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JERUSALEM

-SHAMEEN KHAN, SHEILJA SINGH, TAIYABA RASHID

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INTRODUCTION• Jerusalem is located on the plateau in the Judean

Mountains between the Mediterranean  and the Dead Sea, is one of the oldest cities in the world.

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• It is considered holy to the three major religions -Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

• The Jewish religion proclaims Jerusalem as their homeland, which is why it is significant to their religion.

• The Muslim faith believes the Prophet Mohammed went through a miraculous trek from Mecca to Jerusalem, from where He ascended to Heaven, which explains why Jerusalem is so important to them.

• The Christians believe that Jerusalem was where Jesus was born, lived, died, and was resurrected, explaining the significance of Jerusalem to them.

• It is the third holiest place for Muslims after MECCA and MEDINA.

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ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE IN JERUSALEM

The development of Islamic architecture in Jerusalem can be divided into four main periods:

•The early Islamic period from the Arab conquest to the first Crusade,

•The Crusader period,•The Ayyubid and Mamluk periods and •The Ottoman period.

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The old city of Jerusalem is divided into four quarters.

•Muslim quarter

• Jewish quarter

•Christian quarter

•Armenian quarter

(I) THE EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD FROM THE ARAB CONQUEST TO THE FIRST CRUSADE

THE FIRST MOSQUE IN JERUSALEM

• The area of the Temple Mount (Haram) was developed for the first time since Hadrian's destruction in 70 CE.

• The first mosque known to have been built in Jerusalem was erected by the caliph Umar.

• It was a rectangular place of prayer roughly built by setting big beams on the remains of some ruins.

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DOME OF ROCK

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• The rock which the dome surrounds is considered one of the most holy place, not only by Muslims, but Jews and Christians as well.

• The same Rock is associated with the prophet Mohammad’s ascent to heaven, Creation of Adam and where the Patriarch Abraham was commanded to slaughter his beloved son Isaac.

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• Diameter: 20m • 30 meters high above

the surrounding stone-paved platform.

• supported by a circular arcade of four piers and twelve columns.

• octagonal arcade of eight piers and sixteen columns, which help support the dome.

• The outer wall repeats this octagon, each of the eight sides being about 18 meters wide and 8 meters high.

• the dome and the exterior walls contain many windows.

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SHAPE AND APPEARANCE:• Located on a second trapezoidal platform with the

sides ranging in length from 128m on the south to 167m on the west.

• more or less in the middle of western half of the larger platform that from the southern corner walled city of Jerusalem.

• The early mihrab in the grotto under the dome of the rock probably dates to the Fatimid period.

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CUPOLA• the monument can be entered though four

doorways located on the cardinal points.• dome was probably of copper over wood.• During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent

(1520 -1566) the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered with Iznik tiles. The work took seven years. 

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INTERIOR:• Windows are fitted with

stained glass that provides a soft light to the whole interior.

• Piers are stone covered with marble while the columns and capitals are marble taken from older Christian.

• Both the circular and octagonal arcades are linked by tie beams above the capitals.

• The interior of the dome is lavishly decorated with mosaic, faience and marble, much of which was added several centuries after its completion. It also contains Qur'an inscriptions. SuraYa-Seen is inscribed across the top of the tile work

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• The Noble Rock is the focus of the interior of the Dome of the Rock

• situated directly beneath the lofty dome and surrounded by the highly ornate inner circular and outer octagonal arcades.

• The mosque is octagonal in shape, having 8 sides. Each side has a door and 7 windows, with rock crystal carving.

• the ceilings of the ambulatories that form the octagonal arcades are gilded and painted plaster with fancy geometric designs.

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SURFACE TREATMENT• Extensive decoration including mosaics, painted

wood, marble, multi-colored tiles, carpets, and carved stone, covers most of the exterior and interior of the building.

• Many of the 45,000 blue and gold exterior tiles were installed under Suleiman in the 1500s. Inside, 1,280 square meters of elaborate mosaics cover the walls that enshrine the mystical rock under the dome.

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• The intricate patterns and geometric shapes of the mosaics replace figurative art since, according to Muslim belief, it would be impossible to represent Allah in any figurative form.

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SYMBOLISM• Instead, the shrine conveys its own message

through color and shape. In Islamic art, blue, the color of the sky, suggests infinity, while gold represents the color of the knowledge of God. The shape of the dome itself is a powerful symbol of the soaring ascent to heaven, its circle representing the wholeness and balance essential to the Muslim faith.

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AL-AQSA MOSQUE

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• Al-Masjid El-Aqsa is an Arabic name which means the Farthest Mosque.

• Al-Aqsa Mosque ("the Farthest Mosque")is the third holiest site in Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem.

• The site on which the silver domed mosque sits, along with the Dome of the Rock, also referred to as al-Haram ash-Sharif or "Noble Sanctuary, is the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism.

• The Aqsa Mosque is located on the southern part of the Haram al-Sharif on an axis with the south door of the Dome of the Rock

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• Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Qur’an.• What is mentioned is a “Night Journey” in which it is

said that Muhammad travelled from Mecca to "the farthest mosque," and then up to Heaven on a heavenly creature called al-Buraq al-Sharif.

• Muslims throughout the World use Mecca as the direction of prayers (Qibla). However, for 16½ months following the Prophet Mohammad's miraculous journey, Jerusalem was the Qibla.

• The rectangular al-Aqsa Mosque and its precincts are 144,000 square metres (1,550,000 sq. ft.), although the mosque itself is about 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq. ft.) and could hold up to 5,000 worshippers. It is 272 feet (83 m) long, 184 feet (56 m) wide.

• There are 11 gates to Al-Aqsa Mosque: 7 of which are open. Of the 4 closed gates, one is the Golden Gate.

21• Plan of the southern side

of the temple mount, indicating the major sites. The Al-Aqsa mosque is in the centre of the south wall, and is capped by a silver dome.

• After entering the main entrance on the north side, there is a large colonnaded praying hall.

• The mosque's southern side is attached to the temple mount south wall. A prayer niche - Mihrab - is installed on the south wall, directed towards the Islam Holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

• On the west side of the mosque is a women's prayer all, a Mugrabi mosque, and the Islamic Museum.

• On the east side of the mosque is a large open area, with underground halls named "Solomon's stables".

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The south-west side of the temple-mount is seen in the photo below. The

Al-Aqsa mosque, with its silver dome, is located on the southern wall 

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The Islamic museum is located on the western side of the Al-Aqsa. It was established in 1923 and transferred to

this location in 1927.

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Corinthian capitals are on display in the yard between the museum and the Al-Aqsa mosque

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DOME• Unlike the Dome of the Rock, which

reflects classical Byzantine architecture.

• the Al-Aqsa Mosque is characteristic of early Islamic Architecture. Nothing remains of the original dome built by Abd al-Malik.

• The present-day dome was built by az-Zahir and consists of wood plated with lead enamel work.

• In 1969, the dome was reconstructed in concrete and covered with anodized aluminum, instead of the original ribbed lead enamel work sheeting.

• In 1983, the aluminum outer covering was replaced with lead to match the original design by az-Zahi

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MINARETS• Minarets are used to call

Muslims to prayer five times a day.

• The mosque has four minarets on the southern, northern and western sides.

• there are four minarets: 3 square and 1 cylindrical from the Mamluk period.

• There are no minarets on the Eastern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque because there were no inhabitants and thus no-one to call to prayer. After all, it was not till the late nineteenth century that Jerusalem began to expand outside the city walls.

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FACADE AND PORCH• It was crowned with a balustrade

consisting of arcades and small columns.

• The Crusaders damaged the facade during their era of rule in Palestine, but it was restored and renovated.

• One addition was the facade's covering with tiles.

• The second-hand material of the facade's arches includes sculpted ornamental material from taken from Crusader structures in Jerusalem.

• There are fourteen stone arches along the facade, most of which are of a Romanesque style.

• The entrance to the mosque is through the facade's central arch.

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INTERIOR• The al-Aqsa Mosque has seven aisles

of hypostyle naves with several additional small halls to the west and east of the southern section of the building.

• There are 121 stained glass windows in the mosque from the Abbasid and Fatimid eras.

• The mosque's interior is supported by 45 columns, 33 of which are white marble and 12 of stone.

• The column rows of the central aisles are heavy and stunted. The remaining four rows are better proportioned.

• The capitals of the columns are of four different kinds: those in the central aisle are heavy and primitively designed, while those under the dome are of the Corinthian order, and made from Italian white marble.

• A great portion of the mosque is covered with whitewash, but the drum of the dome and the walls immediately beneath it are decorated with mosaics and marble.

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Interior view of the mosque showing the central naves and columns

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ABLUTION FOUNTAIN• Mosque's

main ablution fountain, known as al-Kas ("the Cup"), is located north of the mosque between it and the Dome of the Rock.

• Used by worshipers to perform wudu.

• It was first built in 709 by the Umayyads, but in 1327–28 Governor Tankiz enlarged it to accommodate more worshipers.

• Currently receives water from pipes connected to Jerusalem's water supply.

•  In the 20th-century, al-Kas was provided taps and stone seating.

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CRUSADER PERIOD•The capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders marked

an abrupt end to four and a half centuries of Muslim rule

•One of the first priorities of the Crusaders was to rebuild Christian churches and monuments and convert Islamic buildings to other uses.

•Mosques were converted into churches.•The Dome of the Rock was given to the

Augustinians who made it into a church whilst in 1104 Baldwin I made the Aqsa Mosque into a royal palace.

•The Crusades influenced the subsequent architecture of Jerusalem in several ways including the introduction of the folded cross vault and the use of cushion-shaped voussoirs.

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AYYUBID AND MAMLUK PERIOD• In 1188 Jerusalem was recaptured by Salah al-Din and

reconverted into a Muslim city.•The Haram was cleared of its Christian accretions and

reconstructed as Muslim sanctuary.•The cross was removed from the top of the Dome of the

Rock and replaced with a golden crescent and a wooden screen was placed around the rock below.

•Also at this time the famous wooden minbar of Salah al-Din was placed next to the new mihrab in the Aqsa Mosque.

•Porch of the Aqsa Mosque was built during this period.• In the later Ayyubid period (first half of the thirteenth

century) Jerusalem was again subjected to invasions first by the Crusaders and later by the Khwazmian Turks so that no substantial building work was carried out.

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•The Mamluk period lasted from 1250 to 1516 and has provided Jerusalem with some of its most beautiful and distinctive architecture.

•During this period the walls of the Haram were repaired and the interior of the west wall was provided with an arcaded portico.

•Several major buildings were built within the Haram, one of the more important of which is the Ashrafiyya Madrassa built on the west side.

•One of the most productive reigns was that of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad during which time the Suq al-Qattinin was built.

•This is the largest Mamluk complex in Jerusalem and consisted of over fifty shops with living quarters above, two bath houses and a khan.

•Characteristic features of Mamluk architecture in Jerusalem include ablaq masonry in a variety of colours (black, yellow, white and red), muqarnas used in corbels, squinches and zones of transition, joggled voussoirs used for supporting arches, composite lintels and relieving arches.

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ASHRAFIYYA MADRASSA

•Located on the western border of the Haram al-Sharif between Bab al-Silsila (Gate of the Chain) and Bab al-Qattanin (Gate of the Cotton Merchants), both of which lead to the Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem

•Built in Hijri 887 / AD 1482•The founder of the madrasa was Sultan

Zahir Sayf al-Din Khashqadam but he died before it was finished. Sultan Ashraf Saif al-Din Qaytbay (r. ordered its completion, but being dissatisfied he ordered it to be demolished and rebuilt.

