Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque

Today was a once-in-a-lifetime treat! Our study group was allowed to enter and photograph the third most holy place to Muslims, the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mound in the Old City of Jerusalem. Our group leader, Dr. Barbara Boehm, is the senior curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art responsible for an exhibit on Jerusalem. She researched for 6 years to assemble the collection and information necessary. During that time, she became good friends with Dr. Mustafa Abu Sway, the top Muslim scholar at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Yesterday, he came to speak with us. And today, he served as our tour guide. Typically non-Muslims are not allowed to enter the mosque, so we were thrilled with this honor.