What did the Dome of the Rock Really Commemorate – Part Two
After completing the research on the pre-20th century CE Muslim tradition over the Temple Mount, I finally found a copy of a document I heard of before.
In 1966, when the Temple Mount was still under Jordanian control, the Mufti of Jerusalem published a short guidebook on the Temple Mount. It was published in English and offered to any visitor to the Temple Mount. Here is the cover of the booklet –
The historical introduction of the Dome of the Rock leaves no doubt that as far as 1966 the Muslim leadership in Jerusalem (the Waqf) indeed identified the Dome of the Rock (in Arabic: “Al-Haram Al-Sharif”) with Solomon’s temple! Or to put it in his words –
“Dome of the Rock.. Identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute”.
Furthermore, it continues and argues that – “This, too, is the spot; according to the universal belief, on which “David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings”
See a scan of the original document –
- My thanks to Dr. Mordechai Qedar for drawing my attention to the document and James Elgrod for providing a scan of the document.
