Diving into the Dome of the Rock

    My group’s presentation discusses the Dome of the Rock. Everything from its construction to its modern day tours will be discussed in our presentation. My slides specifically examine the significance of the early days of its existence. Thus, in this week’s blog I will mention a few of the interesting points I have learned about the Dome of the Rock.

Firstly, I learned that the Dome of the Rock was constructed during the years spanning AD 685 to 691 under the reign of the caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwa. Interestingly it was constructed to serve as a martyrium (mashhad in Arabic) and not for public worship (Britannica 1). The Dome of the Rock was not the first significant building to be perched over Jerusalem on the Temple Mount (also known as the Haram al-Sharif or biblically known as Mount Moriah). The Dome of the Rock was built in the same location as Solomon’s Temple, the Second Temple and the attempted third temple under the Roman Emperor, Julian. The dome actually collapsed in 1015 due to an earthquake and was eventually reconstructed in 1022-23 (Amiran et al. 1994). This wasn’t the first building to be drastically affected by earthquakes in the area. Eli Kavon of the Jerusalem Post, described how despite the permission of King Julian to rebuild the third temple, the Jews failed to build it due to earthquakes and fire. A city built upon a foundation of rich and important religious history, also sits upon a fairly unstable foundation of the Great Rift Valley. The geological foundation of Jerusalem encompasses the instability of power and reign between many different groups over the years. 

The Dome of the Rock was definitely a spectacle for the eyes to see and may have been built to silence the surrounding Christian buildings such as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Even within the dome itself, there are Arabic inscriptions denouncing the Trinity and Jesus’ divinity in favor of the oneness of God (Britannica 1). All in all, we’ve discussed only a fraction of the instability and friction integrated throughout the holy city of Jerusalem.

Photo Source: https://smarthistory.org/the-dome-of-the-rock-qubbat-al-sakhra/

Citations:

Britannica. “Dome of the Rock Summary.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/summary/Dome-of-the-Rock. Accessed 28 Feb. 2024. 

"Emperor Julian and the dream of a third temple". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 4 December 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

Amiran, D.H.K.; Arieh, E.; Turcotte, T. (1994). "Earthquakes in Israel and adjacent areas: macroseismic observations since 100 B.C.E.". Israel Exploration Journal. 44 (3/4): 260–305 [267]. JSTOR 27926357.