Al Aqsa, 360° tour of Jerusalem's holiest mosque

behold what you are about to see is an unprecedented high-definition tour of Jerusalem's al-aqsa mosque compound in 360 degrees you can look through Islam's third holiest site in more detail than ever before millions of feet have walked these grounds and now you can join them this tour will take you inside the Dome of the rock and Alka Blue Mosque and around many of the other religious landmarks on the compounds 14 hectare grounds to experience al-aqsa in 360 degrees drag your mouse around the screen to navigate or tilt your phone in the direction you'd like to view you are now atop the central platform housing the Dome of the rock which was built on the highest spot of al-aqsa compound a plateau that rises 4 metres above the rest of the mosques courtyard Calif Abdul Malik bin marwan had the dome built in the 7th century on top of a large rock the spot where Muslims believe the Prophet Mohammed ascended into heaven it is one of the earliest existing models of Islamic architecture if you look closely at the Dome of the rock you will see that it is decorated with tin glazed earthenware and verses from the Quran also in this area of the platform is the dome of ascension can you make out the smaller crown shaped dome at its peak the dome of ascension was built to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad's ascension into heaven in between the two larger domes you can see a smaller octagonal dome this was built to mark the spot where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have led the prophets and angels in prayer during his night journey you are now on the eastern side of the dome of the rock platform move away from the Dome of the rock and you will see the Dome of the chain which is located next to it and used as a space for prayer the Dome of the chain is among more than 200 historic and religious sites domes and water wells located throughout al-aqsa compound let's go inside the Dome of the rock many Muslims come here to read and discuss the Quran if you look up you can see a brilliant mosaic of tiles on the ceiling and towards the center of the room a cylindrical column houses the holy rock of ascension behind the green plastic sheeting the domes artwork and mosaics are being renovated do you see the open doorway on the side of the central column these visitors are going downstairs let's follow them now we are underneath the holy Rock of Ascension in a tiny cave where worshipers come to pray like this man here if you look around the whole cave you will see this space is very small only a handful of people can comfortably pray here at any given time the cave is a naturally occurring structure and many Muslims believe that it is blessed we are now back outside in the southern part of the dome of the rocks courtyard if you look up Asit from the Dome of the rock you will see another arched gate with a view directly towards the silver domed alchemy mosque further to the right in the background can you spot the tall gate of the chained minaret overlooking the Western Wall if you look directly in front of the arched entrance to the Qibla mosque you will see alqasas' a circular fountain surrounded by an elaborate iron fence this is where worshippers perform their ablutions before prayer we have now stepped inside the Qibla mosque a structure that dates back to the eighth century look around and you will see worshipers in the midst of prayer here's another angle from inside the mosque if you look up towards the intricately patterned ceiling and then down to where the arched columns meet can you see the circles containing Arabic script written here are the different names for God the qibla mosque is also referred to as al-aqsa mosque although that title more accurately describes the entire 14 hectare compound if you face in the direction of the green arrow you'll be facing the cabin the direction where Muslims turn to pray al-aqsa mosque was the first Qibla or direction of prayer in Islam although the mosque looks peaceful today it has come under attack numerous times as Israeli soldiers have fired tear gas and rubber coated steel bullets inside the compound we are now outside of the qibla mosque in the courtyard on its western side it is raining lightly and if you listen closely you can hear the sound of raindrops hitting the ground from this courtyard visitors can access the Islamic Museum located next to the Moroccan gate it is believed to be the first museum founded in Palestine we have now moved further north along the western side of the compound across from the Dome of the rock along the western boundary of al-aqsa compound you can see a number of current and former school buildings as the Sun sets the compound has largely emptied out you have now experienced a day at al-aqsa and while this day has been peaceful many others have not the site has seen much conflict in recent decades as some Jews who refer to the site as Temple Mount want to build a Third Temple on its grounds many Muslims are fearful for its future 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Channel: Al Jazeera English

Views: 15,699,309

Keywords: al aqsa mosque 360, inside al aqsa 360, al-aqsa mosque, Inside al-Aqsa: A 360° tour of Jerusalem's holiest mosque, mosque al aqsa, al aqsa mosque, al aqsa 360, مسجدي مسجدي, inside al aqsa mosque, al-aqsa mosque in jerusalem, aqsa mosque, al aqsa, al-Aqsa, holiest, masjid al aqsa, مسجد الاقصى, israel, news, al jazeera english, al jazeera, aljazeera, aljazeera english, jerusalem, palestine, al jazeera live, islam, virtual reality, judaism (religion), al-aqsa mosque history

Id: Ol2LGO7Nl6c

Length: 6min 37sec (397 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 24 2017