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(It is natural for the Yaboussians to choose this site to build
their fortress because it enjoys natural and strategic
characteristics. Nature provided in this place the most important
requirement the inhabitants need, water. There is a strong spring in
the valley of kadrun to the east of the arsenal. It is also called
Jayhoon (The Virgin's spring); Moreover, choosing such a location
could provide protection to the city, for it is surrounded by three
valleys: the valley of kadrun to the east, the valley of Al rubaba
to the south and the valley of Alzibl to the west. Those valleys
altogether constituted natural defensive lines for the city.)
First: The Construction and the Location
The building of this great city traced back to the emigration
of the Canaanites from the Arab peninsula to Palestine 5oooyears
ago. The Yaboussians, a sub-branch of the Canaanites, built the city
of Jerusalem and named it as" yabous". It was built on what is
called as the hill of (Aufal), a mountain overlooking the city of
Salwan to the eastern south of the Al-aqsa. It was also named as (Heirosolyma).
The historians have had different ideas about the reason of this
name. Some historians say that this name stands for the Salem, the
Canaanite king, who developed the city and increased its
fortifications, whereas other historians traced it back to what was
known to the Canaanites as the god of salam(peace).
This city, the first nuclus , had faded away throughout ages
and was replaced by another one, but this time it was built on three
hills, the hill of (bayt
Al-zaytoon) between Al-Sahera door and Hitta door in the eastern
north side, the hill of the Haram square in the east and the hill of
the Prophet David in the western south. All these three hills
constitute today what is known now the old town.
Second: Jerusalem throughout History
Due to its cultural, historical and religious importance,
Jerusalem witnessed many events and was ruled subsequently by
different peoples until Moslems opened it.
Some Important Stages of Jerusalem History
1-The Yaboussians built Jerusalem to be the capital of
their state and to connect the parts of their state together. The
hills became a holy, spiritual and religious center.
2-The Yaboussians were famous of their political intelligence.
They established relations with the Pharos in Egypt, for instance,
the six letters that were excavated in Egypt, revealed that the
Yaboussian ruler of Jerusalem, who sent them to the king of Egypt (Istohtab
the third), asked the latter to help him stop lootings and
destruction his kingdom had been suffering from.
3- Canaanite Jerusalem witnessed economic prosperity. They
manufactured sickles, spears and hand mills.etc. Commerce flourished
as well, for the geographical site of Jerusalem enabled it to impose
its control over the trade road that combined the Mediterranean to
the desert of Syria.
4-The religious importance of Jerusalem increased when Prophet
Abraham (peace be upon him) left Iraq and immigrated to Jerusalem.
Finally, he settled down in Al-Kalil. The Yaboussian king (Malki
sadeq) honored him because he was impressed by his faith and high
morals. Then the king gave him the land of Al-Kalil to be his
residence. King Malaki Sadeq was famous for being righteous,ascetic
and monotheist. His name means the righteous and just king.
5-The children of Israel, the offspring of Jaccob, refused to
enter Palestine during the time of Moses (peace be upon him).They
said:" O Moses! In this land are people of exceeding strength." They
had gone astray for twenty years in the desert of Sanai. They
couldn't enter Jerusalem until 10005 B.C. during the time of Prophet
David (peace be upon him).The city inhabitants, the Yaboussians
lived with God's prophets and their cultural and civilized
experience contributed much to the building of David's Kingdom. The
city flourished too during the reign of Prophet Solomon (peace be
upon him).
6- Heirosolyma became the capital city of Judah Kingdom which
didn't last for a long time.
7- Nabuchadnezzer occupied Jerusalem in 586 B.C .He captured
the Jews and sent them to Babylon in Iraq. When the Persians
overcame Syria in 538 B.C., the Jews were permitted to return to
Jerusalem.
8- Heirosolyma remained under the domination of the Persians
until the Macedonian Alexander invaded it in 332B.C. Afterwards the
Romans occupied Palestine ,entered Jerusalem in 63 B.C. and granted
the Jews some sort of self-governing.
9- The Jews rebelled more than once against the Roman rule.The
conflict led to the destruction of Heirosolyma.The Roman emperor
Hadrian built up a new city on the debris of Heirosolyma and called
it "Elia" which was the first name of the Hadrian the First .When
the Roman emperor Constantine adopted and legalized Cristianity, his
mother Hellen started building churches, the most well-known of
which was the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
10-Jerusalem was known to Muslims as "Elia". When Muslims
besieged it, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Safrunius, demanded to hand
the city gate's keys to Umar ibn Alkhtab(may God be pleased with
him),who was famous for his justice.Umar,then, signed a peace treaty
and gave it to the Christians in 15(H.) or in 630A.C.
