At a glance
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Identifiers
- WikidataGeoNamesPleiades
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
On screen
- Saladin the Victorious· Film, 1963 · Set in · historical drama
- Saladin: The Conqueror of Jerusalem· Series · Set in · historical drama
- One Night in Al-Aqsa· Documentary, 2019 · Set in · documentary
- Kingdom of Heaven· Film, 2005 · Set in · historical drama
- A Road to Mecca: The Journey of Muhammad Asad· Documentary, 2008 · Set in · documentary
Jerusalem is a blessed and historic city, home to the sacred al-Aqsa Mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock.
Jerusalem is a sacred city of profound status in Islam, being the first Qibla toward which early Muslims prayed and the destination of the Prophet ﷺ's Night Journey. It houses the sacred al-Aqsa compound and the Dome of the Rock, and Caliph Umar entered it with a celebrated peace treaty guaranteeing religious freedom and safety for its inhabitants.
Storytellers (10–12) read the Explorers text, then cross to the Scholars text.
A city of deep spiritual sanctity and rich history spanning millennia. In Islamic tradition, it stands as the first Qibla, the third holiest sanctuary, and the terrestrial terminal of the Prophet ﷺ's Night Journey, encompassing the al-Aqsa compound and the Dome of the Rock. Surrendered peacefully in 16 AH (637 CE) to Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) under the historic 'Covenant of Umar' guaranteeing Christian religious liberties, the city experienced continuous stewardship under the Umayyads, the Ayyubids under Salah al-Din, and subsequent Mamluk and Ottoman administrations.
Summary
A city holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims; the first of the two qiblas, and the end of the Night Journey in the report. It was handed over to the Muslims in 637 CE.
Location
Its approximate coordinates are 31.78 north and 35.24 east. 1
In the museum
The museum's material on this place includes events that took place there: 1, people who lived there: 1, people who came to it: 1, and buildings: 3.
Events that took place here
- The Night Journey and the Ascension (621 CE)
People who lived here
People who came here
Buildings here
- The al-Aqsa Mosque
- The Dome of the Rock (691 CE)
- The Mosque of Umar (1193 CE)
What this page covers
This page gathers what the museum links to the place: events, people and buildings. It is not a full historical description of the place. The description and history of the place, from the original sources, will be added in the next batches.
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Connections
- Place of death of
- Abdullah I of Jordan· Abu al-Khayr al-'Ala'i al-Muqaddisi· al-Awhi, ascetic of Jerusalem· al-Malik al-Awhad, lord of Karak· Artuq ibn Aksak· Ibn al-Naqib, the Hanbali exegete· Kamal al-Din al-Nabulsi, khatib of Jerusalem· Musa al-Husayni· Saeb Erekat
- Birthplace of
- Amin al-Husseini· Edward Said· Khalil Sakakini· Musa al-Husayni· Raghib al-Nashashibi
- Burial place of
- Faisal Husseini· Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi· Muhammad Ali Jauhar
- Home of
- Ghanim ibn Asakir al-Maqdisi· Shaddad ibn Aws
- Visited by
- Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
- Site of
- Arson at al-Aqsa Mosque (1969)· Atsiz ibn Uwaq's campaign against Syria· Buraq Wall disturbances (1929)· death of King Amalric — Baldwin the leper succeeds, Raymond regent· Earthquake at Ramla and the sea's recession, 425· The Isra and Mi'raj· The thunderbolt of Jerusalem· Demolition of the walls of Jerusalem, 616· Occupation of East Jerusalem (1967)· The Great Plague of Gaza, Syria and Jerusalem, 864· Salah al-Din recovers Jerusalem· Umar's covenant with the people of Jerusalem· League of Nations commission on the Western Wall (1930)
- Contains
- al-Aqsa Mosque· Dome of the Rock· Western Wall (al-Buraq wall)· Masjid Al-Aqsa· al-Haram al-Sharif (the Temple Mount esplanade)· Dome of the Rock· Mosque of Omar· The Western Wall (Buraq Wall)
- Has part
- Ascalon· Caesarea· al-Ramla
- Mentioned in
- Muwatta 521· Muwatta 525
- Setting of
- Saladin the Victorious· Saladin: The Conqueror of Jerusalem· One Night in Al-Aqsa· Kingdom of Heaven· A Road to Mecca: The Journey of Muhammad Asad
People and things also explored
Saladin (Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub)· Mecca· The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks· Muhammad· Cairo· al-Aqsa Mosque· al-Ramla· The Arab Revolt
Sources
- GeoNames gazetteer
- al-Farghani, Elementa astronomica (Golius, Amsterdam 1669)
- Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Ma'rifat al-Aqalim of al-Muqaddasi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Jerusalem”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/jerusalem/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-28.