Difference between revisions of "Dome of the Rock" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{distinguish|Mosque of Omar}}
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[[Image:Felsendom mit Kettendom 2006.JPG|thumb|right|350px| The Dome of the Rock in the centre of the Temple Mount]]
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The '''Dome of the Rock''', ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: مسجد قبة الصخرة, [[transliteration|translit.]]: ''Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah'', [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: כיפת הסלע, [[transliteration|translit.]]: ''Kipat Hasela'', [[Turkish language|Turkish]]: Kubbetüs Sahra), is an [[Islam]]ic shrine and a major landmark located on the [[Temple Mount|Haram al-Sharif]] in [[Jerusalem]].  It was completed in [[691]], making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world.<ref name=Faizer>{{cite web|title=The Shape of the Holy: Early Islamic Jerusalem|author=Rizwi Faizer|publisher=Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam|date=1998|url=http://us.geocities.com/rfaizer/reviews/book9.html}}</ref>
  
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{{CoorHeader |31|46|40|N|35|14|6|E|type:lendmark_scale:2000}}
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==Location, construction and dimensions==
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[[Image:Dome of the rock distance.jpg|thumb|right|300px| The Dome of the   Rock in the center of the Temple Mount, or Mount Moriah]]
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The Dome of the Rock is located at the visual center of an ancient man-made platform known as the [[Temple Mount]] to the Jews and the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to the Muslims. The platform, greatly enlarged under the rule of [[Herod the Great]], was the former site of the [[Second Temple|Second Jewish Temple]] which was destroyed during the Roman [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)| Siege of Jerusalem]] in 70 C.E.  In 637 C.E., [[Jerusalem]] was conquered by the [[Rashidun Caliphate army]] during the [[Muslim conquest of Syria|Islamic invasion of the Byzantine Empire]].  
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'''The Dome of the Rock''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: , [[transliteration|translit.]]: ''Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah'', [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: כיפת הסלע, translit.: ''Kipat Hasela'', [[Turkish language|Turkish]]: Kubbetüs Sahra) is an [[Islam]]ic prayer house, &mdash; which [[Jew]]s and [[Christian]]s call ''Har ha-Bayit'' (Hebrew: הר הבית) or the [[Temple Mount]] &mdash; it remains one of the best known landmarks of [[Jerusalem]]. It was built between 687 and 691 by the 9<sup>th</sup> [[Caliph]], [[Abd al-Malik]]. It is generally confused with [[Masjid Al Aqsa]] which was a first [[pray]]ing direction for Muslims, and lies in the vicinity of Dome of Rock. <ref name=Faizer>[http://us.geocities.com/rfaizer/reviews/book9.html Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam] by Rizwi Faizer. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref> <ref>The Gallic bishop Arculf who visited [[Jerusalem]] in 670 C.E. describes the new mosque that was founded right after the capture of Jerusalem by [[Umar]] as a rectangular wooden structure, built over ruins and capable of accommodating 3000 worshipers.</ref>
 
  
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==Religious significance==
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The Dome of the Rock was erected between 685 and 691 C.E.. The names of the two engineers in charge of the project are given as Yazid ibn Salam from Jerusalem and [[Raja ibn Haywah]] from Baysan. [[Umayyad]] Caliph [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] who initiated construction of the Dome, hoped that it would “house the Muslims from cold and heat” <ref> Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136</ref>, and intending the building to serve as a shrine for pilgrims and not as a [[mosque]] for public worship. <ref name=BRIT>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9030854/Dome-of-the-Rock Encyclopædia Britannica: Dome of the Rock]</ref> Historians contend that the Caliph wished to create a structure which would compete with the existing buildings of other religions in the city. al-Maqdisi writes that he
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{{Main|Foundation Stone}}
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<blockquote>”sought to build for the Muslims a ''masjid'' that should be unique and a wonder to the world. And in like manner, is it not evident that Caliph Abd al-Malik, seeing the greatness of the martyrium of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and its magnificence was moved lest it should dazzle the minds of Muslims and hence erected above the Rock the dome which is now seen there.” <ref>Shams al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Mar'rifat al-Aqalim, 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1967) pp. 159-171</ref></blockquote>
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[[Image:The rock of the Dome of the Rock PD-OLD.jpg.JPG|thumb|right|The [[Foundation Stone]]]]
 
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According to Islamic tradition, the [[Sakhrah|rock in the center of the dome]] is the spot from which [[Muhammad]] ascended for a night-long journey to Heaven in 621 C.E., accompanied by the angel [[Gabriel]]. There he met many prophets like [[Abraham]] and [[Musa (prophet)|Moses]] and was given the (now obligatory) Islamic prayers before returning to Earth (See [[Isra and Mi'raj]]). A Qur'anic verse says that Muhammad took an instantaneous night journey on [[Buraq]] from ''al-Masjid al-Haram'' ("the sacred mosque," interpreted as being in [[Mecca]]) to ''al-Masjid al-Aqsa'' ("the farthest mosque," interpreted as being in [[Jerusalem]]).<ref>Other locations, however, have been put forward as the intended destination, including a possible reference to [[Heaven]], [[Medina]] or [[Jirana]]; al-Waqidi, ''Kitab al-Maghazi'' (Oxford UP 1966, vol.3, pg.958-59). See Location of the “farthest mosque” in [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]].</ref>
 
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In [[Judaism]] the stone is the site where [[Abraham]] fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son [[Isaac]] (See [[Genesis]] [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2022:1-19;&version=49; ''22:1-19'']). (Muslims believe that this event involved Abraham's other son [[Ishmael]] and occurred in the desert of [[Mina]] where millions of Muslims offer [[pilgrimage]] every year). There is some controversy among secular scholars about equating [[Moriah|Mount Moriah]] (where Isaac's binding occurred according to the [[Bible|Biblical]] narrative), the [[Temple Mount]], and the rock where [[Jacob]] dreamed about [[angel]]s ascending and descending on a [[Jacob's Ladder (Bible)|ladder to heaven]] (See [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2028:10-19;&version=49; ''Genesis 28:10-19'']); but for [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] Jews, there is no doubt that all these events occurred on this spot.
 
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According to some Jewish scholars it was this rock which was situated inside the [[Holy of Holies]] and upon which the [[Ark of the Covenant]] was placed in the [[First Temple]].<ref>See [[Maimonides]], Beis HaBechirah 4:1</ref> During the [[Second Temple]], the stone was used by High Priest who offered up the incense and sprinkled the blood of the sacrifices on it during the [[Yom Kippur]] Service. Rabbinic legend also alleges that the entire world was created from this stone, hence the name אבן השתייה, [[Foundation Stone]].
 
