WELFARE ASSOCIATION

A quarterly newsletter
devoted to the preservation
of architectural heritage
Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Program Issue 7 May 2003

Al-Quds
Heritage and Life:
The Old City of Jerusalem
Revitalisation Plan
One of the Welfare Association’s main objectives in establishing
a special programme dedicated to the revitalisation of the
Old City of Jerusalem in 1994, was to create a nucleus for a
comprehensive, diverse and integrated development process.
Such a process, it was hoped, would not only promote the
preservation of Jerusalem cultural heritage, but also stimulate
socio-economic regeneration of the Old City and improvement of
the living conditions of residents.
At the same time that Welfare implemented the restoration and
rehabilitation of historic buildings and monuments, it also created a
database for the Old City based on extensive sectoral studies and
surveys of the economic, social, environmental and institutional
conditions conducted by sector specialists. Sur vey results
enabled the preparation of a comprehensive development plan,
a master plan, to revitalise the Old City, and provide a technical
reference for researchers, professionals and agencies interested
in Jerusalem heritage and life.
The multi-step process was designed to include a variety of expert
opinions and community input, and began with the establishment
of a core team in late 1998. A multi-disciplinary planning team
conducted sector studies. The data was analysed, both individually
and collectively, through regular meetings and workshops and then
each sectoral expert put forward specific proposals for future
development. These preliminar y study findings and sectoral
proposals were presented and discussed during a seminar
organised by OCJRP in 2000. International experts with extensive
experience in the revitalisation of historic cities also participated
in the seminar. The conclusions and recommendations that
resulted from the discussions assisted in the development of
the master plan’s proposal and recommendations.
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The various studies were incorporated into a unified report, the

first that provides an integrated comprehensive vision for the
renewal of the Old City of Jerusalem. The plan was published in
Arabic in December 2001; a revised version will be published in
Qantara, Tariq al-Wad /

English in late 2003.

In view of prevailing political conditions and the difficulties that
Palestinians and their local institutions encounter in Jerusalem, the
planning team tried to put forward realistic proposals that would

Contents Al-Quds:
• Walls • Gates • Markets • Fountains
• Soup Kitchen • Sufi Zawiyyah • Ribat Ala' al-Din • St. Anne's Church
•Jewish Quarter • 'Umari Mosque • Mamilla Cemetery • Glimpsing History
Note: Dr. Yousef Natsheh, Head al- Awqaf Archeology Department at al-Haram al-Sharif,
is co-editor and chief contributor for this special issue on Jerusalem.

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 facilitate a process of dynamic implementation.
This deviates from the usual development plan
of including all expected results, and should be
evaluated with this difference in mind.
The planners were conscious of the need to
provide a vision based on sound research,
scientific methodology and evaluation. The result
is the creation of a database and reference for a
process of social and economic regeneration and
institutional revival in the Old City, while providing
for the protection of Jerusalem cultural heritage
according to international laws and convention ---
to protect the person and the place and to ensure
their continuity.

Welfare Association
--- Dr. Shadia Touqan, Director, OCJRP

Rehabilitating housing and institutions is crucial to revitalizing the Old City.

Jerusalem’s Wall
Jerusalem has always been a walled hilltop city.
Early in its histor y defensive walls may have
been created simply by building gates between
natural rock formations. The massive Ottoman
wall encircling the Old City of Jerusalem seen
today was built by Sultan Suleiman al-Qanuni
(1520-1566), in typical Ottoman architectural
style with Mamluk influences. Considered one of
the world’s most impressive and best preserved
examples of the period, it has stood complete and
unreconstructured for the past 460 years. It was
built partly along the lines of Hadrian’s original
fortification in the 2nd century and incorporates a
portion of an original gate and arches in its base,

near the monumental Damascus Gate.
Recent research shows that Muhammed Shalabi,
a sculptor known apparently for his competence
and efficient administration, was mandated to
supervise the construction. The construction was
carried out by skilled labor from the region and outside
and, according to the 13 engraved stone plates affixed
near the wall gates and towers, in less than five years
(1537-1541), a relatively short period considering the
size of the project and the building methods and tools
available at the time. The wall was built with sandstone
blocks, some quarried locally and some reused from
previous construction.
The length of the wall is more than 4 kilometers, about
4235 meters. Its height from the ground, var ying
according to the topography, averages between 5 and
15 meters and thickness varies from 1.5 meters to 3
meters. The most famous of its 34 towers are Burj al-
Laqlaq (Pelicans’ Tower), and Burj Kebreet (Sulfur Tower).
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TURATH is produced by the Old City of Jerusalem
Revitalization Program (OCJRP) and published by the Welfare
Association, with assistance from the Ford Foundation.
OCJRP Director: Shadia Touqan, Ph.D., RIBA, Architect,
Urban Planner
TURATH Editor: Anita Vitullo
Arabic Translator: Khalil Touma
Design and Printing: TURBO Design, Ramallah
Newsletter Advisory Board:
Hisham Qaddoumi, Architect, Chairman of the Technical
Committee- OCJRP, Welfare Association Board of Trustees
Isam Awwad, Chief Architect, al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of
the Rock Restoration Committee
Khaled Qawasmi, Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Resident Engineer,
Hebron Rehabilitation Committee
Nada al-Hassan, Architect and Conservation Expert
Nazmi Ju'abi, Ph.D., History and Archeology, Co-director of
Riwaq, Center for Architectural Conservation
Suad Amiry, Ph.D., Architecture, Co-director of Riwaq, Center
for Architectural Conservation
Yousef al-Natsheh, Ph.D., Head of al-Awqaf Archeology
Department at al-Haram al-Sharif

