HHMI Newsgroup Archives
From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 01:21:23 +0000
Subject: Study of Jerusalem - Lesson #10
>From sglick at INTERNET
sglick@iea.org.il
To: IEA 101-50 iea at INTERNET
iea@netvision.net.il
Subject: 10: Jerusalem
X-Mailer: AIR Mail 3.X (SPRY, Inc.)
************************************************************************
INGEBORG RENNERT CENTER FOR JERUSALEM STUDIES
BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY 21 April 1997
RAMAT-GAN, ISRAEL
Internet Educational Activities <iea@netvision.net.il>
************************************************************************
David Eisenstadt
Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City
10/12 Mamluke and Early Ottoman Jerusalem
Introduction
The Crusaders were driven from Jerusalem by Moslem Ayyubid troops in 1244.
Less than a decade later a political assasination in the Nile Delta brought to
power a military caste of freed slaves, who became known as the Mamlukes.
They were to rule the Middle East for over 250 years (1250-1517). The
Mamlukes were of diverse ethnic stock, Turks, Tartars, Kurds, Armenians and
even some West Europeans. They were also usually converts of to Islam, as a
result of their initial enslavery as children.Their caste was not hereditary,
but rather perpetuated by recruitment. The descendants of the Mamlukes
generally took civilian positions in the Egyptian bureaucracy. Mamluke
politics were, frequently, violent. Many Mamluke officers experienced periods
of disgrace (sometimes punished by, perish the thought, exile=B6 to Jerusalem)
and imprisonment, although it did not necessarily end their careers; few
Mamluke rulers died in their beds. The center of Mamluke rule became the
citadel of Cairo.
Jerusalem under the Mamlukes had the paradoxical position of being politically
and economically neglected, while being religiously revered and even
glorified.
The Political Status of Mamluke Jerusalem - Decline and Neglect
The Political status of Jerusalem declined sharply under Mamluke rule.
Jerusalem had been the capital of the country under the Crusaders - The
Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Under the Mamlukes Jerusalem was not even a
provincial capital and, in fact became subject to two other cities, Cairo and
Damascus. Cairo was the seat of the sultan and as such capital of the empire.
Greater Syria=B6, subject to Cairo, was divided into seven mamlakas or
regions; the largest of which was the mamlaka of Damascus; Jerusalem was a
minor subdistrict (wilaya) in this mamlaka.
The lower political status of was also reflected in the military rank of the
citys governor. His rank was commander of forty=B6 (from 1376 onwards -
previously it had been lower); the governors of Gaza and Safed (Tzfat) were
commanders of 1000). The lower rank of the governor also meant that the city
was protected=B6 by only a small garrison of troops.
Another reflection of Jerusalems lack of political/military importance may be
seen in the fact that the city was not connected to the imperial
communications network. This system of roads, constructed by the Sultan
Baybars in the mid-13th century was meant to connect the cities of Greater
Syria=B6 with Cairo and facilitate the efficient passage of government
communications.
These roads extended as far as the Euphrates, but never included Jerusalem.
Disgraced Officers Build Ornate Madrassas Forsake me not!
The forsaken nature of the city was further amplified by the fact that
disgraced officers were sometimes exiled=B6 to Jerusalem for the period of
their suspension. These exiles produced some of Mamluke Jerusalems most
ornate buildings. Apparently various disgraced officers were concerned about
how history would remember them. Consequently, they constructed religious
academies (madrassas) with ornate facades.
One such building is the Tashtimurya at 106 Street of the Chain in the Moslem
Quarter. The Tashtimurya was built in 1382 by the Emir Tashtimur, a former
governor of Damascus. It contains the tombs of Tashtimur and his son, which
are visible beyond the barred window. The buildings entrance stands out for
its decorative niche high above the doorway. Another nearby madrassa, the
Tazya, (111 Street of the Chain) was built by the exiled Emir Taz in 1362.