The Religious Position of Jerusalem and Its Cultural Features
Following is an extract of a speech delivered by the Judge
Muhyi Aldin bin zeki after the liberationn of Jerusalem:
(It is the homeland of your father Abraham, the place of your
prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) ascension to the seven
heavens,the distanation of the friends of God, the stopping place of
the messengers of God, the cradle of Islam, the home where orders
from heavens descend .It is the land of resurrection and the soil of
revival. It is in the holy land God mentioned in the His holy book.
It is Al-Aqsa Mosque where the Messenger of God performed the prayer
with the nearest angles. It is the city to which God sent His
slave,His Messenger and His Word to Mary and His soul Isa (Jesus).It
is the First Qibla( the direction in which Muslims face when
praying), the Second Mosque and the Third Haram)
The Religious Position of Jerusalem
Prophet Mohammad's journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to
the Farthest Mosque showed the strong connection between Jerusalem
and the cradle of Islam, Mecca. This doctrine bond emphasizes the
holiness of Jerusalem, so maintaining its Arab and Islamic character
means maintaining the doctrine of Islam. It is not strange, for
Palestine and Jerusalem had been blessed in the holy Qura'n for six
times and glorified once. Following are some holy versions from
Qura'an and some of the Prophet's traditions (Hadith) which clearly
point at this :
1- Allah al-Mighty says:(Glory to Allah who did take His
servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to the
Farthest Mosque whose precincts We did Bless) Al Isra' , version
-1.
2-Allah the Exalted says: (It was Our powers that Made the
violent (unruly) wind flow (tamely) for Solomon to his order to the
land which We had blessed for We do know all things.
3-Maymoona, a maid of the Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H.), asked
the Prophet about Bayt Al- maqdes( Jerusalem). He said," It is the
land of rivaval and resurrection come and pray there, for one pray
in this land equals to thousands in other places. " . " What if I
can't get there?" she replied. He said," you can send some oil as a
gift that illuminate it and this would be as if you got there.".
4- The Messenger of Allah said, "A group of my nation would
never deviate from the right path and they would always conquer and
overcome their enemies. They wouldn't care who might be against them
or what adversities they might be inflicted by until the order of
Allah comes and they are still in this case. The Muslems asked,"
Where are such people, Messenger of Allah?"." They are In Jerusalem
and its neighbourhood."
Jerusalem in the Islamic Ages
1- The age of the Calaphet
When Umar – may God be pleased with him- entered Jerusalem,
It was the high time for prayer and he was in the church of Holy
sculpcher at that moment; Patriarch Safrunius asked him to pray in
the church but Umar refused lest the Muslems would consider it a
mosque, but he performed the prayer in a place near the church which
was later on known the Mosque of Umar Ibn Elkahtab.The Caliph, then,
headed towards the southern part of the Haram court and ordered that
it had to be cleaned and he built a mosque in that place. There are
also many tombs of the Messenger's companions in Jerusalem like the
tomb of Ubada Ibn Samet whom Umar Ibn Elkatab, may God be pleased
with him, appointed to be a teacher and a judge. There is also the
tomb of Shadad Bn Ous, may God be pleased with him.
2-The Umayaids Age
Umayaids caliphs attached so considerable importance
toJerusalem that they would strive to take the pledge of allegiance
from the people there. Jerusalem witnessed during their reign a
remarkable cultural prosperity .Abdul Malek bin Marwan,the Caliph,
built the Dome of the Rock in A.H. 72/ 691 A.C. Kalifa Al- Waleed
bin Abdul- Malek succeeded his father and built the Farthest Mosque
(Masjid al Aqsa) and many other Umayaids a number of important sites
the ruins of which are still remaining there.
3- Abbassaids Age
Abbassaids Caliphs visited Jerusalem. When some parts of
Masjid al Aqasa were destroyed by an earthquake, they rebuilt it and
introduced many new changes in it during the rule of both Abi
Ja'afer al Mansoor and al Ma'moon.
Jerusalem remained under the Islamic rule until 1099 A.C/
A.H.492 when the crusades occupied it and committed the most heinous
massacre in the Haram court killing about 70000 innocent civilians.
The crusaders then took al Aqsa and the holy Dome as barracks for
their soldiers and stales for their horses. The call for the Muslim
prayer hadn't been performed for about 88 years
1- Ayyubian Age
Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi re-concqured Jerusalem after Hittin
battle in 1187 A.C/A.H. 583 and he showed the best example in
tolerance with his enemies. He provided them safety and protected
their money .Salahuddin paid the fee for the poor from his own
money.Salahuddin then put the forum which was made by Nour ddin
Zanki who died just a short time before the liberation of Jerusalem.
Salahuddin built a number of schools the most famous of which
was Alsalaheya School and he also built a hospital .He, furthermore,
took part in repairing the walls of Jerusalem and its fortress.
