Book of Travels (Safarnama)

Name of text: Book of Travels (Safarnama)
Author of text:

Nasir-i Khusraw
Date of text: Journey took place 1047
Date of person in text: 11th century
Name of structure in text: Dome of the Rock
Type of structure in text: mosque/sanctuary
Date of structure in text 7th century
Century of structure 1: 7 AD
Century of structure 2: 7 AD
Country in text: Israel
Region in text:
City in text: Jerusalem
Specific place of mosaic in text: Exterior
Description of mosaic in text:

The gateway, the facing of the wings, and the open hall of the gateway are adorned with designs and patterned with coloured glass cubes set in plaster.  The whole produces an effect dazzling to the eye.  There is an inscription on the gateway, also in glass mosaic, with the titles of the sultan of Egypt.  When the sun strikes this, the rays play so that the mind of the beholder is absolutely stunned.

Description of the Stairways leading to the Platform:  The top of the arcade is flat with a gallery and crenellations above so that the whole looks squared off.  The pillars and arches are covered with gold and glass mosaic designs and are too beautiful to describe. The balustrades around the platform are all of a flecked green marble that looks like a meadow with flowers in bloom [this suggests that the mosaic designs were of a floral nature.]
Mosaic date in text: 7 AD
Tesserae silver mentioned in text? No
Tesserae gold mentioned in text? Yes
Colour descriptions in text:
Bibliography:

Nasir-I Khusraw, Book of Travels, ed. and trans. by Wheeler M. Thackston Jr. (California: Mazda Publishers Inc., 2001), pp. 30, 42


See also: Grabar, Oleg, The Shape of the Holy (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1996), pp. 137-161
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