In Jerusalem, the area in front of the Western Wall is divided by a fence into two parts. On the left is the space reserved for the men to pray, on the right is the women's prayer space.
There is a variety of ways to conduct oneself while praying. Most noticeable to the observer are those worshipers who sway forward and back as they pray. Many of the worshippers read their prayers from small books. Many, both men and women, cover their heads with scarves. Others are bareheaded, while some of the men wear a flat-brimmed black bat or a black hat trimmed with shiny brown fur. The small pieces of paper, said to contain written prayers and thrust into fissures in the wall, are almost invisible here, although they are often highlighted when the wall is shown on television.
Those who are praying pay no attention to the throngs of tourists who stand and watch. It is easy to see that hordes of tourists are just part of the scene in Jerusalem. The locals tolerate the visitors good-humoredly, as a necessary irritant that must be endured because of the money they bring to the economy.
After viewing the Western Wall, we walked around to the south side of the Temple Mount, where we entered the El Asksa Mosque, a Muslim place of worship. Located just to the south of the Dome of the Rock, the mosque is one of the most holy places for Muslims. Its name means "the distant one," which refers to the fact that this is the most distant sanctuary visited by Mohammed.
The words Muslim, Moslem, and Islam all refer to the religion established by the Prophet Mohammed about 635 A.D. Mohammed preached that there is but one God (the same God which Christians and Jews worship), but that Jesus was just another prophet and that the new religion preached by Mohammed should supersede the one instituted by Jesus. The words Muslim or Moslem refer to the practitioners of Mohammed's religion, which is called Islam. Most of the population of the Mideast are affiliated with one or another branch of Islam. Jerusalem is the third holiest city in the Islamic lineup, after Mecca and Medina, both of which are in Saudi Arabia.
Tourists are allowed to walk through the center aisle of El Aksa on days other than Friday, the Muslim day of worship. The wings on either side of the center aisle are roped off, but the visitor can see the hundreds of small prayer rugs which the worshippers leave spread on the floor, ready for their next worship session.
Passing through the El Aksa Mosque, the visitor steps out onto the flat, paved surface of the Temple Mount. But there is little time to look where you are walking, because the magnificent building just ahead demands your eyes and your mind. It is the Dome of the Rock, sometimes called the Mosque of Omar.
The building must be one of the most beautiful in the world. A mosaic of blue tiles covers the upper part of the side walls and contrasts beautifully with the golden dome which towers above. The proportions of the whole building are pleasing to the eye, and even the throngs of people everywhere do not detract from the scene. Persons visiting the Dome of the Rock are not allowed to wear shoes, so one person from each group is designated as "shoewatcher," taking his turn to go in after the others return.
The interior of the Dome of the Rock is every bit as beautiful as the outside. But the focus of attention, and the reason for the building, is a large stone surface at the center of the building. The stone is ringed about with a wooden fence, so that visitors cannot touch the stone, but just look. This stone is said to be the one on which Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19), which, if true, has great meaning for Jews, Christians and Muslims, although the Muslims say that it was Ishmael who was the favored son and who was almost slain.
But for Muslims, the rock has a much greater significance. They believe that their prophet, Mohammed, was magically transported to Jerusalem at the end of his life and that he stood on the rock as he was being lifted up to heaven. Marks in the irregular surface of the rock face are said to be Mohammed's footprints.
After studying the rock from all angles, the visitor is finally ready to inspect the interior of the building. A row of windows runs around the circular upper walls, mirroring the shapes of the arched openings below. High above, the interior of the dome is lined with a mosaic of gold patterned in thin red lines. Everywhere, inside and out, the building, is patterned with abstract designs, either multi-hued or, in some places, monotone.
Photographs of Jerusalem frequently show two domes on the skyline, the one on the right being the magnificent golden top of the Dome of the Rock, and the one on the left the silver-colored dome atop the El Aksa mosque.
Our next stop after the Dome of the Rock was to look down on the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a lame man (John 5:2). Although an important site from a Biblical standpoint, the pool is not an esthetic jewel. It seems to be a series of deep, concrete cisterns with a little stagnant water in the bottom. The visitor looks down from a sidewalk some 20 feet above.
Jerusalem Pictures
Day 5 Return to Israel start page Day 7
