Whose rock is enshrined inside the golden Dome of Jerusalem? The rock of Moses or of Muhammad? Kanan Makiya gathers together the stories, legends, and beliefs that define the Rock—the place where Adam landed in his fall from Paradise and where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his first-born; where Solomon’s Temple stood and where Jesus preached; the rock from which Muhammad ascended to heaven—and transforms them into a narrative of novelistic depth and drama. This brilliantly imagined, historically based account of the building of the Dome of the Rock reconstructs the paths of the actual individuals whose spiritual journeys revolved around the seventh-century lore of the Rock. The chief protagonist is Ka’b al-Ahbar, a learned Jew who accepted the prophecy of Muhammad and who accompanied the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab during his conquest of the Holy City. The story is narrated by Ka’b’s son, Ishaq, who years later is commissioned to design the first monument of Islam, the Dome of the Rock. As he imagines the construction of the Dome—and the complex reasons behind its creation—Makiya gives us a meditation on the common terrain of the world’s three great monotheistic religions and a remarkable investigation into what the Rock symbolizes—beyond its various stories and names, beyond even the three faiths at whose heart it sits.
Kanan Makiya Bücher
Dieser Autor erforscht die komplexen Schnittpunkte von Identität, Exil und politischem Engagement, wobei er oft aus persönlichen Erfahrungen schöpft. Seine Arbeit befasst sich mit den tiefen kulturellen und historischen Strömungen, die sowohl Individuen als auch Gesellschaften prägen. Durch sein Schreiben versucht er, die komplexe Dynamik des Nahen Ostens und seinen Platz in der Welt zu verstehen. Seine Prosa ist scharfsinnig und nachdenklich und lädt die Leser ein, über die Komplexität der modernen Geschichte und persönlicher Erfahrungen nachzudenken.
