The Dome of the Rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem.
It was initially completed in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik during
the Second Fitna. The Dome of the Rock is now one of the oldest works of Islamic architecture.
It has been called 'Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark' and 'the most recognizable landmark
in all of Israel'. The octagonal plan of the structure may have been influenced by the
Byzantine Chapel of St Mary built between 451 and 458 on the road between Jerusalem
and Bethlehem. The site's significance stems from religious
traditions regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone, at its heart, which bears
great significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
Location The Dome of the Rock is located at the visual
center of a platform known as the Temple Mount. It is believed, or assumed by tradition, to
have been constructed on the site of the Second Jewish Temple, which was destroyed during
the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Muslims believe the location of the Dome of
the Rock to be the site of the Islamic miracle of the Isra and Miraj. Caliph Omar ibn al
Khattab was advised by his associate, Ka'ab al-Ahbar, a Jewish rabbi who converted to
Islam, that the Night Journey, which is mentioned in the Quran and specified by the hadiths
of being located in Jerusalem, took place at the site of the former Jewish Temples.
History Pre-Islam
The Dome of the Rock is situated in the center of the Temple Mount, the site where once the
Jewish Second Temple had stood. The Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans, who
built a temple to Jupiter on the site. During the Byzantine era, Jerusalem was primarily
Christian, and pilgrims came by the tens of thousands to experience the places where Jesus
walked. Construction and dimensions
With the Persian invasion in 614, followed by the Muslim Siege of Jerusalem in 637, the
Dome of the Rock was constructed by the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik between 689
and 691 CE. The Temple Mount had by then been left undeveloped for centuries after another
Jewish revolt against Roman rule in the fourth century CE.
Its architecture and mosaics were patterned after nearby Byzantine churches and palaces.
The two engineers in charge of the project were Raja Ibn Haywah, a Muslim theologian
from Baysan and Yazid Ibn Salam, a Christian slave of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan
and a native of Jerusalem.
Shlomo Dov Goitein of the Hebrew University states that the Dome of the Rock was intended
to compete with the many fine buildings of worship of other religions. Goitein said:
The very form of a rotunda, given to the Qubbat as-Sakhra, although it was foreign to Islam,
attempted to rival the many Christian domes of its time.
A.C. Cresswell in his book Origin of the plan of the Dome of the Rock notes that those who
built the shrine used the measurements of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The diameter
of the dome of the shrine is 20.20 m and its height 20.48 m, while the diameter of
the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is 20.90 m and its height 21.05 m.
The structure is basically octagonal. It comprises a wooden dome, approximately 20 m in diameter,
which is mounted on an elevated drum consisting of a circle of 16 piers and columns. Surrounding
this circle is an octagonal arcade of 24 piers and columns. The outer facade is made of porcelain
and mirrors the octagonal design. They each measure approximately 60 feet wide and 36
feet high. Both the dome and the exterior walls contain many windows.
Crusaders For centuries Christian pilgrims still were
able to come and experience the Temple Mount but escalating violence against pilgrims to
Jerusalem instigated the Crusades. The Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 and the Dome of
the Rock was given to the Augustinians, who turned it into a church while the Al-Aqsa
Mosque became a royal palace. The Knights Templar, who believed the Dome of the Rock
was the site of the Temple of Solomon, later set up their headquarters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque
adjacent to the Dome for much of the 12th century. The "Templum Domini", as they called
the Dome of the Rock, modeled on the Rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and which
featured on the official seals of the Order's Grand Masters, became the architectural model
for Round Templar churches across Europe. Ayyubids and Mamluks
Jerusalem was recaptured by Saladin on 2 October 1187, and the Dome of the Rock was reconsecrated
as a Muslim shrine. The cross on top of the dome was replaced by the Islamic crescent,
and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below. Saladin's nephew al-Malik al-Mu'azzam
Isa carried out other restorations within the building, and added the porch to the Al-Aqsa
Mosque. The Dome of the Rock was the focus of extensive
royal patronage by the sultans during the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250 until
1510. Ottoman Empire
During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered
with tiles. This work took seven years.
The interior of the dome is lavishly decorated with mosaic, faience and marble, much of which
was added several centuries after its completion. It also contains Qur'anic inscriptions. Sura
Ya-Seen is inscribed across the top of the tile work and was commissioned in the 16th
century by Suleiman the Magnificent. Al-Isra is inscribed above this.