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[[Image:CrossPatheeDome.jpg|right|thumb|Diagram showing the position of the Stone within the structure]]In [[Christianity]], in addition to [[Jesus]]'s actions in the temple, it is believed that during the time of the [[Byzantine Empire]], the spot where the Dome was later constructed was where [[Constantine]]'s mother built a small church, calling it the Church of [[St. Cyrus]] and [[St. John]], later on enlarged and called the Church of the Holy Wisdom.<ref>Wilkinson, ''Jerusalem Pilgrims Before the Crusades''. Warminster, Eng. : Aris & Phillips, 1977. ISBN 0856680788 ISBN 9780856680786 204</ref>
 
  
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On the walls of the Dome of the Rock is an inscription in a [[mosaic]] [[frieze]] that includes the following words: <blockquote>"Bless your envoy and your servant Jesus son of Mary and peace upon him on the day of birth and on the day of death and on the day he is raised up again. It is a word of truth in which they doubt. It is not for God to take a son. Glory be to him when he decrees a thing he only says be and it is."<ref name=Faizer/></blockquote> This appears to be the earliest extant citation from the [[Qur'an]], with the date recorded as 72 after the [[Hijra]] (or 691-692 C.E.), which historians view as the year of the Dome's construction.<ref name=Faizer/>
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[[Image:Dehio 10 Dome of the Rock Section.jpg|thumb|250px|Print from 1887. (''Architect [[Frederick Catherwood]] was the first westerner known to have made detailed drawings of the Dome of the Rock, which he accomplished during a six-week period in 1833)''<ref name="Catherwood">{{cite web |url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/architecture/alternating_currents/collections/domeoftherock/index.html |title= "Drawings of Islamic Buildings: Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem." |format= [[html]] |work= [[Victoria and Albert Museum]] |quote= Until 1833 the Dome of the Rock had not been measured or drawn; according to [[Victor Wolfgang von Hagen|Victor von Hagen]], ‘no architect had ever sketched its architecture, no antiquarian had traced its interior design…’  On 13 November in that year, however, [[Frederick Catherwood]] dressed up as an Egyptian officer and accompanied by an Egyptian servant ‘of great courage and assurance’, entered the buildings of the mosque with his drawing materials …  ‘During six weeks, I continued to investigate every part of the mosque and its precincts.’  Thus, Catherwood made the first complete survey of the Dome of the Rock, and paved the way for many other artists in subsequent years, such as [[William Harvey (artist)|William Harvey]], [[Ernest Richmond]] and [[Carl Friedrich Heinrich Werner]].}}</ref>]]
  
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==Construction==
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Prof. [[Shlomo Dov Goitein]] of the [[Hebrew University]] states that the Dome of the Rock was intended to remove the ''fitna'', or 'annoyance,' constituted by the existence of the many fine buildings of worship of other religions. The very form of a rotunda, given to the ''Qubbat as-Sakhra'', although it was foreign to Islam, was destined to rival the many Christian domes. <ref name=SDG>[[Shlomo Dov Goitein|Goitein, Shlomo Dov]]; ''The Historication background of the erection of the Dome of the Rock'', Journal of American Oriental Society, Vol. 70, No. 2, 1950</ref> A.C. Cresswell in his book ''Origin of the plan of the Dome of the Rock'' notes that those who built the shrine made use of the measurements of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulchre]]. The diameter of the dome of the shrine is 20m 20cm and its height 20m 48cm, while the diameter of the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is 20m 90cm and its height 21m 5cm.
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In 630, long before the Dome of the Rock was erected, [[Umar|`Umar ibn al-Khattāb]] helped by Kaab al-Ahbar and other Muslims recovered the [[Foundation Stone|Rock]] and dug it out of the dust and cleansed the area which had been abandoned for hundreds of years since the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] destruction. Ibn Asakir<ref>Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Madinat Dimashq 1, pg. 176.</ref> mentions that [[Umar]] never built any Muslim house of worship on that spot but rather chose to erect a [[mosque]] in the southern area of the [[Temple Mount|Haram es Sharif]] with the [[Foundation Stone|Rock]] behind to the north. He did this to make clear that the [[qibla]] of prayer was south, towards the [[Kaabah]] in [[Mecca]] and that Muslims never dispute the correct direction of prayer, resulting in them possibly praying towards the Rock, as the Jews were doing, and as the Muslims had originally done. The Rock area remained uncovered until the time of Caliph [[Abd al-Malik|Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan ]] who started construction in 685, completing it in 691. The Muslim scholar al-Wasiti reports this incidence:
 
  
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{{cquote|When [[Abd al-Malik]] intended to construct the Dome of the Rock, he came from [[Damascus]] to [[Jerusalem]]. He wrote, "Abd al-Malik intends to build a dome ''(qubba)'' over the [[Foundation Stone|Rock]] to house the Muslims from cold and heat, and to construct the [[Mosque|masjid]]. But before he starts he wants to know his subjects' opinion."  With their approval, the deputies wrote back, "May Allah permit the completion of this enterprise, and may He count the building of the dome and the masjid a good deed for Abd al-Malik and his predecessors." He then gathered craftsmen from all his dominions and asked them to provide him with the description and form of the planned dome before he engaged in its construction. So, it was marked for him in the ''sahn'' of the masjid. He then ordered the building of the treasury ''(bayt al-mal)'' to the east of the Rock, which is on the edge of the Rock, and filled it with money. He then appointed Raja' ibn Hayweh and Yazid ibn Salam to supervise the construction and ordered them to spend generously on its construction. He then returned to [[Damascus]]. When the two men satisfactorily completed the house, they wrote to Abd al-Malik to inform him that they had completed the construction of the dome and al-Masjid al-Aqsa. They said to him "There is nothing in the building that leaves room for criticism." They wrote him that a hundred thousand dinars was left from the budget he allocated. He offered the money to them as a reward, but they declined, indicating that they had already been generously compensated. Abd al-Malik orders the gold coins to be melted and cast on the Dome's exterior, which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it.|||Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136.<ref>Nasser Rabbat,The Dome of the Rock Revisited: Some Remarks on al-Wasiti's Accounts, Muqaranas, Vol. 10, ''Essays in Honor of Oleg Grabar'', pp. 66-75, 1993</ref>}}
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The structure is basically octagonal. It comprises a wooden dome, approximately 60 feet (20 m) in diameter, which is mounted on an elevated drum consisting of a circle of 16 piers and columns. <ref name=BRIT/> Surrounding this circle is an octagonal arcade of 24 piers and columns. During his travels in Jerusalem, [[Mark Twain]] wrote that:
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<blockquote>”Every where about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved [[marble]] - precious remains of [[Solomon's Temple]]. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of [[Moriah|Mount Moriah]], and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care.”<ref>[[Mark Twain]], ''[[The Innocents Abroad]],'' [http://www.mtwain.com/Innocents_Abroad/55.html Chapter LIV]</ref></blockquote>
  