Mail: OCJRP-Welfare, P.O.B. 25204, Shu'fat, Jerusalem

Welfare Association

Tel: 972-2-234-3934, Fax: 972-2-234-3935

Email: turath@jwelfare.org
http://www.welfareassociation.org

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 The wall is turreted and cut with 344 masaghl or vertical
look-outs, and decorated with a large number of stone
reliefs in circular, geometric and floral designs.
According to Turkish historian Evli Jelbi, the wall was
built after Sultan Suleiman al-Qanuni dreamt that the
Prophet Muhammed instructed him to protect the holy
cities of Mecca, Medina, and Beit al-Maqdes (Jerusalem).
An alternative theory is that the wall was mandated for
defensive purposes against a possible Frankish invasion,
under Charles the Fifth, or by Beduin forces. Others hold
that Suleiman was motivated by a desire to restore
Jerusalem’s preeminence as a holy city, and executed
many building projects for this reason, including the
renovation of al-Aqsa Mosque and the water canal system,
and construction of public fountains.

Jerusalem’s Gates
There are seven gates in today’s Jerusalem wall; five
are cross-vaulted gates included in the original Ottoman
construction and two are simple gates added relatively
recently (1899 and in the 1950s). An eighth gate, Golden
Gate, is a closed façade in the eastern wall of al-Haram al-

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Sharif, with Roman foundations and evidence of Omayyad,
Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman construction atop. The
original gates are Mamluk-inspired, double-angled for
better defense and with saqatat, a chute in the roof
from which oil and other materials could be dropped on Golden Gate
unsuspecting invaders.
The original Ottoman gates are Bab al-Amud (Gate of the
Column, better known as Damascus Gate), Bab al-Zahera
(Flower Gate, better known as Herod’s Gate), Bab al-Asbat
(also known as Lions’ Gate or St. Stephens Gate), Bab
Nebi Daoud (Prophet David’s Gate, better known as Zion
Gate), and Bab al-Khalil (Hebron Gate, better known as
Jaffa Gate).
Some adaptions were made in the 19th century. In 1875
the narrow angled entrance in Bab al-Zahera was closed
and the main gate opened. In 1898, next to Bab al-Khalil, a
wide breach was cut in the wall to allow for the ceremonial
entrance of Kaiser Wilhelm’s entourage. Today it is the
main entrance for cars and taxis into limited areas of
the Old City.

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The recently added gates are the aptly named Bab al-
Jadid (New Gate), which was built in 1899 by Sultan
Abdel Hamid, at the behest of European powers, and
the Magharibah Gate (Western Gate, better known as
Dung Gate), originally a tower and opened as a gate by Damascus Gate / Bab al-Amud
Jordan in 1953.
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Jaffa Gate / Bab al-Khalil St. Stephen's Gate / Bab al-Asbat

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 Jerusalem’s
Markets
Commercial activity in the city of Jerusalem
has always been concentrated in public
complexes known as khans, bazaars,
qaisariyahs, and aswaq. Most popular during
the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, these
markets were streets divided into sections
of shops that sold similar commodities, and
small markets called suwaiqah. The three
parallel markets in the center of the city --- Suq
al-Lahamin (meat), Suq al-Attareen (spice and
per fume) and Suq al-Khawajat (merchants)
--- are still commercially active although, like
other markets throughout the city, offer more
variety than their names indicate. Only the
southern half of Suq al-Khawajat is visible
today. Some of the markets are covered by
vaults suppor ting buildings that span the
street and offer protection from sun and rain.
Suq al-Attareen is entirely cross-vaulted with
openings in the vaults for air and light.
Other markets are Khan al-Zeit (oil), and the
most splendid, Suq al-Qattanin (cotton), which
leads to a western entrance to al-Haram al-
Sharif. The Mamluk-era vaulted market is
comprised of 30 shops in rows on each side
of a 95-meter east-west path, and contains
two public baths and a 2-storey khan. It was built in

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1336 by Prince Tankez al-Nasiri, the local representative
of Balad al-Sham, and is among the most complete and
beautiful markets in the Palestine-Syria region. Part of the
Suq al-Attareen

as the Cardo extends

from the far end of Suq
al-Attareen to Prophet
David Gate. Some of
the visible foundations
of the Cardo date to
the Cr usaders era
which, as archeological
excavations indicate,
were erected on the Welfare Association
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rubble and roads of

earlier Roman and
Byzantine markets.
Suq al-Qattanin roof
Mshubuk, Khan al-Zeit

khan is currently used as offices for the Islamic Awqaf

Department and al-Quds University but the market area
itself suffers from lack of maintenance and disuse due
to political restrictions. Recently, the technical office of
the Welfare Association’s Old City Revitalization Program
designed a revival plan for the suq in cooperation with
the Islamic Waqf Department.
Khan al-Zeit market is the main traffic thoroughfare in
the Old City extending from the crossroads immediately
inside Damascus Gate and continuing half-way through
the Old City. A Byzantine mosaic map of Jerusalem found
in Medaba, Jordan, clearly shows the route. For centuries
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this market specialized in the selling of olive and sesame

products and included a number of oil pressers and soap
makers, each with their own store. An ancient suq known
Christian Quarter

