Holy Land
In the mid-1990s, I was presented with the unique opportunity to travel overseas for the first time. The trip was a tour of the Holy Land and Rome, Italy. The price of this trip was less than what it would cost for the eight credit hours I needed to graduate early from my university. I was required to graduate with a double major—my degree is in education with a second degree in the Bible as ancient literature.
Witness to History
I was so excited to go on this trip! And it was truly a historic time. I can date the trip precisely because during our tour of Jericho in the West Bank, we experienced Israel handing over control to the Palestinian Authority. We did not know it then, but the borders were closed just after our tour bus passed the frontier. The reporters and photographers who entered Jericho with our tour group were a bit concerned, but we Americans were not concerned enough.
I remember getting off the bus and the women of our group were cautioned to not make eye contact and be demure. We were surrounded by soldiers carrying guns, and Palestinian flags were waving everywhere. I think no fewer than seven soldiers kissed me—that is good luck, right?
Back in the kibbutz where we were staying, we watched the dramatic CNN coverage of the event we had witnessed firsthand. This explains why my family was panicked until I could contact them and let them know that all was well.
Visiting Palestinian-controlled areas was not the only exciting excursion of this trip; our group also spent some time praying at the Wailing Wall, and we were also able to enter the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. I am not sure if it is open to non-Muslims today, but it was then.
during his trip to the Holy Land in the mid-1990s.
(Photo: Getty Images/richmatts)
Jordanian Note
The Jordanian 1 dinar depicts a splendid rendition of the Dome of the Rock, which I got to visit on this fantastic trip.
King Hussein of Jordan, who ruled from 1952 to 1999, appears on the face of this note. He was a 40th-generation descendant of the prophet Mohammad. In 1951 the then-Prince Hussein was with his grandfather King Abdullah when he was assassinated at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. After a short reign by his father, King Talal, Hussein ascended the throne. He can be seen on this bank note wearing a red kuffiya, which is a variety of the black kuffiya traditionally worn by rural Arabs. The red version was strongly associated with Jordan and, by extension, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). Interestingly, Malaysian Muslim women are said to be partial to this headwear.
The back of this bank note depicts the Dome of the Rock, completed in A.D. 691 by the Umayyad Caliph Abdal-Malik. It was built on the site of the second Jewish Temple. My research shows that it was patterned after contemporary Byzantine churches and palaces. From here, the prophet Muhammad experienced his “Night Journey” from Earth to heaven. The rock inside the dome is believed to house the prophet’s footprint, and a small shrine stands where one can reach their hand in and feel it. I was honored to be able to touch the footprint—not everyone was invited to do so.
King Hussein (r. 1952-99) is shown on the front.
(Photo: numista.com/mosque theme banknotes)
Sacred Rock
For Jews, this same rock is significant as the Foundation Stone. It is in the vicinity where the Holy of Holies was separated from worshipers by the great veil that hid the Ark of the Covenant. This edifice is also interesting to historians as the site where Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac but a ram in a thicket suddenly appeared as a more acceptable offering.
The site is sacred to Christians too. The dome was constructed using the measurements of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here in the West, there is some confusion about names. The Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are thought to be the same building, but they aren’t. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, a former Crusader church, is a separate structure on the Temple Mount. Also confusing for Western students is that another name for the Dome of the Rock is the Mosque of Omar.
The Dome of the Rock is incredibly ornate and beautiful. It positively drips and oozes with history and exudes a passion that has captured the interest of many. More than one country with Islamic and Jewish roots depicts the Dome of the Rock on its currency. Please visit my YouTube channel, Numismatic Notes with Benjamin, to enjoy this and other bank notes that show this holy pilgrimage site. Have a jewel of a day!
A version of this article appears in the February 2025 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)