 - 1. In what year did the Crusaders capture Jerusalem?
A) 1218
B) 1099
C) 1187
D) 1119
- 2. During which Crusade was Jerusalem captured by the Crusaders?
A) Fourth Crusade
B) Third Crusade
C) Second Crusade
D) First Crusade
- 3. What name did the Crusaders give to the al-Aqsa Mosque?
A) Dome of the Rock
B) Templum Solomonis
C) Templum Domini
D) Temple of God
- 4. What name did the Crusaders give to the Dome of the Rock?
A) Al-Aqsa Church
B) Solomon's Temple
C) Templum Solomonis
D) Templum Domini
- 5. Which religious order took care of the Dome of the Rock when it was turned into a Christian church?
A) Augustinians
B) Knights Templar
C) Zengids
D) Ayyubids
- 6. Besides being used as a royal palace, what else was the al-Aqsa Mosque used for by the Crusaders?
A) A stable for horses
B) A grain store
C) A museum
D) A library
- 7. In what year did the Crusader king accommodate the headquarters of the Knights Templar at the mosque?
A) 1119
B) 1099
C) 1187
D) 1218
- 8. Which group established their headquarters next to the Crusader king's palace within the building in 1119?
A) Knights Templar
B) Mamluks
C) Ayyubids
D) Augustinians
- 9. Which part of the mosque was expanded during the Crusader period?
A) Southern wall
B) Mihrab
C) Eastern side
D) Northern porch
- 10. What structural additions were made to the mosque by the Crusaders?
A) Two naves and two gates
B) An apse and a dividing wall
C) A gilded glass mosaic
D) A minbar of ivory and wood
- 11. What currently serves as the women's mosque, originally constructed as an annex by the Templars?
A) Southern naves
B) Western annex
C) Northern porch
D) Eastern annex
- 12. What currently serves as the Islamic Museum, originally constructed as an annex by the Templars?
A) Western annex
B) Eastern annex
C) Northern porch
D) Central courtyard
- 13. Who led the Ayyubids in the reconquest of Jerusalem?
A) Al-Kamil Sha'ban
B) Saladin
C) Nur al-Din
D) Al-Mu'azzam
- 14. In what year did Saladin reconquer Jerusalem?
A) 1187
B) 1218
C) 1099
D) 1119
- 15. What undesirable installations placed by the Crusaders did Saladin have removed from al-Aqsa Mosque?
A) Toilets and grain stores
B) Stables and horses
C) Dividing walls and apses
D) Altars and statues
- 16. What scent was used to perfume the interior of al-Aqsa Mosque after Saladin's reconquest?
A) Sandalwood and amber
B) Rosewater and incense
C) Frankincense and myrrh
D) Jasmine and musk
- 17. What material covered the floors of al-Aqsa Mosque after Saladin prepared it for Friday prayers?
A) Marble tiles
B) Wooden planks
C) Stone mosaics
D) Precious carpets
- 18. Where is the restoration inscription commemorating Saladin located?
A) At the western gate
B) Above the mihrab
C) In the eastern annex
D) On the northern porch
- 19. What script was used for the restoration inscription commemorating Saladin?
A) Latin script
B) Arabic naskhi script
C) Thuluth script
D) Kufic script
- 20. What type of panel contains the Arabic naskhi inscription about Saladin's restoration?
A) Gilded glass mosaic panel
B) Painted ceramic panel
C) Carved wooden panel
D) Marble relief panel
- 21. Who was Saladin's predecessor that commissioned a new minbar?
A) Nur al-Din
B) Al-Kamil Sha'ban
C) Al-Mu'azzam
D) Baldwin
- 22. What materials were used to make the minbar commissioned by Nur al-Din?
A) Ivory and wood
B) Gold and silver
C) Stone and marble
D) Bronze and copper
- 23. In what years was the minbar commissioned by Nur al-Din constructed?
A) 1187–88
B) 1218–19
C) 1168–69
D) 1345–46
- 24. In what month and year was Nur ad-Din's minbar added to the mosque by Saladin?
A) November 1218
B) November 1099
C) November 1187
D) November 1345
- 25. Where was Nur ad-Din's minbar placed inside the mosque?
A) At the main western gate
B) Near the northern porch
C) Inside the eastern annex
D) Next to the mihrab
- 26. Who was the Ayyubid sultan of Damascus that built the northern porch with three gates?
