2/24 Lecture

Islamic Jerusalem


-Sasanians (last pre-Islamic Persian Empire take Palestine and Jerusalem 614-628 CE
-Byzantine Emperor Heraclius retake Jerusalem 628 CE
-Muslim Caliph Umar takes Jerusalem 638 CE
-After Muhammad, two divisions -> Shi'ites (kinship-based) and Sunnis (tradition-based, also become known as the Umayyad dynasty)


Islamic Terms
-aelia: the city of the Temple
-Haram al-Sharif: "the noble sanctuary" ~ Temple Mount
-Qibla: direction of prayer (towards Mecca). The original tradition was praying towards Jerusalem, but changed to Mecca after Muhammad
-Mihrab: niche pointing the direction of prayer
-the Kaaba in Mecca: stone box with curtains over it. Focal point of worship/most scared site in Islam. Black corner (eastern corner) absorbed traditions in Jerusalem~ known to date back to Adam&Eve. Also, according to Qur'an, the Kaaba was rebuilt by Abraham&Ishmael. 
-Five Pillars: Shahada "testimony," salat "prayer," zakat "almsgiving," sawm "fasting," and hajj "pilgrimage"


Umayyad Jerusalem (638-750 CE)
-Abd al-Malik restores Haram al-Sharif 
-Abd al-Malik builds Dome of the Rock 691 CE
     -purpose: to divert pilgrimage from Mecca to Jerusalem
     -interior: no graven images or pictures -> geometric designs & caligraphy
     -mosaic inscription of Qur'anic verses around interior and at entrances explicitly repudiate Christianity's view of Jesus as son of God, although they confirm him as a prophet
     -traditions absorbed: Mt. Moriah, Rock is the site of the Holy of Holies, was a stop on Muhammad's Mi'raj, under is "The Well of Souls," place of final judgment
     -1099 Crusaders conquer Jerusalem and convert Dome of the Rock into a church
     -1187 Salah ad-Din reconquers Jerusalem and restores Dome of the Rock
-Muhammad on al-buraq -> Mi'raj (night journey) -> taken to the farthest mosque, in Jerusalem -> al-Aqsa Mosque
     -built between 705 and 715 CE by Caliph Walid al-Malik
     -built above "Stables of Solomon" and over Umar's mosque & remains of Herod's stoa
     -tradition: prayer here is worth 500 elsewhere
-Dome of the Chain: place where final judgment will occur in the "end of days," appears to be the geometric center of the Haram esh-Sharif
-great Umayyad palaces: built against the southern wall of Temple Mount, built over remains of Byzantine monumental and residential buildings destroyed by Sasanians, equipped with fresh water and sewage systems, decorated with carved and molded stucco, frescoes, and floors paved with flagstones and mosaics
-tolerance of Christians and Jews
-continuing  pilgrimage of Jews & Christians 


This is actually the first time I've learned about the Islamic religion. It was very interesting to learn the origin of the religion and how Islam relates to Jerusalem. As a Christian, I have always considered Jerusalem as a Christian city--it is where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. So to learn that the same city embodies similar amount of significance for a different religion was very eye-opening. For Muslims, Haram al-Sharif, the Dome of the Rock, al-Aqsa Mosque, and other other buildings represent the Islamic axis mundi, their Center of the World just as much as other sites in Jerusalem represent the Christian axis mundi. I am very interested in what Islam had over the other religions or empires that gave them ultimate control over this region, because it is still an Islamic city today.