Jerusalem Dome of the Rock

About the Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is one of the oldest and most iconic Islamic monuments in the world, crowning the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City. Completed in 691 AD by Caliph Abd al-Malik, its gleaming golden dome and intricate Byzantine mosaics mark the spot where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have ascended to heaven. Sacred to Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike, the shrine stands as a timeless symbol of Jerusalem's profound spiritual significance.

Built between 688 and 691 CE under the Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik, the Dome of the Rock stands on the Haram al-Sharif, or Temple Mount, and is among the oldest surviving Islamic monuments. It encloses a rock that Muslim tradition links to the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey, a connection rooted in religious tradition rather than documented history, and which Jewish tradition associates with the biblical binding of Isaac. Its gilded dome, recovered in gold-plated copper in the 1990s with funding from King Hussein of Jordan, dominates photographs and postcards of the Old City. Since 1967 it has also served as a political emblem for Palestinians, appearing on posters, banknote designs and murals as a claim to the city itself.