Informative Essay: Why Jerusalem Is Important To The World
I agree with you in many ways. Jerusalem is the single most complex city in terms of cultural, religious and historical importance to the world’s leading monotheist belief; Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
You mentioned (and I agree) that the Dome is one of the earliest Islamic monuments that have survived and the original purpose for its creation has been the subject of much debate. You also highlighted that the Dome is so unique for Islam not only because of its artistic decoration but also because of the various important religious narrations that are associated with it.
In this article, the writer notes that the city Jerusalem is one of the most venerated holy locations in the world and that not only Christianity and Judaism, but …show more content…
The place is not only the place where the second Jewish Temple was built, but is also associated with the first Jewish Temple of Solomon. In addition, the Rock was considered to be the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. It is in the same location where numerous the important events in the life of Christ are assumed to have happened. For Muslims, the site is important mainly because it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad was carried off by the archangel Gabriel on a winged horse to the furthermost place" (el Aqsa), from which he rose to heaven. This makes the Dome uniquely Islamic, for all the other Old Testament stories mentioned belong to the two other monotheistic religions in Jerusalem, Judaism and Christianity.
Since the association of the Dome with the story of the night journey appeared in texts only several decades later, some theories suggest that the main purpose of the building was to express the victory of Islam in the recently conquered dominantly Christian city. For Muslims, arrival in Jerusalem was an event of immense importance. It was a homecoming of sorts, a physical return to the city of their fathers in religion. Another theory goes as far as to suggest that in response to the political tensions that endangered the pilgrims performing the Hajj to Mecca in those unstable times.
You mentioned (and I agree) that the Dome is one of the earliest Islamic monuments that have survived and the original purpose for its creation has been the subject of much debate. You also highlighted that the Dome is so unique for Islam not only because of its artistic decoration but also because of the various important religious narrations that are associated with it.
In this article, the writer notes that the city Jerusalem is one of the most venerated holy locations in the world and that not only Christianity and Judaism, but …show more content…
The place is not only the place where the second Jewish Temple was built, but is also associated with the first Jewish Temple of Solomon. In addition, the Rock was considered to be the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. It is in the same location where numerous the important events in the life of Christ are assumed to have happened. For Muslims, the site is important mainly because it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad was carried off by the archangel Gabriel on a winged horse to the furthermost place" (el Aqsa), from which he rose to heaven. This makes the Dome uniquely Islamic, for all the other Old Testament stories mentioned belong to the two other monotheistic religions in Jerusalem, Judaism and Christianity.
Since the association of the Dome with the story of the night journey appeared in texts only several decades later, some theories suggest that the main purpose of the building was to express the victory of Islam in the recently conquered dominantly Christian city. For Muslims, arrival in Jerusalem was an event of immense importance. It was a homecoming of sorts, a physical return to the city of their fathers in religion. Another theory goes as far as to suggest that in response to the political tensions that endangered the pilgrims performing the Hajj to Mecca in those unstable times.