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The Dome of the Rock
The Dome of the Rock, the beautiful Muslim shrine in the walled Old City of Jerusalem, was fully restored to its original state in the last half-century. Thus, this structure, sited on the third holiest spot on earth for Muslims, is at once a product of the seventh century and almost entirely the work of our own times--a paradox in keeping with the complexities and contradictions of history and religion, architecture and ideology that define this site.
This book tells the story of the Dome of the Rock, from the first fateful decades of its creation--on the esplanade built in the fourth decade B.C.E. for the Second Jewish Temple--to its engulfment in the clashes of the Crusades and the short-lived Christianization of all of Jerusalem, to its modern acquisition of different and potent meanings for Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures.
Oleg Grabar's presentation combines what we know of the building with the views of past observers and with the broader historical, cultural, and aesthetic implications of the monument. Primarily it is as a work of art that the Dome of the Rock stands out from these pages, understood for the quality that allows it to transcend the constrictions of period and perhaps even those of faith and culture. Finally, Grabar grapples with the question this monumental work of art so eloquently whether the pious requirements of a specific community can be reconciled with universal aesthetic values.
This book tells the story of the Dome of the Rock, from the first fateful decades of its creation--on the esplanade built in the fourth decade B.C.E. for the Second Jewish Temple--to its engulfment in the clashes of the Crusades and the short-lived Christianization of all of Jerusalem, to its modern acquisition of different and potent meanings for Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures.
Oleg Grabar's presentation combines what we know of the building with the views of past observers and with the broader historical, cultural, and aesthetic implications of the monument. Primarily it is as a work of art that the Dome of the Rock stands out from these pages, understood for the quality that allows it to transcend the constrictions of period and perhaps even those of faith and culture. Finally, Grabar grapples with the question this monumental work of art so eloquently whether the pious requirements of a specific community can be reconciled with universal aesthetic values.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 1996
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About the author
Oleg Grabar
55 books23 followersأوليغ غرابار (Oleg Grabar) (من مواليد 3 نوفمبر 1929 في ستراسبورغ فرنسا، مؤرخ وعالم آثار، تخصص في مجال الفنون والعمارة الإسلامية. حصل على الدكتوراه من جامعة برنستون عام 1955. كان عضو في هيئة التدريس في جامعة ميتشيغان، في 1954-69، قبل أن يحصل على تعيين أستاذ في جامعة هارفارد. في عام 1980 أصبح أستاذ عمارة وفن إسلامي في جامعة هارفارد، وبقي حتى عام 1990 عندما انضم إلى معهد الدراسات العليا. أستاذ فخري منذ عام 1998.
Oleg Grabar (November 3, 1929 – January 8, 2011) was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture.
Oleg Grabar (November 3, 1929 – January 8, 2011) was a French-born art historian and archeologist, who spent most of his career in the United States, as a leading figure in the field of Islamic art and architecture.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 29, 2020
The quality that struck me the most in Oleg Grabar's comprehensive The Dome of the Rock was his thoughtful and almost reverent tone—it is clear that he has a deep respect for this monument and all that it symbolizes. Indeed, even I get emotional thinking about the first time I laid eyes upon the Dome of the Rock, like Grabar, when traveling by road from the Jordan Valley in the East. I consider myself lucky to have lived during an era when the Dome of the Rock had been restored to what academics consider to be a "reasonable approximation of what it was like in the last version we know of it." A truly remarkable work of art and culture.
I am grateful to the author for taking the time to collate and share such extensive notes and well-sourced anecdotes about the history of this monument, its surroundings, and its political and strategic significance over the centuries. In my opinion the work is very accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of the geopolitics of the Near East over the last two millennia. If the general information presented in the book is not enough, the annotated bibliography is a treasure trove if you want to dig even deeper on any aspect.
I am grateful to the author for taking the time to collate and share such extensive notes and well-sourced anecdotes about the history of this monument, its surroundings, and its political and strategic significance over the centuries. In my opinion the work is very accessible to anyone with a basic understanding of the geopolitics of the Near East over the last two millennia. If the general information presented in the book is not enough, the annotated bibliography is a treasure trove if you want to dig even deeper on any aspect.
