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The Golden Dome and the Golden Ratio: What Makes the Dome of the Rock a Magnetic Shrine
Abstract by Dr. Dov Tamarkin On Session   (Material Culture in the Middle East)

On Wednesday, November 13 at 11:30 am

2024 Annual Meeting

Abstract
The Dome of the Rock, built at the end of the 7th century CE is the first monumental structure built by Muslims, and is considered the most impressive monument in Islam. To this day, scholars ask what causes the observer a sense of majesty and holiness. The purpose of this paper is to highlight structural aspects that have not yet been explored, which contribute to the awe-inspiring nature of the monument. There is a series of features, including symmetry, parity of dimensions, repetition and rhythm that contribute to the high-aesthetic impression of this monument. This paper argues that their effect is synergistic. Chief among these features is the Golden Ratio, approximately equal to 1.618. When used in art and architecture, this number which was called by Pacioli and da-Vinci “the Devine Proportion”, is known to effect visual beauty and to evoke a sensation of perfect aesthetics, majesty, and holiness. The paper offers evidence that the Golden Ratio plays a prominent role in the Dome of the Rock. To assess the occurrence of the Golden Ratio in the Dome of the Rock visual and computer-aided techniques were used. The `Jerusalem GIS` was utilized for the 3-dimensional imaging to analyze the top-view of the Dome of the Rock, and to measure the height of the building, which so far relied on estimates and calculations. Visual and computer-aided means determined that the Golden Ratio proportions are dominant in multiple components throughout the whole structure of the Dome of the Rock, starting from its overall silhouette, and continuing with many fine details in the exterior view of the building. Using the 3-D imaging system further determined that the top-view of the monument also matches the Golden Ratio. Moreover, the same phenomenon further prevails abundantly in the interior of the octagonal shrine. While the Golden Ratio appears in other monuments of faith, such abundance of occurrences of it in the same building seems to be unprecedented, which raises the question how such a design was conceived by the builders of the Dome of the Rock; Was it pre-determined or incidentally or intuitively achieved? These new findings help to clarify why the Dome of the Rock is so admired. It seems that the combination of symmetry and parity of dimensions, the repetitive rhythm and the manifold occurrences of Golden Ratio proportions, provides an omni-synergic contribution to the `WOW effect`, which characterizes this unique sacred shrine.
Discipline
Archaeology
Geographic Area
Israel
Palestine
Sub Area
None