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 Public Fountains
The public fountain (sabil) is a distinctive feature in Islamic
architecture, serving as a decorative monument, and as a
means of providing pilgrims and the poor with clean water,
considered an act of alms-giving by Moslem rulers.
Public fountains were common in most Arab and Islamic
cities, especially those important to the religion, and
where water resources were scarce. They were built A B
mainly in public pathways, either as free-standing al-Budairiyya al-Kas
units or attached to large architectural structures such
as mosques, schools, and kuttabs (primar y classes
for teaching boys the Koran). When situated close to
religious buildings, the fountains were used primarily by
worshippers for ablution before prayers.
A total of 16 fountains can be found today in the city
of Jerusalem. Most of those located inside the Haram

al-Sharif are still functioning; others are situated near
its main western entrances and placed for maximum
impact in locations accessible to residents and visitors
to the city. The two earliest date from the Ayyubid period
(1187-1250).(A) Several were built by the Mamluks, of
which two monumental fountains remain built late in the
era (1250-1517). Twelve sabil built by the Ottomans are
still standing.
The styles, shapes, designs and decorations of the public
fountains in Jerusalem vary greatly. The oldest and one
of the most distinctive is al-Kas fountain, in the southern
area of al-Haram al-Sharif between al-Aqsa and the Dome
of the Rock. The all-marble sabil is circular and uncovered,
resembling a cup.(B)
The sabil of Ottoman ruler Qassem Pasha (1527) was
built in a unique octagonal shape, and is covered with
a half dome. It is surrounded with benches for ablution,
placed at a slightly lower level than al-Aqsa, similar to
al-Kas sabil. Until the late 1940s, it was fed by the canal
system linking pools to the south of Jerusalem. Today it
is still in use, connected to the local water system.(C)
The fountains of Sha’lan, Ibrahim al-Rumi, Qaytbay, and
Magharbeh Gate share a similar interior design of a square
room built over a cistern, and water basins and grilled
windows on the north, south and west sides; the east side
is the entrance for the caretaker who serves the fountain.
The most outstanding of these fountains is the arabesque-
domed Sabil Qaytbey, opposite Madrassa al-Ashrafiyyah.
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C D
Qassem Pasha pool Qaytbey
Its rich geometric and floral carvings and calligraphic
inscriptions, as well as its architectural elements, place
it among the greatest examples of architectural art of
the Mamluk era.(D)
The Shurbaji and Khalidi fountains, both located in the
Old City but outside al-Haram al-Sharif, are not built over
cisterns. Each has a rectangular basin behind which is a
nave and a vault with a double window where fresh water
is piped in. The Shurbaji fountain faces the entrance of
the Damascus Gate courtyard and is in such neglected
condition that it can be easily overlooked; the Khalidi
fountain is in the middle of Bab al-Silsileh street leading
to al-Aqsa Mosque.
Six fountains exhibiting a new style, with one open side
and a beautifully decorated and sculpted nave, were
built in 1536-7 at the beginning of the Ottoman period
by Sultan Suleiman al-Qanuni. These fountains, named
for their location (Sabil al-Wad, Sabil Bab al-Silsila, Sabil
Bab al-Nazir (E), Sabil Bab al-‘Atm, and Sabil Bab Sitti
Maryam), were distributed within the Haram plaza and
around its main entrances, while Birkat al-Sultan is the
only sabil found outside the Old City walls.

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E
Sabil Bab al-Nazir Aftimos fountain, 19thc. Greek Orthodox

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 stipulations in its endowment order, but not its name;
today it is known as al-Zawiyyah al-Afghaniyyah.
The Zawiyyah was established in 1632 under Muhammed
Pasha, the Ottoman ruler of Jerusalem, who was known
for his patronage of sufi establishments in the city.
Muhammed Pasha allocated a large sum of money to
cover its running cost, and imposed conditions on the
sufis residing in the Zawiyyah that they should meet with
their sheikh after every prayer to read the holy Qur’an and
offer special prayers.
The Qadiryyah Zawiyyah is on a road linking Ghawanmeh
Gate, one of the entrances to al-Haram al-Sharif, with
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Tariq al-Wad.

Soup Kitchen: Dar al-Aytam al-Islamiyya

An early Islamic tradition and a form of alms-giving to
the poor, the soup kitchen of Dar al-Aytam al-Islamiyya
has been functioning since it was built in the mid-
15th century, preparing simple meals for the poor in
Jerusalem. Today, the assistance to the community is
offered twice a week and on Islamic feast days, and
daily during Ramadan. The OCJRP recently restored the
ceiling, walls and floor of the kitchen.

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Zawiyyah The complex has a large rectangular courtyard with a
garden of plants and trees, popular with sufis as a symbol
al-Qadiryyah of afterlife paradise. Eleven small cell retreats surround
the courtyard on two sides, and a raised meeting hall
(al-Afghaniyyah) on the third side. A small mosque is located east of the
entrance, on an upper level.

As a city of pilgrimage, Jerusalem attracted a number of

Islamic Sufi orders that established religious institutions
known by the Arabic name “Zawiyyah” or the Persian The Ribat of Ala’ al-Din
name “Khanqah.” More than 30 centers were founded
in Jerusalem under the political protection and financial al-Baseer
endowment of the city’s Islamic rulers. Most proliferated
for a time and then disappeared. The Qadiryyah Order was The Ribat, near the Bab al-Majlis entrance to al-Haram
founded by al-Sharif, is one of the oldest ribats, or pilgrims’ hospices,
Sheikh Abdel in Jerusalem, housing Moslem residents over the past
Qader Al-Jilani 750 years. Since the late Ottoman period, it has been
in the 10th home to the African community---Palestinian families who
centur y, and trace their ancestry to pilgrims from Darfour in the Sudan
r epr esents and central Africa.
one of the
oldest and
best known
sufi orders in
the Islamic
world. The
zawiya is the
only active one
in Jerusalem;
its followers
still meet at
least twice a
week. It has
maintained
its original
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architectural
design, which
was one of the
Sufi mosque

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 The ribat was established by
the Mamluk prince, Ala’ al-
Din Eid Aydughadi (known as
al-Baseer), who became the
trustee of al-Aqsa mosque
and Ibrahimi mosque in
Hebron during the reign
of al-Thaher Baybars, and
Sultan Qalawoon. According
to its endowment engraved
in 1267 on a marble plate
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fixed above the Ribat

entrance, it was reser ved
for poor pilgrims. It was
the first Mamluk religious
foundation in the city; the
location, a rocky plateau
level with al-Haram al-Sharif plaza, was probably chosen
for its topography.
The original Mamluk structure is a single-floor construction
over a 1.2 dunum area consisting of many stones from the
Ayyubi and Crusader eras. The building’s southern facade
overlooks the road to Bab al-Majlis. A large pointed vault
leads to the entrance, flanked on both sides by marble
benches, with a cross-vault above. A small door opens
to a courtyard surrounded on three sides by small rooms
known as khalawi (retreats). Modern concrete rooms
have been added to the area by residents over the past
century. Two halls occupy the southwestern corner of the
courtyard; one is used today by the African community as a
mosque and the other, once used for ablution and Ribat

baths, has been converted into homes. In the opposite
corner is a triple cross-vaulted hall with the tomb of the
founder that can be accessed from an external door from
the road that leads to Al-Haram.
The Ribat has been known by many names during its long
history: Ala al-Din al-Baseer for the founder, the Abasiriyya
School, Habs al-Dem (blood prison) or Habs al-Abeed
(slave prison) during the rule of the Ottomans who used it
for longterm prisoners. The OCJRP will be working with the
African community in 2003 to rehabilitate the structures,
and to upgrade and maintain facilities, including its front
façade, retreats and courtyards.
Contributed by Amal Abul Hawa, OCJRP
Welfare Association
Facade of St. Anne's
Following that miracle, and the belief that St. Ann gave
birth to Virgin Mary the mother of Jesus Christ in a cave
near the pool, the location held interest for Christian
pilgrims. In the Byzantine era a basilica was constructed
on top of the pool and extending to the place of pagan
worship. This church was demolished during the Persian
invasion, and reconstructed by Modestos.
The Crusaders built a small church on the ruins of the
Byzantine church to commemorate the miracle cure, and a
large church on top of the cave believed to mark Mary’s
birthplace. The church is built in the solid but simple
manner of Frankish architecture, and, of the 61 Crusader
churches in Palestine of which traces can be found today,
it is considered to be one of the most beautiful.

St. Ann’s Church/ the
Salahiyya School
The site of the present-day Church of St. Ann, near Bab
Asbat and the north side of the Mujahideen road and al-
Haram al-Sharif, has monumental architectural evidence
of its importance in the many lives and religions of the
city residents since the end of the Greek era. The Greeks
established an impressive double-basin reservoir (the
northern 40m by 40m, and the southern 65m by 50m),
separated by a dam of 60 meters long and 6 meters
deep, visible today. The pool was once a gathering place
where the ill and infirm sought a cure from the pagan god
After evacuating the Crusaders from Jerusalem, Sultan
Salahaddin al-Ayyoubi endowed the church to the
Shafiitic order for transformation into the Salahiyyah
school for Islamic theology in
1192. The Salahiyyah carried out
a pioneering role in suppor ting
intellectual and theological life in
the city of Jerusalem. It remained
a renowned theological school
until 1856, when Ottoman Sultan
Abdel Magid granted the property
as a gift to Emperor Napoleon
the Third for France’s assistance
during the Crimean war. The site
has remained under France’s
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of medicine, Asclepios Serapis. Christians believe that protection during successive

Jesus Christ referred to that worship when he carried out foreign rules: the British mandate,
a miracle at the site. Jordanian administration and
Israeli occupation.
Vaulted nave

