Publication Date
551 / 1157
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;19;ar
Library Location
It is located west of the city, on top of the highest mountain overlooking the city of Jerusalem and bearing the name of Mount the Prophet Samuel, Jerusalem
Date
551 / 1157
Notes
This position is attributed to the prophet and judge Samuel, who lived in the 11th century BC. M. It is believed that the remains of Prophet Samuel were settled in the year 569 / 1173 in the village of Prophet Samuel. The geographer Al-Maqdisi (died at the end of the 4th century / 10th century) mentioned this village as Deir Samuel, and Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (died in 928 / 1521) mentioned that this village is the location of Samuel’s grave. It appears, from what has been revealed by recent archaeological excavations, that the village expanded and flourished during the Frankish era. The origin of the building was a cave, over which a Frankish church was built in the year 551 / AD 1157, after Baldwin II granted the site to the Premonstratenisan sect. This church was destroyed after the victory of the Muslims led by Saladin al-Ayyubi in the Battle of Hattin in the year 583 / 1187. The Muslims converted what remained of the building into a shrine during the Ayyubid era, and in the Mamluk era the current mosque was added. The mosque was restored and the current minaret was added to it in the year 1143 / 1730 during the Ottoman era, thanks to the enthusiasm and efforts of Sheikh Muhammad Al-Khalili. The site was restored by the Supreme Islamic Sharia Council in 1340 / 1922. The building of the shrine sits on the top of the mountain. It is large and consists of two parts: the first is a cave, and the second is a large mosque with a group of rooms. The cave can be reached through the main door of the mosque, which was opened on the eastern side of the building. The door of the mosque leads to a large square door with a side length of 7 metres, which leads directly to the parts of the mosque and to the cave. There is a descending staircase that leads to the cave, and the staircase leads to a rectangular area measuring 11m x 4m, covered by a barrel vault. One of the two shrines of the Prophet Samuel, which is included in the shrine building, is located in the western part of this cave. This section of the building was designated for Jewish visitors. The mosque consists of two prayer halls, in addition to a minaret and several rooms. The first hall is located to the south of the entrance hall. It is an approximately square plank with dimensions of 8.5 m x 7.20 m. Its floor is on the same level as the floor of the hall, and it is covered by a fan vault. There is a simple mihrab, 1.30 m wide and 2.65 m high, in the southern wall of this iwan. The main prayer hall is located to the west of the dargah. Its dimensions are 21.5 m x 11.5 m, and it consists of three rectangular spaces extending from north to south. In the middle of the middle space stands the second shrine of the Prophet Samuel. Its dimensions are 1.5 m x 2.70 m. To the south of the shrine, there is another mihrab measuring 1.30 m x 2.50 m. This area is designated for Muslims, and the five daily prayers and sometimes Friday prayers are held there. A long, ascending staircase, built in the southeast corner of the courtyard, leads to the entrance of the minaret and the roof of the mosque. The height of the minaret is 13.5 meters from the roof of the mosque, and from it one can see the entire city of Jerusalem and its surrounding villages.
Sample Text
Yusuf al-Natsheh “Maqam of the Prophet Samuel” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;19;ar