Adjacent to the Dome of the Rock, the Ottomans built the free-standing Dome of the Prophet
in 1620. Large-scale renovation was undertaken during the reign of Mahmud II in 1817.
From British Mandate to present Haj Amin Al-Husseini, appointed Grand Mufti
by the British during the 1917 mandate of Palestine, along with Yaqub al-Ghusayn, implemented
the restoration of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The Dome of the Rock was badly shaken during an earthquake in Palestine on 11 July 1927,
damaging many of the repairs that had taken place over previous years.
In 1955, an extensive program of renovation was begun by the government of Jordan, with
funds supplied by the Arab governments and Turkey. The work included replacement of large
numbers of tiles dating back to the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, which had become
dislodged by heavy rain. In 1965, as part of this restoration, the dome was covered
with a durable aluminum bronze alloy made in Italy, that replaced the lead exterior.
The restoration was completed in August 1964. A few hours after the Israeli flag was hoisted
over the Dome of the Rock in 1967 during the Six-Day War, Israelis lowered it on the orders
of Moshe Dayan and invested the Muslim waqf with the authority to manage the Temple Mount
/ Haram al-Sharif, in order to "keep the peace". In 1993, the golden dome covering was refurbished
following a donation of $8.2 million by King Hussein of Jordan who sold one of his houses
in London to fund the 80 kilograms of gold required.
The Dome of the Rock is depicted on the reverse of the Iranian 1000 rials banknote.
Accessibility
The Dome is maintained by the Ministry of Awqaf in Amman, Jordan.
Until the mid-twentieth century, non-Muslims were not permitted in the area. Since 1967,
non-Muslims have been permitted limited access; however non-Muslims are not permitted to pray
on the Temple Mount, or carry any form of religious artifact or anything with Hebrew
letters. The Israeli police help enforce this. Due to security concerns, Israel restricts
access of Palestinian residents of the West Bank to Jerusalem on Muslim holidays only.
West Bank Palestinian men must be over 35 to be eligible for a permit. Palestinian residents
of Jerusalem, who hold Israeli residency cards, and Palestinians with Israeli citizenship
are permitted unrestricted access. In 2006, the Temple Mount was reopened to
non-Muslim visitors during the hours of 7:30–11:30 am and 1:30–2:30 pm during summer and 7:30–10:30 am
and 1:30–2:30 pm during winter. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering after 2:30 pm
and may not enter on Fridays, Saturdays, or Muslim holidays. Entry is through a wooden
walkway next to the entrance to the Western Wall. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering
the mosques, entering the Dome of the Rock, and accessing the Temple Mount through the
Cotton Market. Visitors are subject to strict security screening, and items such as Jewish
prayer books are prohibited. Many Orthodox rabbis regard entry to the compound
to be a violation of Jewish law. This is based on the belief that since the time the Temple
was destroyed during the siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE, the precise location of the Holy
of Holies, the sanctuary entered only by the High Priest, is not known. Hence a restriction
applies to the entire compound. However, other rabbis believe that modern archaeological
and other evidence has enabled them to identify areas that can be safely entered without violating
Jewish law; but even those opinions forbid Jews from entering the Dome of the Rock.
Religious significance
According to some Islamic scholars, the rock is the spot from which Prophet Muhammad ascended
to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. Further, Muhammad was taken here by Gabriel
to pray with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Other Islamic scholars believe that the Prophet
ascended to Heaven from the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Foundation Stone and its surroundings
is the holiest site in Judaism. Though Muslims now pray towards the Kaaba at Mecca, they
once faced the Temple Mount as the Jews do. Muhammad changed the direction of prayer for
Muslims after a revelation from Allah. Jews traditionally regarded the location of the
stone as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the Holy of Holies during the Temple Period.
