Dome of the Prophet


The Dome of the Prophet is also known as the Dome of the Messenger and the Dome of Muhammed is a free-standing dome in the northern Al-Haram Al-Sharif in Quds .It is a part of the terrace of the Dome of the Rock and locate the northwest of it in the Al-Haram Al-Sharif.

History

Originally, the Dome of the Prophet, which date back to before Crusader period, was rebuilt by Muhammad Bey, Ottoman Governor of Al-Quds Al-Sharif in1539 its dome, in the time of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman. Its last renowate was made in the reign of Sultan Abdul Majid II.
Several Muslim writers, most notably al-Suyuti and al-Vâsıtî claimed that the site of the dome is where Muhammad led the former prophets and angels in prayer on the night of Isra and Mir'aj before ascending to Heaven. Endowment documents from the Ottoman period indicate that a portion of the endowment of the al-Aqsa Mosque and Haseki Sultan Imaret was dedicated to maintain the lighting of an oil-lamp in the Dome of the Prophet each night.

Architecture

The Dome of the Prophet's octagonal structure is built atop eight gray marble columns. The dome, which is covered with sheet lead and being without walls, is hemispherical and is supported by pointed arches decorated with red, black and white stones. The ancient mihrab is made of a white marble slab embedded in the floor and surrounded by red-colored stones and subsequently delimited by a low wall, that traditionally opened in the north to allow entrance of Muslim believers heading southward to Mecca in Muslim prayers.