2- Mamluk Age
The Mamluki Sultans attached a great importance to Jerusalem;
they built many religious sites just next to the Haram and opened
markets and built schools such as The sultani School, al Ashrafiyah
School and the Tankaziyah until Jerusalem became a scientific
minaret visited by students from all over the Islamic countries
3- Ottoman Age
Sultan Sulayman al Kanooni renewed the Holy Dome and built
the current Jerusalem wall , for Jerusalem hadn't had such wall for
about 300 years long. He took care of the water establishments and
introduced some reforms into it and improved them. He also built
many worship places as well. Ottoman sultans' concerns about
Jerusalem increased in the nineteenth century after the Jews showed
their greed about Palestine. Afterwards, the first local
municipality council of the city was formed in 1863 and the city was
represented in the Ottoman Parlement, and the ruler of Jerusalem
would take orders directly from the Ottoman government. Many schools
were also built in the city.
Musleh al Kaledi, a Makdesi reformer, was born in 1842 and
studied in Europe and Istanboul. He worked as a translator for the
government, an Ottoman counselor and a teacher in Viena. He
represented Jerusalem in the council of the two conveys and became
the first president of Jerusalem municipality.
The Islamic rule had maintained peace and stability in
Jerusalem for more than 1400 years except the period of the crusader
war. The Muslims protected the rights of all the three religions.
The history of Jerusalem before the Islamic conquer was mainly
characterized by wars and anarchies that led to the destruction of
the city for about eighteen times in different ages.
Some Cultural Features of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is characterized by its many historical sights such
as doors, minarets, domes, mosques, and churches. Following are some
other outstanding places other than al Aqsa Mosque and the Holy
Sculpcher:
1- Alborak Mosque: it is located alongside of the Bouraq Wall
inside the courts of al Aqsa Mosque. It is named after the place
where our Prophet Mohammad(P.B.U.H.) tied Alborak.
2- Katabuy Fountain: It is a beautiful high building decorated
by colorful stones with a dome decorated by ornamental plants. It
was built by Mamluk Katabuy in A.H. 887/1482 A.C. The fountain is
still useful for its icy water.
3- Al Ashrsfiya School: It is located in the middle of the
western Pavillion of the Haram to the north of the Chain Door. It
was built by al Ashraf Katabuy. It consists of two storeys. The
first was used as the library of al Aqsq Mosque and the scond floor
is being used as a religious secondary school.
4- Jerusalem Castle: The castle is located on a high post in
the western side of the Jerusalem wall. It consists of five high
towers. It is internally and externally fortified. Many trenches
were dug around the castle. The castle contains many rooms that were
luxuriously decorated. The dome lies above the castle. The castle
also contains Roman and Omayaids ruins, but the current building of
the castle is almost Ayyubian, Mamluk or Ottoman.The mosque of the
castle was built by Mohammed bin Kaloon, a Mamluk Sultan
5- The Church of our Grandma, Mary: It is located in the
valley of Kadroon at the crossing roads that lead to the door of the
Grandsons, Salwan and the Mount. The Byzantine emperor built
this church in 450 A.C. and was rebuilt again during the age of the
Crusaders.
6- The Sultan's Monastery: This monastery is adjacent to the
holy Sculpcher from the eastern south side. It contains two churches
and belongs to Copts. Sultan It was named as Sultan's Monastery
because Sultan Salhuddin gave it back to the Copts after the
crusaders had occupied it.
Scholars from Jerusalem
Mohammed bin Ahmed al Makdesi Albeshari:
He was born in Jerusalem in 991A.C./A.H 380. He was one of
themostremarkable geographers. He worked in commerce and spent
twenty years moving from one Arab country to another. He divided the
Islamic world into regions and a picture and a shape for every
region. He followed the approach of the earlier geographers by
giving importance to the map and made it the base for studying
geography. (The Best Divisions in Knowing the Regions) was one of
the most important work he did when he was in Iran.
Mujbir Aldin Alhanbaly
He was born in Jerusalem in 1455A.C/A.H.860 and died in
1520A.C/A.H 927.he kept the holy Qura'n on his heart and he was only
ten years old. His father and a number of Hanbali sheiks taught him
Jurisprudence in Jerusalem. When he was twenty years old, he moved
to Egypt and acquired knowledge from the sheiks there and he very
close to the head judge of the Hanbali judges. Then he left Egypt
and was appointed as the judge of Ramla and the Jerusalem,Kalil and
Nablus.Afterwards, he left Nablus and continued his job in Jerusalem
,Kalil,and Ramla for thirty one years .He devoted the last period of
his life until his death for teaching in al Aqsa Mosque .His most
famous works were(The Great Pleasure in the History of Jerusalem and
Kalil)and (The support of Alrahman,The most compassionate, in
explaining Qura'n). He was called the historian of Jerusalem.
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