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The two engineers Yazid ibn Salam, a Jerusalemite, and [[Raja Ibn Haywah|Raja' ibn Hayweh]], from Baysan, were ordered to spend generously on the construction. In his ''Book of the Geography'', [[al-Maqdisi]] reported that seven times the revenue of [[Egypt]] was used to build the Dome. During a discussion with his uncle on why the [[Caliph]] spent lavishly on building the mosques in [[Jerusalem]] and [[Damascus]], al-Maqdisi writes:[[Image:Dehio 10 Dome of the Rock Section.jpg|thumb|270px|Cross section of the edifice]]
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[[Image:Dome of the rock close.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Exterior detail]]
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{{cquote|O my little son, thou has no understanding. Verily he was right, and he was prompted to a worthy work. For he beheld [[Syria]] to be a country that had long been occupied by the [[Christians]], and he noted there are beautiful churches still belonging to them, so enchantingly fair, and so renowned for their splendor, as are the [[Church of the Holy Sepulcher]], and the churches of Lydda and Edessa. So he sought to build for the Muslims a mosque that should be unique and a wonder to the world. And in like manner is it not evident that Caliph [[Abd al-Malik]], seeing the greatness of the martyrium of the Holy Sepulcher and its magnificence was moved lest it should dazzle the minds of Muslims and hence erected above the [[Foundation Stone|Rock]] the dome which is now seen there.|||Shams al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Mar'rifat al-Aqalim, 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1967) pp. 159-171.}}
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The outer side walls are made of [[porcelain]] <ref>[http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/TextOnlyBuildingDetail.php?BuildingName=Dome%20of%20the%20Rock,%20The&LocationCity=Jerusalem&LocationState=Jerusalem%20District&LocationNation=Israel Dome of the Rock, The]. Glass Steel and Stone.</ref> and mirror the octagonal design. They each measure approximately 60 feet (18 m) wide and 36 feet (11 m) high. Both the dome and the exterior walls contain many windows.<ref name=BRIT/>
  
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Mr A.C. Cresswell in his book ''Origin of the plan of the Dome of the Rock'' writes that those who built the mosque made use of the measurements of the [[Church of the Holy Sepulcher]]. The diameter of the dome of the mosque is 20m 20cm and its height 20m 48cm, while the diameter of the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is 20m 90cm and its height 21m 5cm.
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===The Dome===
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[[Image:Dome of the Rock, 1913.jpg|thumb|The Dome of the Rock, in 1913.]]
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:'''Exterior'''
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The Dome is in the shape of a Byzantine martyrium, a structure intended for the housing and veneration of saintly relics, and is an excellent example of middle Byzantine art.  al-Maqdisi reports that surplus funds consisting of 100,000 gold dinar coins were melted down and cast on the dome's exterior, “which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it.” <ref>Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136</ref> During the reign of [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered with [[İznik pottery|Iznik]] tiles. The work took seven years. [[Haj Amin Al-Husseini]], appointed Grand Mufti by the British, along with Yacoub Al Ghussein implemented restoration of Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
  
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In his study ''The Historication background of the erection of the Dome of the Rock'', Prof. [[Shlomo Dov Goitein]] of the [[Hebrew University]] mentions:
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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 1960, as part of this restoration, the dome was covered with a durable [[aluminium]] and [[bronze]] [[alloy]] made in [[Italy]]. The restoration was completed in August 1964. In 1998 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.
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{{cquote|In a well-known passage of his ''Book of Geography'',<ref>al-Maqdisi, ''Book of Geography'' (Second edition), pg.159, (4-11)</ref> al-Maqdisi tells us how his uncle excused [[Abd al-Malik]] and [[Al-Walid I]] for spending so much good Muslims money on buildings: They intended to remove the ''fitna'', the 'annoyance,' constituted by the existence of the many fine buildings of worship of other religions. The very form of a rotunda, given to the Qubbat as-Sakhra, although it was foreign to Islam, was destined to rival the many [[Christian]] domes. The inscriptions decorating the interior clearly display a spirit of polemic against [[Christianity]], while stressing at the same time the [[Qur'an|Qur'anic]] doctrine that [[Jesus]] Christ was a true prophet. The formula ''la sharika lahu'' 'God has no companion' is repeated five times, the verses from [[sura]] [[Maryam (sura)|Maryam]] 16:34-37, which strongly deny Jesus' sonship to God, are quoted together with the remarkable prayer:
 
  
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''Allahumma salli'' (with ''ya''; read ''salli'' without ya) ''ala rasulika wa'abdika 'Isa bin Maryam'' - "In the name of the One God (Allah) Pray for your Prophet and Servant Jesus son of Mary."
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;Interior
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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.
  
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All this shows that rivalry with Christendom, together with the spirit of Islamic mission to the Christians, was at the work at the creation of the famous Dome.|||Shlomo Dov Goitein, The Historication background of the erection of the Dome of the Rock, Journal of American Oriental Society, Vol. 70, No. 2, 1950.}}
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According to Prof. [[Shlomo Dov Goitein]], the inscriptions decorating the interior clearly display a spirit of polemic against Christianity, while stressing at the same time the Qur'anic doctrine that Jesus Christ was a true prophet. The formula ''la sharika lahu'' 'God has no companion' is repeated five times, the verses from sura [[Maryam]] 16:34-37, which strongly deny Jesus' sonship to God, are quoted together with the remarkable prayer: ''Allahumma salli'' (with ''ya''; read ''salli'' without ya) ''ala rasulika wa'abdika 'Isa bin Maryam'' - "In the name of the One God (Allah) Pray for your Prophet and Servant Jesus son of Mary". He believes that this shows that rivalry with Christendom, together with the spirit of Islamic mission to the Christians, was at the work at the creation of the famous Dome. <ref name=SDG/>
  
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The Dome is in the shape of a [[Byzantine]] [[martyr]]ium, a structure intended for the housing and veneration of saintly relics and is an excellent example of middle [[Byzantine art]]. [[Haj Amin Al-Husseini]], appointed [[Grand Mufti]] by the [[British Mandate of Palestine|British]], along with [[Yacoub Al Ghussein]] implemented restoration of Dome of the Rock and [[Al Aqsa Mosque]] in Jerusalem.  He had the Dome gold-plated for the first time. The gold-plated dome stretches 20 metres across the [[Foundation Stone|Noble Rock]], rising to an apex more than 35 metres above it.  The [[facade]] is made of [[porcelain]]<ref>[http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/TextOnlyBuildingDetail.php?BuildingName=Dome%20of%20the%20Rock,%20The&LocationCity=Jerusalem&LocationState=Jerusalem%20District&LocationNation=Israel Dome of the Rock] - ''Glass Steel and Stone''. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref>
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==History==
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The Qur'anic [[sura]], or chapter,<ref>[http://www.sureguidance.org/Yusufali.do?action=section&currentChapter=36 Ya-Seen] - sureguidance.org Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref> is inscribed across the top in the tile work commissioned in the [[16th century|16<sup>th</sup> century]] by [[Suleiman the Magnificent]].  The sura [[al-Isra]] (The Night Journey), is inscribed above [[Ya-Seen]].
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[[Image:Palestine Pound 1939 front.jpg|thumb|220px|The Dome of the Rock featured on the Palestine Mandate banknote]]
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===Crusaders===
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During his travels in Jerusalem, [[Mark Twain]] wrote that parts of the Dome of the Rock used stones excavated from the [[Temple Mount]] and which were a part of the [[Jewish Temple]] that was [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|destroyed by the Romans]] in 70 C.E.:
 
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{{cquote|Every where about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved [[marble]] - precious remains of [[Solomon's Temple]]. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of [[Moriah|Mount Moriah]], and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care.—<small>[[Mark Twain]], ''[[The Innocents Abroad]],'' [http://www.mtwain.com/Innocents_Abroad/55.html Chapter LIV]</small>}}
 
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[[Architect]] [[Frederick Catherwood]] was the first [[Western world|westerner]] known to have made detailed drawings of the Dome of the Rock, which he accomplished during a six-week period in 1833.<ref name="Catherwood">{{cite web |url= http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/architecture/alternating_currents/collections/domeoftherock/index.html |title= "Drawings of Islamic Buildings: Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem." |work= Victoria and Albert Museum|quote= Until 1833 the Dome of the Rock had not been measured or drawn; according to [[Victor Wolfgang von Hagen|Victor von Hagen]], ‘no architect had ever sketched its architecture, no antiquarian had traced its interior design…’  On 13 November in that year, however, Frederick Catherwood dressed up as an [[Egypt]]ian officer and accompanied by an Egyptian servant ‘of great courage and assurance’, entered the buildings of the mosque with his drawing materials …  ‘During six weeks, I continued to investigate every part of the mosque and its precincts.’  Thus, Catherwood made the first complete survey of the Dome of the Rock, and paved the way for many other artists in subsequent years, such as Harvey <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[William Harvey (artist)|William Harvey]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, Richmond <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Ernest Richmond]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> and Werner <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Carl Friedrich Heinrich Werner]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>. }}</ref>
 
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==Crusader period==
 
 
During the [[Crusade]]s the Dome of the Rock was given to the [[Augustinians]], who turned it into a church, and the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] became the royal palace of [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem]] in 1104. The [[Knights Templar]], who believed the Dome of the Rock was the site of the [[Temple of Solomon]], set up their headquarters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to the Dome for much of the [[12th century|12<sup>th</sup> century]]. The "Templum Domini," as they called it, was featured on the official [[Knights Templar Seal|seals]] of the Order's Grand Masters (such as [[Evrard de Barres]] and [[Regnaud de Vichier]]), and it became the architectural model for Templar churches across Europe.
 
During the [[Crusade]]s the Dome of the Rock was given to the [[Augustinians]], who turned it into a church, and the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] became the royal palace of [[Baldwin I of Jerusalem]] in 1104. The [[Knights Templar]], who believed the Dome of the Rock was the site of the [[Temple of Solomon]], set up their headquarters in the Al-Aqsa Mosque adjacent to the Dome for much of the [[12th century|12<sup>th</sup> century]]. The "Templum Domini," as they called it, was featured on the official [[Knights Templar Seal|seals]] of the Order's Grand Masters (such as [[Evrard de Barres]] and [[Regnaud de Vichier]]), and it became the architectural model for Templar churches across Europe.
  
−
==Ayyubid and Mamluk period==
+
===Ayyubids and Mamluks===
−
Jerusalem was recaptured by [[Saladin|Salah al-Din]] on Friday, 2 October, 1187 and the Haram was reconsecrated as a Muslim sanctuary. The cross on top of the Dome of the Rock was replaced by a golden crescent and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below. Salah al-Din's nephew [[al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Isa]] (615-24/1218-27) carried out other restorations within the Haram and added the porch to the Aqsa mosque.
+
Jerusalem was recaptured by [[Saladin|Saladin]] on Friday, [[2 October]], [[1187]] and the Haram was reconsecrated as a Muslim sanctuary. The cross on top of the Dome of the Rock was replaced by a golden crescent and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below. Salah al-Din's nephew al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Isa (615-24/1218-27) carried out other restorations within the Haram and added the porch to the Aqsa mosque.
  
 
The Haram was the focus of extensive royal patronage by the sultans during the [[Mamluk]] period, which lasted from 1250 until 1510.
 
The Haram was the focus of extensive royal patronage by the sultans during the [[Mamluk]] period, which lasted from 1250 until 1510.
  
−
==Ottoman period==
+
===Ottoman Empire 1517 - 1917===
−
[[Image:Dome of the rock close.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Exterior View]]
+
[[Image:tempmtS.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Dome of the Rock viewed through the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]]'s Cotton Gate (''Bab al-Qattanin'')]]
−
During the reign of [[Suleiman the Magnificent]] the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered with [[Iznik]] tiles. The work took seven years.
 
−
 
 
 
Large-scale renovation was undertaken during the reign of [[Mahmud II]] in 1817.
 
Large-scale renovation was undertaken during the reign of [[Mahmud II]] in 1817.
  
−
==British Mandate Period==
+
===British Mandate 1917 - 1948===
−
The Dome of the Rock was badly shaken during an earthquake in Palestine on Monday, 11 July, 1927 rendering useless many of the repairs that had taken place over previous years.
+
The Dome of the Rock was badly shaken during an earthquake in Palestine on Monday, [[11 July]], [[1927]] rendering useless many of the repairs that had taken place over previous years.
  
−
==Modern period==
+
===1948 to present===
−
[[Image:Dome-of-the-rock-vicinity.jpg|thumb|250px|2006. View of the Dome with [[Israeli flag]] adjacent.]]
+
Under [[Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan|Jordanian rule of Jerusalem]], Jews were forbidden from entering the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City]]. Israel took control of the Dome of Rock during its victory in the [[Six-Day War]] in 1967. According to a posthumously-published interview with ''[[Haaretz]]'', General [[Uzi Narkiss]] reported that on [[June 7]], [[1967]], a few hours after East Jerusalem fell into Israeli hands, Rabbi [[Shlomo Goren]] had told him "Now is the time to put 100 kilograms of explosives into the Mosque of Omar so that we may rid ourselves of it once and for all." His request was denied; according to Goren's aide Menahem Hacohen, he had not suggested blowing up the mosque, but had merely stated that "if, during the course of the war a bomb had fallen on the mosque and it would have – you know – disappeared – that would have been a good thing." Later that year, in a speech to a military convention, he added: "Certainly we should have blown it up. It is a tragedy for generations that we did not do so. […] I myself would have gone up there and wiped it off the ground completely so that there was no trace that there was ever a [[Mosque of Omar]] there."<ref>[http://www.jcpa.org/jpsr/s99-yc.htm The Political Role Of The Israeli Chief Rabbinate In The Temple Mount Question by Yoel Cohen]</ref> Shlomo Goren also entered the Dome of the Rock with a [[Torah]] book and the [[shofar]].<ref>[http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?itemNo=720008&contrassID=2&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0 Photo of Shlomo Goren inside the Dome]</ref>
−
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 1960, as part of this restoration, the dome was covered with a durable [[aluminum]] and [[bronze]] [[alloy]] made in [[Italy]]. The restoration was completed in August 1964.
+
[[Image:Dome_of_the_Rock_west.jpg|thumb|250px| Palestinian women after prayer at the Dome, with Arabic calligraphy decoration at the top]]
 +
A few hours after the [[Israeli flag]] was hoisted over the Dome of the Rock in 1967, at the conclusion of the Six-Day War, Israelis lowered it on the orders of General [[Moshe Dayan]], and invested the Muslim [[Waqf]] (religious trust) with the authority to manage the Temple Mount-Haram al-Sharif in order to "keep the peace".<ref>[http://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/letter.html Letter from Jerusalem: A Fight Over Sacred Turf by Sandra Scham]</ref>
 +
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 Muslims consider the ground under the Dome to be sacred this would be a highly contentious move, and would provoke violence. The majority of [[Israelis]] also do not share the movement's wishes. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the [[messianic era]], and it is their belief that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand. However, some Evangelical Christians  consider this a prerequisite to [[End times|Armageddon]] and the [[Second Coming]]. 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.
  
