Daily Celestial Challenge Wednesday- Structures-The dome of the rock

darlenys01 (72)in #celestialchallenge • 6 years ago (edited)

Hello my dear brothers, today I bring you in #celestialchallenge initiated by @sirknight:The dome of the rock.

The Dome of the Rock is a Muslim sanctuary that was built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in 691 AD. The Dome of the Rock is part of a larger Muslim sacred area that occupies a significant portion of what is also known as Mount Moriah, in the heart of Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock gets its name from the fact that it is built on the highest part (the dome) of Mount Moriah, which is where Jews and Christians believe that Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God (Genesis 22: 1-14).

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It is also considered to be the location of the Arauna era, the Jebusite, where David built an altar to Jehovah (2 Samuel 24:18). It is also on or very close to the site where he stood from the temple of Herod before it was destroyed in 70 AD.

The Dome of the Rock is part of the largest Islamic area known as the Noble Sanctuary or Al-Haram al-Sharif. This area includes more than 35 hectares and contains the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. After the Muslims seized Jerusalem in 637 AD, the Islamic leaders commissioned the construction of the Dome of the Rock in 685 AD. It took almost seven years to complete and today is one of the oldest Islamic structures in the world.

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The area of the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is located is important not only to the Muslims who control it, but also to the Jews and Christians. As the place where the Jewish temple once stood, the Temple Mount is considered the most sacred place in Judaism and is the place where Jews and some Christians believe that the third and last temple will be built.

A political-religious work
Indeed, it is in Jerusalem - which the Arabs call the Qods - that the first masterpiece of Islamic architecture is created: the Dome of the Rock, famous among all the monuments of the Holy City. With its octagonal roundabout that dominates the temple esplanade, or Haram al-Sharif [FIG. 8], stands to the right, where Solomon-commemorating the sacrifice of Abraham-had erected the sanctuary of Yahweh that contained the Ark of the Covenant.

Since Caliph Moawiya has decided to establish his capital in Damascus, the tension with Medina is increasing. This antagonism between Arabia and Syria is aggravated when it comes to power Yazid I, considered as responsible for the death of al-Hysayn, son of AH. Also lbn al-Zoubayr, cousin of Muhammad, proclaims himself caliph of Mecca. This anti-caliph remains for ten years at the head of Arabia. The inhabitants of Medina expel the Umayyads from the Holy City. Later, the troops of Damascus will have to besiege Medina and Mecca to reduce the dissidence. In 693, they will burn the Kaaba during the assault, and they will kill the anti-caliph.

The Dome of the Rock is an impressive structure, easily seen in many photographs of Jerusalem. Not only is it on top of Mount Moriah, but it was also built on a raised platform another 16 feet above the rest of the Temple Mount area. Inside, at the center of the Dome, it is the highest point of Mount Moriah. This bare rock measures about 60 feet by 40 feet and rises about 6 feet from the floor of the sanctuary. While many people mistakenly refer to the Dome of the Rock as a mosque, it was actually built as a sanctuary for pilgrims, although it is located near an important Muslim mosque.

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The decoration with mosaics

Regarding the sumptuous decoration of the Dome of the Rock, it evokes the Byzantine ornamental language. If the exterior of the octagon has been entirely renovated in the Ottoman period by means of polychrome tiles dominated by blue, the high marble plinth with geometric motifs that subsists at the base of the walls derives from the formulas used for the old coatings and slabs

When Israel took control of that part of Jerusalem after the Six Day War in 1967, Israeli leaders allowed an Islamic religious foundation to have authority over the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock as a way to help maintain peace . Since that time non-Muslims have been allowed limited access to the area but are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount.

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