A Guide to Muslim & Christian Holy Places in Jerusalem
Overview
Jerusalem is one of the oldest and most important cities in the world. It is regarded as sacred by the believers of the three monotheistic faiths (Jewish, Christian and Muslim), and can stake a claim to possessing the highest concentration of religious sites compared to any other place on earth.
For Palestinians, Muslim and Christian alike, Jerusalem presents a landscape in which past, present and future are intrinsically connected; the city also symbolizes, despite the passions, wars and rivalries it has aroused at all times, the possibilities of a future of coexistence and tolerance. Palestinians recall indeed that the Arab Muslims who opened the city peacefully in 638 acknowledged others’ identities and holy places. The pact of the second Caliph of Islam, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab, with Jerusalem Christian Patriarch Sophronious, guaranteed the protection of the Christian inhabitants and their churches. This was a rare feat of religious tolerance in the history of Jerusalem, similar to that of Salah Ad-Din Al-Ayyubi who allowed the Jews to resettle there after he defeated the Crusaders in 1187.
For Muslims worldwide, Jerusalem is of utmost spiritual significance as it is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the three restricted destinations for Muslims’ pilgrimage (along with Al-Haram Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina), and historically the first direction of prayers (qibla). According to Muslim tradition, it is also the site where Prophet Muhammad [Peace Be Upon Him] ascended to heaven from the Rock of the Ascension following his Night Journey from the Noble Sanctuary in Mecca around the year 621 (Al-Isra’ wa Al-Miraj, i.e., “the Night Journey and the Ascension”). In addition, Jerusalem includes a wealth of mosques, minarets, alleys, schools, khans, Sufi lodges, and cemeteries which are precious testimony of the fourteen-century long Islamic heritage of the city and contribute greatly to its architectural splendor, without many visitors knowing.
For Christians, Jerusalem is Mater Ecclesiae (“the Mother of the Church”), the capital of Christendom, the city which witnessed the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ [Peace Be Upon Him] and where the Christian Church was founded. This primordial religious significance is embodied in the presence of many of the most important holy places of Christianity, such as the Holy Sepulcher, the Cenacle, the Tomb of the Virgin, the Sanctuary of the Ascension, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Mount of Olives.
Today, however, the sanctity of Jerusalem stands as a major issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in an ever-increasing manipulation of religion for political goals. In the face of Israel’s endless attempts to “judaize” Jerusalem since its occupation of the city in June 1967 and to remove all roots of its Arab culture, history and legacy, it is imperative to highlight and sustain the city’s Muslim-Christian identity and presence. This book is thus intended to offer an introduction to the historical origin, esthetic aspects, and contemporary use of most of the Holy City’s Christian and Muslim sites of patrimonial and religious importance.
Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi
Chiarman of PASSIA - Jerusalem
1. Mosques
- Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Qibli Mosque
Al-Qibli Mosque
Dome of the Rock
The Ancient Aqsa
Al-Musalla Al-Marwani/The Eastern Basement
Al-Buraq Wall and Al-Buraq Mosque
The Moroccan Mosque
Dome of the Ascension
Dome of the Chain
Dome of the Grammarians
Dome of Moses
Dome of Sheikh Al-Khalili
Dome of the Scale
Dome of Suleiman
The Minarets
The Arched Gates
The Open and Closed Gates Leading to Al-Aqsa Mosque
Sabeel Qaytbay
Platforms
The Islamic Museum
- Abu Bakr Mosque
- Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque
- The Citadel Mosque
- Darghath Mosque
- Ad-Dissi Mosque
- The Grand Al-Umari Mosque
- Al-Hariri Mosque
- Al-Hayyat Mosque
- Al-Khanqah As-Salahiya Mosque
