The Rock: A Tale of Seventh-Century Jerusalem » (Reprint)

Born in Baghdad, Kanan Makiya is the author of Republic of Fear, Post-Islamic Classicism, The Monument, and Cruelty and Silence, which was awarded the 1993 Lionel Gelber Prize fro the best book on international relations. He has written for The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, The Independent, The Times (London), and The Times Literary Supplement. A trained architect, he is a founding director of The Iraq Foundation, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that facilitates research toward a democratic Iraq. He has collaborated on two films for television, one of which, Saddam's Killing Fields, received the 1992 Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Television Documentary on Foreign Affairs. Makiya currently directs the Iraq Research and Documentation Project at Harvard University and teaches at Brandeis University. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The Rock of Jerusalem is one of the world’s most spiritually resonant and politically contentious sites: where Adam first stepped upon leaving Paradise, Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, Jesus preached, and Muhammad began his night journey to heaven,. Sorting through the rubble of the three competing faiths, Kanan Makiya has woven a vivid tapestry from centuries of legend and belief to imagine the origins of Islam’s first monument, the Dome of the Rock. A narrative of mythic power, The Rock offers a grand tour of seventh-century Jerusalem and–by reminding us of how much Jews and Muslims once shared–serves as a bracing talisman for our times.

Publishers Weekly

Makiya, an award-winning writer and filmmaker, triumphs in this inspired and lyrical book that is equal parts history and novel. His focus is the Rock of Jerusalem, claimed by Judaism, Christianity and Islam alike as the site of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son. The narrator, Ishaq, relates his father Ka'b's esteem for the Rock and his service to Islam's caliph by designing the Dome of the Rock, the shrine that envelops the rock and commemorates Solomon's temple. Makiya's narrative weaves together centuries-old stories from all three major religious traditions' holy books and other historical accounts. The novelization is pure magic, as Makiya brings history to life for contemporary readers. As Ishaq describes how Jews, Christians and Muslims in unison built and maintained the Dome of the Rock, Makiya presents his thesis that, before Judaism, Christianity, and Islam became the separate religions they are today, they were first different paths on the same road. The Rock itself symbolizes this connection, keeping the peace "by holding the burden of memory [of Abraham's faith] in balance." Conservative Muslims may find elements to dislike: Makiya implies that some hadiths (the sayings of Muhammad) were created as propaganda years after Muhammad's death, and has the narrator express regret that the Rock is encompassed within the Dome. However, most readers will appreciate the overall point, which is that the three major monotheistic religions once coexisted peacefully in a fluid synergy, free of political hatreds. (Nov.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.