DOME OF THE ROCK

The Dome

The wooden dome of the building is 25m high and 20m wide, sitting on a drum that is 30m high itself. The outside of the dome was originally made of gold, but now comprises of aluminium covered in gold leaf, while the interior is elaborately decorated with marble, mosaics and verses taken from the Quran. The royal motif depicted by the mosaics likely symbolises Islamic triumph over the Byzantine and Persian Empires.

Inside Decoration

Unlike the outside, the mosaics inside the Dome of the Rock are original and reflect the techniques used by the Byzantine, evoking similarities