Dome Of The Rock Research Paper

The architects of the Dome of the Rock deliberately designed the space with the intention of portraying a message both to the followers of the Islamic faith and to the other prominent religions in the area. The Dome of the Rock is one of the earliest and elaborate major construction projects of the Islamic rulers. The reason for the Dome of the Rock’s creation can be seen through the thoughtful choices made for its location, the structural design, and the inscriptions and mosaics within the building. The designers of the Dome of the Rock utilizes every aspect of the building’s physical appearance in order to convey a twofold message; that Islam is the continuation of the earlier Abrahamic religions of Christianity and Judaism and that Islam …show more content…
Both the Dome of the Rock and the previous Temple were built on top of Mount Moriah, which is known in amongst the faiths as the site where Abraham goes to sacrifice his son Isaac in order to prove his devotion to God. Abraham is a figure that holds equal regard and importance throughout the faiths and by building the Dome of the Rock over a site that carries significance for everyone it allows Islam to be seen as similar to the the other two religions (Grabar). The architects of the Dome of the Rock exploit a site that has historically already held significance for the other two major religions of the region in order to establish a connection between the faiths. By building the Dome of the Rock over the ruins of the previous Temple it can be seen as the revival of this historically religious space. It is a rejuvenation of this holy space that marks the symbolized the importance of Abraham and Mount Moriah. The connection that all three share to Abraham is used as an point of comradery amongst the faiths in order to show the Islam is merely the natural continuation of Christianity and Judaism. The largest Islamic holy space in