Detail of the tiled facade on the Dome of the Rock, a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Completed in 691 CE, at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik, it is one of the oldest extant works of Islamic architecture. It contains the Foundation Stone, which is religiously significant for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.
The tile work on the facade of the shrine dates back to the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520 to 1566) and took seven years to install. Many of the tiles were replaced during a restoration project which began in 1955, as the originals had been dislodged by rain.Photograph: Andrew Shiva