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One exceptionally well-preserved
three-story house was uncovered
just south of the "Triple Gate" at
the Soutbern Wall of the Temple
Mount.
lt
was well buill and full of
interesting artifacts, such as the
straps and lock of a chest, an oi l
lamp and a tool. Al1 were made of
bronze. From the available evi–
dence, it appears to have been built
as a prívate home when Empress
Eudoxia (444-460) resided in Jeru–
salem.
Later, the three-story house was
repaired and modified for sorne sort
of public use. Tbis conversion to
public use can probably be dated to
the 530's, when Emperor Justinian
continued the construction of the
then New Churcb of St. Mary,
which was located on the si te now
occupied by the Al Aqsa Mosque.
From written records, we learn that
Justinian added an hospice to the
church for the poor and the pilgrims
(Breviarius de Hierosolyma,
A.D.
530). Therefore, the excavated
bui lding's location - just outside
the main entrance to the church -
would suggest a similar function (a
guesthouse for wealthier pilgrims,
perhaps, or a monastery).
Jerusalem
wa~
conquered and de–
stroyed by the armies of the Neo–
Persian Empire in 6 14. The Jews, as
their allies, left sorne evidences of a
short rule over the city. For in–
stance, at the entrance to one of the
Late Byzantine houses near Robin–
son's Arch, excavators found severa!
painted
menorot
(representations of
the seven-branched candelabra once
part of the Temple furniture). The
Jewish painter either ignored or
plastered over a large embossed
cross which had previously greeted
the incoming visitor. The house was
seemingly used for sorne public
function connected with Jewish wor–
ship at the nearby Western or
"Wailing" Wall.
The Omayyad Caliphate
Jerusalem capitulated to the
Arabs in 638. But for severa! years,
the Temple Mount itself was left in
the hands of the Byzantine Chris-
PLAIN
TAUTH
May 1974
tians who continued to worship in
the church of St. Mary.
Jerusalem, from then on, became
a holy city for Islam as well , due to
the tradition that Mohammed as–
cended to heaven from the rock lo–
cated in the mi<ldle of the Haram
esh Sbarif (the Temple Mount to
Jews and Christians). Thus the city
became an important stopover for
Moslem pilgrims making the
Haj. '
When Caliph Marwan
1
(684-685)
of the Omayyad family carne to
power, the two Moslem holy cities
of Mecca and Medina supported a
rival caliph. To counteract their
prestigious support for his rival,
Marwan and his successors exalted
Jerusalem by lifting her out of the
rubble left over from the Neo-Per–
sian conquest in 614.
Abdalmalik, Marwan's son and
successor to the Calipbate, devoted
his attention to erecting Jerusalem's
most beautiful monument , the
Dome of the Rock (687-691). This
shrine was built in the most striking
fashion possible. The result is a
marble and glazed tile octagon
graced with a dome overlaid with
gold leaf. Thus the Caliph protected
and enhanced the rock to which
Moslems attach such importance.
Caliph al Walid
1
(705-715) con–
tinued the family tradition by build–
ing the Al Aqsa Mosque at the
south end of the Haram esh Sharif.
Arabic writings are practically si–
lent about what Jerusalem looked
like under the Omayyad caliphs.
References are made only in passing
- the name of the Haram servants'
quarters, Dar el Akkmas, for ex–
ample. The Dome of the Rock, Al
Aqsa Mosque and sorne smaller
structures on the Haram esh Sharif
were the only structures known. As
a consequence of the present exca-
1
T he pilgrimage 10 Jslam's holiesl shrine. 1he
Ka'aba. in Meo:a. According 10 lslamic tcaching. ohis
soruclure was buih by Abraham for the worship of
ohe One God. Medinn. ohe locaoion of Mohammed's
1omb. is a lso includcd in ohe itinerary.
T he
Haj
is ohe fifth of ohe five basic rcquircmenls
of ohe lslamic faioh. Oohers are belief in Allah as ohe
o ne and only God and Mohammed as his Prophel.
prayer 1oward Mecca five limes a day. alms giving.
and fasoing during ohe dayligho portions of the monlh
of Ramadan.
vation, a new, more complete re–
construction of Jerusalem can be
made for this often neglected period
of her history.
Many parallels may be drawn be–
tween the Herodian and Early Ara–
bic periods. Both were times of
extended public building; in both,
the quality of workrnansbip was
outstanding. Although the main
projects were the construction of
magnificent holy places on top of
the Hararn, the area around the
Southern and Western walls of the
enclosure was not ignored. Its char–
acter was radically changed in both
periods to one of monumental na–
ture and proportions.
Jerusalem in the
Arabic Period
Built later chronologically, the
structures of the Arabic period were
the first to be found. Three large
and three smaller buildings have
been discovered. Most of them are
of a single story, but the largest
structure, located along the west end
of the Southern Wall, had two sto–
ríes. Because of its tremendous size,
covering an arca of 84 by 96 meters
(almost 88,000 square feet), this one
is called "the palace."
Further proof for calling it a pal–
ace is found in the remains of a
bridge which originally spanned the
road along the Southern Wall of the
Haram esh Sharif. This bridge
joined the roof of "the palace" with
the Al Aqsa Mosque. Such a conve–
nience would normally be provided
only for the most important digni–
taries - like the caliph himself.
The buildings are constructed in
the style typical of the period. The
palace is similar to the remains of
other palaces of the Omayyad dy–
nasty in Syria, Jordan and else–
where in Palestine. The Jerusalem
palace lacks the bastions and towers
found on the corners and in the
middle of the walls of the other pal–
aces. This was no doubt because of
its protected location witbin the city
walis.
The close similarity of all the
buildings of the Haram complex in-
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