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CHAPTER VII : URBAN CONSTRUCTION AND EXTENSION OF AL-QODS THROUGHOUT THE AGES
The earliest constructions which constituted the city of Al-Qods were located on
ad-Duhûr Hills, which overlook Salwân Village on the south-east side of the
Mosque of Al-Aqsâ. This site was probably chosen for two main reasons : first
for the security it provided, since it could be easily defended, and secondly
for its proximity to the Oumm Ad-Darj Spring, located in the eastern part of
these hills. It is bounded to the east by the Valley of the Kidron, to the south
by the Valley of -Rabâbina (Hinnom), and to the west by the Valley of Az-Zibl.
This site was abondoned later on, and other construction sites were chosen,
particularly on the Hill of Bezena located north-east of present-day Al-Qods
between Bâb As-Sâhir, Bâb Hitta, and Moriah, with the plateau of Al-Haram
courtyard to the east, and Mount Zion to the south-east. All these plateaux are
located within the ramparts of the city. (298) Al-Qods expanded and acquired
protection walls throughout the centuries.
As early as the Bronze Age, it was equipped with ramparts to protect it from
enemy attacks. Excavations undertaken in Al-Qods have indicated the existence of
such walls. (299) In the Roman era, the city developed considerably; its total
extent, then and throughout the Byzantine era, measured over two square
kilometres in area. However, it was with the Arab-Islamic conquest that Al-Qods
really began its most important expansion. This is due mainly to the city's
spiritual character, which Caliph Omar and his Umeyyad and Abbassid successors
fostered. (300) Yâqût Al-Hamaouî (626 A.H./1228 A.D.) in his description of Al
Qods
writes that "its
site and its farms are all hills. There is no flat land immediately
around it or even near it (...) The city itself lies high among the hilltops and
all
its ground is rocky."
(301) 302. Sabrî Bahjat, Lioua' Al-Qods : 1840-1873 in Proceedings of the Third Congress on the History of Al-Shâam,Vol. on Al-Qods, p. 23. 303. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 514.
304. Sabrî Bahjat, Ibid., p. 24 Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol.
3, p. 514
305. The Jews in Al-Qods enjoyed their full rights throughout the reign of the
Muslims, but under the Franks they suffered inhumane treatment.
306. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 514
Encyclopedia Britannica
(1970), Vol. 12, p. 107.
Sabrî Bahjat, Ibid., p. 24
Upon his visit to Al-Qods in 1670 A.D., the Turkish traveller Evliya Tshelebî
wrote that this was such an important city not only because of its spiritual
status but also because of its economic resources and the size of its
population, which amounted to forty-six thousand inhabitants. He also listed the
names of many of its public baths and fountains, its madrassas (Islamic
schools), churches, prayer processes, and fountains, churches, prayer recesses,
and markets. (302) The map of ancient Al-Qods shows that the city consisted of
two main parts : the one part stretches from Bâb Al-Khalîl on the west side to
Bâb As-Silsila on the east side; the other part runs from Bâb Al-'Amûd all the
way to the neighbourhood of Nabî Daoud on the south side. (303) Like all the
other Islamic cities from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, Al-Qods had
several quarters each of which being populated by a different religious or
ethnic community. Within the wall of Al-Qods, there are four quarters of unequal
size. (304) The Christian quarter, located in the western area of the Old City
and inhabited by the Armenian and Roman communities, was the least populated in
the city until 1845, at which year its inhabitants were not more than 2390. The
second is the Jewish Quarter, which is situated in the south-eastern part of the
city. (305) Then come the other two quarters, located in the north-eastern part
around the Haram (306) , which are mostly populated by Muslims.
The combined effect of population growth and social mobility brought about the
extension of the city in all directions outside the ramparts in order to
accommodate a growing population and suit its new housing style. It should be pointed out, however, that the extension of the city did not develop at the same rate in all directions because the topography was different from area to area. Thus, construction activity spread over the neighbouring mounts, on which were built such fashionable quarters (typically named after
307. Palestine Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, pp. 509-510.
308. M.A. Aamiry, Jerusalem : Arab Origin and Heritage, Longman,
1978.
Ruth Hark and Shimon Landman, The Establishment of Muslim Neighbourhood in
Jerusalem.
309. Outside the Old City during the Last Ottoman Period in PEQ
(1980), n°. 132.