−
Under [[Rule of the West Bank and East Jerusalem by Jordan|Jordanian rule of Jerusalem]], Jews were forbidden from entering the [[Old City]]. Israel took control of the Dome of Rock during its victory in the [[Six Day War]] in 1967. According to a posthumously-published interview with ''[[Haaretz]]'', General [[Uzi Narkiss]] reported that on June 7, 1967, a few hours after East Jerusalem fell into Israeli hands, Rabbi [[Shlomo Goren]] had told him "Now is the time to put 100 kilograms of explosives into the Mosque of Omar so that we may rid ourselves of it once and for all." His request was denied; according to Goren's aide Menahem Hacohen, he had not suggested blowing up the mosque, but had merely stated that "if, during the course of the war a bomb had fallen on the mosque and it would have – you know – disappeared – that would have been a good thing." Later that year, in a speech to a military convention, he added: "Certainly we should have blown it up. It is a tragedy for generations that we did not do so. […] I myself would have gone up there and wiped it off the ground completely so that there was no trace that there was ever a [[Mosque of Omar]] there."<ref>[http://www.jcpa.org/jpsr/s99-yc.htm The Political Role Of The Israeli Chief Rabbinate In The Temple Mount Question] by Yoel Cohen. ''JCPA''. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref> Shlomo Goren also entered the Dome of the Rock with a [[Torah]] book and the [[shofar]].<ref>[http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArtPE.jhtml?itemNo=720008&contrassID=2&subContrassID=4&sbSubContrassID=0 Photo of Shlomo Goren inside the Dome] - haaretz.co.il Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref>
+
==Accessibility==
−
A few hours after the [[Israeli flag]] was hoisted over the Dome of the Rock in 1967, at the conclusion of the [[Six-Day War]], Israelis lowered it on the orders of General [[Moshe Dayan]], and invested the Muslim [[Waqf]] (religious trust) with the authority to manage the Temple Mount-Haram al-Sharif in order to "keep the peace".<ref>[http://www.archaeology.org/0111/abstracts/letter.html Letter from Jerusalem: A Fight Over Sacred Turf] by Sandra Scham, ''Archaeological Institute of America''. Volume 54 Number 6, November/December 2001. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref> [[Image:tempmtS.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Dome of the Rock viewed through the [[Old City]]'s Cotton Gate ''(Bab al-Qattanin)'']]
+
[[Image:Hebrew domeEntrance sign.jpg|170px|thumb|right|Sign at visitors entrance to Temple Mount.]]
 +
It is formally owned and maintained by the Ministry of Awqaf in Jordan.<ref>[http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/islam_restoration.html Hashemite Restorations of the Islamic Holy Places in Jerusalem - kinghussein.gov.jo - Retrieved January 21, 2008]</ref>
  
−
Currently, as territory of [[Israel]], the Israeli government is still allowing the Muslim Council full administration of the site. Jews and Christians are barred from conducting services there.
+
Until the mid-[[nineteenth century]], non-Muslims were barred from the area. Since 1967, non-Muslims have been allowed some entry, but non-Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount are not allowed.<ref>[http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC04.php?CID=6 Jerusalem's Holy Places and the Peace Process Marshall J. Breger and Thomas A. Idinopulos]</ref>
  
−
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 Muslims consider the ground under the Dome to be sacred this would be a highly contentious move, and would provoke violence. The majority of [[Israelis]] also do not share the movement's wishes. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the [[messianic era]], and it is their belief that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand. However, [[Evangelical Christianity|Evangelical Christian]]s  consider this a prerequisite to [[End times|Armageddon]] and the [[Second Coming]], and actively encourage the rebuilding of the Temple in place of the Dome of the Rock.
+
After Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] visited the Temple Mount in 2000, in what was considered by some a provocative gesture that set off Muslim rioting, non-Muslims were forbidden to enter the Temple compound.<ref name=BBC_Inside_al-Aqsa>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1883472.stm Eyewitness: Inside al-Aqsa] (BBC) [[March 20]], [[2002]]</ref>
  
−
In 1998 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.
+
In 2006, the compound was reopened to non-Muslim visitors free of charge, between 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Summer and 7:30-10:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Winter. Non-muslims may never enter on Fridays, Saturdays, or Muslim holidays. Entry is through a covered wooden walkway next to the security entrance to the Western Wall known as the Mugrabi or Maimonides Gate. Entry to the mosques themselves is prohibited to non-Muslims, as is access to the Temple Mount through the Cotton Market. Visitors undergo strict security screening, and items such as Hebrew prayerbooks or musical instruments are not allowed.
  
−
==Restrictions on entrance to the Dome of the Rock==
+
In addition to these restrictions put in place by the [[Muslim Council]], most [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] rabbis regard entry to the compound as a violation of Jewish law.  This restriction is based on the belief that even though the Temple was destroyed centuries ago, the precise location of the [[Holy of Holies]], the sanctuary that was only entered by the High Priest, is not known. Hence the restriction is applied to the entire compound. However, some rabbis believe that modern archeological and other evidence have enabled them to identify areas that can be safely entered without violating Jewish law. <ref>http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/4839.html</ref>
−
[[Image:Hebrew domeEntrance sign.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Sign at visitors entrance to Temple Mount.]]
 