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• Consists of two levels: the ground floor and the first floor.

• The ground floor extends eastwards, thereby entering the Haram-al-Sharif, and stretches out over the western wall of Haram.

• The entrance to Madrasa opens on the eastern and southern side with two tapered arches.

• The entrance is covered by a fan-shaped vault, built of alternating colours of red and white stone.

• The door is set into a recessed wall covered by a semi-dome, and enriched with carved decorations that are also inset with glazed ceramic tiles.

• Standing on either side of the entrance are two mastabas of stone.

GROUND FLOOR PLAN

FIRST FLOOR PLAN

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• The entrance leads to the vestibule, to the north of which was once a large hall known as the assembly hall (Qa'at al-Majma').

• On the eastern wall of the hall there is a door and two windows opening onto the terrace of the Haram.

• In the northern wall there is also an entrance and window; while on the southern wall there is another window and a mihrab decorated with coloured marble.

• Once the assembly hall of the Aqsa Mosque Library, it has recently become a training centre for the restoration and preservation of manuscripts and documents.

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• To the south of the vestibule there is a stone stairwell which leads to the first floor and to a minaret that towers above Babal-Silsila. The first floor of madrasa consists of a hall, which has four iwans in a cruciform plan.

• The largest iwan is the southern iwan, which contains the mihrab.

• Today large parts of the first floor are in ruins, and nothing remains of the iwans except the walls.

• Despite this, the ground plan is clearly evident, for it corresponds to the Mamluk design of the four-iwan cruciform plan, in the middle of which is the central courtyard.

• The most impressive part is the open-sided porch, roofed with a complex folded cross vault, with alternate stones painted red to resemble ablaq.

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OTTOMAN PERIOD

•One of the best-known buildings of Jerusalem is the Damascus Gate with its monumental bent entrance, crenelated parapet, machicolations, arrow slits and inscriptions.

• It forms part of the city wall erected by Suleiman the Magnificent between 1538 and 1541.

•This was one of the many building projects begun in Jerusalem at this time to renew the city's infrastructure and demonstrate that Jerusalem was now part of the Ottoman Empire.

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•By the end of Suleiman's reign the population of Jerusalem had grown to three times its size at the beginning.

•Another project initiated during this period was the covering of the outside of the Dome of the Rock with Iznik tiles.

•This took a period of at least seven years during which several techniques of tiling were used, including cut tilework, cuerda seca, polychrome underglaze, and blue and white underglaze.

•Also during this period the water system of the city was overhauled with repairs carried out to the Birket al-Sultan and Solomon's pools. Within the city this was reflected in the erection of a series of sebils (drinking fountains).

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BUILDING MATERIAL•Main building material was stone, as wood has

always been fairly scarce.•Limestone and Dolomite.•Four types of limestone can be found in the

Jerusalem region, of which two were used for building in the Islamic period:

• (i) Mizzi, is a hard fine-grained stone sometimes known as 'Palestinan Marble'. This occurs in two varieties, a reddish type known as mizzi ahmar from near Bethlehem and a yellowish variety from Dayr Yasin 5 km east of the city.

• (ii) Malaki which is less hard than mizzi but is still hard and fine grained. Outcrops were quarried to the north of the city at Solomon's Quarries and in the Kidron valley.

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CONTEMPORARY JERUSALEM•The most distinctive architectural feature of

modern Jerusalem is the fact that all buildings are faced in stone - even the public toilets!

•This is the result of an aesthetic decision made in the early 1920s by the first British governor of Jerusalem, Sir Ronald Storrs, who made it a city ordinance.

•The result has given the city a certain uniformity of character. And though there can be startling incongruities between design and material, the requirement has, for the most part, tended to have a moderating effect on more radical designs.

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THANK YOU ALL