THE DOME OF THE ROCK
- The spectacular, gold-crowned Dome of the Rock is commonly mistaken as the al-Aqsa Musjid due to it being the most eye-catching structure of the compound. The structure was built by Caliph Abd al-Malik from 688 to 691 CE and houses the sacred rock from which the Prophet Muhammed ﷺ ascended to heaven (Mi’raj) after the night journey to Jerusalem (Isra’).
- Beneath the Rock is a cave wherein it is said that previous prophets used as a sanctuary for prayer and meditation.
- When the structure above the Rock was completed in 691 CE, the octagon shaped building was an avant-garde design of its time. The base was built from marble and its structure from wood. Four of the eight sides have doors and there are seven windows. The ethereal interior atmosphere is a result of light that pours in from these grilled windows. The walls of the interior are decorated with mosaic, marble and verses from the Quran. The dome itself is 25 meters high and covered with gold. Being unchanged for 13 centuries, it is not only one of the oldest existing Islamic monuments in the world but truly an architectural triumph that all are proud of.