Jerusalem: Landmarks and Prevalent Stories
Throughout this course, I was struck by the stories associated with sacred landmarks that prevailed over centuries. They made me ask questions such as "when and why did these stories arise?" and "why have they persisted for so long?" I was also interested in how some landmarks were associated with different stories, sometimes from multiple religions that often contradicted each other. A large amount of the conflict that occurs in Jerusalem can be tied to religion, and the sacred role Jerusalem plays in each religion. Therefore, I wondered if some of the stories that arose surrounding landmarks were meant to deepen the religious roots of different religions to Jerusalem. This would give each religion more symbols or stories to worship as well as more claim to the land of Jerusalem. In my final presentation, I sought out to answer some of these questions by looking into when the stories arose surrounding certain landmarks, and why.
The people of Yahweh were the ancestors of Judaism, and they came to Jerusalem following David. David came to Jerusalem because he had been a warrior in Saul's kingdom, but had fled when Saul had grown jealous of him. He had then built his own kingdom, and he conquered Jerusalem to make it his capital. It was after he had conquered this land that he developed visions of Yahweh in Jerusalem, and he made Mount Zion into a sacred space for what would later be the Jewish people. David had a vision of an angel standing on Mount Zion and gesturing to the people. When asked to interpret this, a court prophet told David that this meant he was to built a temple there if he wanted to stop a plague from killing his people. He bought the land, and passed on these plans to his son Solomon who built the first temple in the mid 10th century BCE. This sacred space is still believed today to be the gateway to heaven where god resides by the Jewish people.
As we know, this space is presently occupied by the Dome of the Rock, built over the rock where the followers of Islam believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Near it is the Al-Aqsa mosque, or the Furthest Mosque, where Muhammad is believed to have traveled during his night journey. When Islam was being established, Muhammad established the three sacred centers which included Mecca and Jerusalem. Jerusalem was originally included and considered sacred in Islam because it had been a symbol that had helped them form a distinct Islamic identity, as it was already so sacred in Christianity and Judaism. However, it became more central to the Islamic religion after Muhammad died, and the story of his night journey arose. History suggests that the worship associated with the story of the night journey didn't arise until after the Dome of the Rock was built and the Al-Aqsa established. The Dome of the Rock was not built until Abd Al-Malik ruled between AD 646-705, and decided to build a dome to challenge the Dome of the Anastasis on the Western Hill and the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. In her book "Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths," Karen Armstrong states that "after the building of the Dome of the Rock, Jews and Muslims both would develop legends about the Rock" (238). She even states that this construction may have stimulated the Jewish imagination, which shows how competitiveness between religions could've triggered storytelling.
A landmark that has become more sacred to Judaism as well as Islam is the Western Wall. The western wall was part of the second temple built by Herod, used by the Jewish people. History implies that in the seventh century, Jews were still focused on rebuilding the temple and therefore did not care about the western wall. However, it became known as the wailing wall in the 16th century after the sultan Suleiman allowed it to be the Jewish place of prayer, and cleared the plaza to make it appear larger. The Jewish people made it a site celebrating the continuity of the Jewish people. Therefore, although no major narratives were created in it’s account, the Western Wall was sanctified by the Jewish people by becoming a symbol of Jewish history.
Simon Goldhill discusses a story in the “City of Longing” that concerns Muhammad tethering his white-magic steed Al-Buraq to the Western Wall. This story arose after the western wall became more popular in the 19th century, even though older sources describe a very different spot for this brief moment of the night journey. A sign was even installed near the Western Wall that stated both titles of "Al-Buraq" and "Wailing Wall", but was removed after Israeli takeover in 1967. This is a prime example of a landmark being associated with clashing stories.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the holiest sites for the followers of Christianity. It is believed to be the site where Jesus was crucified, as well as where he was buried and resurrected. Inside the church's entrance is the Stone of Anointing, or the Stone of Unction, where it is believed Jesus's body was prepared for burial. However, this stone was not there until it was added in 1810 during the church's reconstruction. The church is also not the only place thought to be where Jesus was buried. The Garden Tomb was unearthed in 1867 and is also claimed to be the tomb where Jesus was buried and where he was resurrected. This site has been archaeologically proven to not match the site of his burial, as it dates back to 8th or 7th centuries BC. Nevertheless, many Christians still believe it is the correct tomb and tourists visit it. These contradicting stories within the Christian religion and the stone being added to the Church show how people need symbols to worship, and therefore stories surrounding these landmarks prevail.
It is said that Muhammad himself knew religions needed symbols for the religion to thrive, and so the religion can worship. I believe having deep rooted history and ancestors from Jerusalem encourages the different religions to make claim to the land, and they often do so through storytelling. Many of these stories work to make certain landmarks more sacred to the different religions, therefore giving them more symbols to worship. It is also possible that some of these stories have arisen to push other religions out and to help further different religions claims to the land of Jerusalem. Even Karen Armstrong states that the first Jewish temple “was to be a symbol”(45), and Simon Goldhill refers in his writing to the “competitive myth-making that is such a feature of the Jerusalem landscape”(77). This storytelling and use of symbols has been so effective that the different religions still use the stories and symbols to worship hundreds of years later, and wars have been fought over the land associated with them.
