SW Asia & North Africa

Today we are off to Southwest Asia. We will be going to the city of Jerusalem.

Site one: The first historical site we went to was the Dome of the Rock. The Dome of the rock is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The building process was from 688-692 CE. The original dome collapsed in 1016 and was then rebuilt in 1021. The Dome of the Rock was built over a sacred stone. This stone is believed to be the place from which Prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven during his Night Journey to Heaven. This building is in its core one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture.  This is the most famous Islamic site in Jerusalem.
      When we first got here they had the Dome closed because it was under inspection. The security told us it would be an hour or two, so we just walked around and looked at the wildlife and nature for awhile. We go in line a little while later because the line started to get very long. We stood in line for about forty-five minutes and then we got in. It was very old in there, but very interesting to look at. They were many old artifacts and wall carving that were pretty amazing to look at. You could not talk in there, so it was silent. We only got about an hour in there then we had to leave because of how big the line was outside.

Site Two: The next couple of days we spent in Northern Africa. We went to many different historical sites, but the Great Pyramid of Giza was very interesting to us. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza complex bordering, what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. This pyramid has three chambers. The first is underground carved in the bedrock. The second, above ground chamber was called the queen's chamber by early explorers. The third chamber is the king's chamber, which held red a red granite sarcophagus placed almost in the center of the pyramid. The width of the pyramid is about 755 feet and the height is about 452 feet. It is wider than it is tall.
      We got here and were amazed at the sized of the pyramid. We walked around and looked at all the stuff around the pyramid and looked at all the surroundings. We were amazed that it was kind of out in the middle of nowhere. We spent a few hours here and looked around. We walked through the inside and looked at all the carvings in the walls. We were very interested about all the writings in the dirt and walls. It was a great experience.