Al-Aqsa’s smaller domes differ in plan, enclosure, date and association. A dome’s name may commemorate a religious tradition or historical patron without dating the building. The Ascension, Prophet and Yusuf domes are useful examples of why each monument needs its own identity and source record.[1]
In this guide
Dome of the Ascension
The small octagonal building has a crown-like feature above its roof. The custodial guide leaves the original founder and exact construction year unknown, while recording work around 1200. Museum With No Frontiers identifies an Ayyubid mihrab and a complex earlier site history; the existing landmark reference discusses a dedication around 1200–01. These sources support an Ayyubid intervention, not an uncontested founding date for the present structure or a date for the event it commemorates.[2][3][4]
Dome of the Prophet
An open canopy on eight marble columns stands northwest of the Dome of the Rock. The guide describes an Ottoman prayer niche followed by the addition of a dome. Its name relates to the tradition of the Prophet leading other prophets in prayer. That religious association should be stated as tradition, while the niche and canopy retain their separate architectural histories.[2][5]
Dome of Yusuf
The partly open Dome of Yusuf stands to the south of the Dome of the Rock. Its inscriptions are associated with different periods, including Saladin’s name and later Ottoman work. An inscription may commemorate an earlier ruler or be reused in a later structure. For that reason, a page should identify what the inscription dates before using it to assign a single founding year to the monument.[6][7]
Yusuf and Yusuf Agha are not interchangeable
The Dome of Yusuf Agha is another structure, farther south in the sanctuary. The addition of a title or a second part of a name can identify a different monument rather than an alternate spelling. When matching a photograph to a text, check the location and form as well as the name. The same method also prevents confusing the Dome of the Ascension with the Dome of the Rock.[6][7]
Three questions for comparing small monuments
Ask whether the sides are open or enclosed, what evidence supports the stated date, and whether the name describes form, patronage or commemoration. These questions are more reliable than sorting every dome by appearance alone. The linked Explore records retain separate photographs, names and provenance, making it possible to compare the monuments without turning uncertain origins into a single uniform chronology.[1]
Sources & references
References are attached to the passages they support. Dates below record source consultation.
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 24–29
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
p. 25
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Qubbat al-Suʿud (Dome of Ascension) · Yusuf al-Natsheh
Date and description
Museum With No Frontiers · Discover Islamic Art · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of the Ascension
Madain Project · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of the Prophet
Madain Project · Consulted 2026-09-14
- Dome of Yusuf
Wikipedia · cited architectural bibliography · Consulted 2026-09-14
- A Guide to Al-Aqsa Mosque / Al-Haram Ash-Sharif (2015)
pp. 26–29
PASSIA · Jerusalem Awqaf · Hashemite Fund · Consulted 2026-09-14