Aspens to Olives: Dome of the Rock

I didn't know much about the conflicts here in Israel before coming here and I would guess that many people reading this blog don''t either. One of these days I should spend some time discussing these issues that I have learned more about in a post. But I don't think that day is today.

However I am going to talk about the Dome of the Rock which is located on the Temple Mount. This is a prominent source of contention for Jews and Muslims.

Temple Mount used to be the location of the temple for Jews in Jerusalem. The First and Second temples were destroyed and according to prophecies in the Bible there will be a third.

But there is a caveat to this plan... this third temple cannot be built because Temple Mount is under Muslim control and contains sites that are extremely important to the Islamic religion.

The Dome of the Rock (initially built in 691CE) is a shrine covering the Foundation Stone. According to Jewish tradition this is the rock where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac. But according to Muslims it was Ishmael that was nearly sacrificed and it is the site where Muhammad ascended into heaven with the angel Gabriel.

Non-Muslims like myself are not allowed to enter the Dome of the Rock shrine or the nearby Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The Dome stands as a prominent building in my picturesque views of Jerusalem from the BYU center. I am so glad I was finally able to get up close and see the exquisite detail of the tiles covering the shrine.