City Spotlight

Chapel of the Ascension

Believed to be the site of Prophet Jesus's ascension to heaven. Allah saved Jesus from his enemies by raising him up to the heavens alive—both body and soul. This is explicitly rooted in the Quran: “And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but it appeared so to them... Rather, Allah raised him to Himself.” -- [Quran 4:157-] Following the Muslim recapture of Jerusalem by Saladin in 1187, the structure was converted into a mosque. It remains under the custody of the Islamic Waqf, but Muslims traditionally permit Christian pilgrims to visit and pray there. The Chapel of the Ascension (on the Mount of Olives) commemorates the ascension of Jesus. Whilst the Dome of the Ascension (Qubbat al-Mi'raj) is an entirely different structure located inside the Al-Aqsa compound. It commemorates Prophet Muhammad’s physical night ascension to the heavens (Al-Mi'raj) Islam physical veneration of specific items like "footprints" or graves with caution to prevent Shirk (associating partners with God). While Muslims respect the historical location as a monument to a major Prophet, the site itself holds no canonical, ritualistic significance in Islamic worship compared to the prescribed mosques