The front of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The El Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount is the third most holy site in Islam. Just like the Dome of the Rock was built to overshadow the rotunda of the Holy Sepulcher, the Al-Aqsa mosque was built to mimic the basilica over Calvary. The alignment of these two buildings completes the imitation of the Holy Sepulcher’s layout.

Since the mosque stands on the south of the Temple Mount, the Crusaders considered it the remains of Solomon’s palace. Because of this, it served as the palace of the Latin kings of Jerusalem during the days of Crusader occupation. It was also given to the Order of the Knights Templar for their headquarters.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque sits along the southern side of the Temple Mount on top of where Solomon's Porch stood. The tunnel and stairway leading to the Temple Mount surface from the Double Gate runs under the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque with the entrance to the stairway and tunnel to the Double Gate in the bottom left corner. When Jesus cleared the Temple of the money changers it would have happened in this general area, which at that time was Solomon’s Porch.






These stairs lead down to a tunnel that connects to the Double Gate. This would have been used in New Testament times for accessing and exiting the Temple Mount.