British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Supplement - Page 125

7. Consequently, the Temple Area of Jerusalem, now known as the Haram esh-Sharif , "the Noble Sanctuary", ranks as a Moslem shrine next to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina.

8. Towards the end of the 7th century A.D., the Caliph Abdel-Malik, whose title was disputed by a rival Caliph in Mecca, was moved to erect a sanctuary in Jerusalem on the site of the Temple to which the followers of the Omaiyad persuasion could direct their devotions. No efforts were spared by Abd-el-Malik in The construction of "The Dome of the Rock", erected on The traditional site from which the Prophet bad ascended. This magnificent structure still stands, one of the architectural glories of Jerusalem. It was on the rock so enshrined, that according to tradition, the Patriarch Abraham was preparing to offer up his son Isaac when the Almighty intervened.

9. Around this shrine and its vast enclosure there have, during the ages, arisen many buildings accommodating schools, libraries, and other pious institutions connected with Islam.

10. In 636 A.D., the Caliph Omar occupied Jerusalem. In ()69 A.D., Jerusalem was conquered by the Egyptians, and in 1087 A.D., it fell to the Seljuk Turks whose outrageous behaviour culminated, in 10()6 A.D., in the launching of the Crusades. In 10()9 A.D., Palestine was occupied by the Crusader invaders from the west, and the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was established, so breaking the Moslem domination established by Omar. The Crusader regime continued until 1187 A.D., when the followers of Islam, under Saladin, overwhelmed the Christians under King Guy himself, at the battle of Hartin. Following his overwhelming victory at Hattin on the 2nd of July, 1187, Saladin wasted no time in exploiting his success and, on the 2nd of October, 1187 which was the anniversary of the Blessed Laqilat el Mi'raj, or "Eve of the Ascension" of the Prophet, be accepted the surrender of the City. Thus re-established, Moslem rule continued uninterrupted until HJ17 A.D., when Lord Allenby entered the Holy City at the head of a victorious and triumphant army.

11. In 1244 A.D., Jerusalem was over-run by Khwarizmian Turks. In 1269 A.D., the country came under the control of the Mameluke rulers of Egypt. In 1516 A.D., it passed into the hands or Selim I, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, whose successor, Suleiman the Magnificent, constructed the City's present walls between 1539 and 1542. The Turks ruled until 1917.

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