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 Constructing History in
Jerusalem’s Old City
Ten months after the 1967 war, the Israeli government
expropriated 29 acres in the southwest corner of the Old
City of Jerusalem and began large-scale demolitions and
urban reconstruction for the “restoration” of the Jewish
Quarter. The size of the quarter had been fluid throughout
history, reaching its maximum expansion in the second
half of the 19th c., and shrinking again with the growth of
the new city outside the walls in the late 19th and early
20th centuries.
Rather than reflect any particular historic phase, the
expropriated area consolidated the post-war seizure of
maximum territory. The new quarter included the original
Jewish neighborhood but greatly expanded its size by adding
other traditionally Moslem and Christian neighborhoods
that had had a variable number of Jewish residents in
the late 1800s, namely: the Moroccan Quarter, the al-
Sharaf Quar ter,
Bab al-Silsileh
Quarter and Darj
al-Tabouna, as
well as several
large compounds
located in
the Ar menian
quarter.
Of the 700
buildings
expropriated,
only 105 had
been Jewish-
owned on the eve
of the 1948 War,
while 465 were
Islamic waqf (111
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waqf khayri’ for
public, charitable
use and 354
waqf dhurri’ for
Apartment block housing families), and the
remaining 130
were privately owned. The “restoration” process caused
several thousand Palestinian residents and owners, both
refugees from West Jerusalem from 1948 and old time
residents, to be evicted from their houses, usually after
heavy pressure and harassment.
The Company for the Reconstruction and Development
of the Jewish Quar ter was established to technically
implement the reconstruction plan. After the demolition of
the majority of the remaining structures in the area, both
ruined and sound, selected archaeological excavation
sites were opened and new buildings constructed above
the archaeological remains.
The original street layout was retained guaranteeing that
the reconstructed quarter would have a compactness
and an urbanity usually lacking in newly constructed
settlements. But while its irregular alignments remind one
of an ancient neighbourhood, the new architecture has
been criticized as being inconsistent with the traditional
vernacular architecture of the city. In the attempt to
create an authentic Israeli architectural style, the Israeli
team reproduced within modern buildings some formal
elements of the Old City architecture, what some have
termed a “neo-orientalist” style. The neighborhood’s
overall image and the ideologically-oriented exposition of
ancient heritage and archaeological remains underline the
profound fracture between the historic evolution of the
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High-rise construction in Jewish quarter looms above southern wall of old city
city intra muros and the post-1967 settlement.
The Jewish Quarter architecture offers some creative and
interesting solutions – notably in its attempt to revitalize
the traditional architectural concepts of central courtyard
and roof terrace – but fails in its approach to restoration
of the existing ancient structures. The large majority of
the original buildings that were demolished to make
room for archaeological excavations and new houses
were undoubtedly poorly conceived and poorly built, the
result of endless additions and modifications more than
precise design. Yet they managed to convey by their very
chaotic appearance an image of civilizational continuity
completely lacking in the new structures.
For tourists, pilgrims and Jewish and Palestinian residents
with no visual memor y of the demolished Moroccan
Quarter, of the Abu Saud houses and of the pre-1948
Jewish quarter, the townscape of the reconstructed Jewish
Quarter is commonly assumed to be a factual restoration
of the city’s urban history. However, for those who know
its origins, the quarter represents a dramatic cleansing of
an ethnic population: the new residents who moved into
the all-Jewish settlement were largely well-to-do Orthodox
immigrants, primarily from Western countries; while many
of the area’s Palestinian former residents were relocated
to refugee camps on the Jerusalem border where they
remain today.
Contributed by Simone Ricca
The ‘Umari Mosque in
Jerusalem’s Jewish
Quarter
After the Moslem Caliph ‘Umar Ben al-Khattab peacefully
conquered Jerusalem in the 7th centur y, he visited
Palestine himself to attend to its affairs. Since then
many mosques in the area adopted his name, and
became known as the ‘Umari mosques. Today there is
little architecturally to remind us of this era, since the
mosques were invariably rebuilt and renovated over the
ages. While the name ‘Umari does not mean that Caliph
Omar himself established them, it does signify that these
mosques are a millennium in age.
In Jerusalem there are two notable ‘Umari mosques, the
‘great’ Mosque of ‘Umar located opposite the entrance
of the Church of Holy Sepulchre, and the ‘small’ ‘Umari
mosque located east of the Sharaf neighborhood that
once served Moslem residents in what is today’s Jewish
Quarter. The small ‘Umari was extensively damaged in
the 1967 war and vandalized after the Israeli occupation
of the area and its isolation from the Islamic community.
The mosque is closed today, but the minaret still rises,
beacon-like, and intact.
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 This minaret was grounds and pool alike were used by the Byzantines and
renovated in 1397 the Persians as a mass grave during war, massacres and
but its original fatal epidemics. The Crusaders also disposed of many
constr uction is of the thousands killed in Jerusalem in 1099 in mass
probably Mamluk. graves in Mamilla. The Crusaders also used the cemetery
Built on a two-meter throughout their rule for the burial of priests of the Holy
high stone base, the Sepulchre. Mamilla was restored as a Muslim cemetery
body is divided into by Salahadin, who endowed its pool to the “Salahiyya
two sections by a Khanqah.”
cordon of decoration The cemetery use halted in 1927 when an order issued
consisting of by the Higher Islamic Council prohibited further burials
billet moulding. In due ostensibly to over-crowding, but also because of the
order to secure location of the cemetery in the center of the new city.
suitable lighting The order was not strictly enforced, and some Jerusalem
for the minaret’s families continued to use their family burial plots in the
internal staircase, 1930s during the British Mandate. The social class of the
two rectangular
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families is demonstrated by the intricacy of the decorated

windows were
opened on each of
the four sides of
the minaret’s body.
The upper par t of
the minaret, called the “candle,” consists of a small

Wilson: Picturesque Palestine, 1888

dome sitting on an octagonal base and encircled by
the muezzin’s balcony. The style is similar to Jerusalem
minarets constructed in the 15th century.

lintels and the construction of the tombs.

