Adding to the thoughts of Mr. Alexander on the possible coin issues attributed to the Islamic State, the mosques on two of the coins wereincorrectly identified. I tread lightly when trying to discuss religions, but following is my attempt as the two buildings and areas on which theysit have significance to those of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths and show their inter-relationships in this part of the world ofconflicting histories and so much emotion:

Theten dirham coin illustrates the al-Aqsa Mosque. The Old City of Jerusalem contains the raised ground known by Jews and most Western Christians as theTemple Mount and by Muslims as al-Haram ash-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary). According to Jewish tradition and scripture, the Temple Mount is the locationof the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The prominent structures visible today on the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary are the Al-AqsaMosque and the Dome of the Rock, both of which I have visited.

The two buildings can be confused as the whole area of the Noble Sanctuary can be referred to as al-Aqsa Mosque. The Dome of the Rock has anoctagonal shaped plan and with its golden dome is one of Jerusalem's most recognizable landmarks. I consider the Dome of the Rock to be one of themost beautiful buildings in the world that I have ever entered. According to tradition of many, it sits on the site from which Mohammad ascended toheaven. The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque for worship but a shrine for pilgrimage. The adjacent al-Aqsa Mosque is a congregation mosque whereMuslims pray and is the rectangular building depicted on the coin.

Based on the two covered galleries in the main body of the minaret and the two projecting gallerieson the spire, the five dirham coin depicts the Minaret of Prophet Isa (Jesus), one of three minarets at the Umayyad Mosque, also known as the GrandMosque of Damascus. Muslims do not believe Jesus died on the cross but was raised by Allah to heaven and at the end of time he will return to earthat this place.

The Umayyad Mosque is one of the largest and holiest mosques in the world and in a garden adjoining the mosque is the tomb of Saladin. What Ifound remarkable on my visit was the veneration here for John the Baptist (Prophet Yahia to Muslims). As the mosque is the site of an earlierChristian basilica, tradition says that his head is buried here. Allegedly this is the first mosque ever entered by the Roman Catholic Pope,occurring when Pope John Paul II came to Damascus in 2001 to visit the relics of John the Baptist.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
ALEXANDER ON THE "ISLAMIC STATE" COINS(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n49a25.html)