A) Al-Mu'azzam
B) Saladin
C) Al-Kamil Sha'ban
D) Nur al-Din
- 27. In what year was the northern porch of the mosque built by al-Mu'azzam?
A) 1187
B) 1218
C) 1168
D) 1345
- 28. How many gates did the northern porch built in 1218 have?
A) Three gates
B) One gate
C) Four gates
D) Two gates
- 29. Who added two naves and two gates to the mosque's eastern side in 1345?
A) Al-Mu'azzam
B) Saladin
C) Nur al-Din
D) Al-Kamil Sha'ban
- 30. What title did al-Kamil Sha'ban hold?
A) Ayyubid sultan
B) Crusader king
C) Mamluk sultan
D) Zengid sultan
- 31. In what year were two naves and two gates added to the mosque's eastern side?
A) 1345
B) 1119
C) 1218
D) 1187
- 32. Which monk attested to the existence of a wooden mosque on the Temple Mount during his pilgrimage in c. 679–682?
A) Ibn Tahir
B) Arculf
C) K. A. C. Creswell
D) Oleg Grabar
- 33. What shape was the mosque described by Arculf?
A) Circular
B) Octagonal
C) Rectangular
D) Square
- 34. Where does historian Yildirim Yavuz assert that the early mosque seen by Arculf stood?
A) In the southern part of the city
B) At the present site of the Dome of the Rock
C) Close to the present mosque
D) Next to the Church of Our Lady
- 35. Which caliph's reign coincided with Arculf's visit to Palestine?
A) Mu'awiya I
B) Al-Walid I
C) Umar
D) Abd al-Malik
- 36. Who ordered the construction of a primitive mosque on the Temple Mount according to claims supported by K. A. C. Creswell?
A) Mu'awiya I
B) Umar
C) Marwan II
D) Abd al-Malik
- 37. What was Umar's relationship to the Rashidun caliphs?
A) He was the last Rashidun caliph
B) He was the second Rashidun caliph
C) He was the first Rashidun caliph
D) He was the founder of the Umayyad Caliphate
- 38. Before becoming caliph, for about how many years was Mu'awiya governor of Syria, including Palestine?
A) Twenty years
B) Five years
C) Thirty years
D) Ten years
- 39. Where was Mu'awiya's accession ceremony held?
A) Cairo
B) Jerusalem
C) Baghdad
D) Damascus
- 40. Which 10th-century Jerusalemite scholar claims Mu'awiya built a mosque on the Haram?
A) Guy le Strange
B) Ibn Tahir
C) Amikam Elad
D) Al-Qalqashandi
- 41. There is disagreement as to whether the present al-Aqsa Mosque was originally built by Abd al-Malik or which of his successors?
A) Umar
B) Mu'awiya I
C) Marwan II
D) Al-Walid I
- 42. According to a common Islamic tradition, when were the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque commissioned?
A) By Caliph Umar
B) Centuries apart
C) During the Abbasid period
D) Simultaneously
- 43. Whose claim is it that Abd al-Malik used materials from the destroyed Church of Our Lady to build the mosque?
A) Amikam Elad
B) K. A. C. Creswell
C) Guy le Strange
D) Yildirim Yavuz
- 44. What possible evidence does Guy le Strange point to as remains of the Church of Our Lady?
A) The central dome's wooden framework
B) The columns in the northern courtyard
C) Substructures on the southeast corners of the mosque
D) The mosaics on the exterior walls
- 45. What is the earliest source indicating al-Walid's work on the mosque?
A) The Aphrodito Papyri
B) Arculf's pilgrimage account
C) The chronicles of al-Qalqashandi
D) The writings of Ibn Tahir
- 46. What name is used for the al-Aqsa Mosque in the Aphrodito Papyri letters?
A) Mosque of Jerusalem
B) Temple Mount Mosque
C) The Haram Sanctuary
D) Umayyad Congregational Mosque
- 47. Which historian doubts the reliability of 10th and 13th-century historians who credit al-Walid for founding the mosque?
A) Oleg Grabar
B) Guy le Strange
C) Amikam Elad
D) K. A. C. Creswell
- 48. What natural disaster ravaged Jerusalem in 713–714, destroying the eastern section of the mosque?
A) A massive flood
B) A severe firestorm
C) Earthquakes
D) A prolonged drought
- 49. Which historian credits al-Walid with covering the mosque's walls with mosaics?
