Research Topics: Dome Of The Rock

Dome of the rock: The Oldest Octagonal Dome in the World

Dome of the Rock             The Dome of the Rock is a beautiful Muslim shrine in the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It consists of two sections imbricated into each other. The first is a tall cylinder (20 meters in diameter and 25 meters high) set over a large natural rocky outcrop, topped nowadays by a gilded dome made of aluminum alloy. The second is an octagonal ring (about 48 meters in diameter) of two ambulatories on piers and columns around the central rock. The building is lavishly decorated both inside and outside. The interior displays artfully composed panels of veined marble, an astounding variety of mosaic compositions, gilt wooden beams, and a ceiling of leather embossed with ornament. On the exterior are additional marble panels and a spectacular array of faience tiles with writing as well as vegetal or geometric ornament. Nearly everything one sees in this marvelous building, both inside and outside, was put there in the second half of the twentieth century. Tiles, mosaics, ceilings, and walls were redone during the course of several major overhauls carried out since 1958. These modern restorations were required, fro the most part, to address structural damage from rain, frost, and earthquakes, from human incursions, and from the natural aging of materials. All restorations claim to reflect the original state of the building in the last decade of the seventh century CE or, if the original state is unknown, to the earliest date that could be documented. However successful these restorations may have been, they lead one to the first paradox involving the Dome of the Rock: the assumption, by the Muslim faithful but also by many historians, that this building is a work of Umayyad art completed in 691 under the sponsorship of the caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, a prominent member of the first dynasty to rule the whole realm of Islam. In fact, as it stands, the building is almost entirely the work of modern times (Grabar, 2006).             The Dome of the Rock is considered as a holy spot by Jews, Arabs, and Christians. The Dome of the Rock monument is built over the spot in Jerusalem where, supposedly, Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac and Mohammed received his famous vision of Paradise. Solomon’s Temple probably stood on or near this spot (Miller & Hayes, 1986). According to Lawrence (2007) the Dome of the Rock is a building encircling a rock in Jerusalem. It sits on a hill or mount known as the Noble Close and overlooks the entire span of nooks and crannies, streets and lanes, houses and markets that dot Jerusalem. It is the noblest emblem of the Noble Close in a city hallowed by memory and by devotion of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and it is to this city and to the rock inside the Dome of the Rock that Abraham came. On this rock Solomon built his temple and near the rock Jesus was buried. It is also from a place near this rock that Muhammad the Prophet ascended to Heaven on the Night Journey. Muslims had conquered Jerusalem by 637, and they knew the history of the Temple Mount – as it was called after Solomon’s temple was destroyed – yet they did not build the Dome of the Rock till 692. Research Question             The aim of this paper is to investigate on Dome of the Rock, which is claimed to the oldest octagonal dome of the world. Specifically, this research aims to answer the following questions: 1. What are the historical and religious backgrounds of the Dome of the Rock? 2. What is the historical and religious significance of the Dome of the Rock? 3. What are the characteristics of the Dome of the Rock in terms of shape, structure, and beauty?   Research Methodology             The planned methodology is secondary research. The researcher will make use of published materials such as books, magazines and newspapers to collect data and information regarding the topic. The researcher will also make use of the internet to obtain information about the company such as its background and other related information. For the research, the researcher will mainly rely on secondary data in obtaining the information. Due to inaccessibility of the subject or the case study, other research methods are not applicable. Secondary data are data that have been collected for some other purpose. Secondary data can provide a useful source from which to answer the research question(s). Punch (1998) mentions several advantages of using existing data. Expenditure on obtaining data can be significantly reduced and data analysis can begin immediately, so saving time. Also, the quality of some data may be superior to anything the researcher could have created alone (Thomas, 2004, p. 191). On the other hand, the chosen research method also has several disadvantages. Data that have been gathered by others for their own purposes can be difficult to interpret when they are taken out of their original context. It is also much more difficult to appreciate the weak points in data that have been obtained by others. The data may be only partially relevant to the current research question (Thomas, 2004, p. 191).     References Grabar, O 2006, The dome of the rock, Harvard University Press. Lawrence, B 2007, The Qur’an: A Biography, Atlantic Monthly Press. Miller, J M & Hayes, J H 1986, a history of ancient Israel and Judah, Westminster John Knox Press.   Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com

Dome of the rock: The Oldest Octagonal Dome in the World

Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock is a beautiful Muslim shrine in the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It consists o...

Dome of the rock: The Oldest Octagonal Dome in the World

Dome of the rock: The Oldest Octagonal Dome in the World

Dome of the Rock The Dome of the Rock is a beautiful Muslim shrine in the walled Old City of Jerusalem. It consists o...