"This historically based account of the building of the Dome of the Rock reconstructs the paths of the actual individuals whose spiritual journeys revolved around the seventh-century lore of the Rock."--Jacket.

Bill Moyers interviews journalists and scholars about the history and motives of the states grouped under the heading "Islamic nations". Panelists examine the fulcrum of the conflict in the Middle East: the tension between the growth of religious expression in the region, and the pressures of modernity from the West.