The Dome of the Rock is the first imperial structure made for Islam and also the second most important Islamic site after Mecca. It was built in the 7th century in Jerusalem by Caliph Abd al-Malik, also known as the Umayyad. As an edifice, the Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but more of a religious shrine. Like Mecca, the Dome of the Rock stands on a sacred stone this is the period of the Islamic culture, which also involves Mohamed. Mohamed was born in the 6th century in Mecca. The Dome of the Rock has its roots in Christianity as well as Islam.
The purpose of building the Dome of the Rock was not to give Muslims a place for worship but to provide a shrine where they would converge during pilgrimages (Petersen 22). The octagonal design of the building was borrowed from Roman architecture that is not typical of mosques. The building sits on a rock that bears significance to Muslims. This rock is also believed to be the place where God requested Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. The building has an 18 m wide wooden dome fixed on circular arcade consisting of columns and piers. The dome is covered in gold leaf, but was initially covered in pure gold (Petersen 69; Porter 200). The circular arcade is surrounded by an octagonal wall with also piers, columns, and windows. The hexagonal arcade provides additional support to the heavy roof (dome). The exterior wall also octagonal completes the structure of the Dome of the Rock as shown in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: The dome, hexagonal arcade and hexagonal exterior walls of the Dome of the Rock. (Source: http://www.bu.edu/mzank/Michael_Zank/Jerusalem/domeoftherock.html)
The walls of the Dome of the Rock, both the interior and exterior octagonal consist of diaphragm arches. These arches appear across the building providing both window and doorway. Besides, the diaphragm arches are joined to form a roof also called barrel vaults. These barrel vaults appear transversely in the interior of the building between hexagonal and circular arcade. The use of arches in the construction of the Dome of the Rock emerged from Syrian, Roman and Parthian architecture. The barrel vaults in the interior of the building consist of lintelled ceilings and bricks. Brick vaults comprise of bricks that are joined side by side vertically by a mortar. This type of vault appears across doorways and windows. The following figure 2 shows diaphragm arches and vaults in the interior of the Dome of the Rock.
Figure 21: The Interior of the Dome of the Rock (Source: http://sacredsites.com/middle_east/israel/dome_of_the_rock.html)
The Dome of the Rock consists of finely decorated with features that are heavily borrowed from Byzantine, a predominant feature of Umayyad architecture (Marien and Fleming 96). The interior columns have colored marbles mounted on them. The interior is also adorned with mosaics at different parts of the walls (Petersen 66). The walls and the wooden vaults are painted with a different shade of colors including gold and sky blue. The building also has multi-colored tiles installed on the walls and parts of the floor. The vaults, arches, dome and curves stones also add aesthetic value to this religious shrine. Although the building has been modified over the years, much of its original decorations still exist. The carpeted floor shown in figure 3 is an example of a new modification has made the building more decorated. Within the inner hexagonal arcade are inscriptions written in Arabic and borrowed from Quran. The natural aesthetic value of the building is enhanced by a small portion of the rock that is exposed to the ground. Under this rock, lies a sacred cave with nicely built pathway.
Figure 3: Interior Decoration of the Dome of the Rock. (Source: http://www.weinerelementary.org/jerusalem.html)
The architectural design of the Dome of the Rock is superior compared to mosques built in the same era. Both the interior and exterior have superb architectural features borrowed from different cultures across Europe and the Middle East. The most outstanding and unique part of the building is the dome that extends about thirty-six meters into the sky from the circular arcade. The magnificent gold-colored dome stands out from the rest of the building and provides a great sight that differentiates it from other buildings in Jerusalem. Figure 4 shows the Dome of the Rock amongst other buildings in Jerusalem. The keeness of the builders in terms of dimensions further demonstrates their architectural prowess. For example, the interior walls, columns, and piers have similar dimensions.