His former position as court cupbearer is indicated by two goblets, carved on
either side of an ornate Arabic inscription above a window. Above this
incription are interlocking, clover shaped stones, typical of Mamluke period
architecture in Jerusalem - Worth coming to see!
Jerusalem has no wall, much to our distress=B6
The Mamluke period stands out as one of the few times in Jerusalems history
that the city had no wall. This too reflected the reduced political status of
the city. Its previous wall had been destroyed in 1219 by the Ayyubid ruler
of Damascus El Malik El Muathim Isa and there exists no archeological evidence
of a city wall until the present walls were constructed by Suleiman the
Magnificent in the mid-16th century. Apparently no Mamluke ruler had ever
considered their reconstruction sufficiently important. In addition to the
citys declined prestige this probably also reflected the
geo-political/military reality at the time. All the serious external military
threats to the Mamlukes were far from Jerusalems ruined ramparts. In 1310
the Sultan El Nasir Muhamed bin Qalaun ordered that the citadel be rebuilt.
It provided a line defense for Jerusalems governor and the small Mamluke
garrison stationed there, but afforded little protection for the rest of the
citys inhabitiants.
The lack of a wall was a source of great distress to Jerusalems Jewish
visitors, who saw this as a sign of the citys desolation. In 1481 Meshullam
of Voltera wrote: Jerusalem has no wall, much to our distress, except for a
bit on the side from which I entered=B6. (Apparently the area of todays Jaffa
Gate next to the reconstructed citadel). Like in 1488 another visitor to the
city, Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura wrote: Jerusalem is almost desolated and it
goes without saying that it has no wall around it=B6.
El Quds El Sharif=B6 - Continued Religious Prestige
Despite its political decline, Jerusalem flourished as an Islamic religious
center during the Mamluke period. A body of Moslem religioous writings,
known as Fadail El Quds (Praises of Jerusalem) proved an important force in
convincing wealthy, influential Moslems to rehabilitate the city after years
of infidel=B6 Crusader rule. Jerusalem was described as the first of two
qiblas=B6. Qibla - the direction of prayer in Islam. In the early days of
Islam Moslems faced Jerusalem, not Mecca during prayer. This fact was now
used by Jerusalems rulers to advertise=B6 the citys religious virtues, the
third Haram=B6 (religious territory - after Mecca and Medina), recently
liberated from the infidels.
The fact that the Mamlukes were ruling the city after such a long period of
Christian domination caused them to launch a massive wave of building to
re-islamize=B6 the city. Re-islamizing=B6 the city took the form of a massive
wave of religious building on the Temple Mount and in the areas west and
north of it. Particularly prominent among these buildings were madrassas
(religious academies), zawiyas (monasteries for Moslem mystics) and ribats
(hospices).
The Temple Mount -Haram Esh Sharif - The Noble Sanctuary
The site which most demonstratively emphasizes the Islamic identity of the
city is the Temple Mount, or as it is known to Moslems as Haram Esh Sharif -
the Noble Sanctuary. As a result various Mamluke rulers devoted great efforts
to decorate and glorify=B6 this area of the city. In the mid 13th century, the
Sultan Baybars renovated the wall mosaic on the exterior of the Dome of the
Rock. (The colorful tiles were added to the stucture by Suleiman the
Magnificent in the mid 16th century). The Sultan Al Nasir Muhamed bin Qalaun
did even more to glorify=B6 the Temple Mount: He renovated the southern wall
of the Haram; resurfaced the domes of Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock with
Gold; erected the colonade on the western side of the Haram; and built El
Qanatir (the decorative arches at the top of the stairs leading to the
elevated platform of the Dome of the Rock). In 1320 Emir Tankiz, governor of
Damascus, donated El Kas (the Cup) - the magnificent washing station north of
the Al Aqsa Mosque.
Madrassa, Zawiyas and Ribats
Three major functions of Mamluke buildings were as madrassas - religious
academies; zawiyas - monasteries for Moslem mystics (sufis); and ribats -
hostels for visting Moslem pilgrims. The largest concentration of these
buildings is in the Moslem Quarter, west and north of the Temple Mount.