The Erosion of
Ancient stone markers that once boasted architectural
designs seen in the Sufi residences, al-Zawiya al-
Mamilla Cemetery Qalandariyya and Hosh al-Bustamiyya, dating back to
Outside the Old City of Jerusalem, large sections of the the 14th century, unfortunately have all been destroyed
historic Mamilla cemetery, a millennium-old burial place with the exception of the singular Kubkubiyya, a domed
and pilgrimage site for Moslems that stretched over 168 mausoleum from the early Mamluk era. This distinguished
dunums, were bulldozed following the 1948 war and made building was restored in the late 19th century and remains
into an Israeli leisure park. Other parts of the cemetery in good condition, despite the closure of its entrance with
were systematically leveled and asphalted for an Israeli concrete and general neglect.
municipal parking lot or simply disappeared beneath urban
Today, visitors to the cemetery can observe a number of
development.
smashed Mamluk tombstones that are displaced from the
Mamilla cemetery had been used continuously since 1187 original tombs and scattered about in the southeastern
as a final resting place for princes, scholars, sufis, muftis corner of the cemetery. Several tombs, however, seem
and judges, and up to the 20th century for the Jerusalem to have enjoyed
petit bourgeoisie. Historians list 14 rulers, 62 scientists some attention,
(primarily from the Mamluk era), 36 sufis, and 33 judges most probably
among the dignitaries buried there. Its green spaces and on the initiative
pool were favored by pilgrims to the city as a site for rest, of family
do’a’ (petitions) and repose. Various Islamic and Western members in
historians have written of its splendid buildings, polished Jerusalem,
stone and marble monuments, and graceful grounds, the few where
which were tended to by Islamic rulers through regular inscriptions
restorations. have not been
Today less than 100 tombs are left, saved perhaps due obliterated.
to their proximity to the Roman-era reservoir in the center
of the cemetery. A few tombstones remain upright but
Contribution
most were broken by vandals and obscured by years of
by Nazmi Ju’abi,
neglect. The rock-hewn pool (89 x 59 x 6 meters holding
Co-director of
a capacity of 30,000 cubic meters) was once the main
RIWAQ, Centre
water supplier for the upper western parts of Jerusalem,
for Architectural
and was linked directly to a pool inside the old city through
Conservation
an underground aqueduct.
Welfare Association

The origin of the cemetery’s name cannot be confirmed

and ranges from the Arabic Ma’man Allah (under the
protection of God) to the Latin, St. Mamilla, after a chapel
said to have existed nearby that predated the Crusader
invasion. Archeological evidence indicates that the Kubkubiyya, from the early Mamluk period

eng-lay.indd 9 6/4/2003, 3:40:38 PM

 North-South Route
1. *Damascus Gate (Bab al-Amud)
2. *Khan al-Zeit
3. Sitt Tunshuq’s Palace – OCJRP project
(Mamluk)
4. Complex of Khassaki Sultan
5. *Sabil Bab al-Nazir (Ottoman)
6. *Suq al-Qattanin – OCJRP project (Mamluk)
7. *Sabil al-Wad (Ottoman)
8. Madrassa Taziyya – OCJRP project H
(Mamluk) ud
9. Madrassa Tashtumuriyya – OCJRP project m
‫ﺑﺎ‬ -A
(Mamluk) al
10. Khan al-Sultan ‫   ﻌﺎﻟ‬Bab
11. *The Three Markets (Crusader)
12. *Upper cardo (Roman)
‫ ﻣﻮ‬te/ •1
a
13. St. Mark’s House/Syrian Orthodox G
s
14. *Bab al-Nabi Daoud
scu
a
am
East-West Route D
1. *Bab al-Asbat (to Via Dolorosa)
2. *St. Anne’s Church/Madrassa Salahiya
(Crusader) 2
3. Madrassa Salamiyya (Mamluk)
4. Khanqa Dawadariyya (Mamluk)
5. Church of the Flagellation
6. *Zawiya Qadiriyya (Ottoman)
7. *Khan al-Zeit
8. Mosque of Omar (Ayyubi)
9. Holy Sepulchre Church
10. *Suq/Aftimos Fountain (19th c.)
11. St. John the Baptist Church (10th c.)
7
12. *Bab al-Khalil (Jaffa Gate) P
*Noted in this issue of Turath

