The Noble Sanctuary Book

While many innovative educational programs were being developed by publishers eager to repurpose their print publications for the digital market, the extensive resources required for original multi-media productions were also being used to produce new print publications to accompany them. 

The Noble Sanctuary book was developed with the same resources and the same objectives as its companion multi-media production, to increase the awareness and appreciation of the immense wealth of historical and spiritual treasures reflected in the art and architecture of the al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem, but in print form.

There are several challenges in the conversion from interactive media to print. Perhaps the first is to consider how the print version may differ to the original production in terms of audience and ultimate use. The second challenge is adapting the relatively freeform interactive navigation inherent in interactive media to a more linear narrative suitable to the limitations of page based print media. The third consideration is the relative limitation of space, and the necessity for editorial decisions on what is essential to include and what is not. Lastly, there is the print publication design and graphics, and technical questions about image quality and resolution and the special requirements of the printing process.

Production Details

Research and original English text for The Noble Sanctuary by Robert Spiker. Design and graphics by New Andalus Productions. Photography by Peter Sanders, Robert Spiker and Muhsin Kilby. Site access and original research materials in cooperation with the the Islamic Waqf Administration in Jerusalem. Special assistance and support from the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque Restoration Committee, Resident Architect Isam Awwad, Resident Archeologist Yusuf Natsheh, and Head Librarian Khader Salameh.