A) Arculf
B) Ibn Tahir
C) Al-Qalqashandi
D) Abd al-Malik
- 50. What is the maximum estimated length of the Umayyad-built mosque mentioned in the text?
A) 114.6 meters
B) 112 meters
C) 39 meters
D) 69.2 meters
- 51. According to Grabar, what was the layout of the Umayyad mosque a modified version of?
A) The traditional hypostyle mosque of the period
B) A Byzantine domed church
C) A Persian audience hall
D) A Roman basilica
- 52. How many aisles are cited by a number of historians for the Umayyad mosque?
A) Seven
B) Twenty
C) Fifteen
D) Three
- 53. What likely topped the central aisle, which was double the width of the others?
A) A flat terrace
B) A dome
C) A vaulted arch
D) A pitched roof
- 54. Who was the last Umayyad caliph?
A) Abd al-Malik
B) Al-Walid I
C) Mu'awiya I
D) Marwan II
- 55. In what year was the al-Aqsa Mosque ruined in an earthquake during the late Umayyad period?
A) 746
B) 691
C) 750
D) 713
- 56. Four years after the 746 earthquake, what dynasty replaced the Umayyads?
A) Mamluk Sultanate
B) Ottoman Empire
C) Fatimid Caliphate
D) Abbasid Caliphate
- 57. Where was the Abbasid Caliphate based?
A) Hijaz
B) Syria
C) Iraq
D) Egypt
- 58. Which of the following is one of the Arabic terms translated as Al-Aqsa Mosque?
A) al-Masjid al-Aqṣā
B) al-Masjid al-Nabawi
C) Qubbat al-Sakhra
D) al-Haram al-Makki
- 59. In which book was the name al-Masjid al-Aqṣā first used?
A) The Torah
B) The Hadith of Bukhari
C) The Bible
D) The Quran
- 60. Which Surah of the Quran first used the term al-Masjid al-Aqṣā?
A) Surah 17
B) Surah 2
C) Surah 114
D) Surah 36
- 61. Were there any buildings on the site of Al-Aqsa when the Quran was written?
A) Yes, the Dome of the Rock stood there
B) No, there were no buildings
C) Yes, the silver-domed mosque existed
D) Yes, several minarets were already built
- 62. Who was al-Muqaddasi?
A) A 15th-century architect
B) A 12th-century king
C) A 19th-century Orientalist
D) A 10th-century geographer
A) A 19th-century American Orientalist
B) A 15th-century caliph
C) A 12th-century geographer
D) A 10th-century scholar
- 64. According to historical writers and Orientalists, what does the term Masjid al-Aqsa refer to?
A) Only the silver-domed building
B) The southern wall only
C) The underground water reservoirs
D) The entire esplanade plaza
- 65. What alternative name is used for the entire esplanade plaza besides Al Aqsa?
A) Al-Buraq Plaza
B) Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif
C) Jabal al-Tur
D) Al-Masjid al-Haram
- 66. What does Haram al-Sharif translate to?
A) Highest Palace
B) Sacred Garden
C) Blessed Courtyard
D) Noble Sanctuary
- 67. What did al-Muqaddasi refer to the southern building as?
A) Maqsurah
B) Pushish
C) Al-Qibli
D) Al Mughattâ
- 68. What does the term 'Al Mughattâ' mean?
A) The southern sanctuary
B) The furthest mosque
C) The noble plaza
D) The covered-part
- 69. What Persian word did Nasir Khusraw use to refer to the southern building?
A) Gumbad
B) Sahn
C) Pushish
D) Farash
- 70. What linguistic device does the text mention when describing Nasir Khusraw's use of 'Maqsurah'?
A) An architectural hyperbole
B) A part-for-the-whole synecdoche
C) A literal translation
D) A geographical metaphor
- 71. What is the Arabic term for Qibli Chapel given in the text?
A) Masjid al-Quds
B) Muṣallā al-Qiblī
C) Haram al-Qibli
D) Jāmiʿ al-Sharif
- 72. The Jerusalem Islamic Waqf is part of which government?
A) The Palestinian government
B) The Turkish government
C) The Jordanian government
D) The Egyptian government
- 73. Which international organization is mentioned as using the name 'Qibli'?
A) European Union Parliament
B) United Nations Security Council
C) NATO
D) United States State Department
- 74. Which cultural and educational international organization uses the term 'Qibli'?
A) WHO
B) UNESCO
C) UNICEF
D) IMF
- 75. What color is the dome of the congregational mosque building?
