Greek for ‘flesh-eater’ (plural: sarcophagi). A stone coffin, common in the Roman period.

This dynasty, headed by Aradashir (226-241 CE), conquered Iran from the Parthians in 224 CE, and ruled Iran and central Asia until 651 CE; its capital was Qatsifon. The last ruler of this dynasty was Yazdigard (632-651 CE). After the Muslimconquest of Iran, they adopted the governmental and administrative framework of the Sassanians, as well as their cultural heritage, a fact that is reflected in Early Islamic art and literature.

The first of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which includes the act of declaring that “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet”.

The Muslim religious codex.

A large underground space with a system of vaults, beneath the southeast corner of the Temple Mount enclosure. The vaults were probably built in the late Second Temple period, when the area of the Temple Mount was enlarged southward. The space was repaired in the Umayyad period and again under Crusader rule, when it was given the name ‘Solomon’s Stables’. In 1996 the complex was converted for use as a mosque.