The Foundation of the Qubbat as-Sakhrah Sanctuary as an expression of Abd-al Malik Ibn Marwan’s piety and/or political premises

Abstract

At the end of the seventh century, Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan built the Qubbat as-Sakhrah sanctuary on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It is difficult to explain the reasons for the foundation of the sanctuary. The caliph may have wanted to make it an alternative destination for the Hajj, as Mecca was under the occupation of Anti-caliph Ibn al-Zubayr. Another reason may have been tied to the caliph’s desire to commemorate Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey. The surviving written records fail to provide an unambiguous explanation of either of these hypotheses. The location, architecture, and decoration of the Dome of the Rock suggest that the Caliph built a magnificent monument for the greater power and glory of Islam.