By Kerry Rodgers, Bank Note Reporter November 21, 2009

Here’s one for the next club night quiz: Which building is pictured on the bank notes of at least five nations, but today is not located in any of them?

The answer is: “The Dome on the Rock”—a most holy site for Jews and all of Islam.

For Muslims the Dome is built over the rock from which Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel. For Jews, the same rock is the holiest spot on Earth. During the Temple period the rock served as the site of the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary entered only by the High Priest. To complicate matters a little more the mother of Byzantine Emperor Constantine built a chapel on the spot, calling it the Church of St. Cyrus and St. John.

And the next club night question is, of course: “On which countries’ notes does the Dome figure?”



A Shelter From the Weather

In brief, The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine located in Jerusalem on a man-made platform known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif or The Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Har ha’Bayit or Temple Mount. The Dome was completed in 691 CE. It is hence oldest Islamic building in the world. But there is clearly a lot more to it than that as the site is one of the most contested pieces of real estate on earth.

The platform occupies the summit of Mount Moriah mentioned in the Bible and the Qur’an. The First Temple of the Israelites built by Solomon stood here from 960 to 587 BCE. So did their Second Temple from 538 BCE until destroyed in 70 CE during the Roman siege of Jerusalem. The Romans subsequently erected their own temple to Jupiter on the spot. The extensive summit platform had been constructed by Herod the Great during his total refurbishment of the Second Temple.

Jerusalem was captured by the Rashidun Caliphate army in 637 CE during their invasion of the Byzantine Empire. The Dome was erected between 685 and 691 CE on the orders of Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. His intent was to provide a place for pilgrims visiting the hallowed rock to shelter from the weather. It was never a mosque although erroneously referred to in the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money—and by others—as the Mosque of Omar. However, the Cailph wanted a structure that would match the existing buildings of other religions in the ancient city. In this he was well served by his architects.

The core is an octagonal structure 177 feet high. Its wooden dome is 72 feet across and mounted on a circle of 16 columns, that are surrounded by an octagonal arcade formed by 24 further columns. At the time of its erection domes had not become a feature of Islamic architecture. That on the Mount was modeled after a Byzantine martyrium. Suleiman the Magnificent had the dome’s exterior covered with tiles.

The eight outer walls are made of porcelain. Each measures some 60 feet across by 36 feet high. Both dome and exterior walls are pierced by numerous windows.



Changing Hands

The interior of the dome is decorated with mosaic, faience and marble that contain Qur’anic inscriptions and a date of 72 AH or 691-692 CE.

When Jerusalem fell to the crusaders the Dome was given to the Augustinians who converted it into a church. Subsequently, on Jerusalem’s recapture by Saladin in 1187 the entire Haram was reconsecrated as a Muslim sanctuary. The cross atop of the Dome was replaced by a golden crescent and a wooden screen erected about the hallowed rock below.

Extensive restoration was commenced during the British occupation of Palestine post-World War I. However, many of the repairs were destroyed by an earthquake in 1927. When the Mount came under control of Jordan, post 1948, the entire site underwent a total renovation commencing in 1955. In 1965 the heavy lead sheeting of the Dome was replaced with a lighter Italian aluminum and bronze alloy and an oxidized copper finish later provided by King Ibn Saud.

Today’s golden dome was donated by King Hussein of Jordan at a cost of $15,000,000. The plating is no more than 0.0023 mm thick but 176 pounds of gold was required to complete the job, its sheen slightly muted to avoid blinding any passing tourist.

And then came the 1967 Six-Day War. By Day 2 the Mount was in Israeli Army hands and the Israeli flag had been raised over the Dome. General Moshe Dayan ordered it lowered and, to keep the peace, the management of Temple Mount was vested in a religious trust, the Muslim Waqf. Today the site and Dome are formally owned and maintained by the Ministry of Awqaf in Jordan.



Notablities

Until the mid-19th century non-Muslims were barred from the entire Mount summit. When Mark Twain visited, he reported: “Everywhere about the Mosque of Omar are portions of pillars, curiously wrought altars, and fragments of elegantly carved marble—precious remains of Solomon’s Temple. These have been dug from all depths in the soil and rubbish of Mount Moriah, and the Moslems have always shown a disposition to preserve them with the utmost care.”

Since 1967 non-Muslims have been allowed limited entry but with no non-Muslim prayers allowed on the Mount proper. In 2000 the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stopped by. His visit proved a little was provocative and following Muslim rioting, non-Muslims were forbidden to enter the area until 2006.

However, most Orthodox rabbis regard entry to the summit platform as a violation of Jewish law. This restriction is based on the belief that even though the Temple was destroyed centuries ago, the precise location of the Holy of Holies is not known. Hence a restriction is placed over the entire platform.

For those wanting to know more about the Dome and its history, try Howard M. Berlin’s award-winning Web site: www.drberlin.com/palestine/vignette.html.

And for those pondering the countries that show the Dome on their notes, a quick rummage through the pictures in the latest editions of The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Vols 2 and 3, produces:

• Iran, 1000 rials, P138 and P143 back.
• Iraq, 250 dinars, P88 back.
• Jordan, 1 dinar, P10 and P14 back.
• Jordan, 1 dinar, P18 back.
• Jordan, 20 dinars, P27 and P32 back.
• Jordan, 20 dinars, P37 back.
• Palestine, 1 pound, P7 front.
• Saudi Arabia, 50 riyals, P24 front.
• Saudi Arabia, 50 riyals, Pnew front (latest 2007 issue).

They make a nice collection. I am told there are more notes out there showing the Dome and would appreciate hearing of these from BNR readers.

The 1982 Iranian issue may well be a consequence of the 1979 proclamation of a Jerusalem Day, or the International Day of Al-Quds, held on the last Friday of Ramadan. It is an annual anti-Zionist event that opposes Israel’s continuing control of Jerusalem. The Dome on the Rock, the third most important site in Islam, provides a potent focus.

More Resources:

• Standard Catalog of United States Obsolete Bank Notes 4-CD Set, 1782-1866

• Fascinating Facts, Mysteries & Myths About U.S. Coins

• 2010 Standard Catalog of World Coins 2001-Date, 4th Edition

• State Quarters Deluxe Collector's Folder