1920 - Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel
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N 31° 46.693 E 035° 14.148
36R E 711714 N 3518029
The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock is in its core one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture.
Waymark Code: WM14GJV
Location: Israel
Date Posted: 07/05/2021
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Dome of the Rock, Arabic Qubbat al-Sakhrah, shrine in Jerusalem built by the Umayyad caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan in the late 7th century ce. It is the oldest extant Islamic monument.
The Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam, is traditionally believed to have ascended into heaven from the site.
An inscription in the Dome of the Rock establishes its date of completion as 691–692.
The structure, positioned near the centre of a wide raised platform, comprises an octagonal base topped by a gilded wooden central dome. The dome, which is approximately 65 feet (20 metres) in diameter and is mounted on an elevated drum, rises above a circle of 16 piers and columns. Surrounding this circle is an octagonal arcade of 24 piers and columns. 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 (18 metres) wide and 36 feet (11 metres) high. Both the dome and the exterior walls contain many windows.
The interior and exterior of the structure are decorated with marble, mosaics, and metal plaques. Although the mosaics are similar in technique to those found in Byzantine public buildings and churches, the Dome’s mosaics exclude any representations of human or animal forms, instead featuring Arabic script and vegetal patterns intermixed with images of items such as jewels and crowns. Arabic religious inscriptions run around the octagonal arcade.
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