The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem Free Essay Example, 2000 words

To strengthen the use of Jerusalem as the direction to face during prayers, the leader built the dome of the rock believing that this will assist him in convincing most of his followers to change. The establishment of the dome within Jerusalem, a city revered by Muslims created controversies and wars but the Muslims were able to retain their symbolic image in the city after enduring the impacts of the wars. Accessibility into the dome of the rock has been restricted for a long time though it has been considered as a tourist site in the country. Before 1967, non-Muslims were not granted access into the mosque though this was changed and limited access has been allowed to other people under strict supervision of security officers. Palestinian residents have been restricted from accessing the site due to security concerns that have existed within the west bank area. However, Palestinian-Israelis are allowed to access the dome without limitation though security checks are beefed up to avoid the possibility of an attack. Access of the dome of the rock or the mosque’s prayer area is prohibited for non-Muslims during prayer days and on Muslim holy days. We will write a custom essay sample on The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Though tourists have flocked the area to witness the magnificent structure, the Jewish orthodox rabbis consider entry into the building a violation of the Jewish law (Grupico 13). Significance of the dome of the rock According to the Muslim culture and religious belief, the city of mecca and medina are considered as the first two holy places in the world. However, the dome of the rock has a great significance in the religion as this makes Jerusalem the third most holy city to the Muslims. Built on the temple mount alongside the Al-Aqsa mosque, the dome of the rock is one of the holy places of warships for the Muslims living in Israel and the neighboring Palestine. Based on their belief, this is the spot from where their supreme leader prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven in the company of angel Gabriel. Other great prophets of Muslim religion also paid homage to the stone and began their journey of service to Allah from the rock for example prophet Hazrat Muhammad. Immediately after capturing Jerusalem in AD 691, the Muslims built a temple at this site to signify a number of things including the religious position of their belief. Others believe that it was built to offer a homage site away from the city of mecca during the internal wars between the religious leaders. The dome of the rock also sets a higher standard of the Islamic architecture that had dominated during the period when it was built in the region (Pringle 1191).