The Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is one of the icons of Israel and Jerusalem. To me however, I was not real enthused to see it. To be fair, its architecture is pretty amazing in that the color comes from thousands upon thousands of tiny squares (ceramic?). However, it is hard to be excited over an Islamic building that was built on the Temple Mount after torturing Jewish priests in order to obtain the exact location of the Holy of Holies of the Temple. However, it appears that the Dome of the Rock is not built exactly on the correct spot. As we were told, one of the Jewish priests confessed the location where the Dome of the Rock stands now, but it was later found that he lied, and of course, was tortured and executed.

I was hesitant to include these pictures, but being of some personal significance, my journal would not be complete without them. If you look at the top picture, to the right of the far right column, stands this ornate slab of limestone. Over years of weathering, this image of the texture of the limestone has become apparent. A close up is posted below. Take what you will from this, but it certainly bears the image of a demon to me (eyes, horns, big teeth, etc), and keep in mind that this is on an mosque built upon one of, if not, the most important Judeo-Christian location there is. Of course, we have no real way of knowing what the devil or a demon looks like, but a sign would have to fit our idea of what to relate it to. Again, take what you will from this.