The Al – Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. The compound lies in the Old City of Jerusalem, which has been designated a World Heritage site by the United Nations cultural agency, (UNESCO). Historians believe that Prophet Ibrahim, peace and blessings be upon him, was the one who built or ordered Al-Aqsa to be built. Masjid Al-Aqsa is important in Islam because Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was transported from the Scared Mosque in Mecca to Al-Aqsa during the Night Journey, and then on to heaven (Al-Isra wal-Mi’raj). It was demolished during the conquests of Jerusalem. Today, the Old City is under Israeli control, but the mosque remains under the administration of the Jordanian/Palestinian-led Islamic Waqf.