Other monuments/buildings: 9

A. al-Haram al-Sharif (Umayyid)

B. al-Aqsa mosque (Umayyid)
8
C. Dome of the Rock/Qubbat al-Sakhra
D. al-Aqsa library -OCJRP project O
N
E. Islamic Museum -OCJRP project
10
F. al-Ashrafiya -OCJRP project
G. *Qaytbey fountain (Mamluk) 11
H. *al-Kas fountain (Ayyubi) 11
I. Palaces (Umayyid) excavation site 10
J. *Omari mosque (Mamluk or earlier) ‫ﺑﺎ ﳋﻠﻴﻞ‬
K. Nea church (Roman) excavation site
L. St. James Armenian Convent Jaffa Gate/ Bab al-Khalil • 12 12
M. al-Hariri mosque (Ayyubi)
N. Khan al-Aqbat (late Ottoman)
O. Latin Patriarchate (late Ottoman)
P. Khanqa al-Salahiya (Ayyubi)
Q. Zawiya al-Hanoud (Ayyubi)

J
13
M

14
•
‫ﺑﺎ ﺻﻬﻴﻮ‬
F 3 Zion Gate/ Bab Nabi Daoud

eng-lay.indd 10 6/4/2003, 3:40:52 PM

 ‫ﳌﺴﻠﻚ ﻟﺸﻤﺎ‪-‬ﳉﻨﻮ
‬
‫ﺑﺮ‪ q‬ﻟﻠﻘﻠﻖ‬ ‫‪* 1‬ﺑﺎ ﻟﻌﺎﻣﻮ
‬
‫‪Pelican’s Tower/ Burj al-Luqluq‬‬ ‫‪* 2‬ﺧﺎ
ﻟﺰﻳﺖ‬
‫‪ 3‬ﻗﺼﺮ ﻟﺴﺖ ﻃﻨﺸﻖ –ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ  ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫•‬ ‫)ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ(‪.‬‬
‫ﺑﺎ ﻟ‬
‫‪ Bab al-Za‬ﺴﺎﻫﺮ‬
‫‪hera‬‬ ‫‪< 4‬ﻤﻊ ﺧﺎﺳﻜﻲ ﺳﻠﻄﺎ
‬
‫•‬ ‫‪* 5‬ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﺑﺎ ﻟﻨﺎﻇﺮ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﻌﺜﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪/‬‬
‫‪d‬‬‫’‬‫‪s‬‬ ‫‪Gate‬‬ ‫‪* 6‬ﺳﻮ‪ D‬ﻟﻘﻄﺎﻧﲔ‪ -‬ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ  ﻟﻘﺪ )ﻣﻦ‬
‫‪Hero‬‬ ‫ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪Q‬‬ ‫‪* 7‬ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﻟﻮ
)ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﻌﺜﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪ 8‬ﳌﺪﺳﺔ ﻟﻄﺎ‪H‬ﺟﻴﺔ‬
‫‪ 9‬ﳌﺪﺳﺔ ﻟﻄﺸﺘﻤﺮﻳﺔ –ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ ﻣﻦ ﻟﻘﺪ )ﻣﻦ‬
‫ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪ 10‬ﺧﺎ
ﻟﺴﻠﻄﺎ
‬
‫‪* 11‬ﻷﺳﻮ‪ D‬ﻟﺜﻼﺛﺔ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﺼﻠﻴﺒﻴﺔ(‬
‫ﺑﺎ‬
‫‪ ’s Gate/‬ﻷﺳﺒﺎ‪Z‬‬
‫‪* 12‬ﻟﻜﺎ
‪ #‬ﻟﻌﻠﻮ‪) O‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﺮ‪#‬ﻣﺎﻧﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪2‬‬
‫‪ 13‬ﺑﻴﺖ ﻟﻘﺪﻳﺲ ﻣﺎ ﻣﺮﻗﺺ‪ /‬ﻟﺴﺮﻳﺎ
ﻷﺛﻮ‪Q‬ﻛﺲ‬
‫‪ephen‬‬
‫‪St. St Asbat‬‬ ‫‪* 14‬ﺑﺎ ﻟﻨ‪
#T
U‬‬
‫‪1‬‬
‫‪• Bab al-‬‬ ‫ﳌﺴﻠﻚ ﻟﺸﺮﻗﻲ‪ -‬ﻟﻐﺮ
‬
‫‪3‬‬
‫‪* 1‬ﺑﺎ ﻷﺳﺒﺎ‪ 
Y!) Z‬ﻵﻻ‪(V‬‬
‫‪5‬‬
‫‪4‬‬
‫‪* 2‬ﻛﻨﻴﺴﺔ ﻟﻘﺪﻳﺴﺔ ﺣﻨﺔ‪ /‬ﳌﺪﺳﺔ ﻟﺼﻼﺣﻴﺔ‬
‫‪ 3‬ﳌﺪﺳﺔ ﻟﺴﻼﻣﻴﺔ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪ 4‬ﳋﺎﻧﻘﺎ ﻟﺪ‪
#‬ﻳﺔ‬
‫‪6‬‬ ‫‪ 5‬ﻛﻨﻴﺴﺔ ﳉﻠﺪ‬
‫‪* 6‬ﻟﺰ‪#‬ﻳﺔ ﻟﻘﺎ
ﻳﺔ ) ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﻌﺜﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ(‬
‫ﻟﺒﺎ ﻟﺬﻫﻴﻲ )ﻣﻐﻠﻖ(‬ ‫‪* 7‬ﺧﺎ
ﻟﺰﻳﺖ‬
‫‪5‬‬ ‫)‪Golden Gate (closed‬‬ ‫‪ 8‬ﺟﺎﻣﻊ ﻋﻤﺮ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻳﻮﺑﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪4‬‬ ‫•‬ ‫‪ 9‬ﻛﻨﻴﺴﺔ ﻟﻘﻴﺎﻣﺔ‬
‫‪3‬‬
‫‪* 10‬ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﺳﻮ‪ D‬ﻓﺘﻴﻤﻮ )ﻟﻘﺮ
ﻟﺘﺎﺳﻊ ﻋﺸﺮ ﳌﻴﻼ
‪(O‬‬
‫‪A‬‬
‫‪ 11‬ﻛﻨﻴﺴﺔ ﻳﻮﺣﻨﺎ ﳌﻌﻤﺪ
)ﻟﻘﺮ
ﻟﻌﺎﺷﺮ ﳌﻴﻼ
‪(O‬‬
‫‪* 12‬ﺑﺎ ﳋﻠﻴﻞ‬
‫‪C‬‬ ‫*  ﻫﺬ ﻟﻌﺪ
ﻣﻦ ﺗﺮ‪n‬‬

