The Noble Sanctuary

Fülszöveg

Front jacket illustration:
The Dome of the Rock, situated upon the central platform of The Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem
The word 'Jerusalem' Is one of the most evocative and emotive in our language. It is not merely the name of a turbulent city. Since the defeat of the original Jebusite inhabitants, with their pantheon of Canaanite deities, by the Semitic Israelites, led by David, it has represented a part of Man's dream of association with God.
Within the Old City, girt by walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent upon earlier foundations built by Hadrian and by Herod the Great, three of the world's major religions have a point of focus and of confrontation.
Except for less than a century when it was occupied by the Crusaders, the site of this focal point on Mount Moriah has been fcr over 1300 years a centre of Islamic devotion. In the middle stands the Dome of the Rock. Built with marked Byzantine influence in its architecture, but wholly oriental in its lavish decoration, Al... Tovább

Fülszöveg

Front jacket illustration:
The Dome of the Rock, situated upon the central platform of The Noble Sanctuary of Jerusalem
The word 'Jerusalem' Is one of the most evocative and emotive in our language. It is not merely the name of a turbulent city. Since the defeat of the original Jebusite inhabitants, with their pantheon of Canaanite deities, by the Semitic Israelites, led by David, it has represented a part of Man's dream of association with God.
Within the Old City, girt by walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent upon earlier foundations built by Hadrian and by Herod the Great, three of the world's major religions have a point of focus and of confrontation.
Except for less than a century when it was occupied by the Crusaders, the site of this focal point on Mount Moriah has been fcr over 1300 years a centre of Islamic devotion. In the middle stands the Dome of the Rock. Built with marked Byzantine influence in its architecture, but wholly oriental in its lavish decoration, Al Qubbat al-Sakhra, to give the Dome its Arabic name, is as magnificent a monument to the glory of God as can be seen anywhere in the world.
This book by Alistair Duncan, with 36 illustrations in full colour, offers an opportunity to observe the mastery of skills by which men have borne witness to their faith throughout many centuries. The accompanying text follows the various phases of construction and of restoration. The history of the place is set out for the reader to appreciate and to reflect upon the inspiration and the handiwork of his fellow men within The Noble Sanctuary.
Back jacket illustration :
The carved decorative ceiling above the
Mihrab of Zacharia in the Aqsa Mosque.
Alistair Duncan was born in India in 1927. This may have provided some unconscious motivation towards his interest in the East, although he was sent to England by the time he was one year old. It was not until he was serving in the army that he first came into personal contact with the Eastern Mediterranean and the Bible Lands.
In 1961 he was commissioned to take colour photographs for an edition of the R.S.V. Bible. From this evolved other photographic engagements, and he decided to give up his career as an insurance broker to become a professional photographer and to form 'Middle East Archive'.
His work has appeared internationally over a broad range of books and publications, including his own picture-book Land of the Rock. He travels widely in the Arab world in the course of his work as a writer and photographer. Vissza