Dome of the Rock, Al Asqa Mosque – Jerusalem
Though the two are often thought to be the same thing, the
Dome of the Rock and the Al Asqa Mosque are completely separate landmarks in
the city of Jerusalem. They sit on the
most important and contested religious grounds in the world, known as the Temple
Mount (or the Noble Sanctuary).
Dome of the Rock
Built between 687 and 691 by the ninth Caliph (Abd
al-Malik), the Dome of the Rock (or Qubbat As-Sakhrah) is one of the most
famous Islamic mosques. It was built by
the Caliph to honor the Lord and some historians suggest that the scope of the temple’s
construction indicates that it was meant to rival Mecca. The Dome of the Rock is one of the most
recognizable landmarks on the Jerusalem landscape with its signature golden
dome rising up from the relatively flat ancient buildings that surround
it.
At the center of the dome is a rock that is believed by
Muslims to be the scene of Muhammad’s ascension into the heavens. In the Jewish religion, the rock is the
place where Abraham almost sacrificed his son, Isaac. It’s also where Jews believe that Jacob saw the ladder into Heaven.
The building itself is a masterpiece of ancient ornamental
architecture. At the top of a 35-meter
tower is the majestic 20-meter gold-covered dome. It received a facelift in 1993 in order to eliminate the rust and
wear that had accumulated over some 13 centuries.
Though the mosque has changed hands throughout the
centuries, it has remained fundamentally unchanged since its construction. During the crusades, for instance, the
Knights Templar used the Dome of the Rock as a spiritual headquarters as it was
thought to be a remnant of the Temple of Jerusalem. While the Dome of the Rock does sit on the grounds of the ancient
Temple of Jerusalem, historians agree it is a mosque built by the ninth Caliph
in the 7th century.
Due to the site’s significance to both Jews and Muslims, it’s
unlikely that the proposed plan to move the Dome to Mecca and build the Third
Temple of Jerusalem will ever happen.
Al Asqa Mosque
Another important Muslim building in the entire Noble
Sanctuary/Temple Mount complex is the Al-Asqa Mosque. It was originally built as a wooden structure by the Umayyads in
710 CE. Amid fires and earthquakes over
the next three centuries, the mosque was rebuilt five times until the last
major retrofit in 1035 CE.
The Al-Asqa Mosque is currently the largest mosque in
Jerusalem with a capacity of 5,000 worshippers. Its architectural style is a hodge-podge of old Islamic and
Crusader design, since the building changed hands during the Crusades. Parts of the Mosque look like Crusader work
since the Knights Templar used the mosque as the Temple of Solomon during their
occupation.
A portion of the Al-Asqa Mosque outer wall is actually the
Western Wall that is a central site of worship for Jews. As a result, there is much friction in this
area between Muslims and Jews who contest ownership of the land.
The difference between Al-Asqa Mosque and Dome of the Rock
is that Al-Asqa is designated as the central place for Islamic worship and learning,
while Dome of the Rock is a pilgrimage site where Muslims can witness the place
where Muhammad ascended to the heavens.
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