Dome of the Rock
The great Dome of the Rock (Arabic: Qubbat As-Sakhrah) on the Temple Mount was built between 687 and 691 by the 9th Caliph, Abd al-Malik. According to tradition, the Dome was built to honor the Lord, while some claim the caliph also wanted to build a shrine to rival Mecca. It remains one the best known landmarks of Jerusalem.
The rock in the center of the dome is believed by Muslims to be the spot from which Muhammad was brought by night and from which he ascended through the heavens to his Lord. It is a holy place to Muslims.
Essentially unchanged for more than thirteen centuries, the Dome of the Rock remains one of the world's most beautiful and enduring architectural treasures. The gold dome stretches 20 metres across the Noble Rock, rising to an apex more than 35 metres above it. The Qur'anic verse 'Ya Sin' is inscribed across the top in the dazzling tile work commissioned in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent.
According to Martin Gray, it is:
- "a mashhad, a shrine for pilgrims. Adjacent to the Dome is the Al-Aqsa Mosque wherein Muslims make their prayers."
The Temple Mount and Eretz Yisrael Faithful Movement wishes to raze the Dome to the ground and replace it with a Third Temple.
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