Mihrab and Mimbar of Al -Aqsa Mosque
This marble structure is the mihrab (prayer niche) of the Qibly mosque which is at the front of Masjid al-Aqsa. The mimbar (pulpit) on the right was donated by the Jordanian government after the original (which was a gift from Salahuddin Ayyubi) was destroyed in a fire started by a fanatical zionist in 1969.
When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 CE, Masjid al-Aqsa was desecrated. Pigs were installed in the mihrab and a church was erected in place of one of it’s oratories. Imad Eddin (Salahuddin’s biographer) speaks of the mihrab of the mosque being full of pigs and excrement.
In around 1119 CE, King Baldwin II of Jerusalem granted one wing to the newly formed Knights Templar order and the building became their headquarters.
The original mimbar, considered one of the most beautiful in the world, was made of over 10,000 interlocking pieces of Cedar and other wood, ivory and mother of pearl affixed without a drop of glue or a single nail. After the reconquest of Jerusalem Masjid al-Aqsa was filled for Jumma prayers for the first time in 88 years, people wept with emotion as the Qadi of Jerusalem, Muhyi ad-Din al-Qurashi mounted the new pulpit.