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Dome of the Ascension/Chapel of the Ascension

East Jerusalem


It's easy to overlook this chapel, which is diminutive and decrepit. Thought to mark the site where Jesus ascended to heaven (Luke 24:50–51), it was built in the Byzantine era, reworked by the Crusaders and then converted to a mosque by Saladin in 1198. In its present form, it is a rotunda set inside an octagonal compound whose walls incorporate a squat stone minaret. Hours are irregular, but there's usually someone around in the morning to open it up.

Inside, the stone floor bears an imprint said to be the footstep of Jesus. Perhaps the reason for its unconvincing appearance today is that pilgrims in the Byzantine period were permitted to take bits of it away. Only the right footprint is now visible, as the left footprint was taken to Al Aqsa Mosque during the Middle Ages.


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