Also known as Jerusalem and established in the 4th millennium BCE, Al Quds city is one of the oldest cities in the world. Capital of the state of Palestine, it holds a unique and characteristic history as a meeting place between the East and the West.
According to archaeologists, the city was established around six thousand years ago, and throughout history, it has been considered a meeting and exchange point between the continents of the antique world.
Thereafter it has been successively ruled by the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Jebusites, the Mamelukes, and the Ottomans.
The city is made of limestone, dolomite, and other stones of the same type, which has shown durability and strength against the effects of time, fire, humans, and all other external factors.
The constructions have been well preserved thanks to the use of these characteristic stones.
Al Quds carries powerful religious importance. The first Muslims prayed in its direction. It is considered“thrice holy” as it encloses sthe third holiest sites.
Islam (After Mecca and Medina) and the holiest sites of the Jewish and Christian religions. In total, there are 56 holy places (and a hundred others of lesser importance) mainly located in East Jerusalem. Among the most notable holy places: The Al-Aqsa Mosque for the Muslims, the Church of the Resurrection and the burial place of Jesus, and The Kotel for the Jewish people. It is recognized by the three religions as the place of the sacrifice of Abraham.
The heart of the city and its symbolic representation is the Al-Aqsa Mosque also called the dome of the rock.
The monument’s architecture is characterized by both Byzantine and Persian Sasanian influences. It is often referred to as the first aesthetic Islamic monument. Completed in 692, the building, with its octagonal base and its interior ambulatory of twelve columns surrounding the summit of the famous monument is topped with a dome 21 meters in diameter whose gold coating illuminates the ocher walls.
The interior of the building is covered with rich mosaics mixing Persian, Byzantine, and Arabic styles.
