Green Dome

The Green Dome (, ) is a green-coloured dome built above the tombs of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Rashidun Caliphs Abu Bakr () and Omar (), which used to be the chamber of Aisha. The dome is located in the southeast corner of '' Al-Masjid al-Nabawi'' in Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia. Millions visit it every year, since it is a tradition to visit the mosque after or before the pilgrimage to Mecca.

The structure dates from , when an unpainted wooden cupola was built over the tomb. It was later rebuilt and painted using different colours (blue and silver) twice in the late 15th century and once in 1817 CE. The dome was first painted green in 1837 CE, and hence became known as the "Green Dome".

History

Built in , during the reign of Mamluk Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun, the original structure was made out of wood and was colourless, painted white and blue in later restorations. After a serious fire struck the mosque in 1481 CE, the mosque and dome had been burnt and a restoration project was initiated by Sultan Qaitbay who had most of the wooden base replaced by a brick structure in order to prevent the collapse of the dome in the future, and used plates of lead to cover the new wooden dome. The building, including the Tomb of the Prophet, was extensively renewed through Qaitbay's patronage. The current dome was added in 1818 CE by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II. The dome was first painted green in 1837 CE.

When Saud bin Abdul-Aziz took Medina in 1805 CE, his followers, the Wahhabis, demolished nearly every tomb dome in Medina based on their belief that the veneration of graves and places claimed to possess supernatural powers is an offense against the oneness of God (''tawhid'') and supposedly associates partners with Him ('' shirk''). The tomb was stripped of its gold and jewel ornaments, but the dome was preserved either because of an unsuccessful attempt to demolish its hardened structure, or because some time ago Ibn Abd al-Wahhab wrote that he did not wish to see the dome destroyed despite his aversion to people praying at the tomb. Similar events took place in 1925 when the Saudi militias retook—and this time managed to keep—the city. Most of the famous Muslim scholars of the Wahhabi Sect support the decision made by Saudi authorities not to allow veneration of the tomb as it was built much later after the death of Muhammad and considered it as an "innovation" (''bid'ah sayyi’ah'').

Tomb of Muhammad and early caliphs

Muhammad's grave is believed to lie within the confines of what used to be his and his wife Aisha's house, during the Hijra. During his lifetime, it adjoined the mosque. The first and second Rashidun Caliphs, Abu Bakr and Umar are buried next to where Muhammad is believed to have been buried. Umar was given a spot next to Abu Bakr by Aisha, originally intended for her. The mosque was expanded during the reign of Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I to include their tombs. The graves themselves cannot be seen.

The graves and what remains of Aisha's house are enclosed by a 5-sided wall, without doors or windows, built by the caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. The irregular pentagon shape was chosen deliberately, to make it look different from the rectangular Kaaba, and to discourage people from performing tawaf around it. The enclosure has been inaccessible since Mamluk Sultan Qaitbay's reconstruction of 1481. Only the outer southern wall, draped in green cloth, can be seen through the grilles built several centuries later.

Panorama

Gallery

Raouda.JPG, View from the western side of the Hujra
'Madinah Sharif' Indian token.jpg, 17th century bronze coin depicting Mamluk era dome which preceded the current dome
Burton Nabi.gif, The Green Dome, in Burton's Pilgrimage,
Khalili Collection Hajj and Arts of Pilgrimage Arc.pp-0254.11.jpg, The Dome, first photographed in 1880 by Muhammad Sadiq
Mrs Aisha room.jpg, The grave of Muhammad located inside the quarter seen here

See also

* ''Bayt al-Mawlid'', the house where Muhammad is believed to have been born
* Burial places of founders of world religions
* Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia
* List of mausoleums in Saudi Arabia
* List of mosques in Saudi Arabia

References

External links

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Islamic mausoleums
Buildings and structures in Medina
Mosque buildings with domes in Saudi Arabia
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
Buildings and structures completed in the 13th century
Mausoleums in Saudi Arabia