If you stand in the Old City of Jerusalem today, looking up at the sprawling 35-acre plateau known as the Haram al-Sharif, you're looking at layers of history stacked like an architectural lasagna. People often ask, "When was the Aqsa Mosque built?" thinking there's a single date, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a clear architect. But it's way messier than that. Honestly, the answer depends entirely on whether you’re talking about the physical stone building with the silver dome or the sacred site itself.
Jerusalem doesn't do "simple."
To get this right, we have to look at the transition from the Byzantine era to the early Islamic period. It’s a story of wood, lead, earthquakes, and a lot of political maneuvering. Most historians point to the late 7th century, but if you ask a religious scholar, they’ll tell you the foundations go back much, much further—all the way to the dawn of humanity in Islamic tradition.
The Physical Construction: 705 CE and the Umayyad Dynasty
Let's talk about the actual building you see in photos. The structure known as Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (the silver-domed building, not to be confused with the gold-domed Dome of the Rock) was primarily the work of the Umayyad Caliphs. Specifically, it was started by Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan and finished by his son, Al-Walid I, around 705 CE.
Imagine the scene.
Jerusalem had been under Muslim rule for a few decades after the Byzantine Empire lost control. The city was a dusty, glorious, chaotic mix of Christian pilgrims and new Arab administrators. Abd al-Malik wanted to cement the status of Jerusalem. He wasn't just building a house of worship; he was making a statement.
The first version of the mosque wasn't the massive stone feat we see now. It was likely a more modest, mostly wooden structure. Archaeologists, including those who studied the site during British Mandate-era renovations in the 1930s and 40s (like Robert Hamilton), found evidence of these earlier phases. They found beams of cedar wood and cypress that dated back centuries, some of which are now held in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.
Why the Date is Mushy
Early Islamic history wasn't recorded in real-time "live blogs." We rely on historians like Al-Muqaddasi, who wrote in the 10th century. He describes the mosque as being incredibly grand, even then. But here is the kicker: the building has been destroyed and rebuilt so many times that the 705 CE date is just the starting gun.
Earthquakes are the villain in this story.
In 746 CE, a massive quake leveled the place. The Abbasid Caliph al-Mansur had to fix it in 754. Then another quake hit in 774. Then another one in 1033. Most of what you actually touch when you walk through the doors today dates back to the reconstruction by the Fatimid Caliph al-Zahir in 1035 CE.
So, when was the Aqsa Mosque built? 705? 1035? Both. It’s a bit like Grandfather's old axe—if you replace the handle and then replace the head, is it still the same axe?
The Theological Timeline: A Much Older Foundation
In Islamic tradition, the "building" of the mosque isn't just about the Umayyads. There’s a famous Sahih Muslim hadith where Abu Dharr asks the Prophet Muhammad which mosque was built first on earth. The answer was the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.
"And then which?" Abu Dharr asked.
"Masjid al-Aqsa," the Prophet replied.
"How long was between them?"
"Forty years."
For believers, this puts the concept and the foundation of the mosque back in the time of Abraham (Ibrahim) or even Adam. This is why the site is so emotionally charged. It isn't just a 1,300-year-old building; it’s considered the second house of prayer ever established for humanity.
This creates a massive gap between the "archaeological" date and the "spiritual" date. Archeology looks for stones. Faith looks for footprints. In the eyes of the 7th-century builders, they weren't "founding" a new mosque; they were "restoring" a site that had been holy since the beginning of time but had fallen into neglect under the Romans.
What Was There Before the Umayyads?
When Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab entered Jerusalem in 637 or 638 CE, the Temple Mount (the site of the mosque) was basically a trash dump. The Byzantines had left it derelict to emphasize the "desolation" of the Jewish site, following the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
Umar was reportedly horrified.
He worked with his companions to clear the debris. They built a simple, rustic timber mosque that could hold about 3,000 people. The famous Gallic monk Arculf, who visited Jerusalem around 670 CE, actually wrote about seeing this "square house of prayer" made of planks and beams over old ruins.
This "Umar’s Mosque" is the real bridge between the ancient past and the stone mosque of the Umayyads. It proves that the site was being used for Islamic prayer long before the grand arches of Al-Walid were ever designed.
The Byzantine Influence
You can’t talk about the building of Al-Aqsa without mentioning the people who actually swung the hammers. The Umayyads didn't have a distinct "Islamic style" of architecture yet. They hired Byzantine craftsmen—local Christians who knew how to work with mosaics, marble, and arches.
This is why, if you look at the interior of the mosque or the nearby Dome of the Rock, you see echoes of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Corinthian columns weren't new; many were "spolia," repurposed from older Roman and Byzantine buildings. It’s a recycled masterpiece.
