Jordanian Activity To Demonstrate Hashemites' Responsibilities As Custodians Of The Islamic Holy Sites In Jerusalem

2006-10-17

New carpet for the Dome of the Rock Mosque

www.petra.gov.jo/ nepras/2006/Oct/ 17/28000.htm

AMMAN, October 17 (Petra - Jordan news agency)-- New carpet for the Dome of the Rock Mosque will be laid today in implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah It's recent initiative to renovate the mosque's interior.

The new carpeting covers approximately 2,000m sq and was chosen with extra care in terms of color and specifications to concur with the nature and sanctity of the mosque.

During a visit last week to the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, King Abdullah announced the construction of a fifth minaret at Al Aqsa Mosque along with other restoration, preservation and maintenance work. The work is being undertaken as part of the Hashemites' responsibilities as custodians of the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem since 1924.

The King also announced the creation of a special waqf fund to support the holy places and ensure the continuity of maintenance and protection of Islamic shrines, foremost of which is Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The restoration projects as well as plans pertaining to the building of a fifth minaret at Al Aqsa and the new furniture are estimated to cost around JD5 million.

Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdel Fattah Salah said the King's move stems from his keenness to follow up on all issues pertaining to religious sites in Jerusalem and their preservation. He commended the Hashemites for their special and continued care for the mosques over the past decades. "His Majesty's continued offering is part of his love for and commitment to his great grandfather the Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h) and the sacred place where the Prophet ascended to heavens," Salah said.

Hashemite custodianship of holy Islamic places in Jerusalem has been ongoing since 1924 when Sherif Hussein Ben Ali contributed 50,000 gold lira to the restoration of Al Aqsa and other mosques in Palestine. King Abdullah I initiated the call for the renovation the Mihrab Zakariyah and the restoration of the surrounding structures that were damaged during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

During the era of His Majesty the late King Hussein, the Jordanian government in 1952 undertook the first restoration of the Dome of the Rock and the second restoration from 1959-1964. In 1969, the government restored the Minbar Salaheddine (the pulpit of Salaheddine) of Al Aqsa after it was damaged in a fire.

In the late 1980s, King Hussein gave instructions that the Dome of the Rock's golden dome be recovered with 5,000 gold pieces and that its ceiling and infrastructure be reinforced, with special attention to the renovation of Minbar Salaheddine.

King Abdullah II placed the first ornament on a replica of the minbar on 27 Ramadan 2002 at the Balqa Applied Sciences University Islamic Arts College where staff and professors completed the replica. On July 25, 2006, King Abdullah unveiled at Balqa University the completed minbar, marking the beginning of the minbar's return to Al Aqsa Mosque as a testament to the Hashemites' commitment to the renovation and construction of Muslim holy sites.

//Petra//

Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis