Inspector's Gate

The gate from inside the compound

The Inspector's Gate (or the Council Gate, see below) is one of the gates of the al-Aqsa Compound (al-Ḥaram ash-Sharīf). It is the second-northernmost gates in the compound's west wall, after the Bani Ghanim Gate. It is north of the Iron Gate.

Names

It has two current Arabic names, both are in use:

  • the Inspector's Gate or Superintendant's Gate (باب الناظر Bāb an-Nāẓir[N 1]): named after the Inspector of the Two Noble Sanctuaries, the Nāẓir al-Ḥaramayn ash-Sharīfayn [of Jerusalem and Hebron][1][2] – not to be confused with the Servant of the Two Noble Sanctuaries [of Mecca and Medina]. It was also translated, less precisely, as "Gate of the Watchman".[3]
  • the Council Gate (باب المجلس Bāb al-Majlis): named after the Supreme Muslim Council.[4]

Its obsolete names:

History

It was probably built on the same spot as the Umayyad-period Gate of al-Walīd.[10] It was rebuilt in 1203, during the Ayyubid era.[4] The gate was expanded in the Mamluk period, especially from the eastern side, during the time of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad bin Qalawun.

Description

The gate consists of a high and wide entrance, held with a pointed stone knot, with two wooden supports supported by it, topped on the western side by a written copper strip. On the eastern side of the entrance, there is a square shape inside the hallway of the mosque, with open sides covered with a shallow dome, with three rows of muqarnas.[11]

Environs

The southwestern part of the Muslim Quarter is west (outside) of the gate. The immediate neighborhood is home to a community of Afro-Palestinians. Aladdin Street (Bāb an-Nāẓir Street) leads towards the gate.

In the compound's western wall, the gate is between al-Manjakiyya Madrasa (to its north) and the al-Wafā’iyya Zawiya (to its south).[12] In front of each school, there is a sebil. In front of al-Manjakiyya is the Ibrāhīm al-Rūmī Sebil, aka Sabīl al-Būṣairī[N 2] or Sabīl Bāb an-Nāẓir. (Note, however, Sabīl Bāb an-Nāẓir also refers to the al-Ḥaram Sebil outside of the compound, on al-Wad Street [de].)[13] In front of al-Wafā’iyya is the Mustafa Agha Sebil (al-Budayrī Sabil).[14]

References

  1. ^ Bāb an-Nāẓir is also Bāb an-Nādhir (also spelt Nathir) because of the letter ẓāʾ's variability. The article an- is also written al- if disregarding the solar letter n’s assimilation.
  2. ^ a b Variations:
    • Bāb ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn al-Baṣīr (باب علاء الدين البصير),[4]
    • Bāb ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn al-Baṣīrī (باب علاء الدين البصيري),[6][7] and
    • Bāb ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn al-Būṣayrī/al-Būṣairī (باب علاء الدين البوصيري).[8][9]
  1. ^ "Council Gate (Seer's Gate)". Madain Project. The gate takes its name after the job of the Inspector of the two Noble Mosques (al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Ibrahimi Mosque) during the Mamluk Era. It is believed that the Inspector's residence was close to this gate and that is why it was named after him.
  2. ^ Sharon, Moshe (2013). Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae. Vol. 5. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-25481-7. Under the Mamlūks, a special function with elevated status was created to administer [Hebron and Jerusalem's sanctuaries] and given a title that represented both authority and honour: "the Inspector (or Superintendent) of the Two Noble Sanctuaries (nāẓir al-ḥaramayn ash-sharīfayn).
  3. ^ Williams, George (1901). Guide to Palestine and Egypt. Macmillan. p. 24. Bâb en-Nâzir (Gate of the Watchman)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Bab al-Nazir". Institute for International Urban Development (I2UD). Today, it is known as Bab al-Nazir or Bab al-Majlis (Gate of the Council: named after al-Majlis al-Islami al-A'la, i.e. the Higher Islamic Council).
  5. ^ Williams, Georges (1849). The Holy City: Historical, Topographical, and Antiquarian Notices of Jerusalem. J. W. Parker. Bab en-Nazir (the Gate of the Inspector), anciently called the Gate of Michael the Archangel, because, according to the hesitating tradition preserved by our Arabic author, to this gate Gabriel may have bound the celestial beast Borak, on the night of Mohammed's memorable journey.
  6. ^ Palestine Exploration Fund (1886). Quarterly Statement. London. p. 91. Bâb 'Alâ ad Dîn al Busîri, also called Bâb an Nathir (of the Inspector), and anciently Bâb Mikail (of Michael){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Fountain of Ibrahim Rumi". Madain Project. The Sabil Ibrahim Rumi (سبيل إبراهيم الرومي) also known as Sabil al-Basiri (سبيل البصيري) and Sabil Bab al-Nazir (سبيل باب الناظر)
  8. ^ Sabil (fountain) Al-Basiri on YouTube: Subtitle: "Ala al-Din al-Basiri [but pronounced "al-Būṣayrī" or "al-Būṣairī"]"
  9. ^ Al-Busairi Fountain on YouTube
  10. ^ Kaplony, Andreas (2002). The Ḥaram of Jerusalem, 324-1099: Temple, Friday Mosque, Area of Spiritual Power. Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 978-3-515-07901-3. Gate of al-Walīd […] Position: The gate should be located at Bāb an-Nāẓir
  11. ^ "مدينة القدس". alquds-city.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  12. ^ Official guide (2020). "دليل" (PDF) (in Arabic). The Hashemite Fund, Amman; Department of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Jerusalem; PASSIA, Jerusalem. pp. 37–39. #78. the madrasa, 79. the gate, 80. the al-Rumi sebil, 81. the zawiya, 84. the Agha sebil.
  13. ^ Assetto, Anthony; et al. (2010). "Ottoman Sabils of Jerusalem" (PDF). Drexel University. p. 16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-24. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  14. ^ "Fountain of Mustafa Agha (Sabil al-Shaikh Budair)". Madain Project.

31°46′45″N 35°14′02″E / 31.77912°N 35.23397°E / 31.77912; 35.23397