As the iconic cathedral of Notre Dame burned in Paris, a fire broke out at the historic Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The fire broke out at the roof of a structure known as the Al Marwani prayer room in Al Aqsa mosque, GulfNews reported. Al Marwani prayer room is located underneath the southeastern corner of Haram Al-Sharif, which contains both the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. The prayer room is an underground vaulted space used as a Muslim prayer hall, some 600 square yards in area, at the bottom of stairs which lead down from Al Aqsa Mosque. Shaikh Azzam Al-Khatib, director general of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, told Jordan’s Al Mamlaka TV that the fire broke out in the courtyard and investigations are underway.

Source: Pakistan Today April 16, 2019 08:03 UTC