Key Phases of Construction and Change
If you want a timeline that actually makes sense, you have to break it down by who was in charge. History in Jerusalem is just one long game of "king of the hill."
- Pre-History: Islamic tradition says it was founded 40 years after Mecca.
- 637 CE: Caliph Umar clears the site and builds a wooden structure.
- 691 CE: The Dome of the Rock is completed nearby (often confused with Al-Aqsa).
- 705-715 CE: Al-Walid I completes the first major stone version of Al-Aqsa.
- 1035 CE: After a series of devastating earthquakes, the Fatimids rebuild the mosque into the shape we recognize today.
- 1099 CE: The Crusaders take Jerusalem. They didn't tear the mosque down; they used it as a palace and called it the Templum Salomonis (Temple of Solomon). This is where the Knights Templar got their name.
- 1187 CE: Saladin retakes the city. He tears out the Crusader additions (like the pigsties they’d built nearby) and brings in a famous carved wooden minbar (pulpit) from Aleppo.
Why Does This Matter Today?
Understanding when the Aqsa mosque was built helps clear up a lot of the modern friction surrounding the site. For instance, people often conflate "Al-Aqsa Mosque" with the entire "Haram al-Sharif."
In a geographic sense, the entire plateau is Al-Aqsa. Every inch of that 144,000 square meters is considered a mosque. This is why when you see news about "clashes at Al-Aqsa," it’s often happening in the courtyards, not just inside the building with the silver dome.
From an SEO or research perspective, knowing that the "building" dates to 705 CE while the "site" dates back millennia allows for a much more nuanced conversation. It explains why the architecture is so varied. You have Mamluk fountains from the 1300s sitting next to Ottoman walls from the 1500s, all resting on Herodian stones from 2,000 years ago.
The Misconception of the "Oldest Mosque"
Is it the oldest mosque? No. The Quba Mosque in Medina holds that title. Is it the most important? It’s third, after Mecca and Medina. But it’s arguably the most architecturally complex because it has survived the most transitions of power.
When you dig into the records of the 1938 restoration, the findings were incredible. Builders found layers of mosaics that looked remarkably like those in the Great Mosque of Damascus. They found that the mosque had once been much wider—15 aisles wide—before earthquakes forced the builders to make it narrower and more stable.
How to Verify These Dates
If you’re looking to go deeper, don't just take a random blog's word for it. Check out the work of Oleg Grabar, a legendary historian of Islamic art and architecture. His book The Shape of the Holy is basically the Bible for anyone trying to understand why and when these structures were built.
Also, look into the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf records. They’ve been the custodians of the site for centuries. Their archives contain the "waqfiyya" (endowment) documents that detail repairs and additions made by various Sultans over the years.
A Quick Reality Check on the "Temple" Connection
It's impossible to talk about the construction of Al-Aqsa without mentioning that it sits on the site of the Second Jewish Temple. When the Umayyads built the mosque, they weren't building on an empty field. They were building on a massive artificial platform created by Herod the Great.
This shared geography is why the dating is so contentious. Archaeological digs are restricted for religious and political reasons, so we often have to rely on "non-invasive" archaeology—like analyzing the types of mortar between stones or using ground-penetrating radar.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Research
If you are writing about this, visiting, or just trying to win an argument at dinner, keep these three points in your back pocket:
- Distinguish between the "Masjid" and the "Mosque": The Masjid is the whole 35-acre site. The Mosque building (Al-Jami' al-Aqsa) is the specific 8th-century structure on the southern end.
- Remember the "Earthquake Factor": Most of what you see today is Fatimid (11th century), not Umayyad (8th century), because Jerusalem is a seismic nightmare.
- Check the Wood: Some of the oldest physical pieces of the mosque are actually the ancient wooden beams stored in museums, some of which date back to the early Islamic period or were even repurposed from older Byzantine churches.
The history of Al-Aqsa isn't a straight line. It’s a circle of destruction and rebirth. Whether you date it to 637, 705, or 1035, the reality is that it remains one of the few places on Earth where the 7th century still feels like it happened yesterday.
To truly understand the site, look into the architectural surveys conducted by the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem. Their detailed drawings of the substructures—like the "Solomon's Stables" area—reveal how the builders utilized ancient vaults to support the massive weight of the mosque above. This structural ingenuity is why, despite the earthquakes, the site remains standing today.
For those planning a visit or conducting a deep study, prioritize looking at the structural shifts between the Umayyad and Abbasid periods. It reveals a lot about how the center of Islamic power shifted from Syria to Iraq. The mosque isn't just a place of prayer; it’s a physical map of Islamic history.