Inside the Dome of the Rock

قبة الصخرة

The location of the Dome of the Rock is holy for all three Abrahamic religions. Historically it is symbolic of a dozen things, but it exists daily as an ever present component of life in Jerusalem. Walking to campus every morning from the student village on Mount Scopus offers amazing views of this building. On the best day it gleams as a reminder of God and what people have done in this place but it can also stand as a reminder of how much there is still left to fight about.

Yet, despite being easy to observe, visiting the site itself is less obtainable. Although awe-inspiring, being a holy location for three major religions makes it a hot spot for politics and tension. Because of this tourism is limited to 7:30am-10:30am and 12:30pm-1:30pm but with no predictability on whether it will actually be open (except weekends are predictable, because it's not open for tourists on weekend). Additionally there will be long lines, lots of people, and intense security. Oh, and tourists can't actually enter the Dome of the Rock. 

Thankfully, I've never been one to really take well to the phrase "tourist". When in Rome, do as the Romans do.... So, when in Muslim holy places, well, go as a Muslim. It was something I had considered early on in the semester. I've studied Islam pretty extensively and in a variety of concepts. I know my shahada, can reference the Qur'an, and speak a far bit of Arabic. But could I pass as a Muslim in one of their holiest sites filled with security? 

It only took a Jewish holiday for me to build up the courage to find out. At a friend's Hannukah party I started a conversation with Elham, a local Arab student from East Jerusalem. I mentioned the idea of going and for some reason instead of calling me on my insanity she offered to accompany me! Only days later she showed up at my apartment, extra hijab in hand, and we took off to Al-Aqsa. 

The adventure started early. Within moments of stepping out of my apartment complex we managed to miss the bus. A random Arab man with a van pulled over not even a minute later and offered us a ride. Elham looked at me, said "you don't care for your organs, do you?", and climbed in the back. Arabic music filled the air as we headed toward Damascus gate.

The most nerve wracking part came next. First we had to walk past all the Israeli Defense Forces and then the local Arab security at the gate. Somehow, probably due to Elham's chatter in Arabic and my extensive attention going toward keeping my face as inconspicuously turned from people as possible, we managed to get into the area without questioning.

The Dome of the Rock was breathtaking. The golden dome that is so striking from even a distance was suddenly outdone by the complex as a whole. Everything about the place was beautiful. It was also nearly empty. Elham and I wandered the courtyard on our own as I just tried to take in as much as possible from the overwhelming experience. 

We eventually approached the entrance to the actual building. As we removed our shoes a guard approached us and questioned my legitimately by looking at Elham and asking her in Arabic whether I was a Muslim. I immediately answered yes in unfazed Arabic as Elham stumbled over her words in English and we entered the Dome giggling over the absurdity of the situation. Leave it to the legitimate Arab Muslim to panic. 

Elham and I taking a selfie outside the Dome.

Inside was just as impressive as the facade. We circled the rock or foundation stone that is the core of the Temple Mount. Dozens of stories from all the faiths circled my head as we walked around. Despite my understanding of what significant events supposedly took place here I somehow had no idea that you can actually enter the stone. A staircase near one side provides an entrance into a cavity within the rock that post visiting I discovered is sometimes referred to as the Well of Souls. Within the cavity I could hardly grasp the immensity of everything around me; I traveled across the world to study in Jerusalem and here I was literally encaved within this holy epicenter. There is not a doubt in my mind that I was living what was literally a once in a lifetime experience. 

A picture depicting the inside of the Dome of the Rock. There was scaffolding up when I visited so none of my pictures came close to doing it justice.

Standing in the Well of Souls.

The trip wasn't entirely mind boggling spiritual experiences however. We still just took time to enjoy the trip. Elham showed me around the Temple Mount complex trying to remember different pieces of historical significance from her childhood field trips to the sight. The second (and final) time we were approached in question of our identity Elham came through with flying colors reciting the Qur'an so fluently they never felt the need to move on to asking me to do it (الحمد لله). 

As we wandered around for the rest of our visit we stopped for a few photo ops and enjoyed catching bits of other visitors' conversations. We found quite a bit of enjoyment from Elham overhearing a group of older women say "masha'allah such cuties" as we walked by. We made sure to ask the next group of people to walk by to stop and help us take a photo.

Elham and I walking around outside the Dome of the Rock.

A shift in perception.... every day I see the Dome of the Rock from my walk to campus, now I could look out at my campus from the Temple Mount. (The Rothberg Building where I take classes is the building with the tower just above my hand.)

Although I acknowledge it may be a bit heretical, it was also an amazing experience being able to personally visit such a historic and significant site. I am so incredibly lucky to be one of few outsiders in the current era to be able to truly visit the Dome of the Rock.

Hebron: A Palestinian City with a Whole Lot of Politics

Welcome to Palestine!

Although the sign certainly appears ominous, I have only one reaction upon passing these signs: excitement. These are a fancy little addition Israel has added along the streets of Palestine warning when the streets enter "Area A" territory. Sorry for the quick history lesson, but it's important. After the Oslo II Accords Palestine was separated into 3 types of territories: Area A (only 3% of the West Bank) is under full military and civil control by the Palestinian Authority. Area B contains land which is under Palestinian civil control but under joint control by both the Israeli and Palestinian militaries. Area C, which is a majority of Palestine, is under full Israeli civil and military control. Passing those red signs warn that I'm leaving the jurisdiction of Israel. Frightening for my university, parents, and government, but by all personal accounts it's one of my favorite parts of "Israel".

