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Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 121. |
General View of
"Mosque el Aksa,"
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Within the sacred inclosure of the ancient temple is the Mosque el Aksa. This
mosque stands close to the south wall and near the southwest corner of the haram.
About the middle of the sixth century the Emperor Justinian built a magnificent
basilica in Jerusalem in honor of the Virgin. The description of the plan and
site justifies us in concluding that it was identical with the present Mosque el
Aksa. It stands near the beautiful Mosque of Omar. It is 272 feet long, 184 feet
wide, covering 50,000 square feet. It has the form of a basilica of seven
aisles. The stones in its foundation are immense in size. They were hewn from
the mountains and brought from an exceeding height. The historian says: "First
they made wagons equal to the size of the rocks, and placed a single stone on
each, then forty oxen, chosen by the Emperor's order for their excellence, drew
the stone to the destined spot." It has a Gothic porch of much later date. . .
.The interior is supported by forty-five columns, thirty-three of which are
marble and twelve of stone. (Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p.
121.) |
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Porch of the Mosque el-Aksa |
Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p.
53. |
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Next to the Dome of the Rock, the Mosque
el-Aksa is the largest and finest building in
the Haram. It is at the south end, overhanging
the Wall of Ophel, and its fine dome is
conspicuous throughout the whole region
southward as far as Bethlehem. Originally it
was a church. About the middle of the sixth
century the Emperor Justinian built a basilica
in honour of the Virgin on this spot. It was
taken by the Muslems and converted into a
mosque. A century and a half later it was, to
a large extent, rebuilt and much enlarged by
El-Mahdi, the third Khalif of the Abassides.
The Crusaders, of course, dedicated it to
Christian worship, under the strange name of
the Temple of Solomon and a portion of it was
assigned to the new military order, The
Knights Templars. The porch is doubtless the
work of the Templars. (Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p. 55.) |
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Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 174. |
Interior of Mosque el-Aksa |
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The columns of the centre aisles are heavy and
stunted, and have a circumference of nine feet
three inches to a height of sixteen feet five
inches; the remaining columns are better
proportioned. The capitals of the columns are
of four different kinds: those in the centre
aisle are heavy and badly designed; those
under the dome are of the Corinthian order, of
white marble, and similar to those in the Dome
of the Rock; those in the east aisle are of a
heavy basket-shaped design; and those east and
west of the dome are basket-shaped, but small
and well proportioned . . . .The columns and
piers are connected by a rude architectrave,
which consists of beams of roughly-squared
timber enclosed in a wooden casing which is
poorly ornamented . . . . A great portion of
the mosque is covered with whitewash, but the
drum of the dome and the walls immediately
beneath it are richly decorated with mosaics
and marble . . . .Some wretched paintings by
an Italian artist were introduced when the
mosque was repaired at the commencement of the
present century. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 65-66.) |
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The Facade of the Mosque el Aksa, Jerusalem |
Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 61. |
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Within the mosque is the entrance to the
cistern known as the "Well of the Leaf," of
which the following curious story is related.
Mohammed said on a certain occasion, "One of
my followers will enter Paradise walking,
while yet alive." During the caliphate of Omar
some Moslems came to Jerusalem to pray. "One
of them went to this well to draw water, but
while doing so his bucket fell to the bottom.
He went down to get it, and to his great
surprise found there a door opening into
delicious gardens. Having walked through them
for a time he plucked a leaf from one of the
trees, placed it behind his ear, and hastened
back to tell his companions. The matter was
reported to the Governor, who sent his
servants with the stranger to see these
remarkable subterranean gardens; but no door
could be found. Omar was written to, and he at
once replied that the prophecy of Mohammed was
now literally fulfilled, because a living man
had walked into Paradise. To test the matter
and settle all doubts he desired them to
examine the leaf, and if it still remained
green and fresh there could be no doubt that
it came from Paradise. The leaf had, of
course, preserved its verdure." (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 67-68.) |
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See
Temple Mount,
More Temple Mount,
Exterior of the Dome of the Rock,
or
History and Traditions of the Dome of the Rock |
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