Gallery
Description
Property Name: Al-Buraq Wall (in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, Al-Haram Ash-Sharif)
Inventory No: 972-2-4
Date of infill of the inventory form: 2020-07-16
Country (State party): Palestine
Province: Al Quds/Jerusalem
Town: Old town
Geographic coordinates: 31°46’36.02″N
35°14’4.03″E
Historic Period: Umayyad, Mamluk, Ottoman
Year of Construction:
Style: Early Islamic
Original Use: Wall
Current Use: Wall
Architect: Unknown
Significance
Al-Buraq Wall represents the southwestern section of Al-Aqsa Mosque’s wall, some 50 meters in length, and approximately 20 meters in height. It is part of Al-Aqsa Mosque and considered an Islamic property. * The Jews now call it “The Wailing Wall” claiming it is the remaining part of their destroyed Temple. At least until the 15th Century Jews used to pray at the Mount of Olives which is separated from the Old City by the Kidron Valley. According to Muslim tradition, this is the wall where Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) tied his winged creature, Al-Buraq, before ascending to heaven on his journey from Mecca to Jerusalem (Al- Isra’ wa Al-Mi’raj), where he received his revelations of Islam and lead the other prophets in prayer.
Selection Criteria
ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared
vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance
State of Preservation
Al-Buraq Wall went through several historical stages of construction and renovation from the Roman, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras.The plaza in front of today’s wall was created after Israel’s 1967 conquest of the city and involved the demolition of the entire Arab Mughrabi Quarter, which rendered hundreds of Palestinians homeless.
References
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Archnet website: archnet.org