AMMAN, Jordan - Jordan's King Abdullah II has donated a huge carpet to the Al-Aqsa mosque and is launching an architectural competition for a fifth minaret for the building, which stands in Jerusalem on the third holiest site in Islam, the palace said Monday.

The palace statement came after the king chaired a meeting of senior Islamic clerics who are overseeing the renovation at the site. Known to Muslims as the Holy Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount, the site has been damaged by earthquakes, other natural causes and arson.

The carpet will cover 2,000 square meters, the statement said.

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"I want the carpet to be placed under the dome of the mosque before Laylet al-Qadr," Abdullah was quoted as telling the meeting, adding that it would be provided at his expense.

"Laylet al-Qadr," or the Night of Power, is the holiest night of the year for Muslims as it marks the occasion when the Quran, the holy book, is believed to have descended from heaven to the Prophet Muhammad. This year it is expected to fall on Oct. 20.

The king also announced a competition to design a fifth minaret for Al-Aqsa, which is expected to cost 400,000 to 500,000 Jordanian dinars ($600,000 to 700,000).

The vice chairman of the committee running the project, Raef Nijem, said the king decided the new minaret should be "near the eastern wall of Al-Aqsa Mosque because there is no minaret there, and the area overlooks agricultural land."

The construction would requires the approval of Israel, which controls the site, but this is expected to be granted.

The site is part of east Jerusalem, which was ruled by Jordan until Israel captured it and the adjacent West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war. In 1988, the current's king's father, King Hussein, renounced his country's claim to the West Bank, but maintained Jordan's authority to look after the Holy Sanctuary - a custodial role that Israel recognizes.

Jordan has produced a new version of Al-Aqsa Mosque's pulpit and this is expected to be installed soon. The original was severely damaged in 1969 when an Australian Christian with a record of mental instability set fire to the mosque.

King Hussein, who died of cancer in 1999, had pledged to repair the pulpit, which was erected by Saladin al-Ayyubi, the Muslim warrior who recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187.