Al-'Aref notes in his A
History of Al-Qods that, from 1958 on, Muslims began the construction of
multi-storey buildings outside the ramparts of Al-Qods. the mount on which they
are located) as Al-Mashârif, Al-Qatmûm, Al-Moukabbir (307) , and other quarters
like Sheikh Jarrâh Quarter, also known as Bâb As-Sâhira, Masrâra Quarter of
Al-Baq'â and At-Thaourî (to the south), and the quarters of Râs Al-'Amoud and
Wâdî Al-Jaouz (to the east). (308)
In the Ottoman era, particularly towards the middle of the 19th century, Muslim
inhabitants in Al-Qods shifted to building outside of the ramparts, thus staking
out cemetery areas and constructing houses and pleasure or holiday palaces. From
1860 A.D. onwards, they started building houses in which they lived year-round,
and this construction wave continued up to the outbreak of World War. It was
only normal that additional Muslim dwellings should be constructed close to the
Muslim Quarter and to Al-Haram Al-Shareef. In the same vein, the religious
buildings that were erected in the areas outside the ramparts served a similar
function, that of triggering the movement of constructing Muslim houses outside
the ramparts. This, along with the construction of the road between Al-Qods and
Nablus, has encouraged the extension of the holy city beyond the ramparts. (309)
In point of fact, Muslims, Christians, and Jews began the construction of the
dwelling houses outside the city's ramparts at the end of the 19th and the
beginning of the 20th centuries. This can be gathered from various sources : the
city plans from that period, the aerial photographs taken during World War I,
and the memory reports of still-living Muslim individuals. Additionally, the
writings of non-Muslims who had contacts with Muslim communities have provided
researchers with valuable information on this subject. Needless to say, this extension of the city can reveal a great deal not only about the kind of cultural, religious, and economic relations that prevailed under Ottoman rule, but also about the architectural style of that period. Historical resources indicate that, during the extension that began beyond the ramparts
310. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 120
311. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 120
about the middle of 1950, Christian and Jewish populations settled outside the
Old City before the Muslims did. This was due to various factors. Most Muslims
had dwellings within the Old City and therefore did not need to build outside
the ramparts. Moreover, many Muslims lived in houses which had been made into
pious endowments, which means that the rent that they paid for these was very
low indeed. One major factor, however, is that a large part of the Muslim
population received no external financial help, unlike their Christians and
Jewish counterparts. The very few Muslim families who were able to acquire a
residence or a luxury house outside the ramparts of Al-Qods were among the rich.
(310) From 1870 on, Muslims began the construction outside the Old City of
permanent dwellings for themselves in five different areas all located in the
northern part of the city and providing easy access, within the ramparts, to
both Al-Haram Al-Shareef and the Muslim Quarter. These dwellings were
particularly concentrated in the vicinity of religious constructions like the
Sa'd and Sa'd mosque, the Sheikh Jarrâh Mosque, and Zaouiyat Al-Adhamiyya.
Similar constructions of Islamic dwellings occur close to Bâb Yâffa and in
Al-Baq'a, Masrâra, and the areas along Ethiopia Avenue. An exhaustive study has
shown that, between 1865 and 1918 A.D., there were altogether five Muslim
quarters outside of the city's ramparts. They come as follows (311) :
1. Al-Mas'oudiyya Quarter
This quarter lies north of Bâb Dimashq (Damascus Gate). The Ottoman
administrative authorities, for census purposes, gave it this name, which later
on also covered the area that used to be known as Sa'd and Sa'd. From 1870 to
the middle of 1980, only a small number of houses were built therein; these were
mainly concentrated along Al-Anbiyya Avenue and Nablus Street. Among the
families that had a house built-therein, one may mention Ad-Dazouâr, Nassîbah,
Al-Nashâshibî, and Al-Khâlidî.
Between 1894 and 1918, houses were built in the area located between Sa'd and
Sa'd and the houses of Ad-Dazouâr and Nassîbah on Al-Anbiyya Avenue. The
families that had houses built in this area were Sharaf, Ad-Daourî, and Hijâzî.
312. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 123
Be it noted here that the 1905 census showed that altogether 119 families of
Ottoman nationality lived in this area; of these families, 59 were Muslim, 43
were Christian, and the rest were Jewish.
2- Bâb As-Sâhira Quarter
This quarter is located north of Bâb As-Sâhira and was administratively
considered part of Sheikh Jarrâh Quarter. In 1880, this quarter had only four
houses which belonged to the families of Al-Ansâri, Al-Shahâbî, and Al-Husseinî.
