Islamic Architectural Character of Jerusalem - Al-Aq Ā and The Dome of The Rock
Islamic Architectural Character of Jerusalem - Al-Aq Ā and The Dome of The Rock
Islamic Architectural Character of Jerusalem - Al-Aq Ā and The Dome of The Rock
RA'EF NAJM Reviewed work(s): Source: Islamic Studies, Vol. 40, No. 3/4, Special Issue: Jerusalem (Autumn-Winter 2001), pp. 721-734 Published by: Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University, Islamabad Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20837154 . Accessed: 10/08/2012 04:05
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Essay IslamicArchitectural Character of Jerusalem: With Special Description of the al-Aqsa and the
RA'EF NAJM
Hydar Mahmoud
There are general basic principles thatgovern the constructionof the Islamic of city, irrespective time and place. There are also special technical,social and environmental characteristicsthat are liable to vary according to time and with its religious identity, prevalent; and predominant is the fundamentallink at the core. The al-AqsaMosque was in fact the principal with the Mosque focus in planning the enlargementof the city following theMuslim rule in must be added harmonywith the environment,a general To this Jerusalem. and a simplicity of planning suggesting tranquillity and spirituality, architectural beauty.1 It has been said that AlmightyGod divided beauty into ten equal parts, nine of which He bestowed on Jerusalem, leaving the world. remainingtenthto the restof the One of the essential features the characterand identity Jerusalemis of of theway it maintains its constituentparts, which are inextricablylinkedwith the traditionsand cultureof its Arab inhabitants. These parts comprise, mores, interalia, the compact residentialquarters and themajor conveniences and facilities, such as markets, mosques, schools, sports grounds and health
1 See, figure 1,p. 727 below, foraGeneral View of theCity of Jerusalem. locality. In the holy city of Jerusalem these latter characteristics seem
722
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or established in such a way as to ensure thatno alien element can infiltrate without intrudeinto itsharmony, and no parts of theheritagecan be removed a gaping hole. This legacy is subject to a continuous process of repair leaving
and restoration.
Jerusalem's
cultural,
environmental
and
architectural
heritage
is
When speakingof the al-Aqsa Mosque as amain focalpoint of theCity of we mean specificallytheHoly Haram (sanctuary) with its two Jerusalem, main components: the al-AqsaMosque and theDome of theRock, both of Haram. The city is surrounded walls of the which Hewithin the area inside the wall2 with sevenopen gates: Herod's Gate, St. Stephen'sGate, by a high stone theDamascus Gate, theNew Gate, the Jaffa Gate, the Zion Gate and the Maghareba Gate. There are four furtherclosed gates: the Single Gate, the Double Gate, theTriple Gate and the Golden Gate. The Holy Haram, for itspart, is encircledby a stone wall with threegates opening to the north: the Lions Gate, the Faysal or al-ltem Gate and the
Huttah or Remission Gate. Seven
Nazer Gate, the IronGate, theQattanin Gate, the SilsilahGate, the Gate, the Matharah (ablution)Gate. The Haram is connected Maghareba Gate and the to the restof the cityby streets branchingout from its tengates and extending functions to perform. It throughout the various parts,which have different should be noted, in this context, that the different topographic levelswithin the city have not deterred the city's planners and designers.The obstacle has been surmounted through the use of broad and convenient flights steps of taking people from one level to another.3The roads of theHoly City,
characterized by their narrowness, were designed for pedestrian use only.
gates open
to the west:
the Ghawanmeh
Some, but not all, are roofedwith beautiful stone vaults dating back to the medieval Islamic eras. Schools, residential homes, zdwiyahs and drinking were built on both sides of the roads. The stone vaults have stone fountains4 buildings overlooking the road, with windows and small latticed oriels or This method of utilizing narrow roads provides pedestrians mashrabiyyahs. with comfortable shade, alleviates heat and protectswalkers from the sun, especially in summer.This is in fact a distinctivefeatureof historical Islamic
cities.
interconnection
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
OF JERUSALEM
723
individualityand independence.It should be added, in this connection, that a person can traverseall the roads ofHoly Jerusalem in a short time, meeting his needs and performinghis errands on foot,without becoming tired or
bored.
