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| Dome of the Rock,
Exterior |
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Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, title
page. |
Kubbet es Sakhra from
the South
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In the centre of the Haram is the raised platform on which stands the Kubbet es
Sakhra (Dome of the Rock), erected over the sacred rock from which Mohammed is
said to have ascended into heaven. The platform has four sides, but none of its
sides are equal, nor are any of its angles right angles. Its general level is
about sixteen feet above that of the Haram esh Sherif, and the top of the "Sakhra"
is nearly five feet higher, or two thousand four hundred and forty feet above
the Mediterranean. The platform is paved with flat slabs of stone. On the west
and south-west it is partly supported by vaults. In other directions the rock
rises up to, or nearly up to, the level of the pavement. The most interesting
feature is the "Sakhra," or Rock, to which the beautiful building gives an air
of mystery and a prominence that it would not possess if the pavement were
removed and the ground were restored to its original form. The platform is
approached by several flights of steps, at the top of which are screens
supported by light columns, called "mawazin," or balances . . . .(Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 53-54.) |
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Dome of the Rock, 1965 |
Source:
Photographs of Charles Lee Feinberg. |
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The Kubbet es Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) is
an octagonal building, each side of which
measures sixty-six feet . . . .There is a door
in each of the four faces fronting the
cardinal points-on the north, Bab el Jenné
(Gate of Paradise); Bab el Gharby (West Gate);
Bab el Kiblé (South Gate); and the Bab en Neby
Daúd (Gate of the Prophet David) . . . .The
building consists of a basement sixteen feet
high, pierced only by the four doors; then a
story of plain masonry, twenty feet in height,
with seven round arches on each side,
thirty-eight of which are pierced for windows,
and the remaining eighteen are blind panels.
The basement is cased with slabs of various
coloured marble, which are fastened to the
masonry by metal clamps run in with lead. . .
.The external walls above the basement are
entirely covered with tiles, which produce a
very fine effect. Verses of the Koran,
beautifully written in interwoven character,
in blue and white, run round the parapet wall,
and beneath are elaborately executed designs
in various colours. The tiles are nine and a
half inches square and firmly embedded in
mortar. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 54-55.) |
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Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem,
p. 49. |
A Portico of the Mosque
of Omar |
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Our steps were naturally first turned to the
central mosque. It is a perfect gem. I was
much struck with the chasteness of design, and
wonderful minuteness and delicacy of detail,
in the Saracenic architecture. The encaustic
tiles which cover the whole exterior reflect
in gorgeous hues the bright sunlight. Over the
windows and round the cornice are broad
borders of beautifully interlaced Arabic
characters, so large that one can easily read
them from below. A graceful dome, tipped with
a golden crescent, crowns the whole, and is
seen from afar. The position of the mosque,
raised on a platform of white marble, so as to
overtop all other buildings, adds vastly to
the appearance. It is octagonal in form, each
side measuring sixty-seven feet. Four doors
facing the cardinal points lead to the
interior, which is one hundred and forty-eight
feet in diameter, the dome being sixty-six.
The principal door has a portico with small
marble columns . . . (Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p. 47.) |
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The Site of the Temple |
Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 233. |
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The platform on which the Dome of the Rock
stands is paved with limestone slabs, and
carries several minor buildings, of which the
"Tribunal of the Prophet David," or "Dome of
the Chain," in front of the east door of the
mosque, is the most remarkable. This beautiful
little building is an open pavilion of eleven
sides, with six internal columns, which
support an hexagonal drum and a domed roof. It
has a "mihrab" on the south face . . . .
According to tradition David's judgment-seat
stood beneath the dome, and it was here that
Mohammed caught a first glimpse of the houris
of Paradise. In the twelfth century the
building was looked upon as the tomb of St.
James, the brother of our Lord, whose body is
said to have been removed to this spot from
the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where it was first
buried. The remaining buildings are the " Dome
of the Spirits," beneath which the natural
rock may be seen; the "Dome of El Khydr"
(Elias, or St. George); the "Dome of the
Prophet Mohammed," and other structures of
less importance. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 65.) |
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See
Temple Mount,
History and Traditions of the Dome of the Rock,
Interior of the Dome of the Rock,
Origin
of the Dome of the Rock,
or
Al Aqsa Mosque |
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