−
Until the mid-nineteenth century, non-Muslims were barred from the area. Since 1967, non-Muslims have been allowed some entry, but non-Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount are not allowed.<ref>[http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC04.php?CID=6 Jerusalem's Holy Places and the Peace Process] by Marshall J. Breger and Thomas A. Idinopulos. ''The Washington Institute for Near East Policy''. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref>
 
  
−
After Israeli Prime Minister [[Ariel Sharon]] visited the Temple Mount in 2000, in what was considered by some a provocative gesture that set off Muslim rioting, non-Muslims were forbidden to enter the Temple compound.<ref name=BBC_Inside_al-Aqsa>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/middle_east/1883472.stm Eyewitness: Inside al-Aqsa] by  By Martin Asser, ''BBC News''. March 20, 2002. Retrieved October 13, 2007.</ref>
+
==Religious significance==
−
 
+
[[Image:Dome of the Rock, 1546 .jpg|thumb|200px|The Dome of the Rock illustrated Jewish religious works as early as the 16th century]]
−
In 2006, the compound was reopened to non-Muslim visitors free of charge, except on Fridays and Muslim holidays, between 7-10 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Entry is through a covered wooden walkway next to the security entrance to the Western Wall known as the Mugrabi or Maimonides Gate. Entry to the mosques themselves is prohibited to non-Muslims, as is access to the Temple Mount through the Cotton Market. Visitors undergo strict security screening, and items such as Hebrew prayerbooks or musical instruments are not allowed.
+
The Dome of the Rock, being among a complex of buildings on the [[Temple Mount]], (the other being the [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]) is one of the [[Holiest_sites_in_Islam#Masjid_Al-Aqsa.2C_Jerusalem|holiest sites in Islam]]. Its significance stems from the religious beliefs regarding the [[Foundation Stone|rock]] at its heart. According to Islamic tradition, the rock is the spot from where [[Muhammad]] [[Isra and Mi'raj|ascended to Heaven]] accompanied by the angel [[Gabriel]]. In [[Judaism]] the location of the stone is venerated as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the [[Holy of Holies]] during the [[Temple in Jerusalem|Temple Period]]. In [[Christianity]] it is believed that during the time of the [[Byzantine Empire]], the spot where the Dome was later constructed was where [[Constantine]]'s mother built a small church, calling it the Church of St. Cyrus and St. John, later on enlarged and called the Church of the Holy Wisdom.<ref> Wilkinson, ''Jerusalem Pilgrims Before the Crusades'', page 204 </ref> On the walls of the Dome of the Rock is an inscription in a [[mosaic]] [[frieze]] that includes the following words:
−
 
+
<blockquote>"Bless your envoy and your servant Jesus son of Mary and peace upon him on the day of birth and on the day of death and on the day he is raised up again. It is a word of truth in which they doubt. It is not for God to take a son. Glory be to him when he decrees a thing he only says [[be, and it is]]."<ref name=Faizer/></blockquote> This appears to be the earliest extant citation from the [[Qur'an]], with the date recorded as 72 after the [[Hijra]] (or 691-692 C.E.), which historians view as the year of the Dome's construction.<ref name=Faizer/>
−
In addition to these restrictions put in place by the Muslim Council, most Orthodox rabbis regard entry to the compound as a violation of Jewish law.  This restriction is based on the belief that even though the Temple was destroyed centuries ago, the precise location of the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary that was only entered by the High Priest, is not known. Hence the restriction is applied to the entire compound.  However, some [[rabbi]]s believe that modern archeological and other evidence have enabled them to identify areas that can be safely entered without violating Jewish law.
+
[[Image:Panorámica de Jerusalén desde el Monte de los Olivos.jpg|thumb|center|900px|The dome of the rock in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount ]]
−
 
 
−
==Gallery==
 
−
<gallery>
 
−
Image:DomeOfTheRock.jpg
 
−
Image:Felsendom small.jpg
 
−
Image:Domeoftherock.jpg
 
−
Image:WestWall-dome.jpg
 
−
Image:Detail_felsendom.jpg
 
−
Image:MosqueOfOmar1914.jpg
 
−
Image:Arabischer_Maler_um_690_001.jpg
 
−
Image:The_rock_of_the_Dome_of_the_Rock_Corrected.JPG.jpg
 
−
Image:DomeoftheRock2006.JPG
 
−
Image:CrossPatheeDome.jpg
 
−
</gallery>
 
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
 +
{{Commons}}
 
* [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]
 
* [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]
 +
* [[Foundation Stone]]
 +
* [[Islamic architecture]]
 
* [[Temple Mount]]
 
* [[Temple Mount]]
−
* [[Temple in Jerusalem]]
 
−
* [[Destruction of Jerusalem]]
 
−
* [[Western Wall]]
 
 
* [[Well of Souls]]
 
* [[Well of Souls]]
−
* [[Islamic architecture]]
 
−
* [[Summary of Christian eschatological differences|Dispensational Christian end times views regarding the Dome of the Rock]]
 
−
* [[Knights Templar]]
 
−
* [[Holiest sites in Islam]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
−
<references/>
+
{{reflist|2}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
Line 118: Line 131:
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
−
All links retrieved October 12, 2007.
+
 
−
{{Commons}}
+
* [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dome-of-the-rock.htm Dome of the Rock] Sacred Destinations - includes [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/dome-of-the-rock-photo-tour/index.htm photo tour]
−
* [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-dome-of-the-rock.htm Dome of the Rock] - ''Sacred Destinations'' - includes [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/dome-of-the-rock-photo-tour/index.htm photo tour]
+
* [http://archnet.org/library/files/one-file.tcl?file_id=75 Dome of the Rock] AutoCAD release 14, CAD drawing, 1995
−
*[http://archnet.org/library/files/one-file.tcl?file_id=75 Dome of the Rock] - AutoCAD release 14, CAD drawing, 1995
+
* [http://www.bibleplaces.com/domeofrock.htm Dome of the Rock] Bible places
−
* [http://www.bibleplaces.com/domeofrock.htm Dome of the Rock] - bibleplaces.com
+
* [http://www.islamicity.com/Culture/MOSQUES/Jerusalem/DRockin.htm Dome of the Rock] Interior picture
−
* [http://www.islamicity.com/Culture/MOSQUES/Jerusalem/DRockin.htm Dome of the Rock] - islamicity.com
+
* [http://www.sacredsites.com/1st30/domeof.html Dome of the Rock] Sacred sites
−
* [http://www.sacredsites.com/1st30/domeof.html Dome of the Rock] - sacredsites.com
+
* [http://www.thehope.org/domecour.htm Re-envisioning the Dome of the Rock] The Hope
−
* [http://www.thehope.org/domecour.htm Re-envisioning the Dome of the Rock] - ''The Academy of Jerusalem''
+
* [http://www.jerusalemshots.com/cat_en62.html Dome of the Rock] from Jerusalem photos portal
−
* [http://www.jerusalemshots.com/cat_en62.html Dome of the Rock] - ''JerusalemShots''
+
* [http://www.rahatt.com/panorama.php 16X zoomable panoramic view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives]
−
* [http://www.rahatt.com/panorama.php 16X zoomable panoramic view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives] - ''Raha Tours & Travel''
+
* [http://www.har-habayt.org/index.html Site surrounding the controversy over the excavations made by the Waqf]
−
* [http://www.har-habayt.org/index.html Site surrounding the controversy over the excavations made by the Waqf] - har-habayt.org
+
* [http://www.godsholymountain.org/ A vision for the Temple Mount]
 +
* [http://www.ianandwendy.com/Israel/Jerusalem/Temple_Mount/slideshow.htm Photo Gallery of the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock]
 +
 