August 16, 2012
Interesting. Since it was one of the places I couldn't go visit while in Jerusalem, this was very informative. Wish I knew more about the place to really be able to judge the book. But it gave me alot of information of it's origin, different things that happened to it during it's existance,etc.
February 26, 2012
If you wanted to know anything about the Dome I would recommend this book. I love how Grabar goes into detail about how the building was built as well as the artwork inside.
September 22, 2025
Profound and very readable art history of one of the world's most famous and iconic religious structures
The Dome of the Rock, the Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is among the world's most iconic structures. It's history and purpose holds the key to many interesting topics from Arabic history to Biblical prophecy. I purchased this book to discover more about the history and origins of this stunning yet enigmatic building. I have been to the Temple Mount many times but, as a Christian, I was never permitted inside. I wanted to know more.
Regarding the author's perspective, Oleg Grabar studied the Dome while in Jerusalem and approaches its history as an art or architectural history. There is a lot of detail about how the building came to be in its current incarnation. Truth is both the building and its theological purpose have evolved over the centuries. There is still much debate about the impetus and purpose in its original construction. Grabar does a good job covering this mystery. I must admit, I was initially put off when I discovered the book's focus on art and architecture. I generally find art and architecture history to be quite boring and overly academic. This was not the case here. Grabar is revealing the Dome's history and evolution of purpose through the lens of its various modifications, updates, and re-inventions -- changes reflecting the political and theological climate of Jerusalem from the time the Dome arose in the seventh century. It's a brilliant book for that reason alone.
I did find some flaws in some of Grabar's conclusions.
His use of the word Palestinian to describe the Arab natives of Jerusalem is unfortunate as the term is of recent origin and the Arabic people of the region always identified by tribe and clan (Having spent time in Israel, I can assure you that there are MANY Arabic citizens of Israel who prefer to be called Bedouins or Israeli Arabs rather than Palestinians). But it has become politically expedient to use the Dome in its current incarnation to represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Grabar does a good job explaining and translating the Arabic calligraphy that covers the structure--Koranic verses that deny that God had a son--that indicate that the original purpose of the Dome was to promote the anti-trinitarian ideas of the Arians which became the root doctrine of Islam--that Jesus Christ could not be the Son of God because God had no Son. But he doesn't link those "in-your-face" verses as an early Islamic theological broadside against Christianity that I think the Dome was meant to convey. As the Byzantine trinitarian Christians had just been expelled, this theological challenge was the real purpose for the Dome's construction, in my opinion.
And I think he is unaware that shrines celebrating "rocks" are not uncommon in the Middle East. He identifies the Church of the Kathisma of the Virgin, near Bethlehem, as a possible inspiration for the Dome (its an older, dome-covered octagon structure over a large stone believed to be where a pregnant Virgin Mary rested), which was an eye-opener to me, but neglected to consider the Basilica of the Agony, a church built over the stone in Gethsemane where Jesus is presumed to have prayed, or even the Kaaba in Mecca which contains a black stone believed to be a meteor remnant. Apparently, rocks held a special meaning to Middle Eastern peoples (I am reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 19:40).
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and very well-illustrated. There is a mystery in the marble outside the southern entrance to the Dome that I hoped would be presented in the illustrations--there is a manifestation of two angry, insect-like faces that have darkened in time and come forth in the natural marbling of the stone. I have photos of this phenomenon in my personal collection. In recent years, the Jerusalem Waqf that administers the Islamic sites on the Temple Mount has covered these strange images with wooden structures. I hoped Grabar's book might display them but it does not.
Grabar's conclusions regarding the Dome are thoughtful and profound. Regardless of the Dome's theological implications, he finds its most important "achievement" is to overcome sectarian opinions and stand out as an icon that represents Jerusalem like no other symbol. I totally agree.
