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Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע), on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem: NE facade, panel detail with ceramic tiles. The tiles were added as part of the redecoration of the building ordered by Sultan Suleyman who sent a group of tile-makers from Istanbul to Jerusalem. They were led by Abdullah Tabrizi who signed the cut-tile inscription at the top of the drum with the date 952 AH/AD 1545-6 and the inscription above the north porch with the date 959 AH/AD 1551-2. The tile-makers used a range of techniques, including cut-tile work, cuerda seca, and under-glaze: photo by Godot13, 24 March 2013
The rock is the gray particular of man's life,
The stone from which he rises, up -- and -- ho,
The step to the bleaker depths of his descents ...
The rock is the stern particular of the air,
The mirror of the planets, one by one,
But through man's eye, their silent rhapsodist,
Turquoise the rock, at odious evening bright
With redness that sticks fast to evil dreams;
The difficult rightness of half-risen day.
The rock is the habitation of the whole,
Its strength and measure, that which is near, point A
In a perspective that begins again
At B: the origin of the mango's rind.
It is the rock where tranquil must adduce
Its tranquil self, the main of things, the mind,
The starting point of the human and the end.
That in which space itself is contained, the gate
To the enclosure, day, the things illumined
By day, night and that which night illumines,
Night and its midnight-minting fragrances,
Night's hymn of the rock, as in a vivid sleep.
Wallace Stevens (1879-1955):The rock is the gray particular of man's life, from The Rock, 1954
Mangga gedong gincu, a cultivar of mango, Mangifera indica, from Tomo, Sumedang, West Java, Indonesia: photo by W.A. Djamitko (Wie146), 21 October 2007
Mango trees during a storm, Srimongal, Syrhet, Bagladesh: photo by s_karr, 13 May 2009
A hatch in the Dome of the Rock, Old City, Jerusalem. The decorative writings just below the dome can be clearly seen and easily read. Taken under a low January morning sun photo by David Baum, 3 January 2010
Jerusalem, the Wailing Wall. To reach the wall you must pass through a metal detector and several other checks. Once there everything slides from your mind. Even if it's often full of people, even if you're in front of a rock wall, there's something in the air that brings your mind beyond the facade. On the left, the Dome of the Rock, the third most important place for Muslims. On the right, far, Mount of Olives. On the bottom, archeological excavations: panorama of four stitched photos by emanuele (semaone), 12 April 2008
Inside the Dome of the Rock Mosque, Old City, Jerusalem, The most interesting part of the Dome of the Rock's design and architecture is its attempt to fit a mosque into an octagonal structure -- unlike other mosques, you never really know which way is forward in the Dome unless you look really hard. But just point your head up and stare at the intricate details all over the interior as you try to find your way south, to the front of the mosque, making a turn seemingly every few feet: photo by Asim Bharwani (modenadude), 18 November 2010
Dome of the Rock Interior and Foundation Stone. The Foundation Rock is one of the highest points of Jerusalem's Old City. The Dome of the Rock was built between 687 and 691, making it the oldest existing Islamic building in the world: photo by Damon Lynch. 16 July 2005
The Dome of The Rock, Temple Mount, Jerusalem. Taken under a low January morning sun: photo by Bavid Baum, 3 January 2010
Corner façade detail of the Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة, translit.: Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע, translit.: Kipat Hasela) on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem: photo by Godot13 (A. Shiva), 24 March 2013
Tile work at the Dome of the Rock Mosque, Temple Mount, Jerusalem: photo by schopfer, 20 May 2008
Ceramic tile work, Dome of the Rock, Old City, Jerusalem: photo by J McDowell, 25 March 2010