Samuel Koltov

I have been talking a little about it previously but am now making it - a little - more official. I am working on a project where I will delve into the history of Palestine. Both in order to learn more about this amazing land myself and share the history, but also to challenge popular narratives and myths.

I hope that you all will follow along and participate in a continued dialogue.

Why A History of Palestine An attempt at an explanation

Jâmi´ Al-Aqsa (also known as al-Musallâ al-Qiblî):

The Aqsa Mosque is one of two iconic structures constructed in the Haram al-Sharif. The mosque is also known as the Qibla mosque, referring to its placement at the southern end of the compound, acting as a qibla (prayer direction) for the whole compound.

While it is believed that the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab built a smaller prayer house at the place or near to, where the mosque stands today, the present al-Aqsa mosque was built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik or his son Al-Walid. However, the mosque went through a lot of changes through history, caused by repeated damages, most often by earthquakes, being built on an elevated platform that does not offer much stable support.

Sobata (Hebrew: Shivta, Arabic: Subeita)

A Byzantine city found in the Negev.

In the photo we see the remnants of the open spaced mosque and the southern church in the background.

The city has been declared a UNESCO heritage site since 2005.

The earliest buildings point to an origin in the Roman era, but the city reached its largest during the Byzantine era. As is evident from the mosque, the city stayed inhabited during the first centuries of the Islamic era.