During Crusader rule, the southern mosque and Dome of the Rock acquired different uses and Christian identifications. Saladin’s capture of Al-Quds in 1187 marked their return to Muslim use. The transport of Nur al-Din’s minbar from Aleppo is a particularly well-documented part of this transition.[1][2][3]
In this guide
Do not merge the two buildings’ Crusader histories
Archnet describes the southern mosque as a royal palace and later a residence of the Knights Templar, under the identification Templum Salomonis. The Dome of the Rock was associated with Templum Domini and used as a church. The two histories belong to neighboring monuments, but they are not identical. This is another case where identifying the exact building is essential before summarizing a period.[1][2]
What 1187 marks
The Metropolitan Museum’s Ayyubid overview identifies 1187 as the year Al-Quds was captured by Saladin’s forces. For the sanctuary, this is a political and religious turning point, not the first construction date of its major buildings. Their existing fabric was adapted and renewed. A timeline should therefore label the event as a change of control and use, rather than saying that Saladin built the entire Al-Aqsa compound.[4][2]
A commission fulfilled after its patron’s death
Nur al-Din commissioned the celebrated wooden minbar in Aleppo before Al-Quds was recovered. The museum record dates its manufacture to 1169–1174 and its transfer by Saladin to 1187. These are three distinct roles: patron, makers and the ruler who arranged its installation in Al-Quds. Calling it “Saladin’s minbar” should not erase the earlier commission or the named craftspeople.[3]
Smaller Ayyubid interventions
The Ayyubid period also appears in the records of smaller structures, including the Dome of the Ascension’s dedication or renovation around 1200–01. That date concerns an architectural intervention, not the origin of the religious event commemorated by the monument. Reading the smaller buildings alongside the large halls makes the period visible at more than one scale.[5][6]
Avoid a simple uninterrupted block of dates
A regional dynasty’s dates and a city’s history of control are not always identical. The Metropolitan Museum’s account notes further changes concerning Al-Quds after 1187. A period label is useful for organizing art and architecture, but it is not a substitute for an event-by-event political history. The timeline here selects architectural and educational milestones rather than attempting to compress every regional conflict into one line.[4]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- Jamiʿ al-Aqsa
Archnet · Aga Khan Documentation Center, MIT · Consulted 2026-09-14
- The Dome of the Rock · Ana Botchkareva
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Pieces from the Nur al-Din Zangi minbar · Nazmi Al-Juʿbeh
Museum With No Frontiers · Discover Islamic Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- The Art of the Ayyubid Period (ca. 1171–1260)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of the Ascension
Madain Project · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
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PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14