In order to understand the native accounts of the sacred area at Jerusalem, it is essentially necessary to keep in mind the proper application of the various names by which it is spoken of. When the Masjid el Aksa is mentioned, that name is usually supposed to refer to the well-known mosque on the south side of the Haram, but such is not really the case. The latter building is called El Jámi el Aksa, or simply El Aksa, and the substructures are called El Aksa el Kadímeh (the ancient Aksa), while the title El Masjid el Aksa is applied to the whole sanctuary. The word _jámi_ is exactly equivalent in sense to the Greek συναγωγὴ, and is applied only to the church or building in which the worshippers congregate. _Masjid_, on the other hand, is a much more general term; it is derived from the verb _sejada_, “to adore,” and is applied to any spot, the sacred character of which would especially incite the visitor to an act of devotion. Our word _mosque_ is a corruption of _masjid_, but it is usually misapplied, as the building is never so designated, although the whole area on which it stands may be so spoken of. The Jám‘i el Aksa, Jám‘i el Magháribeh, &c., are _mosques_ in our sense of the word, but the entire Haram is a _masjid_. This will explain what is meant by saying that ‘Omar, after visiting the churches of the Anastasis, Sion, &c., was taken to the “Masjid” of Jerusalem; and will account for the statement of Ibn el ‘Asa’kir and others, that the Masjid el Aksa measured over six hundred cubits in length—that is, the length of the whole Haram area. The name Masjid el Aksa is borrowed from the passage in the Cor’án (xvii. 1), where allusion is made to the pretended ascent of Mohammed into heaven from the Temple of Jerusalem: “Praise be unto Him who transported His servant by night from El Masjid el Harám (_i.e._, ‘the Sacred place of Adoration,’ at Mecca) to El Masjid el Aksa (_i.e._ ‘the Remote place of Adoration’ at Jerusalem), the precincts of which we have blessed,” &c. The title _El Aksa_, “the Remote,” according to the Mohammedan doctors, is applied to the Temple of Jerusalem, “either because of its distance from Mecca, or because it is in the centre of the earth.” The title Haram, or “sanctuary,” it enjoys in common with those of Mecca, Medina, and Hebron.