Dome of the Rock belongs to the Common Era — dated here to c. 691 CE at Jerusalem, Palestine. Dates mark a scholarly centre of gravity (dedication, completion, or iconic phase), not a single foundation day.
Abd al-Malik’s octagonal shrine crowned with a golden dome — early Islamic architecture announcing itself on the Temple Mount.
How it amazes the brain
Byzantine mosaics without living figures, a wooden dome, and a plan that centres the Foundation Stone.
Why it counts as a wonder
It never needed a contest ballot to scramble the brain: scale, craft, or sheer improbability is enough.
One of the oldest surviving Islamic monuments — sacred real estate as world architecture.
On dating
CE means years after the traditional birth of Christ. A monument listed as c. 691 CE may have been founded earlier, rebuilt later, or become famous only in one phase. Engineering wonders (dams, tunnels, orbiting labs) are dated to opening or assembly.
This is story 13 of 100 in The Trend Ledger’s illustrated desk on world wonders raised after the birth of Christ — the companions to our BCE series.