Al-Khatuniyya Madrasa (Jerusalem)

The Khātūniyya Madrasa (Arabic: المدرسة الخاتونيـة al-Madrasa al-Khātūniyya) is a mausoleum in Jerusalem and was a school. It is by the western esplanade of the al-Aqsa Compound (the Ḥaram esh-Sharīf). It was built between 1354 and 1380.[1]

Al-Khatuniyya
المدرسة الخاتونية
Al-Khatuniyya, to the north (right) of the Cotton Merchants' Gate. Seen from inside the Ḥaram, looking west.
Religion
AffiliationIslam
Location
LocationHaram esh-Sharif, Jerusalem
Palestine grid172/131
Geographic coordinates31°46′41.09″N 35°14′03.05″E / 31.7780806°N 35.2341806°E / 31.7780806; 35.2341806
Architecture
TypeMadrasa
StyleMamluk architecture
Islamic
Completed1354–1380
Materialsstone

It is one of the three Jerusalem madrasas endowed by a woman, the others being the ʿUthmāniyya Madrasa and the obscure Barudiyya.[1]

History

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It was first endowed in 1349 by Oghul Khatun (أغل خاتون ʾUghul Khātūn), a woman from Baghdad and a daughter of Shams al-Din Muhammad bin Sayf al-Din. [2] She was called al-Qazaniyya, possibly meaning she was married to Qazan Shah, an emir.[1] The lady Iṣfahān Shāh, a daughter of Qazan Shah, completed the construction by giving another endowment to the project in 1380.[1][3]

Part of the endowment consisted of agricultural land known as "the Camel’s Back", also known as "the Camel’s Belly".[2] In a court record in 1491-92, the waqf of Oghul Khatun is mentioned, and it is noted that the Camel’s Belly is near Deir Jarir,[4] and that its yearly revenue was 3,800 aspers.[5]

In the late Mamluk era, it served as the retirement residence of several former emirs who had been dismissed and sent into exile to Jerusalem.[6]

 
1914:[7][8] the structure above the portal to the right, belonging to al-Khatuniyya, have since been removed.

In the early Ottoman era, the building's administration was in the Ibn Jama‘a family.[6]

It is now in disrepair and intensive restorations would be needed.[3]

Description

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It consists of two levels. The higher level is beside the Ḥaram compound and includes two iwans, a tomb chamber, and an assembly hall. The lower level is below the level of the Ḥaram and includes habitation cells around a courtyard.[9] The courtyard has a wellhead, giving access to a cistern below.[3]

In addition to the tomb of Oghul Khatun, it includes the tombs of several prominent people:[10]

Environs

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To its east, it joins the Ḥaram compound's west wall's riwāq (arcade), which includes the Cotton Merchants' Gate to the south.

It is immediately north of the Cotton Merchants' Market. Farther south is ʿUthmāniyya Madrasa.

To its north are the Muzhiriyya & Arghūniyya Madrasas. Its current entrance is a small passageway between those two madrasas, leading north to Iron Gate Road.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "the Khatuniyya". Institute for International Urban Development.
  2. ^ a b Moudjir ed-dyn, 1876, p. 145
  3. ^ a b c d Qleibo, Ali (2019). "Mamluk Architectural Landmarks in Jerusalem". Old City of Jerusalem Revitalization Program (OCJRP). pp. 43–44. now in an abysmal state of disrepair. Recent additions to improve the squalid conditions have occulted the historic elements. A squalid tenement, the endowment needs intensive salvage work.
  4. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 113
  5. ^ Burgoyne, 1987, pp. 343−344
  6. ^ a b Mujir al-Din in Burgoyne, 1987, p. 344
  7. ^ van Berchem, 1920, pl. LXXI
  8. ^ Burgoyne, 1987, p. 345
  9. ^ Grabar, Oleg; Ḳedar, B. Z. (2009). Where Heaven and Earth Meet: Jerusalem's Sacred Esplanade. University of Texas Press. pp. 201–202. ISBN 978-0-292-72272-9.
  10. ^ "دليل" (PDF) (in Arabic). The Hashemite Fund, Amman; Dept. of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs & PASSIA, Jerusalem. 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2022-07-23. المدرسة الخاتونية (مدفن مجموعة من الأعلام، منهم آل الحسيني)[…] وفيها قبر موقفتها أغل خاتون إلى جانب قبور كل من الأمير محمد علي الهندي وهو أمير هندي ناضل في سبيل القضية الفلسطينية وموسى كاظم الحسيني رئيس اللجنة التنفيذية العربية للمؤتمر الفلسطيني الثالث ومحافظ القدس في العهد العثماني وبطل معركة القسطل عبد القادر الحسيني وابنه فيصل الحسيني ممثل منظمة التحرير في القدس (بيت الشرق) والشريف عبد الحميد بن عون وعبد الحميد شومان المصري الفلسطيني المعروف. [structure number 88 on PDF's p. 40 (= p. 79). Text also available here. ]
  11. ^ Al-Madrasah Al-Khatuniyya

Bibliography

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