 +
{{Link FA|ms}}
 +
 
 +
[[Category:7th century architecture]]
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[[Category:Islamic architecture]]
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[[Category:Jerusalem shrines]]
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[[Category:Knights Templar]]
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[[Category:Shrines]]
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[[Category:Temple Mount]]
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[[Category:Domes]]
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[[ar:قبة الصخرة]]
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[[cs:Skalní dóm]]
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[[da:Klippedomen]]
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[[de:Felsendom]]
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[[es:Cúpula de la Roca]]
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[[eo:Roka katedralo]]
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[[fa:قبةالصخره]]
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[[fr:Dôme du Rocher]]
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[[ko:바위의 돔]]
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[[id:Kubah Shakhrah]]
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[[it:Cupola della Roccia]]
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[[he:כיפת הסלע]]
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[[ms:Qubbat As-Sakhrah]]
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[[nl:Rotskoepel]]
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[[ja:岩のドーム]]
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[[no:Klippedomen]]
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[[pl:Kopuła na Skale]]
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[[pt:Cúpula da Rocha]]
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[[ro:Domul de Piatră]]
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[[ru:Купол Скалы]]
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[[su:Masjid Umar]]
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[[fi:Kalliomoskeija]]
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[[sv:Klippdomen]]
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[[te:బైతుల్-ముఖద్దస్]]
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[[tr:Kubbetüs Sahra]]
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[[ur:قبۃ الصخرۃ]]
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[[zh:圆顶清真寺]]
  
 
[[Category:Philosophy and religion]]
 
[[Category:Philosophy and religion]]
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[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Geography]]
  
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{{credits|Dome_of_the_Rock|214111524}}

Revision as of 18:10, 23 May 2008

Not to be confused with Mosque of Omar.
The Dome of the Rock in the centre of the Temple Mount

The Dome of the Rock, (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, translit.: Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע, translit.: Kipat Hasela, Turkish: Kubbetüs Sahra), is an Islamic shrine and a major landmark located on the Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem. It was completed in 691, making it the oldest extant Islamic building in the world.[1]

Location, construction and dimensions

The Dome of the Rock is located at the visual center of an ancient man-made platform known as the Temple Mount to the Jews and the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to the Muslims. The platform, greatly enlarged under the rule of Herod the Great, was the former site of the Second Jewish Temple which was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. In 637 C.E., Jerusalem was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate army during the Islamic invasion of the Byzantine Empire.

The Dome of the Rock was erected between 685 and 691 C.E. The names of the two engineers in charge of the project are given as Yazid ibn Salam from Jerusalem and Raja ibn Haywah from Baysan. Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan who initiated construction of the Dome, hoped that it would “house the Muslims from cold and heat” [2], and intending the building to serve as a shrine for pilgrims and not as a mosque for public worship. [3] Historians contend that the Caliph wished to create a structure which would compete with the existing buildings of other religions in the city. al-Maqdisi writes that he

”sought to build for the Muslims a masjid that should be unique and a wonder to the world. And in like manner, is it not evident that Caliph Abd al-Malik, seeing the greatness of the martyrium of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and its magnificence was moved lest it should dazzle the minds of Muslims and hence erected above the Rock the dome which is now seen there.” [4]

Print from 1887. (Architect Frederick Catherwood was the first westerner known to have made detailed drawings of the Dome of the Rock, which he accomplished during a six-week period in 1833)[5]

Prof. Shlomo Dov Goitein of the Hebrew University states that the Dome of the Rock was intended to remove the fitna, or 'annoyance,' constituted by the existence of the many fine buildings of worship of other religions. The very form of a rotunda, given to the Qubbat as-Sakhra, although it was foreign to Islam, was destined to rival the many Christian domes. [6] A.C. Cresswell in his book Origin of the plan of the Dome of the Rock notes that those who built the shrine made use of the measurements of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The diameter of the dome of the shrine is 20m 20cm and its height 20m 48cm, while the diameter of the dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is 20m 90cm and its height 21m 5cm.

The structure is basically octagonal. It comprises a wooden dome, approximately 60 feet (20 m) in diameter, which is mounted on an elevated drum consisting of a circle of 16 piers and columns. [3] Surrounding this circle is an octagonal arcade of 24 piers and columns. During his travels in Jerusalem, Mark Twain wrote that:

”Every where about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved marble - precious remains of Solomon's Temple. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of Mount Moriah, and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care.”[7]

Exterior detail

The outer side walls are made of porcelain [8] and mirror the octagonal design. They each measure approximately 60 feet (18 m) wide and 36 feet (11 m) high. Both the dome and the exterior walls contain many windows.[3]

The Dome

The Dome of the Rock, in 1913.
Exterior

The Dome is in the shape of a Byzantine martyrium, a structure intended for the housing and veneration of saintly relics, and is an excellent example of middle Byzantine art. al-Maqdisi reports that surplus funds consisting of 100,000 gold dinar coins were melted down and cast on the dome's exterior, “which at the time had a strong glitter that no eye could look straight at it.” [9] During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered with Iznik tiles. The work took seven years. Haj Amin Al-Husseini, appointed Grand Mufti by the British, along with Yacoub Al Ghussein implemented restoration of Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

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 1960, as part of this restoration, the dome was covered with a durable aluminium and bronze alloy made in Italy. The restoration was completed in August 1964. In 1998 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.

Interior

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.

According to Prof. Shlomo Dov Goitein, the inscriptions decorating the interior clearly display a spirit of polemic against Christianity, while stressing at the same time the Qur'anic doctrine that Jesus Christ was a true prophet. The formula la sharika lahu 'God has no companion' is repeated five times, the verses from sura Maryam 16:34-37, which strongly deny Jesus' sonship to God, are quoted together with the remarkable prayer: Allahumma salli (with ya; read salli without ya) ala rasulika wa'abdika 'Isa bin Maryam - "In the name of the One God (Allah) Pray for your Prophet and Servant Jesus son of Mary". He believes that this shows that rivalry with Christendom, together with the spirit of Islamic mission to the Christians, was at the work at the creation of the famous Dome. [6]

History

File:Palestine Pound 1939 front.jpg
The Dome of the Rock featured on the Palestine Mandate banknote

Crusaders

During the Crusades the Dome of the Rock was given to the Augustinians, who turned it into a church, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque became the royal palace of Baldwin I of Jerusalem in 1104. The Knights Templar, who believed the Dome of the Rock was the site of the Temple of Solomon, 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 it, was featured on the official seals of the Order's Grand Masters (such as Evrard de Barres and Regnaud de Vichier), and it became the architectural model for Templar churches across Europe.

Ayyubids and Mamluks

Jerusalem was recaptured by Saladin on Friday, 2 October, 1187 and the Haram was reconsecrated as a Muslim sanctuary. The cross on top of the Dome of the Rock was replaced by a golden crescent and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below. Salah al-Din's nephew al-Malik al-Mu'azzam Isa (615-24/1218-27) carried out other restorations within the Haram and added the porch to the Aqsa mosque.

