The Dome of the Rock
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Harvard University Press
Published:29th Nov '06
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The Dome of the Rock, the beautiful Muslim shrine in the walled Old City of Jerusalem, was fully restored to its original state in the last half-century. Thus, this structure, sited on the third holiest spot on earth for Muslims, is at once a product of the seventh century and almost entirely the work of our own times--a paradox in keeping with the complexities and contradictions of history and religion, architecture and ideology that define this site.
This book tells the story of the Dome of the Rock, from the first fateful decades of its creation--on the esplanade built in the fourth decade B.C.E. for the Second Jewish Temple--to its engulfment in the clashes of the Crusades and the short-lived Christianization of all of Jerusalem, to its modern acquisition of different and potent meanings for Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures.
Oleg Grabar's presentation combines what we know of the building with the views of past observers and with the broader historical, cultural, and aesthetic implications of the monument. Primarily it is as a work of art that the Dome of the Rock stands out from these pages, understood for the quality that allows it to transcend the constrictions of period and perhaps even those of faith and culture. Finally, Grabar grapples with the question this monumental work of art so eloquently poses: whether the pious requirements of a specific community can be reconciled with universal aesthetic values.
This is a little gem. The Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine in Jerusalem, might serve as an emblem of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In this book Oleg Grabar, a Princeton University expert on Islamic art, considers the building first and foremost as an artistic masterpiece...Grabar points to some major themes with which the Dome has been associated: commemoration of the Creation and the expectation of the Creator's return to Earth, the travels and Ascension to heaven of the Prophet Muhammad, the triumph over Christians and Jews in the holy city of Jerusalem, and the anticipation of Paradise...Grabar outlines a case for considering the Dome of the Rock as a valuable part of the global artistic heritage of all humanity, aside from its sacred functions. It forms part of the third most holy site in Islam, after Mecca and Medina, and entry is barred to non-Muslims. But this learned virtual tour of the Dome of the Rock is accessible to all of us. -- Andrew Bonnell * Courier Mail *
In this slender and synthetic volume, the old master has returned once again to his first love, trying to distill a century or more of scholarship into an entertaining and readable...book. It is aimed not at his usual scholarly audience, but at the few hardy--and all armchair--travelers to Jerusalem who wish to learn more about its most prominent building...Oleg Grabar shows not only how long and deep is Islam's association with Judaism and Christianity, but also how Islam and its great contributions to world civilization have evolved and changed over time. -- Jonathan Bloom * Times Literary Supplement *
- Nominated for PROSE Awards 2006
- Nominated for Alice Davis Hitchcock Book Award 2009
ISBN: 9780674023130
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages