"Jordan will build a fifth minaret at the blessed Al-Aqsa mosque," King Abdullah II said at a meeting of the state committee that monitors the holy shrine in coordination with the Palestinian Authority.

The Jordanian King, who announced the establishment of a special fund for the reconstruction of Islam's holy sites, also said that the new minaret should "reflect the Islamic significance and sanctity of the mosque."

Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the mosque compound, called the Haram Al Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) by Muslims, houses the Dome of the Rock as well as the Al-Aqsa.

There are currently four minarets at Al-Aqsa mosque - Bab Al Asbat, Al Fakhria, Al Ghawanmeh and Bab Al Silsilah. The fifth minaret will be located near the Golden Door and Bab Al-Asbat, a royal statement said.

Jordanian officials said the new minaret will represent one of the fifth pillars of Islam, which are the Shehada (the declaration of belief in the oneness of Allah (SWT) and in Muhammad (PBUH) as his final prophet), fasting, praying, alms-giving, and the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.

Jordan first announced its plans for the construction of a fifth minaret for Al-Aqsa Mosque in 2004. But the government said at the time that the project was stalled due to opposition from some "extremist and unofficial" Israeli groups.

Jordan kept custodial responsibility for the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, even after it gave up all claims to the occupied West Bank in 1988.

Over the years, Amman has carried out repair and renovation work at the compound, including the reconstruction of the Dome of the Rock's interior and the renovation of the dome itself.

In 2004, it launched the first major restoration in four centuries of the ancient walls of Al-Aqsa Mosque.