On Muslim Jerusalem in the Period of its Formation

At the beginning of the article I mentioned that although we are familiar with the different attitudes and approaches concerning Jerusalem in early Islam, we are not always able to assess the balance of their relative strength and significance, or to find their internal proportion. I believe that the role of the Umayyads was decisive in combining many elements of the different attitudes. Through their building activities in Jerusalem (but also through literary forms and contents) they had great significance for the original Muslim contribution (e.g., al-Aqsa Mosque). They also relied greatly on Jewish and Christian patterns, and they adopted Byzantine models in addressing (and utilizing) religious matters. This shows also that the cultural background of the different religious communities did not differ that much, and there was mutual exposure to ideas and customs. Here I have presented some different perspectives and interpretations of the Arabic texts on Jerusalem, especially regarding the preservation of foreign elements absorbed by Muslim culture. Some of the observations were treated in early articles of mine but occasionally in a different context. Emphasis lay on the early patterns that preceded Islam in Syria and Palestine.