Lecture 16

In this lecture we continued on Islamic Jerusalem, the Crusader topic, and then went into Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem.  First, with the finishing of Islamic Jerusalem, we see explanations about the two groups that ruled (at different time periods).  Here are notes on both the Abbasid Dynasty and the Fatimids:

·         Abbasid Dynasty, 750-969 (Baghdad)

o   Abbasids try to wipe out memory of umayyid accomplishment like palaces

o   Abbasid Caliph Al-Ma-mun takes credit for building the dome of the rock in the 9^th century

§  Forgets to erase the date of the construction 72^nd year of Moslem era

o   Al-Ma-mun’s Polemic against Christianity

§  “believe therefor in God and his apostles, and say not “Three” [i.e. Trinity]…God is only one God.  Far be it from his glory that he should have a son

o   Muhammad al-Sanhaji, governor of Jerusalem, kills John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 965 CE

·         Fatimids, 969-1099 (Egypt)

o   Period of upheaval, but pop. Of Jerusalem steadily increases (up to ~20,000 on eve of Crusader conquest)

o   Welfare of Christians and Jews changes depending on ruler

§  Near the end of their rule Fatimids appoint Jewish and Christian governors of Jerusalem

o   969-1029 “The war of sixty years”: Byzantine army advances southward, gradually capturing Muslim territory in Syria, with the aim of recapturing Jerusalem

o   1009 Caliph al-Hakim orders destruction of all Jewish and Christian houses of prayer, including Holy Sepulcher

o   1033 – earthquake severely damages Jerusalem’s walls and other buildings, including the Dome of the Rock

§  1034-1035 Dome of the rock restored

§  1034-1064 city walls rebuilt

o   1070-1098 – Seljugs occupy Jerusalem, destroying and looting much of the city and massacring thousands of its inhabitants

o   1098 – fatimids lead 40-day siege on Jerusalem’s fortifications, destroying several sections of the city wall, and eventually retaking the city from the Seljugs

We see people trying to take credit for others' work in the nonstop quest for glory and fame.  Does this cause or instigate the emotions for the crusades?

We then moved on to Saladin's Jerusalem after the Crusades.  This time period is called the Ayyubid Jerusalem (1187-1250).  This began when Saladin took over Jerusalem on September 26th, 1187.  His legend stems from the contrast of how his people are said to have won versus how the Crusaders said he won.  Overall, though, he was a good ruler that was religiously tolerant.  His successors sadly struggled with power, and eventually there were several more crusades.

We then talked about the Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem.  First came the Mamluk Jerusalem, from 1250-1516.  This was actually a very long time period of rule.  This rule, however, was strong only in a religious sense because the city was not significant at all in a political or militaristic way.  Here are some notes on the Mamluk Jerusalem:

·         Mamluk Jerusalem (1250-1516)

o   Jerusalem becomes a religious center

§  Ziyara (visit) to Jerusalem (vs. Haji – pilgrimage to Mecca)

§  30 anthologies made “in praise of Jerusalem” (begun during crusades)

§  Muhammad reportedly said, “he who lives in Jerusalem is considered a warrior of the jihad”

o   Politically and militarily insignificant

§  Used as a place of political exile

§  A city without walls

§  Only citadel restored, 1310

o   Development of the Haram

o   Intensive building of schools, hospices, hostels

§  Used crusader structures as quarries for stone (or incorporated their walls)

§  Two-bath houses built

§  Colonnaded madrasas (schools) built around the Haram

§  Cotton market built along Sha’ar Ha’gai, crusader markets enlarged

§  Only 2 new mosques built, one of which is Friday mosque in citadel

o   1351-1353 jerusalem suffers from the Black Death (plague)

At this time of Jerusalem we see a fluorishing of architecture, Harams, and religious strength.  Also, there was an increase in the size of the Jewish quarter.

Afterwards we talked about Ottoman Jerusalem, mainly with the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent.  He was actually a good leader, tolerant, established many good structures, and helped the country thrive.  Here are some notes on him:

·         Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566)

o   Public work:

§  Repairs and enlarges aqueducts and Sultan’s Pool, 1532

§  Rebuilds walls of Jerusalem (1536-1541)

·         2 miles long, 40 feet high, 34 towers, 7 gates

§  Extensive campaign to refurbish the Haram and its monuments

·         Replaces mosaics on exterior of Dome of the Rock with Syrian tiles

§  Rebuilds and renovates the markets

§  Builds the Khassaki Sultan complex, a huge public charity for Jerusalem’s inhabitants

·         Includes a bakery, market, mausoleum

§  His work in Jerusalem parallels that at Mecca and Mediina: Jerusalem the third great city of Islam

o   Establishes a shari’a court

o   Jewish refugees encouraged to settle in Jerusalem to restore city

o   1553, population 13,384 including 1,650 Jews (population tripled from 1525)

o   In 1535, david dei rossi writes, “here we are not in exile, as in our own country…there are no special jewish taxes”

o   Restorations of Holy Places

§  From Suleiman (1520) to Abdulhamid II (1909), restorations of the Haram coincided with the granting of concessions to foreign rulers and religious groups abroad and in Jerusalem

§  There also usually immediately preceded or followed a restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher 

We lastly spoke of the Western wall, not of the temple, but of the surrounding structure (by Herod).  Suleiman gave this area to the Jews as a place of Prayer, showing his tolerance.  From this myths started to be pulled to the wall, such as Suleiman having purified it himself.  With time this wall became a symbol for the temple.