Hammond Atlas of the Bible Lands

User Review: - Very thourough.
This book is for a bible study group I am in and I find it very helpful.

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User Review: - Bible atlas..
A nice reference book for the children while doing a Bible unit study. It isn't really fancy and isn't very big as far as pages go. It does get the job done though.

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User Review: - Note: the picture on the cover is of the Islamic Shrine 'The Dome of the Rock'
The picture on the cover of this text is of The Dome of the Rock (Arabic: translit.: Masjid Qubbat As-Sakhrah, Hebrew: translit.: Kipat Hasela, Turkish: Kubbetüs Sahra). It is an Islamic shrine.

It is not the 'Church of the Holy Sepulchre' as mis-identified in the Atlas itself.

The Dome of the Rock is located at the center of an ancient man-made platform known as the Temple Mount (Hebrew, Har haBayit; literally, the Mountain of the House) to the Jewish people and the Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary) to the Muslims. The platform, greatly enlarged under the rule of Herod the Great, is the site of the Second Jewish Temple which was destroyed during the Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

In 637 AD, Jerusalem was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate army during the Islamic invasion of the Byzantine Empire. And in a rivalrous act of competition with the original historical religions of Jerusalem with long prior religious history in this place, Judaism and Christianity, the Dome of the Rock was erected between 685 and 691 AD. And, unfortunately, there it remains.

Jerusalem was recaptured by Saladin on Friday, 2 October 1187 and the Haram was reconsecrated as a Muslim sanctuary. The cross on top of the Dome of the Rock was replaced by a golden crescent and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below.

Until the mid-nineteenth century, unsurprisingly and typically, non-Muslims were barred from the area. Since 1967, non-Muslims have been allowed some entry, but non-Muslim prayers on the Temple Mount are not allowed.

In 2006, the compound was reopened to non-Muslim visitors free of charge, between 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Summer and 7:30-10:30 a.m. and 1:30-2:30 p.m. during Winter. Non-muslims may never enter on Fridays, Saturdays, or Muslim holidays. Entry is through a covered wooden walkway next to the security entrance to the Western Wall known as the Mugrabi or Maimonides Gate. Entry to the mosques themselves is prohibited to non-Muslims, as is access to the Temple Mount through the Cotton Market. Visitors undergo strict security screening, and items such as Hebrew prayerbooks or musical instruments are not allowed.

The Muslim presence in the Holy Land began with the initial Arab conquest of Palestine in the 7th century. The Muslim armies' successes put increasing pressure on the Eastern Orthodox Byzantine Empire.

In the year 1009, the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah ordered the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. (That's not a surprise, is it.) The Dome was not destroyed but the Sepulchre was. In 1039 his successor, after requiring large sums be paid for the right (no surprise there, either. Dexter Filkins of the New York Times references a conversation with an Iraqi following an interaction with an American, in which the Iraqi says "We take their money, but we hate them."), permitted the Byzantine Empire to rebuild it. Pilgrimages were allowed to the Holy Lands before and after the Sepulchre was rebuilt, but for a time pilgrims were captured and some of the clergy were killed. The Muslim conquerors eventually realized that the wealth of Jerusalem came from the pilgrims; with this realization the persecution of pilgrims stopped. However, the damage was already done, and the violence of the Seljuk Turks became part of the concern that spread the passion for the Crusades.

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User Review: - Hammon Atlas of the Bible Lands
One of the best compositions of Bible maps. I recommend all my students to purchase this book, so they can better understand the sites mentioned in the Bible.

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User Review: - Best Bible Maps!
These maps are incredible. Places in the Bible in the OT that you can't find in some others, it's here! On the outside, it looks like a children's book; but once you utilize it in your study of the Scripture, it is phenomenal.

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