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Interior |
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Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p.
48. |
Plan of the Dome of
the Rock
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The plan of the interior is peculiar, and, so far as I know, unique. There are
two concentric rings of columns and piers supporting the roof, leaving
corridors, or aisles, between; the outer thirteen feet wide, the inner thirty.
The columns are marble, but not of uniform size, and were evidently rifled from
other buildings, as is almost invariably the case in the old mosques of Syria.
It is lighted by fifty-six pointed windows, filled with stained glass of
extraordinary brilliancy and beauty. Directly under the dome is the shrine of
the mosque and of the entire Haram. It is a bare rock, the natural crown of
Moriah, about sixty feet across, and rising some six feet above the floor. It
gives its name to the building-Kubbet es-Sukhrah, "The Dome of the Rock." . . .
The sacred rock itself is specially deserving of notice. On its south-east side
a flight of steps leads down to an excavated chamber, or cave, about six feet
high. Here the guardian took me to several small altars and niches, which, he
said, were dedicated respectively to Abraham, David, Solomon, Elias, and
Gabriel. (Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, pp. 47-48.) |
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Interior of the Dome of the Rock |
Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 59. |
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Internally it is one hundred and fifty-two
feet in diameter. The great rock, the "Sakhra,"
which is in the centre, is encircled by four
massive piers and twelve columns; three
columns being placed between each pair of
piers. They are united by arches and support
the beautifully proportioned dome, which is
sixty-six feet in diameter at its base. An
octagonal screen, composed of eight piers and
sixteen columns, divides the remaining space
into two encircling aisles; the outer aisle
being thirteen and the inner one thirty feet
wide . . . .The aisle screen is perhaps the
most interesting part of the building . . . .
The bases of the columns are cased with slabs
of marble . . . .The shafts of the columns do
not rest immediately on their bases, but on
sheets of lead from three-quarters of an inch
to one and a half inches thick. The capitals
are of the Corinthian order . . . .The bases
and columns of the inner circle are similar to
those of the octagonal screen . . . .The
columns and piers are connected by a fine
wrought-iron screen, which is said to be of
French workmanship of the latter part of the
twelfth century, and believed to be a relic of
the Crusaders . . . .The dome of the building
is of wood, covered externally with lead, and
internally with stucco, richly gilt and
painted; its height is about ninety-six feet.
(Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp.
54, 55, 58, 60.) |
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Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 234. |
The Rock in the Temple |
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We present to our readers a rare view
furnished also by our American consul at
Jerusalem. We see as perfect a photograph as
can be secured of the rock itself over which
the dome of Omar rises. The inside of the
mosque is so dark that it requires the light a
long time to place the image of the object
before the camera upon the plate. The
impression from which this picture is printed
required three or four hours. Such a picture
we could not have possibly secured, for when
we were in the holy city the mosque of Omar
was filled with visitors nearly all the time.
. . . It is believed by some scholars that the
subterranean passages branching out from the
cave beneath the rock were the outlets for the
blood of the sacrifices here offered. There is
no proof that this was the cave leading to the
canal that connected the Fountain of the
Virgin below the rock Ophel with the Pool of
Siloam. The cave which the visitor may enter
is a natural one, and evidently has not been
enlarged. In the center of it is a marble slab
that covers the mouth of the well. (Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p.
234.) |
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The Cave Under the Great Rock on Mount
Moriah |
Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p. 60. |
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The "Sakhra" Rock, which occupies the
centre of the building, is overhung by a
canopy and surrounded by a rude wooden
railing. It rises four feet nine and a half
inches above the marble pavement of the mosque
at its highest point, and one foot at its
lowest; from north to south it measures
fifty-six feet, and from east to west
forty-two feet. Beneath the rock there is a
small cave . . . the entrance to which is at
the south-east corner of the rock; a flight of
steps passes under an archway and leads down
to the chamber. The average height of the cave
is six feet. In the roof is a circular opening
which pierces the rock; the floor is paved
with marble, and the sides are covered with
plaster and whitewash. The floor, when stamped
upon, gives out a hollow sound, indicating the
presence of a lower chamber, possibly a well,
the "Well of Spirits." The sides, too, when
tapped give forth a hollow sound, which the
Moslem guardian brings forward as a proof that
the Sakhra is, in accordance with the legend,
suspended in the air. (Source: Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp. 61-62.) |
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See
Temple Mount,
Exterior of the Dome of the Rock,
History and Traditions of the Dome of the Rock,
Origin
of the Dome of the Rock,
or
Al Aqsa Mosque |
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