Al-Aqsa Mosque Mosque

Address: Al-Aqsa Mosque (al-Haram al-Sharif), Old City, Jerusalem/Al-Quds

Hours: Open for Muslim worship daily; visiting hours for non-Muslims are restricted/subject to security

Admission: Free

Al-Aqsa Mosque refers to the congregational mosque and the larger mosque compound on the southern area of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The compound is one of the principal holy sites in Islam.

The site includes the main prayer hall usually called the Al-Qibli Mosque, open courtyards and adjacent buildings and gates that form the wider Haram al-Sharif platform. Pilgrims come for prayer and for access to the compound’s historic buildings, notable for their architecture and religious significance.

The mosque building and compound developed in the early Islamic period, with the first large mosque structures established in the 7th and early 8th centuries and subject to repeated restorations, expansions and repairs over the following centuries. The complex has long been a focal point of religious and political importance.

Al-Aqsa and the Haram al-Sharif sit in the Old City of Jerusalem on the Temple Mount plateau, immediately adjacent to the Western Wall and other central Old City quarters.

• Access and visitation: The compound is controlled for Muslim worship and access policies are subject to local authorities; non-Muslim visitation is allowed at limited times and under supervision.

What to See#

• Al-Qibli Mosque: The Al-Qibli Mosque (commonly called Al-Aqsa) is the main congregational mosque building on the southern side of the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount compound.
• Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount): The Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) compound, a walled platform that contains multiple structures including the Dome of the Rock and open courtyards used for prayer and circulation.

• Plan your visit during the designated non-Muslim visiting hours (these are limited and change frequently); check the current schedule with local authorities or your accommodation before you go.
• Avoid Friday prayer times and major Muslim holidays-when access is restricted for non-worshippers-and aim for early weekday mornings to encounter fewer visitors and less security congestion.
• Approach the compound from the Western Wall/Al-Maghariba area to reach the visitor entrance and security checks; many visitors don't realize access is controlled and that you may be turned away if rules or timings have changed.
• Spend time at the courtyards and outer terraces for good views and context-non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the interior prayer areas, so the exterior viewpoints and adjacent Old City streets are where most of the accessible history and vistas are found.