Cairo to Constantinople
Francis Bedford's Photographs of the Middle East
FRANCIS BEDFORD (1815-94)
Mosque of Omar [Dome of the Chain, at the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem]
1 Apr 1862Albumen print, mounted on card | 23.9 x 28.5 cm (image) | RCIN 2700916
The Dome of the Rock is both a shrine and a mosque. It is today the most sacred Islamic site in the city. The Dome of the Chain, a small domed structure adjacent to the shrine, was probably constructed as a treasury. It was believed at one point to cover the spot that marked the centre of the world.
The photograph is signed, captioned and dated in the negative, 'F Bedford Jerusalem'. The number in the Day & Son series is 57.