This book is a must read for those interested in Arabic, Jerusalem, Middle East, or Crusader history. Also Islamic art, Islamic theological development, and the contributions of Islamic Caliphs and European Kings to the Dome's evolution. Christians, Jews, and Muslims with an interest in Apocalyptic subjects might find this interesting as well. All-in-all, this book is HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommended.
The Dome of the Rock, the Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is among the world's most iconic structures. It's history and purpose holds the key to many interesting topics from Arabic history to Biblical prophecy. I purchased this book to discover more about the history and origins of this stunning yet enigmatic building. I have been to the Temple Mount many times but, as a Christian, I was never permitted inside. I wanted to know more.
Regarding the author's perspective, Oleg Grabar studied the Dome while in Jerusalem and approaches its history as an art or architectural history. There is a lot of detail about how the building came to be in its current incarnation. Truth is both the building and its theological purpose have evolved over the centuries. There is still much debate about the impetus and purpose in its original construction. Grabar does a good job covering this mystery. I must admit, I was initially put off when I discovered the book's focus on art and architecture. I generally find art and architecture history to be quite boring and overly academic. This was not the case here. Grabar is revealing the Dome's history and evolution of purpose through the lens of its various modifications, updates, and re-inventions -- changes reflecting the political and theological climate of Jerusalem from the time the Dome arose in the seventh century. It's a brilliant book for that reason alone.
I did find some flaws in some of Grabar's conclusions.
His use of the word Palestinian to describe the Arab natives of Jerusalem is unfortunate as the term is of recent origin and the Arabic people of the region always identified by tribe and clan (Having spent time in Israel, I can assure you that there are MANY Arabic citizens of Israel who prefer to be called Bedouins or Israeli Arabs rather than Palestinians). But it has become politically expedient to use the Dome in its current incarnation to represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Grabar does a good job explaining and translating the Arabic calligraphy that covers the structure--Koranic verses that deny that God had a son--that indicate that the original purpose of the Dome was to promote the anti-trinitarian ideas of the Arians which became the root doctrine of Islam--that Jesus Christ could not be the Son of God because God had no Son. But he doesn't link those "in-your-face" verses as an early Islamic theological broadside against Christianity that I think the Dome was meant to convey. As the Byzantine trinitarian Christians had just been expelled, this theological challenge was the real purpose for the Dome's construction, in my opinion.
And I think he is unaware that shrines celebrating "rocks" are not uncommon in the Middle East. He identifies the Church of the Kathisma of the Virgin, near Bethlehem, as a possible inspiration for the Dome (its an older, dome-covered octagon structure over a large stone believed to be where a pregnant Virgin Mary rested), which was an eye-opener to me, but neglected to consider the Basilica of the Agony, a church built over the stone in Gethsemane where Jesus is presumed to have prayed, or even the Kaaba in Mecca which contains a black stone believed to be a meteor remnant. Apparently, rocks held a special meaning to Middle Eastern peoples (I am reminded of Jesus' words in Luke 19:40).
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and very well-illustrated. There is a mystery in the marble outside the southern entrance to the Dome that I hoped would be presented in the illustrations--there is a manifestation of two angry, insect-like faces that have darkened in time and come forth in the natural marbling of the stone. I have photos of this phenomenon in my personal collection. In recent years, the Jerusalem Waqf that administers the Islamic sites on the Temple Mount has covered these strange images with wooden structures. I hoped Grabar's book might display them but it does not.
Grabar's conclusions regarding the Dome are thoughtful and profound. Regardless of the Dome's theological implications, he finds its most important "achievement" is to overcome sectarian opinions and stand out as an icon that represents Jerusalem like no other symbol. I totally agree.
This book is a must read for those interested in Arabic, Jerusalem, Middle East, or Crusader history. Also Islamic art, Islamic theological development, and the contributions of Islamic Caliphs and European Kings to the Dome's evolution. Christians, Jews, and Muslims with an interest in Apocalyptic subjects might find this interesting as well. All-in-all, this book is HIGHLY HIGHLY Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews