We are often told that the Al Aqsa Mosque is the "third holiest site in Islam."
Well, even today, this is only true for Sunni Muslims.
Shiite Muslims place Jerusalem as number five, behind the mosques in Mecca, Medina, Najaf and Karbalah. And Sufi Muslims have a completely different list.
Calling Jerusalem the "fifth holiest site in Shiite Islam" doesn't quite have the same ring, though.
(As far as I can tell, the "Ibrahimi Mosque" (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron is not even on the radar of either Muslim sect as being a top mosque, and of course the mosque that may have existed near Rachel's Tomb has only been considered important in the past few years. )
