Palestine is home to many historic buildings that are considered to be architectural wonders. One of the buildings is Masjid-e-Khalil in Hebron. Masjid-e-Khalil was built on top of a small cemetery. This cemetery was home to the bodies of four Prophets and the Prophet’s wives. The four prophets are Ebrahim, Isaaq, Yaqoob, and Yusuf. Ebrahim was the father of Isaac who was the father of Yaqoob who was the father of Yusuf. It is said that the land which the mosque has been built on was purchased by Abraham for land to bury his family on. Another nickname for this mosque is the Cave of Machpelah. This means the Cave of Double Tombs. For the most part, all of the outer construction was built in the first century BC. The construction was financed by Herod the Great. When Muslims took control of the area, the mosque was made into a roofed mosque in 637 CE. The cemetery that lays underneath Masjid-e-Khail can be seen from the cupola. The cupola is on the opposite side of the qibla wall.
Another important building to Palestinians would be the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. It is considered one of the most famous and iconic images in the Middle East. The Dome of the Rock was built on top of Haram al-Sharif. Haram al-Sharif was considered the highest point in old Jerusalem the time the Dome of the Rock was built. Today, Haram al-Sharif is home to other famous religious buildings and now is a popular site for pilgrimages. This building has a Dome that is a golden color and the building is decorated with Turkish Faience tiles. In order to show the power of the faith of Islam in the seventh century, this building was built and it was one of the first Islamic building made. Unlike popular beliefs, the Dome of the Rick was not constructed to be a mosque. A large rock, sits at the center of the Dome of the Rock because this rock is where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Today this rock is symbolic to the night journey of Muhammad. This is the very rock as to where Muhammad was sent to heaven to be introduced to prophets, visit paradise and hell, and see God enthroned. To protect the rock, it is enclosed by two ambulatories and a octagonal exterior wall. Interestingly enough, the mosaics in this building do not portray any humans or animals. The mosaics only contain vegetative scrolls or motifs, vessels, and winged crowns. Winged crowns were work by Sasanian kings. Overall the mosaics portrayed pre-Islamic civilization of the region and the Sasanian kingdom that the Arab armies had victoriously defeated. Also, the Dome of the Rock has inscriptions on it that show the earliest surviving verses of the Quran and shows the main values of the religion of Islam.
Another important building to Palestinians is the Hisham’s Palace which is located very close to Jericho in the Jordan Valley. It is said that the palace was built around 744 AD by el-Walid II. Also, the Hisham’s Palace is believed to have been used for a winter resort instead of a permanent residence. Sadly, most of the palace was destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD before the palace was completely constructed. The Palestinian Department of Antiquities launched two excavations for this historical site. During the excavation, a mosque, thermal bath complex, and a monumental fountain was found, but it looked like they were never completed during the palace's original construction. Originally, the palace was two stories and the building was square with round towers as the corners. The palace contained a courtyard also that had rooms near it for guests, servants, or storage. A mosque was places on the south side of the palace where a mihrab was discovered. The second storey was solely used for living quarters. Also, the Hisham’s palace has a forecourt with a large pool that was covered with a pavillion that was supported by eight piers. Most of the architecture, paintings, ornaments, mosaic pavements, and other decorations of the palace showed the Sassanian style and influence. Also, the mosaic floors were coloured and the art represented Islamic art.
One very interesting woman who grew up and lives in Palestinian is, Suad Amiry. Suad is a Palestinian architect and author. Currently, she is living in Ramallah, Palestine and has been living there since 1981. She lives in Ramallah with her husband, Salim Tamari. Salim Tamari is a well known political and academic activist in Palestine. In 1951, she was born in Damascus, Palestine. Suad studied architecture at American University in Michigan and she studied architecture in Edinburgh, Scotland. “My Mother-in-Law” is her most famous book and is what made her a recognizable author in Palestine. In fact, this book has been translated in over seventeen languages and in 2004 was chosen to receive the Viareggio Prize. Not only does she have a successful book, but Suad is the Director and founder of Riwaq: Centre for Architectural Conservation. Also, she is the vice=president for the Board of Trustees for Bizerte University.
Sources:
http://www.bqfp.com.qa/authors-en/author-profiles-en/suadamir
Very Interesting architecture in this post. I noticed most of Palestine architecture is religious and the reason behind that was the existence of the prophets at that time. ّI read there are more than 8 prophets who are buried in Palestine. The three religious Islam, Christianity and Judaism were living in piece. Islam was not the religion of all prophets at that time so the buildings were built for the same purpose but for different religions.
ReplyDeleteI found the story about the Dome of the rock is very interesting, for Muslims Alharam Alshareef is considered very important and it is related to the prophet Muhammad when he took his journey from mecca to Alquds in Palestine.
about Masjid alkhaleel which is also called "" Almasjid al ibrahimi" because the prophet Ibrahim is buried there, in a previous time this masjid was transferred to a church.
it is really amazing to know about such a successful woman like Suad, and from your post i found that here achievements are really amazing, I am wondering if she helped in designing any artistic building in Palestine?
For anyone reading over this who might not know, al-Quds (meaning 'sanctuary' or 'shrine') is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the fact that the mosaics in the Dome of the Rock don't depict any humans or animals - remember that especially according to Sunni Islam, animate creatures should not be pictured as decorative illustrations for religious buildings.
It would seem to me that building on top of a cemetery is not a good thing. I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard about how something is haunted or whatnot because it was built on an “Indian graveyard”. Is there a different view on that kind of subject in Palestine? I would think that since this cemetery is four prophets, it would be even more important, so I can only imagine that they wanted to build the Masjid-e-Khalil on top of it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Dome of the Rock is a really cool feature of architecture. I remember reading about it in the textbook. It awes me how people can be so enthralled by a rock, honestly. With how they guard it and have built a building around it, I can only imagine how serious people are about their religion in the Middle East. Day after day, I am always surprised to read about the commitment and passion that comes from and goes into religion in the Middle East. Is religion in Palestine what you expected it to be?
Another thing I am surprised to see is the amount of famous women that are acknowledged in the Middle East. Not because they are women, more so that they are famous for things like political activism – like Suad Amiry. It is inspirational to see a women be an activist in a culture that so strongly oppresses them. I also like the fact that she can wear so many hats and manage to balance it all: author, architect, activist, vice president, mother. A lot of interesting things going on, that’s for sure. I can’t help but wonder if this kind of status is common for women or if she is a special case? Thanks for the enlightenment!