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The year 1516 was a
memorable year for Jerusalem. The Ottomans entered Jerusalem on
August 23, 1516. The
day of their entry was fixed as 28 December 1516.
Jerusalem, as the third
holiest city in Islam, was held in special reverence by the Ottoman
sultans, especially by
Selim’s son and more successor Suleiman al-Qanuni
(The Lawgiver).
During Sulaiman’s long
reign (1520-1566), Jerusalem enjoyed its finest days under the
Ottomans. Restorations
were made to the Dome of the Rock, at Sulaiman’s order.
The mosaic surrounding
the upper part of the exterior walls was replaced by faience, while
the lower part was
encased with fine marble.
The window and three of
the four gates of the Dome were renovated. The adjacent Dome
of the chain also
received a beautiful faience coasting.
Sulaiman gave to the
city its present magnificent walls. Jerusalem had practically no
wall for
more than 300 years,
since the Ayyubis al-Mu’azzam ‘Isa destroyed it in 1219.
Sulaiman’s wall had the purpose of protecting the city from foreign
invaders and also
Bedouins. The wall has
at present thirty-four towers and seven open gates, six of them
bearing inscriptions
recording the date of their construction. The Damascus Gate is a
masterpiece of
architectural beauty. The other old gates are the Jaffa Gate, Zion
Gate,
Dung Gate, St Stephens’s
Gate and Herod’s Gate.
The construction of the
wall continued for five years (1536-1540). An inscription near the
main entrance of the
Jerusalem citadel indicates that a few years before the construction
of
the wall the citadel was
also restored.
The water at that time
was a chronic problem so it received the special attention of the
sultan. Large sum of
money were allocated to solve the problem and they built, repaired
and maintained the water
installations: pools, fountains, baths and canals.
A canal, which supplied
Jerusalem from pools and springs between Bethlehem and Hebron,
was repaired.
A water fountain was
restoured in Jerusalem itself, outside the Jaffa Gate. There are six
fountains which were
built during Sulaiman’s reign. All these fountains bear inscriptions
recording the year of
construction: 943-1536 |
