Dome of the Rock Mosque

The Dome of the Rock Mosque, or Qubbat al-Sakhra, is one of the oldest temples of Islam, built half a century after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. An outstanding piece of architecture that has been reconstructed several times over the centuries of its existence, it is located in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount. Recently, Muslims have allowed tourists to enter it on a special schedule, but even if you get to the Dome of the Rock at an off-hours, it’s worth taking the time to wander around the colorful octagon, richly decorated with mosaics.

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Video: Dome of the Rock Mosque

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History

In the vicinity of the temple, and even more so when entering it, tourists may be searched by police or security guards. This precaution is necessary: in Israel, unfortunately, not everything is calm, so the internal troops are always alert. However, historical facts convince us that the Temple Mount has never been peaceful. The First Temple of the Jews standing on this place was destroyed by the Romans, who quickly built a sanctuary of Jupiter on the ruins. After its fall, a Muslim temple appeared, used at first as an inn for pilgrims. In the Middle Ages it changed hands, acquiring a cross or a crescent moon. In the late 12th century, Saladin wrested Jerusalem from the Christians and permanently turned the Dome of the Rock into an Islamic temple.

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Since then, the mosque has experienced mostly architectural upheavals: every prominent ruler during the Mamluk Sultanate or the Ottoman Empire considered it their duty to redo a mosaic or add an interior detail. In 1927, the building was severely damaged by an earthquake, and it was rebuilt for several decades with Jordanian and Turkish money, with the help of European craftsmen. After the formation of the state of Israel, the mosque was left to the Muslims. During the Six Day War in 1967, an Israeli flag was hoisted on its dome, but a government order returned the mosque to Muslims.

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Jewish and Muslim shrines at the Dome of the Rock

Within the mosque grounds is a site sacred to all Abrahamic religions, the Cornerstone. It is the starting point from where the creation of the world began. At the time of the First Temple, the Ark of the Covenant – a wooden chest upholstered in gold, in which the Tablets with the 10 Commandments were placed – was kept here. Ritual sacrifices were performed on the same stone. Some Jewish thinkers consider the stone too bulky for religious rituals, but even they are sure that the Foundation Stone is located somewhere near the walls of the mosque. Muslims, for their part, revere the rock as the place from which the prophet Muhammad, accompanied by the angel Jabrael, ascended to heaven, then returned safely back.

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Now it is a rock 2 meters high and 13 x 17 meters square, fenced off from the curious by a gilded lattice. In the southeastern part of the rock hides a small opening leading to a lower cave – the Well of Souls. Actually, and the name of the temple is directly related to the Cornerstone – it is called the Rock covered with a dome.

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Architectural features

The building is a squat octagon of marble topped by a shiny dome 34 meters high and 20 meters in diameter. It is difficult not to notice the Dome of the Rock mosque against the background of bright buildings of the historic center of Jerusalem – not for nothing the King of Jordan donated 80 kg of gold for the decoration of the dome. The marble base in the upper tiers is completely covered with mottled mosaic in green-blue colors. Inside, all the walls and the dome are also lined with mosaics with an even more colorful and complex pattern.

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Europeans appreciated the architectural merits of the mosque back in the Crusader era and borrowed its form for many European temples. In doing so, they were conscientiously mistaken in believing that they were repeating the outlines of the First Jewish Temple rather than the creations of Muslim architects. In addition to European churches, the Dome of the Rock influenced the design of the mausoleum of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in Istanbul, synagogues in Budapest and in Berlin.

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Tourist information

Getting to the Dome of the Rock mosque is the real quest for an inexperienced tourist. You need to dress correctly, do not make a mistake with the time of visit, find the right entrance and do not forget to pay for it. The easiest way to do this is as part of organized tours, but to act on your own is much cheaper.

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Rules of conduct

The Dome of the Rock mosque is active, moreover, female, so the rules of behavior are strictly observed. Shoes are left at the entrance, as in any Muslim temple, women cover their heads and shoulders. Shorts, short skirts are unacceptable. It is not allowed to carry symbols of other religions, especially Jewish, to pray according to other rites.

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Opening hours

The mosque is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and on Muslim holidays. These are determined by the lunar calendar, so the dates change every year. Non-Muslims can view the Dome of the Rock from 7-30 to 10-30 and 12-30 to 13-30 in summer, with the morning shift ending at 10 in winter.

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Tickets and entrance to the mosque

The temple is located on the Temple Mount, 50 meters north of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, or Omar Mosque. It is more religiously significant as having been founded by Omar, the second Righteous Caliph, but is inferior to the Dome of the Rock in architectural merit. Together the buildings form the Al-Haram al-Sharif complex. Non-Muslims can enter the Dome of the Rock on a wooden plank near the northern entrance at the Wailing Wall.

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Tourists purchase single tickets costing 40 shekels to see both buildings and the Museum of Islamic Art. It is a 20-minute ride on the No. 17 bus from the end of the pedestrian zone west of the mosque. The museum is mostly open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Its exhibits include sumptuous decorative Islamic art objects as beautiful as the mosaics of the Dome of the Rock Mosque.

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