Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock stands at the centre of the Haram al-Sharif, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. It was built by the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik and completed in 691-692 CE, making it one of the oldest surviving Islamic monuments. It is a shrine rather than a mosque, built around the Foundation Stone, the rock associated in Islamic tradition with the Night Journey and ascent of the Prophet Muhammad and in Jewish tradition with the site of the binding of Isaac and the Holy of Holies of the Temples. The building is an octagon with an inner circular arcade of piers and columns supporting a wooden dome about 20 metres in diameter. The interior is decorated with mosaics in gold, green and blue, marble panels and Quranic inscriptions in some of the earliest monumental Arabic calligraphy. Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century replaced the exterior with Iznik-style tiles, and the dome was gilded in aluminium and bronze in the 1960s and regilded with gold leaf in 1993 through a donation by King Hussein of Jordan. The Islamic Waqf, under Jordanian custodianship, administers the compound. Non-Muslim visitors are allowed to enter the Haram al-Sharif only at limited hours and through the Mughrabi Gate ramp, and they are not allowed inside the Dome of the Rock itself; the exterior, platform and surroundings can be viewed. Rules prohibit prayer or religious symbols by non-Muslims, require modest clothing and may change at short notice for security reasons. The compound also contains Al-Aqsa Mosque and fountains, arcades and smaller domes, and its quiet esplanade offers views over the Old City.