The Temple Mount: Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Part I)

Every day we look our from our apartment and this is what we see. The Dome of the Rock is a landmark in the Old City of Jerusalem and stands foremost in this photo.  We love our view and everyone who comes to the Jerusalem Center is in awe of our spectacular backdrop.

Very recently we had the opportunity to be part of a guided tour to the Temple Mount. In 1971, we came to the Temple Mount but things have changed so much we were excited to go back.  At that time, young and old were welcome to visit and go inside the Dome of the Rock but it is much different now.  The Temple Mount is a walled in area located in the southeastern corner of the Old City of Jerusalem.   As you read this entry, I hope you will feel like you are walking along with us to one of the holiest sites in Israel. The Temple Mount is holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians. 

Two vehicles of professors and wives and service couples drove up a narrow street barely wide enough for one vehicle which lead to Lion's Gate, the gate where Stephan from the New Testament was stoned.  Dr. Huff, the JC Assistant Director, had arranged for the tour and we were pleasantly surprised when allowed to park in a reserved parking lot for special visitors.  From where we were parked, we could see the minaret pictured above.

We have been living in Jerusalem for one year now and have been waiting for the day when we could visit the  Temple Mount and go inside the Dome of the Rock.  One cannot go to the mount any time because visiting hours are limited and change every day.  We have tried several times and have not been successful so we felt extremely fortunate to have this opportunity.  

Outside the gate were vendors with fresh bread.  Nothing is better than the scent of freshly baked bread!  The bread sold by vendors is loop-shaped and looks much like an enlongated bagel. However, the dough is light and airy  and not dense like a bagel. 

Our guide met us precisely at 11:30 AM.  He was a very personable Palestinian who seemed to enjoy 
escorting tourists around this holy site.

After a brief introduction, we were on our way.  We learned that the Temple Mount is a trapezoid-shaped area surrounded by four walls which are still partly buried dating back to the first century BC and the 2nd Jewish Temple.   Originally, it was the site of the great Temple of Jerusalem, the holiest place in Judaism. For Muslims, it is the site of the Prophet Muhammad's journey to heaven described in the Qur'an and Christians revere it as a place frequently visited by Jesus. Some believe it will play a major role in end-time events of the world.

As we walked along, we could see the famous gold dome on the other side of  the wall.

Stairways ascend to the plateau where the 

Dome of the Rock is located.  

All visitors who visit the Temple Mount are required to wear long skirts and covertheir heads.  The day was chilly so it felt good to be covered from head to toe.

Photo:  Kathleen Holyoak, Margaret Ludlow and Janice Esplin

Left to right:  Frank & Jill Judd; Roy & Jeanna Huff; Kathleen & Garth Holyoak; 

Margaret Ludlow & Jared Ludlow; Janice & Scott Esplin  

Next row:  Rosemary & Brent Lind; Carol & Reg Christensen; Doug Coombs

The Dome of the Rock is the oldest Islamic monument that stands today and certainly one of the most beautiful. It claims to have the oldest niche which shows the direction of Mecca.  For people of the Muslim faith, the proper direction of prayer is very important because they always face Mecca (Saudi Arabia) when they pray. 

The gigantic golden dome of the Dome of the Rock was built in the 7th Century and is octagonal in shape.  The dome was originally made of gold but was replaced with copper and then aluminum. Aluminum is now covered with gold leaf, a donation from the late King Hussein of Jordan. 

The exterior blue and turquoise Turkish tiles are copies of the Persian tiles that Suleiman the Magnificent added in 1545 to replace the damaged originals. The lower half of the exterior is white marble. Through the centuries, the structure has suffered many damages and has been rebuilt several times.   Note:  The smaller structure in front of the dome is the Dome of the Chain.

These arches have a significance because Islamic tradition says that scales will be hung in these arches to weigh the souls at the Last Judgment.

When Suleiman the Great rebuilt the walls in 1528, the Golden Gate or Eastern Gate was the only gate already standing. For Christians, it is important because it is the gate that Jesus of Nazareth entered on a donkey in His "Triumphal Entry. " If you were to stand on the Mount of Olives, you could look over this Eastern Gate into the huge area presently north of the Dome of the Rock and see all the gates (at different levels) in a perfect line: the East is supposedly the gate that Jesus (Savior of the world) will enter when He returns to the earth. He will start at the Mount of Olives and go to the Garden of Gethsemane, through the Kidron Valley and then up through the Golden Gate where He will enter the Temple Mount.  

