It's not a secret that Jerusalem is a place of concentration of shrines of many religions, especially Abrahamic - Judaism, Christianity and Islam. One such place of pilgrimage is the famous Mosque of Omar, which will be discussed in this article.
Famous Mosque
The glory of this Muslim shrine is associated with the name of the caliph, in whose memory it was built. In addition, it is often confused with another building. This is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In addition, sometimes it is even called the Dome of the Rock, which is completely incorrect.
Where is the Mosque of Omar
To avoid confusion, we must immediately say where the shrine we are talking about is located. The Mosque of Omar is located in the heart of the Christian quarter of the so-called old city - the historical part of Jerusalem. This is no coincidence. The fact is that the Islamic armies that besieged the holy city in 637 received an offer from Patriarch Sophronius to take the city in peace. But he agreed to transfer the keys to Jerusalem only personally into the hands of Caliph Omar. The latter, when he was informed of this, immediately set off from Medina to Jerusalem, accompanied by one servant, on horseback.on a donkey. Patriarch Sofroniy met the caliph and handed him the keys to the city, taking from him a promise that nothing would threaten the Christian population. I showed the head of the Islamic world and the new lord the capital, and he brought him to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where he offered to pray. Caliph Omar refused, citing the fact that he was a Muslim and if he prays in this place, then thousands of other followers of the Prophet Muhammad will also do this, as a result of which Christians will lose their shrine. After that, as the legend says, the caliph left the temple, threw a stone and began to pray where he fell. It was on this spot that the Mosque of Omar was subsequently built.
Construction of a mosque
Although this religious building bears the name of the great caliph, it was not built under him. In fact, it was erected only four and a half centuries later after these events. To be more precise, the Mosque of Omar, the photo of which you see below, was built in 1193 during the reign of Sultan Al-Afdal, who was the son of the notorious Saladin. The mosque was rebuilt and restored several times. Its characteristic square minaret, which still rises to a height of fifteen meters, was built even later - in 1465. Finally, the building acquired its modern look in the 19th century, when it underwent a major restoration. By the way, it is here that a copy of the agreement between Omar and Patriarch Sofroniy is kept, which guarantees the safety of the Christian population under Islamic rulers. Indeed, look atonly Muslims can do it, as adherents of other religions are not allowed to enter the Mosque of Omar.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Another building in Jerusalem, which is also often unofficially associated with the name of Omar, is the Al-Aqsa Mosque. By the way, it has every reason for such a name, since, unlike the previous one, this one was built precisely by order of the caliph during his life and reign of the city. That is why it is also called the Mosque of Omar. It is located on the Temple Mount and, after the Kaaba in Mecca and the Mosque of Muhammad in Medina, is the third most important shrine in the Islamic world. Once it served as a qibla, that is, the symbolic center of the earth for Muslims. All Muslims turn towards the qibla during prayer. Now Mecca, or rather the Kaaba, which is located there, serves as the qibla. But before it was moved there, it was the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount that was set to qibla.
According to legend, the place where she stands is associated with the night journey of Muhammad, described in the Koran. From the same place, as his followers believe, he was ascended to heaven, where he had a meeting with Allah, who revealed to him the rules for praying.
The very first building of this mosque was destroyed long ago. Then it was rebuilt many times, as it suffered from fires, earthquakes and just the passage of time. His modern plan was basically laid down in the early 700s under the Umayyads. During the time of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the mosque was turned partly into a Christian temple, and partly into an officeKnights Templar.
Dome of the Rock
The second temple, sometimes named after the mentioned caliph, is the Dome of the Rock. When it comes to the destruction of the mosque of Omar, then, as a rule, they actually talk about this building. But this is a mistake. This building is also located on the Temple Mount, at its very top, where the famous Jewish Temple once stood. According to the Bible, the latter can only be located in this place, and therefore the followers of Judaism cannot build it until the Dome of the Rock is demolished. Of course, Muslims categorically do not agree to sacrifice their shrine, erected in 687-691.
According to legend, in this place Abraham was preparing to sacrifice Isaac, King David erected a tabernacle, and his son Solomon erected the Temple. This place is considered the center of the earth. And the Dome of the Rock is the building that protects it. Inside there is indeed a rock on which, as Muslims believe, the footprint of Muhammad is located and from which the creation of the world began. Outside, the mosque is an octagon topped with a huge golden dome. However, the building does not function as a mosque.