Particularly fine examples of Mamluke architecture can be found on the Street
of the Chain and the Street of the Iron Gate. These buildings are
characterized by arches composed of pillow-shaped stones; niches over gates
filled with dangling stalactites=B6. Another major characteristic is an
alternating color pattern of building stones lining windows and doors; black
and white; brown and white; red and white. Frequently plaques with elegantly
carved Arabic insriptions are found over doors and windows. These
inscriptions frequently inform us of the name of the buildings sponsor; the
date it was built; and other information about the sponsor (i.e. rank, city of
origin, etc.).
The Re-establishment of Jerusalems Jewish Community
The Crusaders formerly banned Jews (and Moslems) from entering the city of
Jerusalem. The ban was apparently effective because Rabbi Benjamin of Tudella
reports finding only three Jews (cloth dyers) in the city in the mid-12th
century. In 1267 Nachmanides came to Jerusalem and delivered a remarkably
similar report to his son, with an interesting contradiction; he tells of
finding only two Jews in the city, but claims a minyan meets in their home on
Sabbaths - Did Jerusalem have a weekend Jewish community? Nachmanides goes on
to tell us that: ...we have taken an old delapidated house, buit on marble
pillars, with a beautiful dome, and taken it as a synogoue, for the city is
derelict and whoever desires to take possesion of its ruins may do so. We
have...sent to Nablus to bring back Torah Scrolls which used to be in
Jerusalem=B6. This building still exists in the heart of the Jewish quarter and
is known as the Ramban (Nachmanides) Synagoue. The buildings interior is
remarkably similar to the desciption of it in Nachmanides letter to his son.
The establishment of the synagogue on this location, together with the
community which grew up around it ultimately determined the location of
Jerusalems Jewish Quarter - to this day!
A Mosque in the Jewish Quarter
The re-established Jewish community had a tumultuous first few hundred years.
On several occasions various Moslem groups tried to sieze the synagogue,
especially after a mosque was established next door. The mosque itself was
erected as a result of a dispute within the minute Jewish community. Rabbi
Ovadia of Bartenura (1488) tells us that the mosque next to the Ramban
Synagogue was built by the mother of a man who converted to Islam as a result
with fellow members of the Jewish community. The mosque also still exists
next to the Ramban Synagogue.
The expulsion from Spain in 1492 brought a minor (numerically) wave of
immigration to the Land of Israel, includung Jerusalem. After Moslems
successfully siezed the Ramban Synagogue in 1586, the Eliahu Hanavi (Prophet
Elijah) Synagogue was erected to the southeast. The new=B6 arrivals from
Iberia were instrumental in constructing the new synagogue. Later this grew
into a complex known today as the Four Sephardi Synagogues=B6. It still exists
and may be visited it is located next ot the northeast corner of the Jewish
Quarters parking lot.
The Turks Arrive - Jerusalem Gets A New Wall
In 1516 the Ottoman Turks defeated the Mamluke army near Aleppo, Syria. At
years end the Sultan Selim the Grim (alternately the Conqueror=B6) entered
Jerusalem beginning 400 years of Turkish rule. Initially Turkish rule brought
splendor and development to the city. In the mid 16th century Selims son
Suleiman the Magnificent executed several major projects: He built the citys
walls. The same walls which surround the Old City today. At this time he
also resurfaced the exterior of the Dome of the Rock with blue-green tiles -
what we see today. The citys water system was also repaired at this time
and a series of fountains (sabils) were installed at various locations in the
city, including Jaffa Gate and the bridge/dam of Sultans pool.
Turkish rule didnt remain enlightened for long. Corruption, neglect,
rebellious governors/warlords and the general disintegration of law and order
in the Ottoman Near East was to rapidly turn the Land of Israel and Jerusalem
into the backwater of a dying empire. This however is a prelude of big things
to come.
Return to
Newsgroup Archives Main Page
Return to our Main Webpage
�2011
Hebraic Heritage Ministries International. Designed by
Web Design by JB.