Imagine a savvy caliph, Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, boldly building the iconic Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in 72 AH to rival Mecca's pull and crush his nemesis Ibn al-Zubayr—straight from ancient sources like Ibn Taghri Birdi! This genius move not only locked down his empire but created timeless holy sites we still marvel at today.
