| Muhammed's Night Journey and Ascent to Heaven |
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The sanctity of Jerusalem in Muslim tradition is based on an interpretation of a Koranic passage (Sura 17). The Prophet Muhammed was carried on the back of a winged horse (el-Buraq) from Mecca to Jerusalem. From the rock at the summit of Mount Moriah he rose to the highest heavens. |
Enlarged reproduction of a Persian manuscript illustration,
Tabriz c. 1505 (detail). |
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| Dome of the Rock |
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In 691, the Dome of the Rock (Qubbat as-Sakhra) was built by the Caliph Abd al-Malik over the sacred stone on Mount Moriah. It became a splendid symbol of Islam and an attempt to overshadow the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The building was covered both inside and out with rich glass mosaics. The exterior ones were later replaced by ceramics. |
| Model of the Dome of the Rock. |