The people of Yahweh were the ancestors of Judaism, and they came to Jerusalem following David. David came to Jerusalem because he had been a warrior in Saul's kingdom, but had fled when Saul had grown jealous of him. He had then built his own kingdom, and he conquered Jerusalem to make it his capital. It was after he had conquered this land that he developed visions of Yahweh in Jerusalem, and he made Mount Zion into a sacred space for what would later be the Jewish people. David had a vision of an angel standing on Mount Zion and gesturing to the people. When asked to interpret this, a court prophet told David that this meant he was to built a temple there if he wanted to stop a plague from killing his people. He bought the land, and passed on these plans to his son Solomon who built the first temple in the mid 10th century BCE. This sacred space is still believed today to be the gateway to heaven where god resides by the Jewish people.
As we know, this space is presently occupied by the Dome of the Rock, built over the rock where the followers of Islam believe Muhammad ascended to heaven. Near it is the Al-Aqsa mosque, or the Furthest Mosque, where Muhammad is believed to have traveled during his night journey. When Islam was being established, Muhammad established the three sacred centers which included Mecca and Jerusalem. Jerusalem was originally included and considered sacred in Islam because it had been a symbol that had helped them form a distinct Islamic identity, as it was already so sacred in Christianity and Judaism. However, it became more central to the Islamic religion after Muhammad died, and the story of his night journey arose. History suggests that the worship associated with the story of the night journey didn't arise until after the Dome of the Rock was built and the Al-Aqsa established. The Dome of the Rock was not built until Abd Al-Malik ruled between AD 646-705, and decided to build a dome to challenge the Dome of the Anastasis on the Western Hill and the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. In her book "Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths," Karen Armstrong states that "after the building of the Dome of the Rock, Jews and Muslims both would develop legends about the Rock" (238). She even states that this construction may have stimulated the Jewish imagination, which shows how competitiveness between religions could've triggered storytelling.
A landmark that has become more sacred to Judaism as well as Islam is the Western Wall. The western wall was part of the second temple built by Herod, used by the Jewish people. History implies that in the seventh century, Jews were still focused on rebuilding the temple and therefore did not care about the western wall. However, it became known as the wailing wall in the 16th century after the sultan Suleiman allowed it to be the Jewish place of prayer, and cleared the plaza to make it appear larger. The Jewish people made it a site celebrating the continuity of the Jewish people. Therefore, although no major narratives were created in it’s account, the Western Wall was sanctified by the Jewish people by becoming a symbol of Jewish history.
Simon Goldhill discusses a story in the “City of Longing” that concerns Muhammad tethering his white-magic steed Al-Buraq to the Western Wall. This story arose after the western wall became more popular in the 19th century, even though older sources describe a very different spot for this brief moment of the night journey. A sign was even installed near the Western Wall that stated both titles of "Al-Buraq" and "Wailing Wall", but was removed after Israeli takeover in 1967. This is a prime example of a landmark being associated with clashing stories.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the holiest sites for the followers of Christianity. It is believed to be the site where Jesus was crucified, as well as where he was buried and resurrected. Inside the church's entrance is the Stone of Anointing, or the Stone of Unction, where it is believed Jesus's body was prepared for burial. However, this stone was not there until it was added in 1810 during the church's reconstruction. The church is also not the only place thought to be where Jesus was buried. The Garden Tomb was unearthed in 1867 and is also claimed to be the tomb where Jesus was buried and where he was resurrected. This site has been archaeologically proven to not match the site of his burial, as it dates back to 8th or 7th centuries BC. Nevertheless, many Christians still believe it is the correct tomb and tourists visit it. These contradicting stories within the Christian religion and the stone being added to the Church show how people need symbols to worship, and therefore stories surrounding these landmarks prevail.
It is said that Muhammad himself knew religions needed symbols for the religion to thrive, and so the religion can worship. I believe having deep rooted history and ancestors from Jerusalem encourages the different religions to make claim to the land, and they often do so through storytelling. Many of these stories work to make certain landmarks more sacred to the different religions, therefore giving them more symbols to worship. It is also possible that some of these stories have arisen to push other religions out and to help further different religions claims to the land of Jerusalem. Even Karen Armstrong states that the first Jewish temple “was to be a symbol”(45), and Simon Goldhill refers in his writing to the “competitive myth-making that is such a feature of the Jerusalem landscape”(77). This storytelling and use of symbols has been so effective that the different religions still use the stories and symbols to worship hundreds of years later, and wars have been fought over the land associated with them.
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