Dome of the Rock Timeline

(688–692 CE – Present)

The Dome of the Rock is an iconic Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) in Jerusalem. Completed in 691/692 CE under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik, it is one of the oldest surviving works of Islamic architecture. The octagonal structure, crowned by a golden dome, enshrines the Foundation Stone, a site sacred in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. More Less

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Origins and Context

Temple Mount site of Solomon's Temple

100 BC - 099 BC

The Dome of the Rock is situated in the center of the Temple Mount, the site of Solomon's Temple and the Second Jewish Temple, which had been greatly expanded under Herod the Great in the 1st century BCE.

Image source: Dome of the Rock

Jerusalem ruled by the Byzantine Empire

300 - 599

Jerusalem was ruled by the Byzantine Empire throughout the 4th to 6th centuries, before the Muslim conquest of the city.

Ibn Ishaq codifies earliest Arabic source on the Rock

700 - 799

At the beginning of the 8th century, Ibn Ishaq codified the earliest Arabic source pertaining to the Jerusalem Rock as part of his Sirat al-Nabi, introducing the notion that Muhammad set off from the Rock in his Ascension (mi'raj) to Heaven following his Night Journey.

Construction and Early History

Construction of the Dome of the Rock begins

685 - 688

According to Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, construction started in 685/6, while al-Suyuti holds that its commencement year was 688. The inscriptions inside the dome attribute the building to Caliph 'Abd al-Malik in the year 691/2.

Interior mosaics of Umayyad origin created

691

The interior of the dome is lavishly decorated with mosaic, faience and marble. Much of it still dates from the Umayyad period or retains the original Umayyad designs, though it has undergone multiple restorations over the centuries.

Upper part of dome collapses in earthquake

1015

The upper part of the original dome collapsed in an earthquake in 1015 and had to be rebuilt.

Medieval Restorations

Fatimid restoration under Al-Zahir begins

1022 - 1023

The collapsed dome was rebuilt in 1022–23 during the reign of the Fatimid caliph Al-Zahir (r. 1021–1036), who also rebuilt the Qibli (Al-Aqsa) Mosque. A mosaic epitaph on the inner dome dated 413 AH (1022–23) records this restoration.

Mosaics on the drum repaired

1027 - 1028

The mosaics on the drum were repaired in 1027–1028 under Fatimid patronage. A rectangular inscription panel added into the mosaics records the restoration by caliph al-Zahir with the date 413 AH (1027/8 CE).

Earthquake leads to wooden beams reinforcing the dome

1033

The earthquake of 1033 resulted in the introduction of wooden beams to reinforce the dome structure.

Crusaders capture Jerusalem

1099

Jerusalem was captured by Crusaders in 1099 at the end of the First Crusade, beginning Christian rule over the city.

Image source: Siege of Jerusalem (1099)

Dome converted into a church by the Augustinians

1099 - 1187

The Dome of the Rock was given to the Augustinians, who turned it into a church, while the nearby Al-Aqsa main prayer hall became first a royal palace and then the headquarters of the Knights Templar for much of the 12th century.

Templars identify Dome as site of Temple of Solomon

1119

The Knights Templar, active from c. 1119, identified the Dome of the Rock as the site of the Temple of Solomon, calling it Templum Domini.

Image source: Knights Templar

Saladin recaptures Jerusalem and restores the building

Oct 2, 1187 - 1190

Saladin recaptured Jerusalem on 2 October 1187, requested a complete restoration of Al-Aqsa, and ordered the marble cover of the rock added by the crusaders to be removed. His restoration is recorded in a later Ottoman inscription dated 586 AH (1190 CE).

Image source: Saladin

Inscription by Saladin's son recorded on wooden screen

1199

Another inscription on a wooden screen inside the building, no longer present, recorded the name of one of Saladin's sons and a date corresponding to 1199 CE.

Sultan Baybars restores exterior decoration

1260 - 1277

During the Mamluk period (1260–1516), the Temple Mount received extensive royal patronage. Sultan Baybars restored the exterior decoration of the Dome of the Rock.

Image source: Baybars

Al-Nasir Muhammad re-gilds the dome

1299 - 1309

The Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad re-gilded the dome during his second reign (1299–1309) as part of his extensive patronage of the Temple Mount.

Image source: Al-Nasir Muhammad

Restoration of outer ambulatory ceiling by al-Nasir Muhammad

1327 - 1328

The current wooden ceiling of the outer ambulatory and its gilded decoration likely dates to another restoration by al-Nasir Muhammad during his third reign, around 1327–1328, in the Mamluk period.

Severe dome damage, western side rebuilt

1447

The dome was severely damaged in 1447, possibly by lightning, and its western side had to be rebuilt.

