It’s located in the middle of Al-Aqsa Mosque, east of the Dome, three meters from the eastern door. It was built by Al Khalifah Abdul Malik bin Marwan.
It is a small building, with a beautiful shape and topping, and with open walls. The dome has two circles. the first is the external, and consists of eleven columns. The second is the interior. It crries the dome and consists of six columns. It contains a mihrab on the southern side and is one of the most famous domes of Al-Aqsa Mosque. One of the characteristics of the dome is that you can see all the columns.
In the Umayyad period
It was a place for science and scientists, for teaching and listening. It was an office for the Khalifah Suleiman bin Abdul Malik; where he sat to look in the people’s affairs. It was exposed to too many natural disasters and political changes that have changed its original form.
In the Abbasid period
It was decorated with mosaics, and has marble columns with lead plates.
In the Fatimid period
The dome was affected by earthquakes and natural disasters, so it was rebuilt, and a beautiful mihrab was set up on it.
During the Crusader occupation of Jerusalem
The dome was turned into a church and was called St James church, and many changes made for it.
In the Ayyubids period
The dome was rebuilt after the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque from the Crusaders, and the mihrab that was fortified with two columns was also rebuilt.
In the Mamluk era
The dome was renovated during the time of Sultan al-Zaher Baybars.
In the Ottoman era
The dome was restored to its original shape with 17 columns as it is today. The Ayyubid’s inscription was replaced with a new one, after covering it with Qishani Turkish tiles.
The modern era
The dome was restored and the floor tiles were changed in 1390 AH / 1970 AD and between 1430 AH /2009 until 1434 H / 2013.
Historians disagreed on why the dome was built. Some say it was a prototype that was depended on to build the Dome of the Rock. Others say it’s a center point of Al-Aqsa Mosque. Some considered it a memorial for prophet David’s court. Others thought it was a treasury, or an office for engineers. In a nut shell, no one could identify and be certain of the exact cause.