Aqsa Mosque, recessed roundels in the maqṣūra

The final years of al-Hakim’s reign were the most enigmatic and disruptive. During these years (from 1017 to 1021) the ruler reversed many of his edicts against the Christian and Jewish religious minority (dhimmī) populations—a decision that, medieval sources show, was often unpopular. Most notably, a new religious movement, which became known as the Druze, began to...