But the number of houses subsequently multiplied in the form of three
concentrations. The first of these emerged along Salâhuddin Al-Ayyûbi Avenue and
was inhabited by members of the Al-Husseinî, Nassîbah, Hallâ, and Shishîh
families. The second concentration was located north of Bâb As-Sâhira and was
inhabited by members of the Al-'Alamî, Al-Husseinî, An-Nashâshibi, Abu-Assa'ûd,
Al-'Afîfî, and Al-Badîrî. The 1905 census shows that this quarter was not
considered as one by itself; it was considered part of the district which
included Wâdî Al-Jaouz, Al-Husseinî, and Sheikh Al-Jarrâh.
The Land Registry
publications for the 1902-1904 period show that As-Sâhira was considered a
quarter by itself and not a part of Bâb As-Sâhira despite the similarity of
their name. Aerial photographs taken in 1918 show that this quarter had some
fifty dwellings.
3- Wâdi Al-Jaouz Quarter
(312)
This quarter is situated north and north-east of the city's ramparts and
stretches along the old road to Arîhâ (Jericho) and towards the road to 'Anâtâ.
In mid-1890, this area had no more than two buildings erected along the road and
owned by members of the Al-Badîrî and Shahwân families. At the outbreak of World
War I, other houses, owned by Al-Hindî family members were built on the slopes
of Wâdî (the Valley of) Al-Jaouz. Other families had houses built for themselves
in this area. Among these were the families of Ad-Douîk, Al-'Akramâouî,
Abu-Ghazâla, Hamdûn, Dujânî, Kamâl, and Qutaynî. These constructions, however,
reflect little or none of the luxury and decoration of the houses in other
quarters. Aerial photographs taken in 1918 show that sixteen houses had been
built in this area.
313. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 123.
314. Hark and Landman, Ibid., pp. 123-125
315. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 125
4- Al-Husseinî Quarter
(313)
This quarter is located east of Sâlâhuddîn Avenue and Nablus Road and south of
Sheikh Jarrâh Quarter. It contains the largest and the oldest of Muslim quarters
outside the city ramparts. In mid-1890, this area had no more than six houses,
of which three were owned by Yûnus Al-Husseinî, Rabâh Al-Husseinî, and Selîm
Al-Husseinî, two were owned by the Nassîba family; and one by the 'Afîfî family.
This quarter was named after Al-Husseinî because nearly all its inhabitants were
members of the Al-Husseinî family. This quarter was referred to by his name in
the register of construction permits delivered by the Municipality of Al-Qods.
In 1918, this quarter consisted of thirty houses.
5- Sheikh Jarrâh Quarter
This quarter lies in the northern city limit at the intersection of Nablus Road
and the road leading to Jabal Al-Mash-had (Mount Scopis). The earliest houses
here built between 1870 and 1890 A.D. and belonged to the families of Jâr-Allah,
An-Nashâshîbî, and Mourâd, among others. The number of houses kept growing and
the quarter took the name of Sheikh Jarrâh. At the beginning of 1918, the area
along the two above-mentioned roads saw the building of houses which belonged to
the families of Ad-Dujâni, Hindiyyâ, Al-Sheikh, Ghûshah, and Ad-Dabîshah. This
quarter consisted of thirty houses in 1918, as may be shown by the aerial
photographs taken in that year. (314) To the above-named quarters, one should
add both the area of Al-Baq'a, a quarter inhabited by Muslim as well as
Christian populations, and the area which begins from Bâb Yâfâ (Bâb Al-Khalîl)
and stretches towards Hûrat Al-'Inab.
Undoubtedly, the architectural style of the houses in the area of Al-Baq'a is
similar to that of the houses in the above quarters, while that of houses in the
area of Hûrat Al-'Inab is quite different, since it contains inhabitants of
different religions and therefore remains a cosmopolitan quarter.
It should be pointed out that some Muslim families lived in Christian quarters,
as did the families of Masrâra and An-Nashâshîbî in the areas of Mamillâ and
Al-Mashiyya. Other families, like the Al-Ya'qûbiyya family, lived in Jewish
quarters. Others yet, like the family of As-Sarâfiyya, lived in Christian-Jewish
quarters. (315)
316. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 126
317. Hark and Landman, Ibid., p. 130
318. Encyclopedia Britannica (1970), Vol. 12, pp. 1006 and 1009b.
319. Encyclopedia Britannica, Ibid., p. 1009b.
- In 1948, the area of Al-qods amounted to 3000 hectares, of which the Jews
owned no more than 500 ha, while Arabs owned 2500 ha. This goes to disprove the
propagandist claim by the Zionists that Al-Qods is a Jewish city.
