Mother of pearl model of the Dome of the Rock.

This object is a jewelry box modeled on the Dome of the Rock mosque, constructed between 687 CE and 691 CE in the Old City of Jerusalem. Typically handcrafted with natural seashells covering wood boards and velvet lining the inside gift box, it is an example of a centuries-old industry based in the Bethlehem area.

Calligraphy wrapped around the box is of verses from Sūra Yā Sīn, the thirty-sixth chapter of the Qurʾān which recounts the miraculous night journey of the Prophet Muḥammad (583-609) from Mecca to Jerusalem. This chapter is engraved on the al-Aqṣā mosque, of which the box is a replica. Boxes of this type are often also used to house diminutive copies of the Qurʾan.