Author: Alia F. Hasan
Published on: May 19, 1999

If one were to select some buildings to represent Islamic architecture the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem would certainly be among them. The Dome of the Rock, or Qubbat as-Sakhra as it is called in Arabic, was built around 691-92 C.E. at the beginning of the rise of the Islamic empire. Although it symbolizes the excellence of Islamic architecture it’s actually more of an anomaly. Rather than an example of a typical mosque it is a reflection of its historical context. This includes the attempt to rival the Islamic empire’s predecessor in the area, the Byzantine-Christian empire, as well as establish a monument over a holy site.

Background

The Dome of the Rock is in Jerusalem, the third holiest city to Muslims. It was built over as-Sakhra (the rock), considered the spot where the prophet Muhammed ended his Night Journey to Jerusalem and ascended to heaven. It is an eight sided building topped with a dome covered with gold sheathing. The dome marks the spot below where the hollow rock is located. It is covered inside and out with colored mosaics and Arabic calligraphy. The monument is itself part of a larger complex called Al Haram Al Sharif, the Noble Sanctuary.

The Typical Mosque

To most Muslims a mosque is considered such when it contains one or both of the forms they are most familiar with-- the dome and the minaret. Other fundamental elements are the qibla wall which tells worshipers the direction of prayer and the rectangular interior space which helps to define direction. These elements are a result of the function of the mosque which was to create a place for the community to pray. Prayer is done with rows of worshipers facing one direction (east to Mecca), hence the need for a rectangular plan with one wall marking direction. The mosque also has a defined frontal orientation and is often arranged around or in relation to a courtyard.

This description of the typical mosque can be found employed in the design of the Great Mosque at Damascus in Syria(8th century). By this same description the Dome of the Rock with its octagonal plan and central dome would prove to be atypical. Ernst J. Grube in "Architecture of the Islamic World", makes a comparison between the Great Mosque of Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem saying, “The Great Mosque in Damascus follows an established type and helps to create a tradition; the Dome of the Rock, standing alone on its platform and visible from all sides, remains a unique building in Islamic culture” (p.11).

Forces Behind the Dome of the Rock

If the architectural elements of the Dome of the Rock were not part of the chronology of mosque tradition then where did they come from? One has to consider the time that it was built and the political motives of its patron Abd al-Malik to answer that question. Abd al-Malik of the Ummayad dynasty was the caliph, or leader, of the newly developing Islamic empire. At the time of his rule he was both dealing with the rival Byzantine empire as well as the growing influence of various figures in Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims. Consequently there seems to be two accepted motives for why Abd al-Malik built the mosque, that he either wanted to celebrate his power and victory over the Byzantine empire or that he wanted it to rival the Ka’ba because of the political affiliations it had with leaders in Mecca. Whichever is true, the building of a monument over a holy site in Jerusalem provided him an opportunity to do both. In order to do this Abd al-Malik and his architects had to use an architectural language understood by both Muslims and Byzantine Christians. Since there was not yet an established Islamic architecture they looked to the highest examples of Byzantine architecture.

The Dome of the Rock's Predecessors

There are several buildings the Dome of the Rock is said to have borrowed from but the one bearing the most visual similarity is the nearby Holy Sepulcher (335 C.E.). These similarities are the use of a dome and rotunda, concentric aisles in which there is a central ring of supports for the dome with an ambulatory around it and an outer wall around that. Also the Holy Sepulcher originally received its light from windows in the drum which supports the dome, similar to the 16 windows of the Dome of the Rock in the same location.



Besides these similarities to the Holy Sepulcher certain features of the Dome of the Rock can be found in other churches. The doorways at the Cathedral of Bosra(515-13) and St. George at Ezra(515-16) use plain masonry which makes them look identical to the Dome of the Rock’s. The structure of the dome is said to be most similar to the one believed to exist in the Church of St. Simeon Stylites(~500) in Iraq. This church also has a frieze in the apse which bares similarity to those decorating the cornices of the Dome of the Rock’s piers and interior of the drum. The use of mosaics on the exterior of the Dome of the Rock is also not original, St. Peters old Basilica in Rome(450 C.E.) used mosaics to decorate the exterior of the facade.

Conclusion

Because the Dome of the Rock borrows heavily from a pre-existing architectural tradition it is very unique and atypical in terms of its own tradition. This is not unusual for great monuments, especially ones that come at the beginnings of new empires where it becomes necessary to borrow. That is not to say that the Dome of the Rock is not an Islamic building. Although many individual elements were not Islamic, they were arranged with an Islamic attitude and sensibility so that despite its borrowed architectural language, the Dome of the Rock still had an Islamic message. Perhaps that message was, with this great monument the Islamic empire was now legitimate.

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