The most propitious site for Jewish prayer is the spot that is nearest the Foundation
Stone. Because Muslim authorities refused to permit Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount,
the custom developed of praying near the Western Wall, since it was the site nearest to the
Foundation Stone, or on the Mount of Olives facing the site of the Temple. Between 1948
and 1967, when Jordanian authorities refused permission to Jews to enter the Old City of
Jerusalem, Jews made pilgrimages to rooftops on Mount Zion and prayed towards the site
of the ancient Holy of Holies. According to Jewish tradition, the stone is
the site where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac; Muslims believe it was Ishmael,
not Isaac, who was to be sacrificed. On the walls of the Dome of the Rock is an
inscription in a mosaic frieze that includes the following words from Quran, which are
considered blasphemy to Christianity:
33. "So peace is upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be
raised alive!" 34. Such is Jesus, son of Mary. It is a statement of truth, about which they
doubt. 35. It is not befitting to Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when
He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be", and it is.
According to Goitein, the inscriptions decorating the interior clearly display a spirit of polemic
against Christianity, whilst stressing at the same time the Qur'anic doctrine that Jesus
was a true prophet. The formula la sharika lahu is repeated five times, the verses from
Sura Maryam 19:35–37, which strongly reaffirm Jesus' prophethood to God, are quoted together
with the prayer: Allahumma salli ala rasulika wa'abdika 'Isa bin Maryam – "O Lord, send
your blessings to your Prophet and Servant Jesus son of Mary." He believes that this
shows that rivalry with Christendom, together with the spirit of Muslim mission to the Christians,
was at work at the time of construction.
The date recorded as 72 after the Hijra, is the year historians believe the Dome was constructed.
Groups such as the Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement wish to relocate
the Dome to Mecca and replace it with a Third Temple. Since Muslim religious foundations
own the Dome and consider it particularly sacred such actions would inevitably lead
to violence. Many Israelis are ambivalent about the Movement's wishes. Some religious
Jews, following rabbinic teaching, believe that the Temple should only be rebuilt in
the messianic era, and that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand. However, some
Evangelical Christians consider rebuilding of the Temple to be a prerequisite to Armageddon
and the Second Coming. Jeremy Gimpel, a U.S.-born candidate for Habayit Hayehudi in the 2013
Israeli elections, caused a controversy when he was recorded telling a Fellowship Church
evangelical group in Florida in 2011 to imagine the incredible experience that would follow
were the Dome to be blown up. All Christians would be immediately transported to Israel,
he opined, perhaps whimsically. This view is steeped in the belief that there will be
a prophetic rebuilding of the Temple in place of the Dome of the Rock.
Architectural homages The Dome of the Rock has inspired the architecture
of a number of buildings. These include the octagonal Church of St. Giacomo in Italy,
the Mausoleum of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in Istanbul, and the octagonal Moorish Revival
style Rumbach Street synagogue in Budapest. It was long believed by Christians that the
Dome of the Rock echoed the architecture of the Temple in Jerusalem, as can be seen in
Raphael's The Marriage of the Virgin and in Perugino's Marriage of the Virgin.
Gallery
See also
Ablaq Dome of the Chain
Islamic architecture List of the oldest mosques in the world
New Jerusalem Well of Souls
Notes
References Creswell, K. A. C., The Origin of the Plan
of the Dome of the Rock. Peterson, Andrew. Dictionary of Islamic Architecture.
London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-06084-2 Braswell, G.. Islam – Its Prophets, People,
Politics and Power. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers.
Ali, A.. The Holy Qur’an – Translation and Commentary. Bronx, NY: Islamic Propagation
Centre International. Islam, M. Anwarul; Al-Hamad, Zaid, "The Dome
of the Rock: Origin of its Octagonal Plan", Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 139,2, pp. 109–28.
Christoph Luxenberg: Neudeutung der arabischen Inschrift im Felsendom zu Jerusalem. In: Karl-Heinz
Ohlig / Gerd-R. Puin: Die dunklen Anfänge. Neue Forschungen zur Entstehung und frühen
Geschichte des Islam, Berlin 2005, S. 124-147. English version: "A New Interpretation of
the Arabic Inscription in Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock". In: Karl-Heinz Ohlig / Gerd-R.
Puin: The Hidden Origins of Islam: New Research into Its Early History, Amherst, N.Y. 2010
External links Dome of the Rock Bible places
Dome of the Rock Sacred sites Dome Of The Rock
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem Masterpieces of Islamic Architecture
Ochs, Christoph. "Dome of the Rock". Bibledex in Israel. Brady Haran for the University
of Nottingham.