AT THE HEART OF JERUSALEM is the Noble Sanctuary,
Al-Haram Al-Sharif,
enclosing over 35 acres of fountains, gardens, buildings and domes.
At its southernmost end is Al-Aqsa Mosque and at its centre the
celebrated Dome of the Rock (Masjid As-Sakhra). The entire area is
regarded as a mosque and comprises nearly one sixth of the walled
city of Jerusalem. Al-Haram Al-Shareef (The Noble Sanctuary) is a
quadrilateral that roughly resembles a trapezoid. The dimensions of
this quadrilateral seem to differ from one source to another but the
lowest values mentioned are about 280 meters along the South, about
310 meters along the North , about 460 meters along the East, and about
480 meters along the West. This gives it a surface area of about 138
thousand square meters, which is a little less than 35 acres. The
average height above sea level on the platform is about 730 meters
above sea level.