A) Silver
B) Gold
C) Blue
D) Green
- 76. How many minarets are mentioned as part of the Haram al-Sharif area?
A) Six
B) Seven
C) Two
D) Four
- 77. Which Abbasid caliph rebuilt the mosque in 758?
A) Abd al-Malik
B) Al-Walid I
C) Al-Mansur
D) Al-Mahdi
- 78. Which caliph expanded the mosque in 780 to consist of fifteen aisles and a central dome?
A) Al-Mahdi
B) Saladin
C) Al-Zahir
D) Al-Mansur
- 79. In what year did an earthquake destroy the mosque for the second time mentioned in the text?
A) 1187
B) 1033
C) 746
D) 1099
- 80. Which Fatimid caliph rebuilt the mosque after the 1033 earthquake?
A) Al-Mahdi
B) Abd al-Malik
C) Al-Zahir
D) Mu'awiya I
- 81. What did the Crusaders use the mosque for after capturing it in 1099?
A) A stable
B) A palace
C) A library
D) A market
- 82. Who began the expansion of the enclosure where the mosque is located in 20 BCE?
A) Robert Hamilton
B) Emperor Justinian
C) King Herod the Great
D) Zachi Dvira
- 83. What structure occupied the present site of the mosque during the late Second Temple period?
A) An Umayyad palace
B) The Second Jewish Temple
C) The Royal Stoa
D) The Nea Church
- 84. By whom was the Royal Stoa destroyed in 70 CE?
A) The Romans
B) King Herod the Great
C) Robert Hamilton
D) Emperor Justinian
- 85. What was the Nea Church dedicated to?
A) King Herod the Great
B) Haram al-Sharif
C) The God-bearing Virgin Mary
D) The Second Jewish Temple
- 86. In what year was the Nea Church consecrated?
A) 543
B) 1973
C) 20
D) 70
- 87. When was the reexamination of the wooden beams that gave dates in the Byzantine period conducted?
A) The 1930s
B) 20 BCE
C) The 2010s
D) 1973
- 88. Who uncovered portions of a multicolor mosaic floor with geometric patterns during excavations in the 1930s?
A) Zachi Dvira
B) Robert Hamilton
C) Di Cesare
D) Baruch
- 89. Who considers the mosaic floors uncovered in the 1930s to be from the pre-Islamic Byzantine period?
A) Zachi Dvira
B) Di Cesare
C) Robert Hamilton
D) Herod the Great
- 90. Which dynasty generally exhibited little interest in Jerusalem according to the text?
A) The Abbasids
B) The Seljuks
C) The Fatimids
D) The Umayyads
- 91. Who provided the first known written description of a renovation of the al-Aqsa Mosque?
A) Mujir al-Din
B) Nasir Khusraw
C) al-Muqaddasi
D) Shelomo Dov Goitein
- 92. According to al-Muqaddasi, how many doors did the Aqsa mosque have?
A) Eleven
B) Twenty-six
C) Fifteen
D) Seven
- 93. Which Abbasid caliph ordered a bronze portal for the mosque's interior?
A) al-Mansur
B) al-Zahir
C) al-Mahdi
D) al-Ma'mun
- 94. What year did the Egypt-based Fatimid Caliphate conquer Palestine?
A) 1081
B) 970
C) 1033
D) 758
- 95. During whose reign was the Fatimid reconstruction of the mosque completed in 1065?
A) al-Mahdi
B) Atsiz
C) al-Mustansir
D) al-Zahir
- 96. To how many aisles was the mosque reduced during the Fatimid reconstruction?
A) Nine
B) Twenty-six
C) Seven
D) Fifteen
- 97. What does the drum mosaic in the mosque depict?
A) A luxurious garden
B) Geometric calligraphy
C) Navigational star charts
D) A battle scene
- 98. Which Quranic event is linked by a gold inscription atop the Fatimid arch?
A) Muhammad's Night Journey
B) The creation of Adam
C) The parting of the sea
D) The building of the Kaaba
- 99. Who visited the mosque in 1047 and described its measurements and interior?
A) Grabar
B) Nasir Khusraw
C) Shelomo Dov Goitein
D) al-Muqaddasi
- 100. Which Turkish mercenary was invited by the Fatimid governor to rein in Bedouin tribes in 1071?
A) Atsiz
B) al-Zahir
C) Abd Allah ibn Tahir
D) al-Mustansir
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