This is due to sound city planning, applying the correctmethods of Islamic architecture and abiding by human scales. All the buildings of being unknown. Stone, mortar and limewere used in the construction of domes and vaults. The windows were small and cut into thick walls to secure while keeping out direct sunlight.Some buildings ventilation and lighting, overlook the road through beautifully wrought wooden latticedoriels that help ventilate the houses. They also enable people to sit and watch the road without being exposed to the gaze of passers-by.The buildings are set compactly together,which gives Jerusalem the appearance of a single, interlinked building and this,in turn,formsthe tightlyinterlaced,sereneand of beautiful textureof the city.The simplicity house design ismanifest in the which is themost importantand distinctivequality of innercourtyard, open One may add here that thewholeness of engineering Islamic architecture. design, its simplicity and functionality,and the use of local construction of ventilation and uniformity building in the materials, effective Holy City are all importantbasics of Islamic architecture.Jerusalem enjoyed this tranquil when the Israelis until the Israelioccupation of the city, architectural character of embarkedon a transformation itsbeautiful architecturalimage and texture. blows and traumatic wounds to the city's fine They have dealt irreversible
structure; more especially, they have constructed ugly high-rise buildings Jerusalem are of stone. Lime mortar was used in the construction, cement
adjacent to theHoly Haram, higher than theHaram and overlooking it,5 Haram had overlooked everything around it. whereas before the The Blessed al-Aqsa Mosque "Mounts are saddled to three Makkah, this mosques only: the Holy Mosque of and the al-Aqsa in Madinah] Mosque", Mosque ofmine [theProphet'sMosque saidProphetMuhammad (peace be on him).6 The first builder of theBlessed al-Aqsa Mosque was Caliph 'Umar ibn al were handed over to Khattab (r. 13-23/634-644),when thekeys of Jerusalem which Prophet him in 15/636. Itwas erected at the frontof the place from Muhammad (peace be on him) had made his miraculous night journey from Makkah to Jerusalem (the event known as the Isra). The original al-Aqsa
5 See figure 1,p. 729 below. 6 Kitab al-Hajj, Bab Hajj al-Nisa'. Muhammad ibn Isma'll Bukhari, Sahthal-Bukhari,
724
RA'EF NAJM
could accommodate three thousandworshippers, butwithin a few decades it had been destroyed by earthquakes. It was then rebuilt by theUmayyad Caliph 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (r. 65-85/685-704) in 73/692, and completed by his son and successoral-Wahd(r. 85-96/704-715) in 86/705, on The Mosque is the same siteof the Mosque of Caliph 'Umar ibn al-Khattab.7 about 80 metres long and nearly 55 metres inwidth, and is erected on 53 When they occupied Jerusalem, marble columns and 49 square stone pillars. theCrusaders convertedpart of the al-Aqsa into a church, making the other munitions. part a residence for their Knights Templars and a store for their Salah al-Din (r. 564-589/1168-1193), however, repaired the mosque, renovated themihrab (prayer niche), covered the dome with mosaic, and brought from made of cedar and ebonywood and inlaid wooden minbar (pulpit) Aleppo the This he placed in the with ivory. Mosque as a symbolof victory.8 The al-Aqsa Mosque highlights the beauty of Islamic decoration, as wooden dome, which is coveredwith reliefplant representedby the internal made of gypsum,by beautifulgilded colouring,and bywindws made drawings ofwood and gypsum engraved in slanted lines on a base of coloured glass to These windows bestow splendour and beauty upon keep out direct sunlight. theplace, and are suggestive sanctityand spirituality. Mosque consists of The seven longitudinalporticoes extending fromnorth to south.On the left of wall one finds the Niche of Zakariyya and the Shrine of Mosque of 'Umar, the the Forty. The main gate is installed at the entrance of themiddle portico from thenorth.The ceilings are decoratedwith coloured gypsum.The Surah al-Isra', inlaidwith mosaic, is superimposedover the niche to a lengthof 23
metres.
7 See figure4, p. 730 below. 8 See figure 5, p. 731 below, fora glimps of thishistoricalminbar.
725
726
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Holy Dome of theRock is the second jewel of Ashrafiyyah school. Thus the Jerusalem. Holy Dome of the According to historians and archaeologists,the Rock is one of thefinestbuildings ever built byman, itsbeauty and splendour being beyond description. Creswell follows his profound study of the by building's architecture noting that theDome of theRock is of distinctive in the history of Islamic architecture; its structure,glamour, importance grandeur,magic, symmetry,exactitude and precision of proportion have dazzled all the scientists and researchers who have attemptedto study it. Internal and External Decoration The internaldecoration of this historicmonument is distinguished by its most beautifuldecors of the mosaic works, which reflectthe Umayyad period, of the eight walls to a the stripextendingalong theupper internal part notably metres. The stripcomprises lengthof 240 Umayyad Kufic calligraphy in gilt As mosaic on a dark blue background.10 for externaldecoration, thisused to
include partsmade of marble and mosaic. In 960/1552 Sultan Sulayman al Qanuni (r. 926-974/1520-1566) replaced themosaic with glazed earthenware superimposed by Qur'anic writings. The four outer gates were formerly decoratedwith mosaic, but only small remnantsof thishave survived at the easternentrance. The original dome,which collapsed in the4th/llth century, was covered with lead sheets over which were fixed 10,210 gilded copper
sheets. The total area of the mosaic covering different parts inside the Holy
Holy Dome of theRock has been conserved and restoredthroughoutthe ages. The predominant colours in thedecoration of the Holy Dome are green,blue and gold. The green isvariegated into eight shades and theblue into six. Other were used in small areas.Mosaic decoration in the colours, such as silver, Dome of theRock is regarded as reflectingthe Syrian school of art of that time.This school was completely independentof Byzantine art, just as the Syrian architecturalschool was independentof the Byzantine and had roots traceable toGreek origins.
Dome of theRock amounts to 1200 sq. metres and is regarded as globally unique, not only for its outstanding beauty but also on account of its Umayyad origin,which endows itwith a significanceall the greater in that The survivingexample at the only a limitedpart of this art now survives.11
# ir #
10 See figure7, p. 733 below, for the interior decoration of theDome of theRock. 11 See figure8, p. 734 below, fordetailed interiorand exteriordescription of theDome of the
Rock.
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
OF JERUSALEM
-y^y
Figure
3: A
typical drinking
fountain
730
RA'EF NAJM
ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURAL
CHARACTER
OF JERUSALEM
731
installed in
in an
destroyed
the