Upon its completion in 691 CE, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem became a major pilgrimage site for Muslims, joining the Kaaba in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina as one of the holiest sites in Islam. The shrine was built over the Foundation Stone, which is sacred in both Judaism and Islam as the site of the binding of Isaac and the location of Solomon's Temple. Its golden dome and elaborate inscriptions established it as a symbol of Islamic power and faith.

The Dome of the Rock is a recurring image in Islamic poetry, from the devotional verse of the medieval period to the modern Palestinian poetry of Mahmoud Darwish. In Western poetry, it has often been invoked in poems about Jerusalem's sacred geography, appearing in works by William Blake, Lord Byron, and countless pilgrim narratives.