Dome of Moses; First Quran Teaching Center in Palestine
It is an Ayyubi era dome located in the middle of the Moses Platform in the western courtyard of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
It was built by Sultan Salih Najmeddin Ayyub, the last king of the Ayyubi dynasty, in 1249.
The Dome of Moses is the last building constructed at the mosque during the Ayyubi era.
Sultan Salih Ayyub is known as the second liberator of al-Quds, as he recaptured the city from the Crusaders after his father had ceded it to them in 1229 under the Treaty of Yafa.
There are different accounts of why the building is called the Dome of Moses. Some say it was named after one of the sheikhs who led prayers in the building. Others believe it refers to Amir Musa bin Hassan al-Hadbani, who oversaw the construction of the mosque's western courtyard in 1337.
According to another account, Sultan Salih Ayyub named it after Prophet Moses (AS).
The building is a 7 by 7 meter chamber with a dome resting on a hexagonal column.
Read More:
It has 6 windows and a Mihrab in the southern wall. The entrance is on the north side.
During the last years of the Mamluk period, Judge Mujiruddin Hanbali used the building as a court. During the Ottoman Empire, it was used for Sama ceremonies.
In 2024, the Dome of Moses returned to its former function, serving as a Quran teaching center.
Currently it hosts many classes on recitation and memorization of the Quran.
4248708
