Medieval Jerusalem and Islamic Worship: Holy Places, Ceremonies, Pilgrimage

✍ Scribed by Amikam Elad

• Publisher: Brill
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 222
• Series: Islamic History and Civilization: Studies and Texts; 8
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Medieval Jerusalem and Islamic Worship treats of the holy sites of the Muslims in Jerusalem and the ceremonies and pilgrimage to these places during the early Muslim period. It is based primarily on primary Arabic sources, some of which have been used for the first time. Emphasis is given to the works of "Literature in Praise of Jerusalem", an important and unique source for the history and topography of the city.
Many of the topics in this book have never been dealt with before, e.g. the detailed description of the first known guide for the Muslim pilgrim to Jerusalem, that dates from the 11th century, and the supplementary discussion of the 16th-century guide. Both guides are still in manuscript and have never been published.

✦ Table of Contents

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
List of Maps
Maps
Introduction
A. The Nature of the Sources
1. Arabic Sources
2. Non-Arabic Sources
3. Previous Research on Jerusalem During the Early Muslim Period
B. The “Literature in Praise of Jerusalem” and Its Importance for the Reconstruction of the History of the City During the Early Muslim Period
Chapter One Construction Works on the Ḥaram During the Umayyad Period
A. Introduction: The Umayyad Caliphs and Jerusalem
1. Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān (Reigned 40/661–60/680)
2. ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwān (Reigned 65/685–86/705)
3. Al-Walīd b. ‘Abd al-Malik (Reigned 86/705–96/715)
4. Sulaymān b. ‘Abd al-Malik (Reigned 96/715–99/717)
B. The Major Construction Works on the Ḥaram During the Umayyad Period
1. Al-Aqṣā Mosque
a. The Period of the “Four Guided Caliphs” and the Umayyads
a.1 Mu‘āwiya b. Abī Sufyān
a.2 ‘Abd al-Malik
a.3 Al-Walīd b. ‘Abd al-Malik
b. Al-Aqṣā Mosque from the End of the Umayyad Period to the Crusades
2. The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat al-Ṣakhra)
C. Other Constructions on the Ḥaram in the Umayyad Period
1. The Treasury (Bayt al-Māl)
2. The Dome of the Chain (Qubbat al-Silsila)
3. The Dome of the Prophet and the Dome of the Ascension (Qubbat al-Nabī, Qubbat al-Mi‘rāj)
4. The Gates
Chapter Two Worship and Pilgrimage in Jerusalem
A. Muslim Worship in the Holy Places of Jerusalem
1. Worship on the Ḥaram During the Umayyad Period
Translation of Sibṭ b. al-Jawzī’s Mirʾāt al-Zamān
Analysis of Sibṭ b. al-Jawzī’s Description
The First Part
The Second Part
2. Worship on the Ḥaram After the Umayyad Period: the Wuqūf
B. The Visit and Pilgrimage to Jerusalem and its Holy Sites
1. The Umayyad and Early ‘Abbāsid Periods
2. The First Guide for the Muslim Pilgrim from the Beginning of the 11th Century
Dating the Guide of Ibn al-Murajjā
Chapter Three The Holy Places in Jerusalem During the Early Muslim Period
A. The Ḥaram: The Dome of the Rock
1. The Black Paving-Stone (al-Balāṭa al-Sawdāʾ)
2. The Gate of (The Angel) Isrāfīl (Bāb Isrāfīl)
B. Additional Places on the Ḥaram
1. Solomon’s “Chair” [Stool] (Kursī Sulaymān)
1.1 The Gate of the Tribes (Bāb al-Asbāṭ)
1.2 The Dome of Jacob (Qubbat Ya‘qūb)
1.3 The Dome of Solomon (Qubbat Sulaymān)
2. Miḥrāb of Mary (Maryam) and the Cradle of Jesus (Mahd ‘Īsā)
2.1 Mahd ‘Īsā (The Cradle of Jesus)
3. Bāb al-Nabī (The Prophet’s Gate)
4. The Place Where Gabriel Tied al-Burāq
5. The Gate(s) of Mercy (Bāb [Abwāb] al-Raḥma)
6. The Gate of the Divine Presence (Bāb al-Ṣakīna)
7. The Gate of Remission (Bāb Ḥiṭṭa)
8. Miḥrāb Zechariah (Zakariyyāʾ)
9. Zakariyyāʾ in Islam
C. Holy Places Outside the Ḥaram
1. Miḥrāb of David (Dāwūd)
2. The Church of Mary (Kanīsat Maryam)
3. Al-Sāhira and the Mount of Olives (Ṭūr Zaytā)
3.1 Al-Sāhira
3.2 The Mount of Olives
Chapter Four The Religio-Political Status of Jerusalem During the Umayyad Period
Why did ‘Abd al-Malik Build the Dome of the Rock?
The Historical Framework
Appendix A Mid-16th Century Guide for the Muslim Pilgrim to Jerusalem
Abbreviations/Bibliography
Index