The Dome of the Rock: What It Is and How to See It

When Was the Dome of the Rock Built?

Kufic inscriptions inside the building record its completion in 72 AH, which is 691 to 692 CE, under the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik. Construction was supervised by Raja ibn Haywa al-Kindi and Yazid ibn Sallam. The shrine sits on the Temple Mount platform, a raised esplanade of about 150,000 m2 (37 acres) that stands about 740 m above sea level.

Herod the Great had enlarged that natural plateau around 19 BCE with retaining walls and fill, long before the shrine was built on top of it.

The Dome and Its Supports

The central dome rests on 16 supports made of 4 piers and 12 columns, and the dome itself is about 20.48 m high. Inside, the building holds about 1,200 m2 of mosaics. The Temple Mount has eleven gates, ten for Muslims and one for non-Muslims, and Al-Aqsa Mosque is at the southern end of the platform.

The Gold Dome and the Tilework

The dome you see today has been regilded more than once. A refit from 1959 to 1964 clad it in aluminium-bronze plates covered in gold leaf. In 1993 it was regilded with 80 kg of gold funded by King Hussein of Jordan.

The exterior tilework also has a later story. Suleiman the Magnificent replaced the original exterior mosaics with Ottoman tiles, which were probably made locally. So the exterior tilework and the dome you see today are much later than the 7th-century structure beneath them.

What the Shrine Means

The Dome of the Rock stands beside Al-Aqsa Mosque, whose courtyard can hold over 400,000 worshippers. The building is a working religious site managed by the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf, with Israel holding security control since 1967, and the rules below apply to every visitor.

The Non-Muslim Rule

Non-Muslims cannot enter the Dome of the Rock or Al-Aqsa Mosque. You can walk on the surrounding platform and look at the shrine from outside, but the doorways are not open to non-Muslim visitors. Non-Muslim prayer and religious items are also prohibited on the mount, so leave any such items behind.

How Non-Muslim Visitors Enter the Platform

Non-Muslims enter the Temple Mount only through the Mughrabi Gate, reached by a wooden bridge above the Western Wall plaza. Visitors go through airport-style security and should carry a passport. No entry fee is published here.

Once through, you are on the platform itself, with Al-Aqsa Mosque at its southern end. The Christian Information Center's list says foreign visitors enter from the Western Wall plaza, which is the same Mughrabi route.

Visiting Days and Hours

Non-Muslim visits are Sunday to Thursday only. The mount is closed to visitors on Friday and Saturday and on religious holidays, and entry is never guaranteed because it can close at any time. The Christian Information Center's list gives visiting hours as Sunday to Thursday 7:30 to 11:00 and 13:30 to 14:30 in summer, and 7:30 to 10:00 and 12:30 to 13:30 in winter.

The dress code is as follows: women need knee-length skirts or trousers with covered arms and chest, and men need trousers below the knee. The full picture of hours and closures is in the Temple Mount guide.

From the Temple Mount Platform

The closest view is from the platform itself on a visiting day. Sunday to Thursday, outside holiday closures, you can see the shrine from the platform. Arrive near the opening hour, 7:30 in both seasons, because the afternoon windows are short, 13:30 to 14:30 in summer and 12:30 to 13:30 in winter, and closures with no notice are a real possibility.

Check the visiting rules in the Temple Mount guide before you plan a morning around it.

From the Mount of Olives

The classic wide view is from the Mount of Olives, which rises to 826 m. The Seven Arches Hotel on the summit is described as an observation point over the Old City. Dominus Flevit, built in 1953 to 1955 by Antonio Barluzzi in the shape of a teardrop, and the Church of All Nations are among the churches on the Mount of Olives.

Opening hours and fees for those churches, including the ₪5 fee at the Chapel of the Ascension, are in the Mount of Olives guide.

Other Angles

Rooftop and wall-top angles belong to other pages. The Ramparts Walk details are in the Old City itinerary guide. No specific street-level spot is named here.

The comparison below pulls the three viewpoints together.

Viewpoints Compared

The table compares three places to see the Dome of the Rock, based on the visiting rules and hours in the sources above. It shows how you reach each one, when it is open, and what kind of view you get.

Tours That Include the Temple Mount

The Jerusalem: Guided Walking Tour of the Old City is a 4-hour walk from Jaffa Gate at $57 per person, rated 4.8 from 414 reviews, and its route lists the Temple Mount when open alongside the Western Wall and the Via Dolorosa. Note what is included: a guided tour only, with entry fees not listed as included, and no food or drinks. The Jerusalem Old City Tour from Tel Aviv costs $90 per person for 10.5 hours with round-trip transport and lists the Temple Mount when open plus the Mount of Olives.

The Jerusalem Boutique Tour from Tel Aviv is the small-group option, up to 18 people at $180 per person for 9 hours, and it lists a Temple Mount visit on days it is open. On all three, remember that non-Muslims cannot enter the shrine itself, so the visit is the platform.

Tours That Show It From the Mount of Olives

If the mount is closed, these tours still include overlooks. The City of David Underground Tour costs $89 per person for 9 hours and starts with a panorama from the Mount of Olives or Mount Scopus. The Footsteps of Jesus Walking Tour, also $89 per person for 9 hours, walks from the Mount of Olives past Dominus Flevit and the Church of All Nations.

The Jerusalem and Bethlehem Tour from Tel Aviv at $121 per person starts at the Mount Scopus overlook, includes entry fees, coach and hotel pickup, and gives about 2.5 hours in the Old City before Bethlehem. None of these three lists the Temple Mount platform.