Overview
editBeirut’s only remaining Mamluk building, built in 1517 by the religious authority Mohammad Ibn Arraq Al-Dimashqi. Initially a hospice, it remained a private madrasa (college of jurisprudence) and a zawiya until late Ottoman times.
Construction
editA small domed building is all that remains today of the late Mamluk zawiya (prayer corner) of Ibn ‘Arraq Al-Dimashqi. In 1517, Ibn ‘Arraq built a house and a ribat (hospice) in Beirut. It is recorded that he chose this location to be near the former house of Imam ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Ouzai’i (8th century). The arches of the standing building once opened to other rooms and courtyards.
History
editA small domed building is all that remains today of the late Mamluk zawiya (prayer corner) of Ibn ‘Arraq Al-Dimashqi. Born in Damascus, Ibn ‘Arraq was a religious authority. In 1517, he built a house and a ribat (hospice) in Beirut. It is recorded that he chose this location to be near the former house of Imam ‘Abd Al-Rahman al-Ouzai’i (8th century), whose reputation for holiness and justice spread throughout the Muslim world. Ibn ‘Arraq died in Mecca in 1526. His house remained a private madrasa (college of jurisprudence) and a zawiya for his followers. The arches of the standing building once opened to other rooms and courtyards. To safeguard its conservation, a steel brace protected the structure during construction.
Timeline
edit1517: Ibn " Arraq Al-Dimashqi" built a house and a ribat in Beirut.
1526: Ibn ‘Arraq died in Mecca.
See also
editReferences
edit- Hallaq, Hassan (1987) Al-tarikh alijtima'i wa al-siyasi wa al-iqtisadi fi Bayrut, [Social, Political and Economic History of Beirut], Dar al-Jami'at, Beirut.
- Hallaq, Hassan (1987) Bayrut al-mahrousa fil'ahd al-'uthmâni, [Beirut during the Ottoman Period], Dar al-Jami’at, Beirut.
- Seeden, Helga et al. (1995) Urban archaeology 1994: Excavations of the Souks Area, Beirut, Solidere, Beirut.