The Dome of The Rock is a shrine located on the temple mount in the old city of Jerusalem. It was completed in 691 CE. The Dome of The Rock is one of the oldest creations in Islamic Architecture. The Dome is located exactly where the First and Second Temple of Jerusalem sat. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The Romans put a temple dedicated to Jupiter in the place of the Second Temple when they destroyed it. After the Muslim siege in 637 CE, the Dome was ordered to be constructed by Ummayad Caliph Abd al-Malik between 688 and 691 CE. The mount was left unconstructed for years after another Jewish revolt against the Romans in the fourth century CE. The architecture of the Dome was modeled after nearby Byzantine churches and palaces. There were two engineers in charge of this project. The first man was Rajah ibn Haywah, who was a muslim theologian and a non arab muslim who was native to Jerusalem. Until the mid-twentieth century, the Dome was not available to be accessed by non-Muslim people. Since 1967 the Dome has been open to non-Muslims, but they had very limited access to it. Non-Muslims are not allowed to pray inside the Dome and the Israeli police help enforce this. The Dome of The Rock is a major worshiping spot for Muslim people. It has been around for centuries and has given Islam a sense of pride because of the Dome serves as a constant reminder for Islamic people that even in Jerusalem, Islam is prominent. I chose this topic because it is not only a great piece of architecture that is appreciated around the world it is also one of the larges Muslim temples in the world. The golden dome makes it stand out among all of the other buildings that surround it. We have studied Islam and its basic dimensions in class and learning about the Dome of The Rock gives me the opportunity to learn more about Islam as a whole. I think that this class has definitely given me a much better appreciation for all of these different religions around the world. I have always been accepting of other religions and this class has expanded my knowledge about the dominating religions in this world.
The Dome of The Rock
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