Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and AdventureConder, C. R. (Claude Reignier)
History
Tent Work in Palestine: A Record of Discovery and Adventure
Conder, C. R. (Claude Reignier)
Palestine -- Description and travel
In 831 A.D. the Khalif El Mamûn restored the Dome of the Rock, and if I
am correct, enclosed it with an outer wall and gave it its present
appearance. The beams in the roof of the arcade bear, as above stated,
the date 913 A.D.: a well-carved wooden cornice, hidden by the present
ceiling, must then have been visible beneath them.
In 1016 A.D. the building was partly destroyed by earthquake. To this
date belong restorations of the original mosaics in the dome, as
evidenced by inscriptions. The present wood-work of the cupola was
erected by Husein, son of the Sultan Hakem, as shown by an inscription
dated 1022 A.D.
The place next fell into the hands of the Crusaders, who christened it
Templum Domini, and established in 1112 A.D. a chapter of Canons. The
Holy Rock was then cut into its present shape and covered with marble
slabs, an altar being erected on it. The works were carried on from 1115
A.D. to 1136 A.D. The beautiful iron grille between the pillars of the
drum, and various fragments of carved work are of this date, including
small altars with sculptured capitals, having heads upon
them--abominations to the Moslem, yet still preserved within the
precincts. The interior of the outer wall was decorated in the twelfth
century with frescoes, traces of which still remain. The exterior of the
same wall is surmounted by a parapet, with dwarf pillars and arches,
which is first mentioned by John of Wurtzburg, but must be as old as the
round arches of the windows below. The Crusaders would seem to have
filled up the parapet arches, and to have ornamented the whole with
glass mosaic, as at Bethlehem.
In 1187 A.D. Saladin won the city, tore up the altar, and once more
exposed the bare rock, covered up the frescoes with marble slabs, and
restored and regilded the dome, as evidenced by an inscription in it
dating 1189 A.D.
In 1318 A.D. the lead outside and the gilding within were restored by
Nakr ed Dîn, as evinced by an inscription.
In 1520 A.D. the Sultan Soliman cased the bases and upper blocks of the
columns with marble. The wooden cornice, attached to the beam between
the pillars, seems to be of this period, and the slightly pointed marble
casing of the arches under the dome is probably of the same date. The
windows bear inscriptions of 1528 A.D. The whole exterior was at this
time covered with Kishâni tiles, attached by copper hooks, as evidenced
by inscriptions dated 1561 A.D. The doors were restored in 1564 A.D., as
also shown by inscriptions.
The date of the beautiful wooden ceiling of the cloisters is not known,
but it partly covers the Cufic inscription, and this dates 72 A.H. (688
A.D.), and it hides the wooden cornice, dating probably 913 A.D. The
ceiling is therefore probably of the time of Soliman.
In 1830 A.D. the Sultan Mahmûd, and in 1873-5 A.D. the late ’Abd el
’Azîz, repaired the Dome, and the latter period was one specially
valuable for those who wished to study the history of the place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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