Do you see that smaller mosque nestled near the Al-Aqsa Mosque? That is Al-Ansar Mosque. This mosque may be smaller but it carries echoes of centuries.
Al-Ansar Mosque is located within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is also known as the Qibli Mosque. Some sources also call it al-Masjid al-Aqsa. But that name often refers to the whole compound, also known as al-Haram al-Sharif.
A small prayer house once stood near Al-Ansar Mosque’s site. It was erected during the rule of either the Rashidun caliph Umar or the Umayyad caliph Mu’awiya I.
The main Al-Aqsa Mosque was built by Abd al-Malik or his successor al-Walid I. It was built as a congregational mosque on the same axis as the Dome of the Rock. An earthquake destroyed it in 746. The mosque was rebuilt in 758 by the Abbasid caliph al-Mansur.
In 780 the Abbasid caliph al-Mahdi expanded Al-Aqsa Mosque. It then consisted of fifteen aisles and a central dome. Another earthquake destroyed it again during the 1033 Jordan Rift Valley earthquake.
The Fatimid caliph al-Zahir rebuilt the mosque. He reduced it to seven aisles. He adorned its interior with a central archway covered in vegetal mosaics. The current structure preserves this 11th-century outline.
Ruling Islamic dynasties added to the mosque over time. They constructed its dome facade minarets minbar and interior structure.
The Crusaders captured the mosque in 1099. They used it as a palace and headquarters for the Knights Templar. Saladin conquered the area in 1187. The structure was restored as a mosque.
The Ayyubids Mamluks and Ottomans renovated repaired and expanded it in later centuries. The Supreme Muslim Council of British Palestine also contributed. This continued during the Jordanian occupation of the West Bank.
The mosque has remained under the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf’s administration since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank began.
The name Al-Aqsa Mosque means the Farthest Mosque. The Arabic term Al-Aqsa Mosque translates to both al-Masjid al-Aqsa and Jami’ al-Aqsa. Al-Masjid al-Aqsa refers to the Quran’s Surah 17. It is used for the entire Temple Mount compound also known as the Haram al-Sharif. Jami’ al-Aqsa is used for the silver-domed congregational mosque building.
The building is also called Qibli Mosque. This refers to its location on the southern end of the compound. The Islamic qibla was moved from Jerusalem to Mecca. Qibli is used in official publications by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf. It is also used by the Palestine Liberation Organization international organizations and scholars.
Now as you stand before Al-Ansar Mosque consider its place within this larger sacred space. Think about the prayers that have been offered here. This is a place of deep historical and spiritual significance.