Dome of the Rock, located on Jerusalem's ancient "Temple Mount"vv is one of the most famous centers of worship in the world. It was completed in 692 when the forces of Islam won Jerusalem from the Byzantine Empire. It's also one of the most hotly contested pieces of real estate in the world. For nearly 2000 years, Jews, Christians, and Moslems have slaughtered each other for possession of the Holy Mount, called the Haram Ash-Sharif. All three religions claim it as a holy place.

According to Jewish tradition, Abraham offered to sacrifice Isaac on a rock that jutted out from the center of a platform. And later, Solomon erected his temple on the same site. For Christians, who shared the Jew's Old Testament heritage, the temple mount - same spot - was remembered for its associations with youth, ministry, and the temptation of Jesus. The rock itself was sanctified for all Moslems by the famous tale of Mohammed's night journey into Jerusalem. He was led by the angel Gabriel and there made his ascent into heaven. According to legend, Mohammed left the imprint of his food on the rock.

Moslems worship at mid-day devotion (recall that although Mecca is the holiest city, that Moslems also turn to Jerusalem once a day to pray.) Jews gather at the Wailing Wall. Christian nuns retrace Jesus' final steps.

Islam requires physical cleanliness and mental preparation for prayer and all mosques provide a place where worshipers can wash.

The Dome of the Rock was built on an octagonal plan, and that probably wasn't accidental. In Cyril Glasses's Concise Encyclopedia of Islam the author points out that "The octagon is a step in the mathematical series going from square, symbol of the fixity of earthly manifestation to circle, the natural symbol for the perfection of Heaven." In traditional Islamic Architecture this configuration shows the link between heaven and earth. It's also interesting that the elegant calligraphy that encircles the structure inside and out (785 feet of it) includes all the Quranic Verses about the Prophet Jesus. The verses recount the relationship between Jesus and the city of Jerusalem and the architecture-in the form of an octagon supporting a dome-symbolizes the place where man is joined to God. Here's one of the Gateways to the Dome. Notice the pointed arch that you see throughout Islamic architecture, the detail (calligraphy) on one of the domes on the Haram's lower platforms and calligraphy repeated in on other domes along with polychrome decoration.

As the first masterpiece of Islamic architecture, the Dome is at the visual center of Jerusalem. It remains today the center of political strife. Most important for our studies, it represents the intersection of the three major world religions-Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. You could almost call it the spiritual epicenter of the world.