General View of "Mosque El Aksa"
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 arches of three middle compartments are filled in with light columns, with plain capitals. The interior is supported by forty-five columns, thirty-three of which are marble and twelve of stone. The capitals of the columns are of great variety, some of them of heavy and bad design. Some of the windows are good; one particularly attractive is of delicate blue color. The interior of the dome is richly decorated with mosaics, while the exterior of the mosque is mostly whitewashed and is a plain structure as compared with the Mosque of Omar."
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 arches of three middle compartments are filled in with light columns, with plain capitals. The interior is supported by forty-five columns, thirty-three of which are marble and twelve of stone. The capitals of the columns are of great variety, some of them of heavy and bad design. Some of the windows are good; one particularly attractive is of delicate blue color. The interior of the dome is richly decorated with mosaics, while the exterior of the mosque is mostly whitewashed and is a plain structure as compared with the Mosque of Omar."
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