This past Saturday was my second time entering into such territory. However despite going with a tour guide (for my own safety) this was much less tourist oriented than my first time crossing into Bethlehem. I was off to Hebron.

I went through an alternative tourism group who pairs travelers with locals who show you around the city. I was joined by a 30-something Austrian embassy worker from Tel Aviv and his mother. The three of us walked around the Old City of Hebron, through the market, and just enjoyed spending the day in Palestine along with our local guide who is a school teacher outside of Bethlehem during the week.

This is a picture of myself, the woman traveling to Hebron with me, a local shopkeeper, and our guide for the day.

The main site in Hebron is the Abraham mosque/church/synagogue. It's the city where Abraham lived and the mosque/church/synagogue is located on his tomb. Locally Hebron is called الخليل which means "friend" in Arabic because Abraham is considered the 'friend of God'. The building has gone through different phases historically between being a church, mosque, and synagogue. Now it is split between the Muslim and Jewish communities in Hebron.

The Muslim part of the site. Israel has created a checkpoint which you can see on the left where Muslims have to get checked before they can go into the mosque to pray. For "safety reasons" I'm told.

The synagogue side of the structure. On the left you see two IDF soldiers who stopped us from going any closer since we aren't Jewish.

Inside the Abraham mosque. Behind me is the mihrab and to my right is the minbar where the imam talks from on Fridays. It was originally Saladin's minbar.

After the mosque our guide briefly left us on our own so we could enter the kilometer or so of street that Israel had seized from the Palestinians. They welded all the shops shut and threw out the locals so that a few Israeli's could move into a settlement there. It was one of the most surreal moments I've had while traveling. The streets were deserted and there was Israeli propaganda posted everywhere amongst the few remaining signs and buildings that hinted toward the Arab life that used to exist there.

The empty Israeli controlled street in Hebron.

Standing in the deserted streets.

One of the shops the soldiers welded shut with Jewish graffiti next door.

What was even stranger is when a Jew did decide to walk outside they were accompanied by flocks of soldiers. In the photo below there are at least 13 soldiers just to accompany two Jews who were walking in the street. It's just a really weird thing to observe and wrap your head around. Also, Hebron is supposed to be Area A where it's illegal for Israelis to be, but yet they're controlling certain parts quite significantly.

I'm aware that settlers are not representatives of all of Israel or of the entire Jewish population. That would be like saying the Westboro Baptist Church represents Christianity or Americans. I don't mean to point fingers at anyone in this post, merely express what a strange situation I observed while in Hebron. What was even harder for me personally is that most of these extremist settlers in Hebron are actually Americans. Hearing a Palestinian tell me that I'd get to meet my fellow people while walking around was such a painful thing to hear. The fact that a part of my identity overlaps with these people despite feeling so polar opposite from them made it harder to accept their behavior.

The soldiers accompanying the two men walking around.

For lunch we visited a local Palestinian family who cooked homemade Arabic food for us. They had been living on a specific piece of property for years when a settlement decided to set up right on the edge of their property just uphill of them. The settlers blocked off access to their house, blocked their water supply, and in general tried to make life as tough as possible for the family living there. There was no shortage of horror stories of violence toward the family.

The IDF stopped us and interrogated us when we tried to walk near the settlement to get to the Arab man's house for lunch. A soldier collected our passports, asked us a bunch of questions, and just seemed obscenely suspicious of our desire to eat a home cooked meal. On our way out of the neighborhood the same solider had the audacity (knowing I was an American due to obtaining my passport) to tell me he'd be interested in a green card. 

The Palestinian family who provided us lunch is in the house on the lower left. The bright orange building is the settlers' apartments.

Despite the hardships and the tension in Hebron the locals are incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's hard to walk around without being welcomed into a shop for tea or coffee and the locals are bilingually chatty. They were amazingly good about putting up with my basic Arabic speaking skills and both encouraged and corrected me along the way. The driver who took us through the separation barrier checkpoint was so pleased with my conversational skills he even offered to drop me off in my neighborhood so I wouldn't have to catch a cab on Shabbat!

One of the most interesting locals I met was Abed Abu Muhammad. He is one of the few shop owners left near the Abraham mosque and near the Jewish settlement. Despite being offered lots of money he refused to leave his shop and home. He was literally born inside those walls and over Arabic coffee and conversation he was keen to tell me to look at the stone beneath our chairs. "See that rock?" he'd knock on the ground, "The stone is tough. Palestinians are tougher." He has been there so long Israel refuses to grant him permission to leave Palestine for travel because he attracts so many visitors. The locals refer to the Israeli checkpoint near his shop as "Abed's checkpoint".

Sitting with Abed, one of the few shop owners left after he invited us in for coffee.

Hebron is clearly a city of polarities. As much as my post swings bipolarly between paragraphs so too did my entire day. It was an exhausting trip full of emotional stories and experiences but also really amazing locations and people. Maybe it's not where the adverage person would spend their free time, but I'm glad I got the chance to.