The third holiest site in Islam was stormed Sunday by Israeli police forces following dawn prayers, it then became the battleground for clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces, clashes that continued on Monday and Tuesday.
The clashes not only damaged centuries-old woodwork, doors and windows in the 8th century mosque but they also prompted Jordan's King Abdullah II, Israel's strongest ally in the Middle East to threaten to take action if they continue.
And while this is hardly the first time the compound has been at the center of controversy, and it will most probably not be the last, there are many facts about its ancient history and current situation that people aren't aware of.
These are 14 things you might not know about Al-Aqsa.
1. Al-Aqsa Compound is often confused with one of its buildings
People often confuse Al-Aqsa compound with the Qibly, or Al-Aqsa, Mosque which is the famous southern building with the silver lead dome. Al-Aqsa is actually the entire sanctuary complex that's called "Al-Haram Al-Sharif" which includes the Qibly mosque, the Dome of the Rock shrine and several other small mosques.
2. Many people think Al-Aqsa Mosque is the Dome of the Rock
Most Muslims and actually, most people don't know the difference between Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock and think them the same building, but the Dome of the Rock is neither the Qibly Mosque nor Al-Aqsa, it's one of the buildings inside the Al-Aqsa site.
3. Al-Aqsa is the most contested area of land in the history of the world
Al-Aqsa is the only area of land in the world that empires and armies have been literally dying to take control of for thousands of years. Even now, the sovereignty and status of the area in which it lies, East Jerusalem, remains unclear on the international stage.
4. Israel is allowed to patrol the compound's perimeter despite Arab control
Despite the fact that Al-Aqsa has been under the control of the Jordanian/Palestinian Islamic Waqf Trust since the end of the 1967 war, Israeli forces are permitted to patrol and conduct searches within the perimeter of the compound.
5. Restrictions often prevent the entry of Muslims into the compound
Although Israel's Muslim inhabitants and Palestinians are supposed to be allowed entry to Al-Aqsa, there have been many security restrictions that occasionally prevent them over the years, these vary from sometimes preventing men under 50 from entry to other times preventing women from entry during specific time frames.
6. The mosque has been stormed more than once
Sunday's clashes were not the first time the Qibly Mosque or the entire complex was stormed by Israeli forces, the inside of the mosque was previously stormed in November 2014 and the whole complex was stormed multiple times since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada when 2,000 riot forces were deployed.
7. The mosque was almost completely burnt down
On 21 August 1969, an Australian extremist named Denis Michael Rohan set fire to a part of the Qibly Mosque that enveloped the entire building and almost burned it down, he was later institutionalized and the mosque was renovated.
8. Muslims refused to kill the mosque's Crusaders for revenge
When the Crusaders took Jeursalem in 1099, they killed thousands of Muslims inside the mosque who had fled there for safety. But when Saladin Al-Ayubi took the city in 1187, he refused to kill any of them but ordered the Crusaders out of the mosque instead.
9. Omar Ibn Al-Khatab cleaned Al-Aqsa with his hands
Because the Romans had used the compound as a garbage dump, when Omar Ibn Al-Khattab conquered Jerusalem in 637 he manually cleaned the Al-Aqsa area with other Muslims.
10. Egypt helped in the mosque's continued restorations
Egyptian engineering experts participated in one of the earliest 20th century renovations of the Qibly Mosque in 1924. In addition, Egypt's King Farouk funded the painting of the mosque's ceiling.
11. The mosque once had one of the Islamic world's most beautiful minbars
The original minbar of the Qibly mosque took six years to build and was installed by Saladin when he seized the city, it was a beautiful ivory structure adorned with Arabic calligraphy, geometrical and floral designs. It was destroyed by the 1969 fire.
12. Prophet Soloman could be buried in the mosque
Al-Aqsa is also a burial ground, and while there is no record of which or how many prophets are buried there, it is believed that there are many, including Prophet Soloman who died in Jerusalem.
13. "Ihyaa Ulum Al-Din" was written in Al-Aqsa
Prominent Islamic scholar Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali lived in Al-Aqsa Mosque and wrote his world-famous book "Ihyaa Ulum Al-Din" there, which is considered highly significant in Islamic literature.
14. The Royal Stoa once stood where the mosque is
The Royal Stoa is an ancient basilica that was built by Herod the Great at the end of the 1st century BC in Al-Aqsa Mosque, it is considered one of the Jewish builder's greatest and most significant constructions. It was later destroyed by the Romans.