Our guide explained the gate is closed until the Messiah comes to earth.  The Jews do not believe the Messiah has come yet but when He does,  they say it will be through the Golden Gate.                                               

According to tradition, the Dome of the Rock was built to commemorate Muhammad's ascension into heaven after his night journey to Jerusalem (Qur'an 17).  It was built by Abd al-Malik in 688 AD and was not intended to be a mosque, but rather a shrine where pilgrims could pray.

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism because it is regarded as the place where God gathered the dust used to make the first human (Adam) and where the world was expanded into its present form.  Muslims also believe it is a place where God's presence is manifested more than any other place.  

Within the area of the Temple Mount is an elevated courtyard area and about 100 different structures from various periods of time.

There are places where Muslims can pray, minarets, arched structures around the Dome of the Rock, a school for Muslim children, beautiful artwork and also fountains for not only drinking but also to wash in preparation for prayer. Underneath the surface of the mount are 34 cisterns along with substructures known as Solomon's stables. Our guide said he could take us there another time.  

Photo:  Dome of the Chain (pictured in front of the Dome of the Rock)

Arab historians feel this was used as the model for the Dome of the Rock. The ceiling, the mosaic tiled arches, the exterior and interior as well as the floor were strikingly beautiful!

The structure above is called the Dome of the Chain.  It is not a mosque or shrine but is used as an open house of prayer.  It was once a chapel for Christians during the Crusaders and then became an Islamic prayer house.  There are a number of religious legends I had never heard before so I'll leave any further explanation alone.  

Interior and ceiling of Dome of the Chain

Prayer niche in Dome of the Chain.  Look at the beautiful floor!

The dome is 65 feet in diameter. 

Muslims have six Articles of Faith.  These include belief in God; belief in the angels; belief in holy books, the prophets, the day of judgment and predestination.  In addition, Muslims believe that they must perform five prayers each day and these are known as the Pillars of Islam.  These include a declaration of faith, daily prayer, giving of alms, fasting during Ramadan and a pilgrimage to Mecca. 

I was standing in front of the Dome of the Rock when I took this photo as I looked to my right.  The Temple Mount is 1/6 the size of today's Old City of Jerusalem and covers 35 acres or the size of 20 football fields.  The present Temple Mount was constructed by Herod the Great beginning in 20 BC.

This was the entrance of the dome.  In this photo you can see that the lower part of the Dome of the Rock is white marble.   The mosaic pieces of the dome were added centuries after it was built.  The dome rises about a circle of 16 columns and surrounding the circle is an arcade of 25 columns.  Notice the arches that surround the dome.  

Beautiful doors open into the Dome of the Rock.

Shoes must be taken off when entering the Dome of the Rock and women must have on long skirts, long sleeved shirts with a high neck and heads must be covered. We went inside and were surprised to see people of all ages milling around, tourists taking photographs, small children unattended, men praying in various areas and a small group of women gathered in some type of instruction.

What a beautiful little girl!

The Dome of the Rock is  an Islamic shrine elaborately decorated with mosaic and marble rooted in the Byzantine architectural style.  As previously mentioned, it was constructed in the 7th century but also represents a very distinctive Islamic style.

You might notice that in the mosaics there are no representations of human or animals forms.  (I wish I had asked our guide about that.) Rather, the designs are floral or vegetal patterns intermixed with images such as crowns or jewels along with many Arabic inscriptions.  

Both the dome and the exterior walls contain 
many stained glass windows.

The stained glass windows were exquisite! 

The rock over which the shrine was built is sacred to both Muslims and Jews and is referred to as the "Foundation Stone."  The Prophet Muhammad (founder of Islam) is traditionally believed to have ascended into heaven from this site. However, some Muslims believe that event happened in Mecca.  

This diagram will give you a better perspective of the shrine above the sacred rock.

Photo by Dr. Esplin from our tour. 

Below the dome a portion of the sacred rock is exposed and protected by a railing. A stairway leads to a natural cave beneath the surface of the rock. The outer walls also form an octagon, with each of the eight sides being approximately 60 feet wide and 36 feet high.

