Minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque

It was originally commissioned by Nur al-Din in 1168-69 CE in Aleppo, Syria and was later moved to Jerusalem after the city was conquered in 1187 by Salah ad-Din (Saladin).

It was one of the most famous historic minbars of the Muslim world and was considered by scholars to be a highly significant object of medieval Islamic art.

This act and promise thus had both religious and political significance, denoting Nur al-Din's role as leader of the Muslim counter-crusade.

The flanks of the minbar were decorated with several star-shaped and octagonal geometric patterns which were also carried into the balustrades of the stairs, which were made of turned wood or mashrabiyya.

[4][6][3][1]On August 21, 1969, Michael Rohan, a disturbed Australian Christian fundamentalist, entered the mosque and set fire to the pulpit.

[7][8] The few surviving pieces of the original wooden minbar were moved to the Islamic Museum on the Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount).

A local engineering consultant office, Al-Mihrab for Islamic Architecture, was hired to reproduce the drawings in digital form.

A team of 30 carpenters specialized in various aspects of woodworking were assembled from many different Muslim-majority countries including Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Indonesia, and Jordan.