- Al-Mawlawiya Mosque Musaab Ibn Umayr Mosque
- Al-Qaimari Mosque
- Qalawun Mosque
- Al-Qirami Mosque
- Ar-Rasasi Mosque
- The Red Minaret Mosque
- Sheikh Ghabayen Mosque
- Sheikh Lu’lu’ Mosque
- Sheikh Makki Mosque and Shrine
- Sheikh Rihan Mosque
- Ash-Shorabji Mosque
- Sultan Barquq Mosque
- As-Suyufi Mosque and Shrine
- Sweeqat Alloun Mosque
- Umar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque
- Al-Umari Mosque
- Uthman Ibn Affan Mosque
- Wali-Allah Muhareb Mosque
- Al-Yaqoubi Mosque
2. Schools
- Al-Arghunia School
- Al-Asaadiya School
- Al-Ashrafiya School
- Al-Badriya School
- Al-Basitiya School
- Ad-Dweidariya School
- Al-Hanbaliya School
- Al-Jawhariya School
- Al-Jawliya School/Al-Umariya School/Rawdat Al-Maaref Al-Wataniya College
- Al-Kameliya School
- Al-Karimiya School
- Al-Khatuniya School
- Al-Lu’lu’iya School
- Al-Manjakiya School
- Al-Muzhiriya School
- The Ottoman School
- Rawdat Al-Maaref School
- As-Salahiya School
- As-Salamiya School/Al-Musiliya School
- At-Tankaziya School
- At-Tashtmiriya School
3. Sufi Lodges
- Al-Afghani Lodge
- Ahmad Mothabet Lodge
- The Crimean Lodge
- The Indian Lodge
- Al-Lu’lu’iya Lodge
- Al-Mihmaziya Lodge/Dweik Family House
- An-Naqshabandiya Lodge/Al-Uzbakiya Lodge
- As-Saadiya Lodge
- Al-Wafa’iya Lodge/Al-Budairi Library
- Wali-Allah Abu Madyan Lodge
- Az-Zahiriya Lodge/Dar Al-Bayraq
4. Ribats
- Ribat Bayram Jawish/Ar-Rasasiya School/The Islamic Orphanage School
- Ribat Al-Kurd
- Ribat Al-Mansouri
- Ribat and Mosque of Ala Ad-Din Al-Basir
- Ribat Az-Zamani
5. Water Sources and Structures
- Bab An-Nazer Sabeel
- Birkat As-Sultan Sabeel
- Hammam Al-Ein
- Hammam Ash-Shifa
- Hammam As-Sultan
- Lions Gate Sabeel/Bab Sitna Mariam Sabeel
- Sabeel Al-Wad/Al-Qattaneen Gate Sabeel
- As-Silsila Gate Sabeel
6. Khans
- Khan Banu Saad
- Khan Adh-Dhahir
- Khan Al-Fahm, Khan Al-Masref and Khan Ash-Shaara
- Khan Al-Ghadiriya
- Khan Al-Qadi Fakhr Ad-Din Ibn Nusseibah
- Khan Al-Qattaneen
- Khan As-Sultan
- Khan Tankaz
- Khan Az-Zait
7. Cemeteries and Mausolea
- Bab Ar-Rahma Cemetery/Al-Asbat Gate Cemetery/Al-Yousufiya Cemetery
- Baraka Khan Cemetery/Al-Khalidi Library
- Herod’s Gate Cemetery/Al-Mujahideen Cemetery
- Al-Kilani Mausoleum
- Mamilla Cemetery
- As-Saadiya Mausoleum
- As-Sit Tanshaq Al-Mudhaffariya Mausoleum
- At-Tunbagha Mausoleum
- Turkan Khatun Mausoleum
1. The Old City
Alexander Podvorie
Armenian Cathedral of Saint James
Cathedral of Saint Jacob/Cathedral of Saint James
Christ Church
Church of Annunciation
Church and Convent of the Holy Archangels
Church of the Holy Sepulcher
Church of Saint John the Baptist
Church of Saint Mark
Church of Saint Mary of the Knights/Saint Mary of the Germans
Church of Saint Toros
Deir As-Sultan/Ethiopian Monastery
Ecce Homo Arch
Ecce Homo Convent and Basilica/Convent of the Sisters of Zion
Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer
Hezekiah’s Pool
Holy Family Chapel
Holy Olive Tree
Jerusalem Church
Jerusalem Evangelical Alliance Church
Maronite Patriarchal Exarchate in Jerusalem
Pools of Bethesda and Saint Anne’s Church
Prison of Christ, Praetorium
Queen Helen Coptic Orthodox Church
Saint George Church
Saint Savior Monastery and Church
Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross)
2. Mount of Olives
Basilica of the Agony/Church of all Nations
Bethphage
Chapel of Ascension
Church and Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene
Church of the Virgin Mary’s Tomb
Dominus Flevit
Evangelical Church of the Ascension
Garden of Gethsemane
Grotto of Gethsemane
Russian Convent of Ascension
Church of Ascension
Chapel of Saint John the Baptist
Saint Stephen’s Church
Sanctuary of the Eleona/Church of the Pater Noster
Tomb of Zachariah
3. Mount Zion
Cenacle
Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu
Dormition Abbey and Hagia Maria Sion Abbey/Dormition Church
Saint Savior Monastery
4. Old City Environs
Basilica of Saint Stephen
Church of the Nazarene
East Jerusalem Baptist Church
First Baptist Bible Church of Jerusalem
Garden Tomb
Pool of Siloam
Saint George Cathedral
Saint Thomas Syrian Catholic Church