Image Details

Richard Nowitz

Looming over Jerusalem, the Dome of the Rock stands as a mighty prayer in stone. The Islamic shrine, erected by the Umayyad caliph ‘Abd al-Malik (685–705 C.E.), served as a physical emblem of the dominance of Islam, replacing its Christian predecessor. The Dome of the Rock overlooks the blue-gray dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, at a lower point on Jerusalem’s skyline. Before the Arab conquest, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was the most imposing structure in Jerusalem and the sacred center of the city.