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Dome of the Rock

Dome of the Rock

Since I went to Morocco in 2007 the Arab world has managed to captivate my senses. A culture extremely rich in content and important in the historical evolution of humanity.

 

I remember that a few years ago I had written that when people spoke to me about "the Arabs":

  • I was thinking of the Alhambra.
  • I was thinking of the infinity of the Sahara: of the reddish color, of the touch and dance of the wind in the sand, of the energy of the starry skies, and of the depth and clarity of the eyes of the Tuareg tribes.
  • I was thinking of the vibrations of the prayers in Istanbul and the magic of finding yourself at the right moment between the Blue and Hagia Sophia mosques.
  • I was thinking of perfectly modular designs, spices, leathers and the markets of Morocco.
  • And finally, I thought of the word beauty.

And yet, by that time, I had not gone to the "Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi" which is in my opinion, one of the most spectacular man-made creations. On the other hand, and through Islam, they also gave us the Taj Mahal.

 

But going back to that beauty known as the Dome of the Rock and speaking a bit of specific history.

 

The Dome of the Rock is located in the center of the Temple Mount, named for being the place where the first and second Temple of Solomon were built in Jerusalem. Sacred place for Hebrews, Christians and Muslims.

 

Rivers of ink would have to run, as one of my beloved professors at the university used to said, in order to be assertive and respectful, in explaining the importance of that place for these three great religions.

 

But I can tell you that for the Judeo-Christian tradition, it was in that place where Abraham was supposed to sacrifice his son Isaac, and that for Islam, it was also in that same place where Muhammad ascended to heaven riding his winged horse, Buraq, in the company of the Angel Gabriel.

 

This building, which is not really a mosque,