Cf. M.A. Aamiry, Jerusalem, p. 9.
The Muslim quarters, at their beginning stage, grew in size and developed thanks
to kinship ties between the families that first settled in those areas. Among
the families that first built houses outside the ramparts of Al-Qods, one can
mention An-Nashâshîbî, Al-'Alamî, Al-Hindî, Nassîba, Jâr-Allah, Dajânî, Khâlidî,
Ad-Dardâr, and Sharaf; it should be pointed out that most of these families were
rich and long-established in Al-Qods; they also had a great deal of political
and religious influence on the life of the city. (316) A basic structure which
efficiently helped the development of the new quarters outside the ramparts was
a road network linking these quarters to the Old City, which remained the centre
of all commercial activities and public facilities like markets, caravanserais,
public (Turkish) baths, schools, and civil services buildings. The emergence of
public services outside the ramparts also helped to develop these new quarters.
Hence the opening of the school known as Al-Madrassa Ar-Rashîdiyya, the
opening up of the city gates, particularly the gate known as Bâb As-Sâhira
(which used to remain closed from sunset to sunrise), and the setting up of new
shops which sold food products. Likewise, many other products and construction
materials were available in new shops which were built outside of Bâb Dimashq,
and the government had Nablus Road paved at the end of the nineteenth
century. (317) Under the ghastly British mandate, construction in Al-Qods was
carried on at a fast rate, mainly because the British authorities gave every
opportunity to Jews in every country to migrate into Palestine. The Zionist Fund
for the Colonization of the Palestinian Territory provided financial help for
all the immigrant Jews who undertook the building of houses in Palestinian
cities, particularly in Al-Qods Al-Shareef. Thus sprang up in the west and
south-west parts of the city new and large quarters whose main characteristic
was the peculiarity of their architecture in relation to the historical
environment of the city of Al-Qods. (318)
In 1948, the west rampart of the city became an impenetrable barrier between
Arabs and Israelis after the armistice was signed. Thus the new part of the city
was annexed by Israel, and after this date a new Arab city was built north of
the Old City and as an extension of it. (319) Hence, the city of Al-Qods now has
three distinct parts :
320. Encyclopedia Britannica, Ibid., p. 1006
321. Encyclopedia Britannica (1948), Vol. 2, p. 515.
322. The author recalls having personally met a professor of urban planning who
comes from a Muslim country in the East and who teaches in the United States of
America. This professor related that a very rich Zionist paid three million
dollars to Harvard University so that a detailed architectural survey could be
made for the purpose of a definitive judaicization of Al-Qods. 1- The Old City, which is enclosed within the ramparts built by Sultan Suleiman Al-Qânûnî in the sixteenth century, and which contains most of the ancient monuments and Islamic sanctuaries.
2- The Modern Western Quarter, which is located north of the Old City, and which
is considered as the northerly extension of the city over the slopes of the
Mount of Olives.
3- The west and south-west Quarter, which is the Jewish part of the Modern city,
and which has grown at such a fast rate (320) owing to the enormous amounts
given by the Zionist organizations worldwide and by the United States of America
to Israel by way of financial help.
After the occupation of the Arab city of Al-Qods in 1967, the Zionist forces, in
defiance of international laws, proceeded to annex the Arab Islamic city to the
State of Israel. Hence, such Arab villages and quarters as Wâdî Al-Jaouz,
At-Thaourî, Salwân, At-Tûr, Al-'Ayssaouiyya, Beit Hanîna, Sha'ât, Fulandiyya,
Beit Safâfa, Sharafât, and Saur Bâhir became dependencies of the Israeli
Municipality of Al-Qods.
Israel subsequently undertook the construction of large quarters containing
hundreds of high-rise buildings where thousands are housed today. (321) The city
of Al-Qods has thus been deprived of its Arab-Islamic character. Furthermore,
its charm and its status as a spiritual and touristic centre of attraction have
been considerably spoiled. The Israeli authorities have been trying to judaicize the city of Al-Qods through and through. (322) To reach this objective, they set up an institution which they named "The Society for the Development of the Old City", whose task is purely and simply to judaicize the city of Al-Qods under the pretext of promoting the Old City. The sad fact is that it seeks to destroy the areas where Arab populations are housed and to substitute Jewish-owned buildings for Muslim-owned ones. The promulgation on 30 July 1980 of the special statute to the effect that Al-Qods would become the capital of Israel only made this situation worse than it was. An examination of the measures to judaicize Al-Qods will be dealt with in a separate chapter. |
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