It is in fact the whole region highlighted above and is also known as Bayt al-Maqdis or Bayt al-Muqaddas (House of the Holiness). The name ‘Masjid al-Aqsa’ translates as ‘the farthest mosque’ and is the third most holy place in Islam. It was here that in around 621 CE the Prophet Muhammed (ﷺ) came on the night journey from Makkah
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Between my house and my pulpit lays a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is upon my fountain (Al-Kauthar).” – Sahih al-Bukhari 1196. Mehrab-e-Nabawi; Mehrab is the spot where Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to pray and lead the prayer in Masjid al Nabawi after the Qibla changed to Masjid al-Haram.The Masjid al-Haram is the only mosque that has no qibla direction for the worshippers pray facing the Ka'ba, situated in the central open courtyard. The mosque today covers an area of 356,800 square meters including the outdoor and indoor praying spaces and can accommodate up to 820,000 worshippers during the hajj period. Sources:
The history and form of the Kaaba. The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believe that Abraham (known as Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition), and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba. Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure. The Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba
The first mosques in Saudi Arabia. The Quba Mosque in Medina was built in 622 CE. This is the first mosque that can be accurately dated and is described in the Islamic holy book, the Quran, as the first mosque to be built on piety. The Masjid Quba has undergone many renovations since it was constructed and now resembles a modern 20th-century Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (Arabic: ٱَلْمَسْجِدُ ٱلْحَرَامُ, IPA: [ʔælˈmæsʤɪd ælħɑˈrɑːm]), is the largest mosque in the world. It is in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is considered the holiest place on Earth by Muslims. It surrounds the Kaaba (a building which Muslims face while offering daily prayers).The Kaaba is a sacred building situated at the centre of the most prominent mosque in Islam, Masjid al-Haram (Makkah, Saudi Arabia). Renowned for being the most religiously significant shrine amongst Muslims, this square-shaped building is elegantly draped in a cotton and silk veil.
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