past to the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and to the Mosque of the Prophet in al-Madina (and some also accorded this status to the Valley of Wajj in Ta'if on the Arabian Peninsula?). Thus, al-Masjid al-Aqsa became al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary) in order to emphasize its exalted status alongside the two other Muslim sanctuaries. Although, as noted before, Ibn-Taymiyya refuted the haram status of the Jerusalem mosque, al-Aqsa's upgrading to haram status was successful and has prevailed. It became a commonly accepted idea and one referred to in international forums and documents. It was, therefore, surprising that during the 1980s the Palestinians gradually abandoned the name that had been given to the Haram/Temple Mount compound in apparent honor of Jerusalem's status as third in sanctity – al-Haram al-Sharif – in favor of its more traditional name-al-Aqsa. An examination of relevant religious texts clarifies the situation: since the name al-Aqsa appears in the Quran, all Muslims around the world should be familiar with it; thus it is easier to market the al-Aqsa brand-name. An additional factor leading to a return to the Qur'anic name is an Israeli demand to establish a Jewish prayer space inside the open court of the compound. The increased use of the name al-Aqsa is particularly striking against the background of what is written on the Web site of the Jerusalem Waqf, under the leadership of (former) Palestinian mufti Sheikh Ikrima Sabri. There it is asserted that "al Masjid al-Aqsa was erroneously called by the name al-Haram al-Qudsi al-Sharif," and that the site's correct name is al-Aqsa. This statement was written in the context of a fatwa in response to a question addressed to the Web site's scholars regarding the correct interpretation of the Isra' verse in the Quran (17:1), which tells of the Prophet Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey from the "Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque" – al-Aqsa. In proof of this, Sabri quotes Ibn-Taymiyya, who denied the existence of haram in Jerusalem, a claim that actually serves those seeking to undermine the city's sacred status. Sabri also states that Arab historians such as Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali, author of the famed fifteenth-century work on Jerusalem, do not make use of the term "haram" in connection with the al-Aqsa site. Both Ibn-Taymiyya and Mujir al-Din were affiliated with the Hanbali School of law-the relatively more puritan stream in Islam that prevailed in Saudi Arabia. The Hanbalies rejected innovations, such as the idea of a third haram. One cannot exclude the possibility that the Saudis, who during the 1980s and 1990s donated significant funds to Islamic institutions in Jerusalem, exerted pressure on Palestinian-Muslim figures to abandon the term "haram" in favor of "al-Aqsa". The "al-Aqsa" brand-name has thus become popular and prevalent. Al-Haram al-Sharif is still used by official bodies (the Organization of the Islamic Conference [OIC], the Arab League), in contrast to religious entities. The public currently uses the two names interchangeably. During the last generation, increasing use has been made of the term "al-Aqsa" as a symbol and as the name of various institutions and organizations. Thus, for example, the Jordanian military periodical that has been published since the early 1970s is called al-Aqsa; the Palestinian police unit established by the PA in Jericho is called the Al-Aqsa Division; the Fatah's armed organization is called the Al-Aqsa Brigades; the Palestinian Police camp in Jericho is called the Al-Aqsa Camp; the Web sites of the southern and northern branches of the Islamic movement in Israel and the associations that they have established are called al-Aqsa; the Intifada that broke out in September 2000 is called the al-Aqsa Intifada and the Arab summit that was held in the wake of the Intifada's outbreak was called the al-Aqsa Summit. These are only a few examples of a growing phenomenon.}}</ref> For example, the [[Al-Aqsa Intifada]] (the uprising of September 2000), the [[al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] (a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank), [[al-Aqsa TV]] (the official Hamas-run television channel), [[al-Aqsa University]] (Palestinian university established in 1991 in the Gaza Strip), [[Jund al-Aqsa]] (a Salafist jihadist organization that was active during the Syrian Civil War), the Jordanian military periodical published since the early 1970s, and the associations of both the southern and northern branches of the [[Islamic Movement in Israel]] are all named Al-Aqsa after this site.<ref name=Reiter2/>