Early Islamic Jerusalem

So, the early Islmaic Period covers from when Jerusalem wass taken over by Caliph Umar of the Ummayad Dynasty in 638 all the way to the Crusader period in 1099. There were three main dynasties that ruled Jerusalem this period. The first, like Im already was the Ummayad who ruled from 638-750. Then came the Abbasids who ruled from 750-969. After the Abbasids were the Fatimids who ruled from 969-1099.

We discussed the beginnings of Islam, Mohammed, Sunni, Shiite...

During the Islamic period, Jerusalem still maintained its status as a holy city. It at first retained the term Aelia city of the Temple, and then became City of the Holy House and finally as it is today, Al-Quds which means the holy, which it got in the 10th century. In 691 the Ummayads under Abd al Malik started building the dome of the Rock. The purpose was to direct pilgrimage from Mecca to Jerusalem. First, the Ummayads ruled from Damascus, north of Jerusalem and had a rivalry with the rulers of the Arabian peninsula and Mecca. So by building a pilgrimage center in Jerusalem, and closer to their population they attracted more business. It was much easier and cheaper to travel to Jerusalem than to Mecca to from Damascus. The al Aqsa Mosque was built between 705 and 715. Ramla became the administrative center in 712 during this time period. Ramla today is still a mixed city. I've been there, yay for Israel!

Geometry, architecture of the Dome....Blah blah blah Both the Dome and the mosque were frequently damaged by earthquakes. I think it was most interesting that it was designed by Christian architects because the rulers wanted the best people to design the shrine.

OK, I'm done. This was short but I feel like I know about the history of Dome of the Rock, and its design because I took art history, where we discussed Islamic art a lot. I think we should gone more into how Jerusalem changed during these time periods Fatamid, Ummayad, and Abbasids..i.e. demographics, economics, internal events...sweet. OK, now I'm done.