Some architectural elements used as part of the structure date to pre-Islamic times, but it is widely accepted by both Arab and Western scholars that the Dome of the Chain was originally built in 691 by the Umayyad caliphAbd al-Malik. The Umayyad design of the building has largely remained unaltered by later restorations. In addition to being a prayer house, the dome was used as a treasury for the local Muslim community. When the Crusaders invaded the Levant in 1099, they identified the dome as the spot where Saint James was martyred, and transformed the building into a chapel dedicated to him within the Templum Domini. In 1187, the building was returned to Muslim use after Saladincaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders. In 1199–1200, the ceiling and pavings were renewed by the ruling Ayyubids. The Christians re-used the place in 1240–1244, before it reverted to Muslim use. The structure was renovated by the Mamluk sultan Baybars. The latter's renovations likely involved the refacing of the mihrab with marble. In 1561, under the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the tiles of the mihrab were glazed and later in 1760, more tile work was done. The last major restoration undertaken at the Dome of the Chain was commissioned by the Islamic waqf of Jerusalem in 1975-76.
Religious significance
The Dome of the Chain owes its name to an ancient legend during King Solomon's rule. According to Mujir ad-Din,
Among the wonders of the Holy House is the chain, which Solomon, son of David, suspended between Heaven and Earth, to the east of the Rock, where the Dome of the Chain now stands. The chain had one characteristic. If two men approached it to solve a point of litigation, only the honest and upright man could take hold of it; the unjust man saw it move out of his reach.
The building in Islamic tradition is the spot where Judgment Day will occur in the "end of days" and where a chain will stop the sinful and let the just pass through. Notably, the mihrab in the al-Aqsa Mosque is located exactly in the middle of the qibla wall of the Temple Mount on north-south axis with the Dome of the Chain.
Architecture
The building consists of a domed structure with two concentric open arcades, that is: with no lateral walls closing it in. The dome, resting on a hexagonal drum, is made of timber and is supported by six columns which together create the inner arcade. The second, outer row of eleven columns creates an eleven-sided outer arcade. The qibla wall contains the mihrab or prayer niche and is flanked by two smaller columns. There are a total of seventeen columns in the structure, excluding the mihrab. It is known from historical sources that initially there used to be twenty columns, indicating a radical rebuilding phase, probably in the 13th century. The Dome of the Chain has a diameter of, making it the third largest building on the Haram after the al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
According to a number of early Arab historians, the Dome of the Chain was used as a model for the Dome of the Rock. Like the latter, the Dome of the Chain consists of two concentric polygons, with columns bound together by arcades and wooden beams. The Dome of the Rock is three times the size of the Dome of the Chain and the ground plan and height are relatively proportional. What does not seem to support this theory is the contrast between the perfect octagonal symmetry of both archways of the Dome of the Rock, and the mix of a hexagonal inner arcade and an fourteen-sided outer one for the Dome of the Chain. The lack of an outer wall is an additional issue. The original purpose of the Dome of the Chain is so far unknown.
The Dome of Nahawiyah
The Dome of Nahawiah was built by Eyyubi' Dımask Malik al-Malikul Isa in 1725. The Dome of Nahawiyah is a structure that is added to Nahawiyah madrasa. That means the name was given to the dome due to the madrasah. It has been used for different purposes over the centuries. The Dome of Nahawiyah means close to God and the holy rock, therefore people above a certain standard would come here. Namely, Ulema and Sufis were spending time in this place within seclusion and worship It was founded to teach the Arabic language and to collect the knowledge of the Nahiw and teachers of the Dome of Nahiwiyah had to be from the Hanafi sect.
The architecture feature of the Dome
According to location, it takes place in the southwestern corner of al- Aqsa enclave.The Dome of Nahawiyah consists of a community of buildings and there are two rooms inside, also it has two domes at both ends.Moreover, the monument has a two-floor structure; the first floor lies on the top of the rock and the lower floor extends from the edge of the rock to the ground. However, the lower floor is adjacent to the rock.The entrance of the building is located on the north facade and the entrance of the building starts with the hall. Moreover, there have two marble columns that have lettering in the hall.There are auger-shaped columns from the Crusaders period on both sides of the monument's north-faced door and the door was rebuilt between 1187-1199. There has an inscription from the Ottoman period on the northwest wall of Nahawiyah madrasa. The inscription belongs to a water fountain that has not survived to the present day, also the name of the person who built the water fountain is written in the inscription.
