More Dome Stuff
I was looking around for some photos of the Dome of the Rock decorations and also some other palm-tree info and I found some interesting (to me) stuff. Firstly there is a great article by William Dalrymple (again) entitled A Christmas Palm Tree.
He has much to say about palm trees and the cross-symbolism between Islam and Christianity but one thing that stood out was the following:
When I reached the top of the steps that rose to the Buland Darwaza- the massive domed, arched gate leading into the Imperial mosque- I saw something that confused me even further. Here was one of the greatest pieces of Muslim architecture in India, but according to my guide book, the strip of Persian calligraphy which framed the arch read as follows: “Jesus, Son of Mary (on whom be peace) said: The World is a Bridge, pass over it, but build no houses upon it. He who hopes for a day, may hope for eternity; but the World endures but an hour. Spend it in prayer, for the rest is unseen.
The inscription was doubly surprising: not only was I taken aback to find an apparently Christian quotation given centre stage in a Muslim monument, but the inscription itself was unfamiliar. It certainly sounded the sort of thing Jesus might have said, but did Jesus really say that the world was like a bridge? And even if he had, why would a Muslim Emperor want to place such a phrase over the entrance to the main mosque in his capital city? Weren’t Christians regarded as the enemies and rivals of the Muslims- and vice versa? This was certainly the impression I had been given at my Catholic school where I had only ever come across Islam in the confrontational context of the Crusades.
It was only much later, after I had lived and travelled in India and the Middle East for several years that I began to be able to answer some of these questions. The phrase emblazoned over the gateway was, I learned, one of several hundred sayings and stories of Jesus that fill Arabic and Islamic literature. Some of these derive from the four canonical gospels, others from now rejected early Christian texts like the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, others again from the wider oral Christian culture-compost of the Near East- possibly authentic sayings and stories, in other words, which Islam has retained but which Western Christianity has lost.
This has inspired me to attempt a catalogue of sayings of Jesus depicted in mosques and especially those that survive from Gnostic or non-Canonical Gospels. This will take some time but it is an un-researched area and a worthwhile endeavour. If anyone has any interest or suggestions in this area please get in touch.
Meanwhile, here are two views of the palm tree mosaics and calligraphy in the Dome - note the jewelry and regalia intertwined. The third picture is another palm tree - this one from the Great Mosque of Damascus of the same period.
Re the last of these in the Great Mosque of Damascus there is yet more Christian crossover as the tomb of John the Baptist - that most esoteric of Christian saints - is housed within the mosque itself in the prayer hall and is a major place of pilgrimage. The mosaics themselves are said to depict heaven but that seems somewhat unlikely - they show mainly rivers and palm trees with occasional buildings and structures.
Also of interest is another mosaic of the same period - this one is situated now near Jericho and is one of the most beautiful (to my mind) examples of Islamic Art. It is found in the ruins of what was once the enormous palace of Khirbat al Mafjar - an enormous pleasure complex built for the future Caliph and notorious heterodox figure Walid II in 724 - 743. Walid has a very bad reputation in the Islamic world as he was a notorious drinker and engaged in debauched activities (ostensibly) at every opportunity. I have a lot of time for him actually and think there is much more to him than meets the eye. Anyway, the photo below is of one of the finest mosaics I have ever seen and which decorated the floor of his bath-house - a place notorious for excesses of all kinds. It’s symbolism remains a mystery but clearly the palm tree, attacking lion and unaware gazelles have a deeper meaning. There are other stranger mosaics at the site which I shall post if I find photos.
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