Jewish tradition says it is here that Abraham, the 1st patriarch of the Hebrew people, is said to have prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  However, some say it was his other son, Ishmael.

Photo above:  Looking down from the dome above the sacred rock.

The story about Muhammad and his horse, Buraq, is the legend of his trip to heaven which is referred to as his "Night Journey."  The white horse had the face of a woman, wings, and was given to him by the angel, Gabriel. Before he began his ascension, he was given a test: to choose between a drink of wine or milk. When Mohammad chose milk, Gabriel told him that it meant his followers would not go astray.

When he began his ascension, he stopped at various levels of heaven (7 in all) to meet prophets such as Moses, Abraham, Adam and even Jesus. (Muslims consider Jesus of Nazareth a prophet). Gabriel accompanied Muhammad the entire time and Muhammad was eventually taken to Paradise. There he stood before the throne of God and the two had a conversation about how many times he needed to pray each day. In his first conversation, God told him to pray 500 times each day and when he told this to Gabriel, he said, "Go back and tell God that is too many times." Muhammad did as he was told and after returning many times asking God to cut the number of times to pray, he was told to pray 5 times each day and that each of the 5 prayers would count as 10 times. Muslims believe when they come to this rock their prayers will count not 50 but 500 times and if they go to Mecca, it will count as 5,000 prayers. Muhammad, still astride his white horse, then ascended back to earth to deliver the prayers to his followers. In Islam, this journey represents the spiritual growth of man and as already mentioned, it is believed is was from this rock Muhammad rode Buraq to heaven. 

There was a small opening where visitors could touch the rock so Garth was anxious to do so.  Tradition says that when Muhammad ascended into heaven that the angel (Gabriel) put his hand on the rock to hold it down or the rock would have also ascended into heaven. Interesting!  

The Arabic inscription around the octagonal part of the Dome of the Rock are verses from the Qur'an and dates from the renovation under Suleiman. The glazed tiled area just below the golden dome is the "drum."  Those tiles were made in Turkey and its Arabic inscription tells of the "Night Journey" of Muhammad as described in the Qur'an.

Photo time.

Artist at work.

In addition, the Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Chain are believed by many to stand directly over the site of the Holy of Holies of both Solomon's Temple and Herod's Temple. 

Even though this is a shrine and not a mosque, men were praying.  

Beneath the rock was a stairway that lead to a natural cave beneath the surface of the rock known as the "Well of Souls." It is said that in this place the voices of the dead mingle with the falling waters of the lower rivers of paradise as they drop into eternity. Muslims consider this one of those extra special places to pray.

Another legend says that the dead meet here twice a month to pray. In earlier days, those who prayed here after having walked around the rock were given a certificate entitling them admission to paradise and it was to be buried with them.  

Muslims face Mecca to pray five times a day. These prayers occur at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. This ritual is sometimes known by its Arabic name, "salah."

It was interesting to see that women would gather here to study but why not? After all, places like this should not just be places of prayer but places to gain greater knowledge. I certainly gained an even greater appreciation for this beautiful place and it will always stand out as one of the most amazing places we have visited while living in the Holy Land.

In the Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims both believed the dome to be the

 Temple of Solomon from the Bible. 

Muslims believe they must purify themselves through ritualistic cleansing before prayer or worship.   There are major and minor causes of physical impurity, requiring different rituals to correct and cleanse.  The fountain above is for ritual purifying.  

In Judaism, ritual washing or cleansing may be in two forms:  a fully body immersion as practiced centuries ago in a mikveh or by washing of the hands with a cup of water as seen before Jews pray at the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall.

I wasn't sure if the young woman in the photo was a bride but there was some kind of celebration as people were gathered around her.  
Maybe it was her birthday?

The Dome of the Rock seems to be a gathering place for Muslims to feel safe, a place to study and learn and to feel the close to God. Each of us have places we go to feel closer to our God and Maker and I am continually inspired by people of all faiths as we visit holy places.

Learning about different faiths is very interesting and makes me think more seriously about my own.  I want to do better as I share with others what I have learned in this most Holy of lands.  After we left the Dome of the Rock, we headed to the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

(To be continued)