The Rock

by Makiya, Kanan

In the beginning there was a rock deemed the point of creation of the cosmos and the place of assembly on the Day of Judgement. Then there was a dome built over the rock – the Dome of the Rock. Few sites in the world have been held as sacred, or has been fought over, as the Rock, but whose rock is enshrined inside the golden Dome of Jerusalem? The Rock of Moses or of Muhammad? Makiya has gathered together the stories, legends and beliefs that define the Rock – the rock where Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac; the rock on which Adam landed on his fall from Paradise; the rock on which Solomon’s Temple once stood and where Jesus preached, a temple which was the model for the Muslim Dome that remains Jerusalem’s symbol to this day.

Review

‘A Muslim work of historical imagination and understanding.’ — Evening Standard, April 29, 2002

‘Makiya builds . . . a rich, compelling and carefully annotated tale of power politics and apocalyptic theology.’ — Sunday Times, May 19, 2002

About the Author

Kanan Makiya was born in Baghdad. An award winning writer and filmmaker, he is the author of The Republic of Fear: The Politics of Modern Iraq which became a bestseller after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, and The Monument: Art, Vulgarity, and Responsibility in Iraq. He has also written for The Independent. A trained architect, Makiya established an architectural firm in London, where he also helped found Saqi Books, which publishes books in Arabic and English. He travels between Cambridge, Massachusetts and London.