Dome of the Rock Jerusalem
Introduction
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the oldest Islamic building to survive to this day. In English it is known as the Temple Mount, in Arabic as Al-Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). Muhammad first selected Jerusalem as the qibla before redirected to Mecca. A beautiful building enshrines the rock from which Muhammad is said to have ascended to heaven.
History
The very first structure was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik between 685 and 691. On this site, it is believed that Abraham offered his son Isaac (Ishaq) as a sacrifice, according to Jewish belief. Muslims belief differ from this and it is understood to be the place (Mount Moriah) where Ibrahim (Abraham) offered his son Ismael (Ishmael) as a sacrifice.
When the Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 they turned this building into a church.The Templum Domini was the name of the church which was set up on the site of the Dome of the Rock during the Crusades. When Saladin captured Jerusalem in 1187, the cross on top of the dome was replaced by the Islamic crescent.
Dome
This octagonal structure is a wooden dome, approximately 20 m in diameter, which is mounted on an elevated drum consisting of a circle of 16 piers and columns. A ladder goes up and on top of it, there is a small door which gives access to the inside of the dome.
The Persian tiles on the exterior and the marble slabs that decorate the interior were added by Suleiman I in 1561. Some 45,000 blue and gold exterior tiles were installed under Suleiman the Magnificent in the 1500s.
An Israeli flag was hoisted over the Dome of the Rock in 1967 after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
