The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque but a shrine. The Umayyad Caliphate began construction in 691 AD on the site of the Second Jewish Temple (517 BC to 70 AD), also known as Herod’s Temple. The site is sacred to Muslims who believe Muhammad’s Night Journey, where he ascended to heaven, began from the rock inside the structure.
View Northwest: The photo was taken from the Jewish cemetery on top of the southern end of the Mount of Olives.
Wiki: “Print from 1887, after the first detailed drawings of the Dome, made by Frederick Catherwood in 1833.”
View South: The northeast side of Dome of the Rock with the Dome of the Chain and boys playing soccer.
View Northeast: The Dome of the Rock (left) and El Aksa Mosque (right). The photo was taken from the top of a building on Mount Zion.
View North: The purification fountain where Muslims perform ablutions before entering the El Aksa Mosque.
View North: The southern (non-public) entrance to the Dome of the Rock.
View Southwest: The Dome of the Rock with the Dormition Abbey (top left) and the Greek Hagias Zion Convent behind it. The Dormition Abbey marks the traditional spot where Mary, mother of Jesus, died.
View West: The Golden Gate (center bottom) and the Dome of the Rock. In Jewish tradition the Messiah will enter Jerusalem through this gate. The photo was taken from the Orson Hyde Garden on the Mount of Olives.
View Northeast: The Dome of the Rock’s western side and entrance (lower left).