Why lavish spending on the Dome of the Rock?
Spending on building the Dome of the Rock with this extravagance; a demonstration of the greatness of Islamic civilization, before the great civilizations then the Persians and the Romans, especially after the entry of those inhabitants the country in Islam has been accustomed to seeing the brilliance of the two civilizations, It was also equivalent
Please increase by 100 thousand dinars after they finished building the dome.
What is the purpose of building the Dome of the Rock?
The building of the Dome of the Rock dates back to three theories
1 – In commemoration of the incident of Isra and Maraj.
2 -Show the greatness of Islam, and make it an Islamic city.
3- Order to convert the pilgrimage to the Al Aqsa (as claimed by the Yacoubi) – a Shiai an extremist was trying to distort the image of the Umayyads to win the satisfaction of the Abbasids.
The interior dome decorated with gilded frescoes and magnificent frescoes, and an opening there are 16 windows for lighting and ventilation.
The outer dome coated with copper plates with gold plating.
Why the Dome of the Rock built octagonal ribs?
Several theories suggested for building the dome as such
1- Religious reasons
Because of the famous saying that the rock is the lower throne of God make, the building eight ribs resembled the throne of God in heaven.
2 – Architectural reasons
So as to exploit the space as much as possible and to show the original Islamic architecture.
Dome of the Rock in the Abbasid period: {750-970m.}
The Abbasids cared for the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem as much as they could, they had many restoration works in Al-Aqsa Mosque, as illustrated by a number of inscriptions and the Abbasid Calipha al-Ma’mun established a fils called Jerusalem this event is the first of its kind in the history of Jerusalem and was documented in 217 AH.
Dome of the Rock in the Fatimid period: {970-1099.}
The dome was severely damaged by an earthquake that hit Al-Aqsa Mosque, Alhakem be amrellah khalifa started the restoration work and completed by his son Al-Zaher le’ezaz denellah, where the dome rebuilt and shot dead instead of copper doctrine (Umayyad origin) and included the restoration of the dome and decorations, windows in the dome neck And many things in the building.
Dome of the Rock in the Crusader era: {1099-1187m.}
During the crusader occupation, the Dome of the Rock converted into a church and placed above the rock an altar, made the cave a place for the shedding of the blood of offerings, and placed a crucifix over the rock of gold.
After the crusader occupation of 15 years, the kings of the Franja (Westerners) rocked the marble with fear as the priests were trading them and cutting pieces of the rock and selling it for pilgrims and visitors with gold, as for the iron fence, which removed in 1965 from about the rock dates, back to the Umayyad period and not to the crusaders.
Dome of the Rock in the Ayyubids period: {1187-1250 m.}
After Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi opened al-Aqsa Mosque, he cleaned and removed all the Crusader monuments of the mosque, returned the
Dome of the Rock to what it was with rose some of the restoration work, and put 21 verses of Taha. In 1198 he did king Othman bin Salah alDin put a wooden barrier around the rock to protect it.
The Ayyubids continued to take care of the Dome of the Rock after Saladin, and their most cleaned Rock with their hands and wash it with rose water constantly.
The Dome of the Rock in the Mamluk Period: {1250-1517.}
The sultans of this period did not hesitate to take care of the Dome of the Rock.
In 1270 AD,Sultan Zahir Baybars renewed the mosaic decorations in the city external appreciation.
In 1318, Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad Nasir ibn Qalawun renovated and decorated the dome from inside and from outside, and the nave of the Dome of the Rock.
Dome of the Rock in the Ottoman era: {1517-1917.}
The Ottomans took care of Al-Aqsa Mosque and its buildings for 400 years, and did not give up in that.
During the reign of Sultan Suleiman, the Al Qanoni in the period between 1537-1552 AD he changed the Umayyad mosaics covered with panels, and glass windows installed, which gave them a luster own.
In 1720: the third Sultan Ahmad renewed the Kashani and glass windows, Consumed about two thirds of the taxes of Jaffa and Tripoli.
In 1817 AD: the second Sultan Mahmoud changed the outer marble of the dome and performed with the renovation of locally made crustaceans.
In 1853: a huge project initiated to renovate the internal wooden roof and changing worn-out clothes.
In 1875 AD: This done during the reign of Sultan Abdul Aziz, and completed the restoration the roof and changing the worn-out tiles, and renewed the verse “Yasein” Around the outer walls.
Restoration of 1876: During the reign of second Sultan Abdul Hamid, and began this reconstruction brushes luxury carpets.
Dome of the Rock and the Supreme Islamic Council: {1922-1948.}
After the occurrence of Al-Aqsa Mosque under the British occupation, the council assumed responsibility, it protected the Dome of the Rock and made plans for the reconstruction of the dome and the changing of the tiles but the Palestinian revolutions and wars prevented the completion of these reconstructions and the Council only make only some adjustments.
Dome of the Rock and the Covenant of Jordan: {1967-to now.}
Al-Aqsa Mosque Reconstruction Committee took over the restoration work at this stage. The reconstruction at this stage is so necessary that the prayer hall of the Dome of the Rock in a deplorable state, as it was affected in the 1948 War. The Zionists threw some bombs on Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of which hit the Dome of the Rock and caused damage.
Al-Aqsa Mosque Reconstruction Committee replaced the lead plates coated the dome replaced with a yellow colored metal that later removed, finally they rebuilt the dome from a painted copper sheet with gold.
What types of decorations used in the Dome of the Rock?
1- The mosaic decoration
They are small squares of stained glass, used in a dome building Rock, and the embodiment of the Islamic faith through the designs of mosaics.
Emphasis were put on mosaics on forms that do not contradict Islam plant shapes or beautiful geometric drawings, some of which had great meaning, when he focused the Muslim artist to draw the Taj Byzantine from within the decorations in the dome, here he wanted to recalling the victory of the islamic state over the great Byzantine state, it focuses and shows the greatness of Islam.
2-Wood decoration
These motifs found between the pillars and in the
3-wooden barrier around the rock that he ordered Aziz Othman bin Salah al-Din to build. “Art of wood decoration” Known as art Arabesque.
Glass decoration
These motifs designed on different plants, floral forms, and geometric shapes and come back the Umayyad period, the decorations in the Dome of the Rock, are prototypes for decoration on glass.
4- Marble decoration
Used in the Dome of the Rock for its durability and hardness, and was used extensively most of the building, we see it in the columns and their crowns and stone stucco, as it is, most of the marble in the dome is the original Umawied .
5-Alqashnia decoration
It is a colorful pottery painted with a layer of glass, and recently called the tiles of the Chinese tiles. Used in the building of the Dome of the Rock, and it shows as many verses as possible; Quranic verses such as (Surah Yassin and part of the Surat Al Isra), used for the first time in Dome of the Rock, in the reign of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Al Qanoni, color the blue dominated the rest of the colors and the building gained contact with the sky’s glow, believe that the colored tiles used by Sultan Suleiman in the construction of the dome were manufactured in the city Jerusalem, where it found some ovens for cooking Kashani in Al-Aqsa Mosque near a dome the rock.