Gurevich/Exploring, 4. Reconstruction of a Crusader Opus Sectile Floor

The late 19th-century illustrations in: Picturesque Palestine, Sinai and Egypt edited by Sir Charles W. Wilson provides information pertinent to archaeological research even today. A detailed engraving depicting the interior of the Dome of the Rock initiated an investigation by researchers from the Temple Mount Sifting Project to trace the origins of an opus sectile floor, usually hidden under carpeting, back to the Crusader Period by comparing its intricate design to a similar Crusader-era floor in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.