PPT presentation

1. The Dome of the Rock
Jerusalem

2. The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-692
The earliest example of Islamic architecture is the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
which was constructed between 688 and 692 by the Caliphs of the Ummayad Dynasty

3. It is located on the Temple Mount, which has been a sacred site for Christians, Jews,
and Muslims for centuries

4. According to Jewish tradition, this is where Solomon built his temple, which was
destroyed by the Babylonian King Nebuchadenezzar

5. A Second Temple was built by Jews returning from exile, after liberation by Cyrus the
Great, and was expanded under Herod, who served as a client king under the Romans

6. Herod’s Second Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the armies of Emperor Titus in
response to a Jewish rebellion

7. We saw the commemoration of this event on the Arch of Titus, with its relief showing
Roman armies bringing the spoils of the Temple of Jerusalem back to Rome

8. The “wailing wall” in Jerusalem is believed to be a part of the Temple that escaped
destruction

9. Jews come here to contemplate their long history of persecution

10. And it has become a tradition to insert written prayers into the cracks in the wall

11. Muslims call the Temple Mount Haram al-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary), and the Dome
of the Rock is a shrine, not a mosque

12. The centerpiece of the building is a rock, that can be viewed from a circular
corridor that runs around the building

13. This rock is sacred to all three of the great Abrahamic religions that originated in
this region

14. For Christians and Jews, the rock marks the place where Abraham came to sacrifice
Isaac

15. For Muslims it is believed to be the site where the Prophet Muhammad made his “night
journey” into heaven

16. The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-692
The building’s design was clearly influenced by Byzantine architecture

17. The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, 687-692
Its octagonal shape and dome resembles Justinian’s San Vitale in Ravenna

18. And the interior mosaics also reflect Byzantine influence

19. The rich colors and patterns resemble the interior of San Vitale

20. But a major difference is the absence of figural imagery

21. While Christian churches typically include images of Jesus Christ, angels, and saints,
Islamic religious buildings strictly obeyed the Second Commandment against any kind
of figural imagery

22. The exterior of the building was originally decorated with marble at the ground level,
and glass mosaics on the upper level

23. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Turks replaced the glass mosaics with the colorful
ceramic tiles you see here

24. The Corinthian columns show the influence of Roman/Byzantine architecture

25. ut the elaborate ornamentation on the exterior of the building is a distinctive element

26. Christian churches were typically plain on the exterior, while elaborately decorated with
mosaics inside

27. But Islamic architecture commonly employs elaborate ornamentation on the exterior of
buildings