‫‪6‬‬ ‫ﻧﺼﺒﺔ ﻣﺒﺎ ﺧﺮ‬

‫‪G‬‬
‫‪F‬‬ ‫‪ A‬ﳊﺮ‪ V‬ﻟﺸﺮﻳﻒ )ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻣﻮﻳﺔ(‬
‫‪7‬‬ ‫‪ B‬ﳌﺴﺠﺪ ﻷﻗﺼﻰ )ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻣﻮﻳﺔ(‬
‫‪ C‬ﻗﺒﺔ ﻟﺼﺨﺮ‬
‫‪ D‬ﻣﻜﺘﺒﺔ ﻷﻗﺼﻰ –ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ  ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫‪8‬‬ ‫‪ E‬ﳌﺘﺤﻒ ﻹﺳﻼﻣﻲ‪ -‬ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ  ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫‪9‬‬ ‫‪H‬‬ ‫‪ F‬ﻷﺷﺮﻓﻴﺔ‪ -‬ﻣﺸﺮ‪! "#‬ﻋﻤﺎ ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻟﻘﺪﳝﺔ  ﻟﻘﺪ‬
‫‪* G‬ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﻗﺎﻳﺘﺒﺎ‪) O‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪* H‬ﺳﺒﻴﻞ ﻟﻜﺎ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻳﻮﺑﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪E‬‬ ‫‪ I‬ﺣﻔﺮﻳﺎ‪  g‬ﻣﻮﻗﻊ ﻗﺼﻮ ‪f‬ﺛﺮﻳﺔ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻣﻮﻳﺔ(‬
‫‪B‬‬
‫‪* J‬ﳉﺎﻣﻊ ﻟﻌﻤﺮ‪) O‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﳌﻤﻠﻮﻛﻴﺔ ‪ #f‬ﻗﺒﻞ ‪Q‬ﻟﻚ(‬
‫‪D‬‬ ‫‪ K‬ﻣﻮﻗﻊ ﺣﻔﺮﻳﺎ‪ g‬ﻛﻨﻴﺴﺔ ﺟﺴﺘﻨﻴﺎ
ﳉﺪﻳﺪ‪) i‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﺮ‪#‬ﻣﺎﻧﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪
L‬ﻳﺮ ﻣﺎ ﻳﻌﻘﻮ ﻟﻸﻣﻦ‬
‫‪ M‬ﺟﺎﻣﻊ ﳊﺮﻳﺮ‪) O‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻳﻮﺑﻴﺔ(‬
‫‪I‬‬
‫‪ N‬ﺧﺎ
ﻷﻗﺒﺎ‪) Z‬ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﻌﺜﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﳌﺘﺄﺧﺮ(‬
‫‪ O‬ﻟﺒﻄﺮﻳﺮﻛﻴﺔ ﻟﻼﺗﻴﻨﻴﺔ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻟﻌﺜﻤﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﳌﺘﺄﺧﺮ(‬
‫‪ P‬ﺧﺎﻧﻘﺎ‪ i‬ﻟﺼﻼﺣﻴﺔ )ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻳﻮﺑﻴﺔ(‬
‫•‬ ‫‪#H Q‬ﻳﺔ ‪m‬ﻨﻮ
)ﻣﻦ ﻟﻔﺘﺮ ﻷﻳﻮﺑﻴﺔ(‬
‫ﺑﺎ ﳌﻐﺎﺑﺔ‬
‫‪Dung Gate/‬‬
‫‪Bab al-MagharIbah‬‬

‫ﺑﺮ‪ q‬ﻟﻜ‪s‬ﻳﺖ‬
‫•‬
‫‪Sulphur Tower/ Burj Kebreet‬‬
‫‪Welfare Association‬‬

‫‪6‬‬ ‫‪9‬‬

‫‪eng-lay.indd 11‬‬ ‫‪6/4/2003, 3:40:56 PM‬‬