Jerusalem, the City of Herod and SaladinBesant, Walter
History
Jerusalem, the City of Herod and Saladin
Besant, Walter
Jerusalem -- Description and travel; Jerusalem -- History
Ibn ‘Asákir, who visited Jerusalem early in the twelfth century of
the Christian era, tells us that there were 6000 planks of wood in
the Masjid used for roofing and flooring, exclusive of wooden
pillars. It also contained fifty doors, amongst which were:—Báb el
Cortobi (the gate of the Cordovan), Báb Dáud (the gate of David),
Báb Suleimán (the gate of Solomon), Báb Mohammed (the gate of
Mohammed), Báb Hettah (the gate of Remission[34]), Báb el Taubah
(the gate of Reconciliation), where God was reconciled to David
after his sin with Bathsheba, Báb er Rahmeh (the gate of Mercy), six
gates called Abwáb al Asbát (the gates of the tribes), Báb el Walíd
(the gate of Walíd), Báb el Háshimi̓ (the gate of the Háshem
Family), Báb el Khidhir (the gate of St. George or Elias), and Báb
es Sekínah (the gate of the Shekina). There were also 600 marble
pillars; seven mihrábs (or prayer niches); 385 chains for lamps, of
which 230 were in the Masjid el Aksa, and the rest in the Cubbet es
Sakhrah; the accumulative length of the chains was 4000 cubits, and
their weight 43,000 _ratals_ (Syrian measure). There were also 5000
lamps, in addition to which they used to light 1000 wax candles
every Friday, and on the night of the middle of the months Rejeb,
Sha‘ban, and Ramadhán, as well as on the nights of the two great
festivals. There were fifteen domes, or oratories, exclusive of the
Cubbet es Sakhrah; and on the roof of the mosque itself were 7700
strips of lead, and the weight of each strip was 70 Syrian ratals.
This was exclusive of the lead which was upon the Cubbet es Sakhrah.
There were four-and-twenty large cisterns in the Masjid, and four
minarets—three in a line on the west side of the Masjid, and one
over the Babel Esbát.
Footnote 34:
Cf. Cor’án, cap. ii. v. 55, “Enter the gate with adoration, and
say ‘Remission.’”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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