Ottoman Era

Suleiman the Magnificent renovates the building with tiles

1520 - 1566

In the second major renovation phase, Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent renovated the building and replaced what remained of the exterior mosaics with brightly coloured, mainly blue-and-white Iznik-style Ottoman tile decoration.

Image source: Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman the Magnificent renovates the building with tiles

Tile inscriptions dated 1545–6 and 1552

1545 - 1552

Inscriptions on the tiles provide the dates 952 AH (1545–6 CE) and 959 AH (1552 CE), but work continued until the end of Suleiman's reign, if not later. Surah Ya-Sin was commissioned across the top of the tile work.

Dome of the Chain renovated as part of Suleiman's project

1561 - 1562

The Dome of the Chain, a free-standing structure next to the Dome of the Rock, was renovated as part of Suleiman's project in 1561–2.

Image source: Dome of the Chain

Murad III completes repairs including dome lead

1574 - 1595

Documents show repairs were still incomplete by the time of Murad III, who can probably be credited with finishing Suleiman's work, including repairs to the lead of the dome.

Image source: Murad III

Chinese porcelain bowls inserted into ceiling domelets

1780

An Ottoman inscription from 1780 and an eyewitness account from the 1860s record that the small domelets in the inner ambulatory ceiling were at one time filled with Chinese porcelain bowls inserted during the 1780 restoration.

Major tile replacement under Sultan Abdülaziz

1874 - 1875

In a major restoration project during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz, all tiles on the west and southwest walls of the octagonal part of the building were removed and replaced by copies made in Turkey. The Throne Verse band around the apex of the dome also dates to 1874–75.

Image source: Abdulaziz

Major tile replacement under Sultan Abdülaziz

Modern Era

Melchior de Vogüé notes altered inscription

1864

The alteration of the original inscription inside the dome was first noted by Melchior de Vogüé in 1864.

Image source: Eugène-Melchior de Vogüé

Haj Amin al-Husseini implements restoration

1917

Haj Amin al-Husseini, appointed Grand Mufti by the British in 1917, along with Yaqub al-Ghusayn, implemented the restoration of the Dome of the Rock and the Jami Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.

Image source: Amin al-Husseini

1927 earthquake damages the Dome of the Rock

Jul 11, 1927

Parts of the Dome of the Rock collapsed during the 11 July 1927 earthquake, and the walls were left badly cracked, damaging many of the repairs that had taken place over previous years.

Image source: 1927 Jericho earthquake

Jordanian-led renovation program

1959 - 1964

Between 1959 and 1964, an extensive program of renovation was undertaken by the government of Jordan, with funds supplied by Arab governments and Turkey. Before 1959, the dome was covered in blackened lead.

Dome covered with gold-plated aluminum-bronze plates

1959 - 1962

In the course of substantial restoration carried out from 1959 to 1962, the lead covering was replaced by aluminum-bronze plates covered with gold leaf made in Italy. In 1961 the golden appearance was also restored using copper, and the original tiles were replaced between 1960 and 1962 with copies produced in Italy.

Mamluk and Ottoman interior decorations restored

1960 - 1963

The Mamluk painted decoration of the outer ambulatory ceiling was restored faithfully in 1960–61 and the Ottoman decoration of the inner ambulatory underwent restoration in 1963, with some minor changes.

Israeli flag briefly raised; waqf retains authority

1967

A few hours after the Israeli flag was hoisted over the Dome of the Rock in 1967 during the Six-Day War, Israelis lowered it on the orders of Moshe Dayan and invested the Muslim waqf with the authority to manage the Al-Aqsa compound in order to 'keep the peace'. Since then, non-Muslims have been permitted limited access.

Golden dome refurbished with donation from King Hussein

1993 - 1995

In 1993, the golden dome covering was refurbished following a donation of US$8.25 million by King Hussein of Jordan, who sold one of his houses in London to fund the 80 kilograms of gold required. In 1995, the dome was covered again with real gold-plated segments of aluminum and copper.

Image source: Hussein of Jordan

Key Facts

The Dome of the Rock was completed around 691–692 CE during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan.
It is one of the oldest and most famous examples of early Islamic architecture, featuring an octagonal plan and a gilded wooden dome.
The shrine houses the Foundation Stone, which is significant in Jewish tradition as the site of the Temple's Holy of Holies and in Islamic tradition as the place from which Muhammad ascended to heaven during the Night Journey.
The interior is decorated with some of the earliest surviving Quranic inscriptions and intricate mosaics, much of which dates back to the original construction.
The dome has been rebuilt several times over the centuries due to damage and decay, with its current gold-covered aluminum shell installed in 1993 funded by King Hussein of Jordan.

Source

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