Figure 4: The Dome of the Rock amongst other Buildings in Jerusalem (Source: http://sacredsites.com/middle_east/israel/dome_of_the_rock.html)
The historical analysis of the Dome of the Rock shows that it has both political and religious context and significance. As discussed in the introduction, the building was meant to be a religious sanctuary and not a worshiping place. The location of the building is considered holy by both Muslims, Jewish and Christians. The Muslims believe that it is at that point that holy prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven. The Jewish and Christians the other hand believe it was in the same location that God instructed Solomon to erect a temple for Him. Many historians argue that Abd al‐Malik's intention of building Islamic shrine in a place regarded holy by the Jewish then was not motivated purely by religion but also by political reasons (Landay 67). He wanted the Islam to compete with the Jewish faith that was prevalent in Israel. By inscribing words derived from Quran on the walls of the building, Abd al‐Malik asserted the presence of Islam as an emerging faith (Landay 67). The following figure 5 shows part of inscriptions founds on the wall of the Dome of the Rock.
Figure 5: Part of the Inscriptions on the Walls of Dome of the Rock. (Source: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/History/Islam/Inscriptions/DoTR.html).
The Dome of the Rock is an example of a monument with great cultural significance. The building is a manifestation of Islamic and Byzantine cultural infusion. The overall design of the building consisting of arches, domes and vaults were heavily borrowed from Roman culture (Byzantine). Hence, the building bears some resemblance to ancient churches built across the Roman Empire. The decorations that include mosaics and marbles originated from Persian Empire that was later adopted Islam after the Islamic conquest. The site where the Dome of the Rock stands is culturally important to Muslims and Jewish. The Jewish regard it as an ancestral holy place that was bequeathed to them by Yahweh. On the other hand, the Muslims regard it as one of the earliest places where Islam sprouted. This religious monument was constructed few years after the death of Prophet Mohammed. Before the construction of the shrine, Jerusalem was under Persian Empire (Dumper 117). The capture of the town by Caliph Umar partly transformed Jerusalem into Islamic city. These changes had bearings on the culture of the people living in Jerusalem.
The choice of the location of building was important in physical sense. The building stands in a place considered holiest in Jerusalem (Temple Mount) (Dumper 117). Within the vicinity of this building are other magnificent churches, temples and mosques. However, the Dome on the rock emerges out as one of the most spectacularly designed and constructed building. Besides, there are other sanctuaries and historical sites that date back hundred of years ago within Temple Mount. As discussed under architectural design section, the building shows great physical presence amongst other buildings mainly due to its golden dome that extends into the sky.
The Dome of the Rock, built by Caliph Abd al-Malik in the seventeenth century possesses unique and superior architectural features borrowed from Romans and Persians. The domes and arches were borrowed from Roman Churches’ architecture while the decorations were largely from Persians. The shrine bears great spiritual significance to the major religion of the world, Christians, Jewish, and Muslims. To Muslims, the monument is located at a place where Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven (Landay 12). On the other hand, Christian and Jewish consider it as a holy place where God instructed Solomon to build a temple for Him. The building is also culturally important because it is a manifestation of the interaction of Syrian/Persian and Roman cultures. The monument stands out among the rest of historic buildings, mosques and churches because of its gold-colored dome that towers in the sky. To date, the Dome on the rock still exerts great physical presence in Jerusalem.
Works Cited
Dumper, Michael. Jerusalem Unbound: Geography, History, and the Future of the Holy City. New York: Columbia University Press, 2014. Print.
Fleming, William. Arts and Ideas. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1990. Print.
Landay, Jerry M. Dome of the Rock. London: Reader's Digest Association, 1976. Print.
Petersen, Andrew. Dictionary Of Islamic Architecture. London: Routledge, 1996. Print.
Porter, Venetia, and Mariam Rosser-Owen. Metalwork and Material Culture in the Islamic World: Art, Craft and Text : Essays Presented to James W. Allan. London: I.B. Tauris, 2012. Internet resource.