The Haram was the focus of extensive royal patronage by the sultans during the Mamluk period, which lasted from 1250 until 1510.

Ottoman Empire 1517 - 1917

Dome of the Rock viewed through the Old City's Cotton Gate (Bab al-Qattanin)

Large-scale renovation was undertaken during the reign of Mahmud II in 1817.

British Mandate 1917 - 1948

The Dome of the Rock was badly shaken during an earthquake in Palestine on Monday, 11 July, 1927 rendering useless many of the repairs that had taken place over previous years.

1948 to present

Under Jordanian rule of Jerusalem, Jews were forbidden from entering the Old City. Israel took control of the Dome of Rock during its victory in the Six-Day War in 1967. According to a posthumously-published interview with Haaretz, General Uzi Narkiss reported that on June 7, 1967, a few hours after East Jerusalem fell into Israeli hands, Rabbi Shlomo Goren had told him "Now is the time to put 100 kilograms of explosives into the Mosque of Omar so that we may rid ourselves of it once and for all." His request was denied; according to Goren's aide Menahem Hacohen, he had not suggested blowing up the mosque, but had merely stated that "if, during the course of the war a bomb had fallen on the mosque and it would have – you know – disappeared – that would have been a good thing." Later that year, in a speech to a military convention, he added: "Certainly we should have blown it up. It is a tragedy for generations that we did not do so. […] I myself would have gone up there and wiped it off the ground completely so that there was no trace that there was ever a Mosque of Omar there."[10] Shlomo Goren also entered the Dome of the Rock with a Torah book and the shofar.[11]

Palestinian women after prayer at the Dome, with Arabic calligraphy decoration at the top

A few hours after the Israeli flag was hoisted over the Dome of the Rock in 1967, at the conclusion of the Six-Day War, Israelis lowered it on the orders of General Moshe Dayan, and invested the Muslim Waqf (religious trust) with the authority to manage the Temple Mount-Haram al-Sharif in order to "keep the peace".[12] 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 Muslims consider the ground under the Dome to be sacred this would be a highly contentious move, and would provoke violence. The majority of Israelis also do not share the movement's wishes. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and it is their belief that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand. However, some Evangelical Christians consider this a prerequisite to Armageddon and the Second Coming. 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.

Accessibility

Sign at visitors entrance to Temple Mount.

It is formally owned and maintained by the Ministry of Awqaf in Jordan.[13]

Until the mid-nineteenth century, non-Muslims were barred from the area. Since 1967, non-Muslims have been allowed some entry, but non-Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount are not allowed.[14]

After Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in 2000, in what was considered by some a provocative gesture that set off Muslim rioting, non-Muslims were forbidden to enter the Temple compound.[15]

In 2006, the compound was reopened to non-Muslim visitors free of charge, between 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Summer and 7:30-10:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Winter. Non-muslims may never enter on Fridays, Saturdays, or Muslim holidays. Entry is through a covered wooden walkway next to the security entrance to the Western Wall known as the Mugrabi or Maimonides Gate. Entry to the mosques themselves is prohibited to non-Muslims, as is access to the Temple Mount through the Cotton Market. Visitors undergo strict security screening, and items such as Hebrew prayerbooks or musical instruments are not allowed.

In addition to these restrictions put in place by the Muslim Council, most Orthodox rabbis regard entry to the compound as a violation of Jewish law. This restriction is based on the belief that even though the Temple was destroyed centuries ago, the precise location of the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary that was only entered by the High Priest, is not known. Hence the restriction is applied to the entire compound. However, some rabbis believe that modern archeological and other evidence have enabled them to identify areas that can be safely entered without violating Jewish law. [16]

Religious significance

The Dome of the Rock illustrated Jewish religious works as early as the 16th century

The Dome of the Rock, being among a complex of buildings on the Temple Mount, (the other being the Al-Aqsa Mosque) is one of the holiest sites in Islam. Its significance stems from the religious beliefs regarding the rock at its heart. According to Islamic tradition, the rock is the spot from where Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. In Judaism the location of the stone is venerated as the holiest spot on Earth, the site of the Holy of Holies during the Temple Period. In Christianity it is believed that during the time of the Byzantine Empire, the spot where the Dome was later constructed was where Constantine's mother built a small church, calling it the Church of St. Cyrus and St. John, later on enlarged and called the Church of the Holy Wisdom.[17] On the walls of the Dome of the Rock is an inscription in a mosaic frieze that includes the following words:

"Bless your envoy and your servant Jesus son of Mary and peace upon him on the day of birth and on the day of death and on the day he is raised up again. It is a word of truth in which they doubt. It is not for God to take a son. Glory be to him when he decrees a thing he only says be, and it is."[1]

This appears to be the earliest extant citation from the Qur'an, with the date recorded as 72 after the Hijra (or 691-692 C.E.), which historians view as the year of the Dome's construction.[1]

File:Panorámica de Jerusalén desde el Monte de los Olivos.jpg
The dome of the rock in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount

See also

Commons
Wikimedia Commons has media related to::
  • Al-Aqsa Mosque
  • Foundation Stone
  • Islamic architecture
  • Temple Mount
  • Well of Souls

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rizwi Faizer (1998). The Shape of the Holy: Early Islamic Jerusalem. Rizwi's Bibliography for Medieval Islam.
  2. ↑ Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Encyclopædia Britannica: Dome of the Rock
  4. ↑ Shams al-Din al-Maqdisi, Ahsan al-Taqasim fi Mar'rifat al-Aqalim, 2nd ed. (Leiden, 1967) pp. 159-171
  5. ↑ "Drawings of Islamic Buildings: Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem." (html). Victoria and Albert Museum.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Goitein, Shlomo Dov; The Historication background of the erection of the Dome of the Rock, Journal of American Oriental Society, Vol. 70, No. 2, 1950
  7. ↑ Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad, Chapter LIV
  8. ↑ Dome of the Rock, The. Glass Steel and Stone.
  9. ↑ Abu-Bakr al-Wasiti, Fada'il Bayt al-Maqdis, pp. 80-81, vol 136
  10. ↑ The Political Role Of The Israeli Chief Rabbinate In The Temple Mount Question by Yoel Cohen
  11. ↑ Photo of Shlomo Goren inside the Dome
  12. ↑ Letter from Jerusalem: A Fight Over Sacred Turf by Sandra Scham
  13. ↑ Hashemite Restorations of the Islamic Holy Places in Jerusalem - kinghussein.gov.jo - Retrieved January 21, 2008
  14. ↑ Jerusalem's Holy Places and the Peace Process Marshall J. Breger and Thomas A. Idinopulos
  15. ↑ Eyewitness: Inside al-Aqsa (BBC) March 20, 2002
  16. ↑ http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/4839.html
  17. ↑ Wilkinson, Jerusalem Pilgrims Before the Crusades, page 204

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Peterson, Andrew (1994). Dictionary of Islamic Architecture. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-06084-2

External links

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