Lecture 14

        The Byzantine era ended when the Sasanians took Palestine and Jerusalem in 614 CE. The Sasanians allowed the Jews to resettle in Jerusalem, which was the first time they were allowed back into the city since the Bar-Kokhba Revolt. Then in 628 CE the byzantine emperor Heraclius retook Jerusalem. Unfortunately, he allowed massacres of the Jews in Jerusalem. Once again Jerusalem is taken by a new man in 638 CE named Caliph Umar. At this point there is no stable government or ruling in Jerusalem. The rules are constantly changing and the residents are varying. Caliph Umar had made an agreement with the Christians that he would not allow Jewish settlement in Jerusalem, but he later allowed the Jews to move back into the city. Jerusalem played a part in the Islamic religion and community as well. The Kaaba in Mecca is the most sacred site in Islam. It is a huge mosque with a  black stone in the middle, and it is used to contain hundreds of idols. Muhammad threw out the idols and made the Kaaba to be the center of Islam. Muslims don’t worship the Kaaba or the black stone; it is just the focal point of prayer. After all those rulers came the Umayyad dynasty 638-750 CE. The Umayyad Jerusalem was a much more tolerant place for Christians and Jews. Caliph Umar built a wooden mosque, Abd al-Malik built Dome of the Rock , and the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the site of Umar’s mosque during the reign of Caliph Walid. There were great Umayyad palaces that were built up against the retaining walls of the Temple Mount. Umayyad The Dome of the Rock’s model was built in Christian architectural traditions and intended to outshine Christian monuments and demonstrate the final truth of Islam. There was also an inscription all around the Dome of the Rock with anti-Christian dialogue/verses on it. The Abbasid Dynasty wiped out Umayyad efforts in 750 CE. Then from 969-1099 CE earthquakes damaged Jerusalem’s buildings, walls, and the Dome of the Rock. The Seljuqs added to this destruction by occupying Jerusalem and destroying much of the city. Next, the Fatimids laid siege on Jerusalem and destroyed much of the city walls, and took Jerusalem from the Seljuqs. This was clearly not the time to live in Jerusalem due to the constant destruction and raids from different groups. However, many continued to stay there because of its sacred value.