The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-08-18
A Sacred Spot.

| ~ correspondent tHuS WIlbtS w bbC CdhO
of the London Times: Referring to your motto
of last Mondays review otthe Royal Academy
Exhibition of Mr.. Carl Haag's water-colo
drawing, "The Holy Rock, Jerusalem" thinl
it might interest some of your readers to hea
the history of its execution and certain partic
ulars connected with the spot depicted. gie9
Since the Holy Rock, which occupies TIL
centre Of the area of what is popularity know
as the Mosque of Omar, is, after the Kaaba a
Mecca, the most venerateds spot connected will
the Mohammedan religion, the difficulty e
obtaining drawing OF it is proportionalil
| great. The interior of the Mosque has, / be
lieve. never been painted before. Mr. Car
Haag could not obtain entrance into it only bJ
special firman of the Sultan, granted him 81
the request of Her Majesty the Queen, and
though constantly attended by guards, raH I'M
minent risk of losing his life. Never before
had any artist dared to plant his easel on the
sacred spot. The painting was begun and
completed in the Mosque The measurements
given below were kindly furnished by Mr.
Haag, and were taken by himself with great
| care.
| According to the immemorial tradition, the
| Holy Rock is the threshing floor on Mount
| Morah, OF Araunah, or Omar, the Jebusite
chief, which David bought Of him for place
of sacrifice, and where Solomon afterwards
erected the Temple. There is much in sup
| port of this tradition The Rock is the high
| est part of the Temple platform. Through
out Syria rock plateaus Of high elevation are
at the present day selected for thrashing floors
and the higher and more exposed the site, the
more valuable it is for the purpose, as the wind
needtul for driving the chaH can play upon it
| from greater number OF quarters. The lofty
| situation Of the Sakrah, or Holy Rock, would
| have made it a most valuable threshing floor,
V,,,,,, aIi afp hQnQofh 10 pof, O
| fact which also lends support to the correct
ness of the tradition, since underneath the ma
jority of the threshing floors of Palestine are
similar caves, which abound in the limestone
hills of the country, and afford to the laborers
an invaluable retreat during the burning mid
day hours. In configuration, the Rock, as it
juts up above the marble pavement of the
mosque is very irregular. From north to
south it measures 56 feet and from east to
west 35 feet. The highest point is about 81
feet above the floor. On the top of the rock,
which can only be seen by climbing upon the
railing surrounding it, is rough, basin-shaped
following, and also a hole about 3 feet in Ill
ameter This communicates perpendicularly
with the cave beneath. Descending into the
cave from the southeast corner of the mosque,
by a flight Of is steps, we find chamber 49,
feet from north to south and 23a feet from east
to west At the end and on the two sides OF
the cave low stone walls have been built OF
height varying irregularly with the slope of
the rock which forms the roof. Two lamps, sus
pended beneath the holes already mentioned,
light the cave On the tessellated pavement of
the floor, and directly beneath the hole in the
root, is a radiant star in various colored mar
bles On tapping this, the central part, con-
sstng of slab Of white marble, not quite
perpendicularly beneath the centre of the orr
flee above, is found to be hollow. The slab
conceals the Bir-el-Arrllah, or "Well of Spir-
its" passage said to lead out eventually into
the valley of the Kidron.
A hypothesis not unreasonable is that the
hole on the top of the Holy Rock was made to
conduct the blood Of the sacrifcial victims
| slain upon it in Jewish times down into the
cavern, thence into the Bir-el-Arruah, and
eventually into the Kidron near Sloan. If the
Sakhrah is really the spot where the Jewish
sacrifices were offered, the Holy Place of the
Temple must have stood Immediately to the
west of it, facing that sidesof the stone which
is to the right and in shadow to Mr.. Haag's
painting. The promise made by Jehovah to
Solomon mine ear shall be attent unto the
prayer that is made in this place" gives the
rock its present sanctity for the Mohamme-
dams. They guard it from the approach OF
any but Moslem, lest supplication for evil on
themselves or on their religion should be made
Ill 6uCu pltlCC uc pIOiOuuu lutCICSb VI tuC
rock, if the tradition concerning it is correct
hardly needs to be dwelt on.
Mr.. Haag's view is taken from the north
west pier of the four supporting the noble
dome, which rises to height of100 feet rough
ly estimated, and has a diameter of 66 feet
On the left in the picture can be seen the
double corridor Qhe inner corridor 234 feet
wide the ouler 49, feet) which surrounds the
building, and is lighted by stained glass win
dows. To the right, and somewhat in the
background, is seen the small tall baldachin
which stands over the southwest corner of the
rock. For Mohammedans this is the point of
greatest interest. At this point alone they are
allowed to touch the holy stone Thrusting
their hands through small circular opening
on the west side of this structure, they can
feel if not see, an indentation in the rock
That mark the faithful believe to have been
made by the foot of the Prophet, when, with
the other foot already in the stirrup of the
white celestial steed sent to bear him hence,
he tor the last time pressed upon the soil
"of this dim spot
Which men call EARTH
This jealousy guarded, mysterious Holy
Rock, with its proud traditions, extending
so far back into the past, is, alike for the Mo
hammodan Jewish and Christian world, one of
the most profoundly interesting spots in Jeru-
salem.