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