Green Dome

For the Abbasid palace in Baghdad, see Palace of the Golden Gate.

The Green Dome (Arabic: ٱَلْقُبَّة ٱلْخَضْرَاء‎, romanized: al-Qubbah al-Khaḍrāʾ, Hejazi Arabic pronunciation: [al.ɡʊb.ba al.xadˤ.ra]) is a green-coloured dome built above the tombs of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the early Rashidun Caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634) and Omar (r. 634–644), 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.^[5] Millions visit it every year, since it is a tradition to visit the mosque after or before the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Green Dome
Al-Qubbah Al-Khaḍrāʾ (ٱَلْقُبَّة ٱلْخَضْرَاء)
The Green Dome at the Prophet's Mosque
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Branch/tradition	Ziyarat
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Mausoleum
Location
Location	Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Medina, Al-Madinah Province, Hejaz
Country	Saudi Arabia
Administration	The Agency of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques
Geographic coordinates	24°28′03.22″N 39°36′41.18″E
Architecture
Type	Tomb
Style	Islamic
Founder	Mamluk Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun[1]
Completed	678 AH (1279/1280CE)[2][1]
Materials	Wood,[3] brick[4]

The structure dates from 678 AH (1279/1280CE), 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".^[2]

History

Further information: Al-Masjid an-Nabawi

Wall of the Burial

Built in 678 AH (1279/1280CE), during the reign of Mamluk Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun,^[1] the original structure was made out of wood and was colourless,^[3] 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.^[4] The current dome was added in 1818 CE by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II.^[5] The dome was first painted green in 1837 CE.^[2]

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).^[6] 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.^{[7]: 102–103} Similar events took place in 1925 when the Saudi militias retook—and this time managed to keep—the city.^{[7]: 136 [8][9]} 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).^[10]

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.^[2] The graves themselves cannot be seen.^[11]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Opponents of the Dome

Since its emergence in the twelfth century AH, Salafism has opposed the construction of domes over graves. It has demolished all the domes that existed over the graves of the Companions and the Ahl al-Bayt in al-Baqi'. It has also called for the demolition of the Green Dome and the rebuilding of the Prophet's Mosque as it was in the era of the Prophet, so that the Prophet's grave, which is in the room of Lady Aisha, is not part of the mosque. Muqbil ibn Hadi al-Wadi'i says: "After this, I do not think you would hesitate that Muslims must restore the Prophet's Mosque as it was in the era of the Prophet, on the eastern side, so that the grave is not included within the mosque, and that they must remove that dome that many grave-worshippers now use as evidence... It is fitting for us, Muslims, to take on those domes built over graves and uproot them from the earth.^[12]

Saleh bin Muqbil al-Usaymi said: "The persistence of this dome over eight centuries does not mean that it has become permissible, nor does it mean that silence about it is an endorsement of it or evidence of its permissibility. Rather, it is incumbent upon the rulers of the Muslims to remove it, restore the situation to what it was during the era of the Prophet, and remove the dome, the decorations, and the inscriptions from the mosques, especially the Prophet's Mosque, unless doing so would result in a greater tribulation. If it does result in a greater tribulation, then it is incumbent upon the ruler to wait and be determined to seize the opportunity whenever it arises."^[13]

Panorama

Green Dome and Prophet's Mosque at sunset, view from the east

Gallery

• 
  View from the western side of the Hujra
• 
  17th century bronze coin depicting Mamluk era dome which preceded the current dome
• 
  The Green Dome, in Burton's Pilgrimage, c. 1850 CE
• 
  The Dome, first photographed in 1880 by Muhammad Sadiq
• 
  The grave of Muhammad located inside the quarter seen here

See also

• Islam portal
• Saudi Arabia portal

• 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