Fountains of Temple Mount (أسبلة المسجد الأقصى)

By the Editors of the Madain Project

A sebil or sabil (Arabic: سبيل‎‎) is a public water fountain, often decorated with stone carvings. Sabils were built at crossroads and outside mosques throughout the Ottoman Empire to provide drinking water for travelers and enable ritual purification before prayer. The construction of many sabils was considered the hallmark of a beneficent ruler. There are about 17 Sabils (fountains) in the al-Aqsa compound.

Overview

circa 709 CE

Sabil al-Kas
Sabil al-Kas (سبيل الكأس), looking northwards, in front of al-Masjid al-Aqsa inside Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) compound, it is used for ablutions before salah. It was first built in 709 by the Umayyads, but in 1327–28 Governor Tankiz enlarged it to accommodate more worshipers. Although originally supplied with water from Solomon's Pools near Bethlehem, it currently receives water from pipes connected to Jerusalem's water supply.

circa 1216 CE

Sabil Shalan
View of the Sabil Sh'alan (سبيل شعلان) from south-west. Fountain of Shaalan was built by Malik al-Mu’atam Issa and was used as a water reservoir at Haram al-Sharif during most of 13th till 15th centuries CE. It is located below the staircase of the North Western Qanatir leading to the Dome of the Rock platform. It is named after Ibrahim Sha'alan who employed water carriers to provide water for this fountain.

circa 1266/1430 CE

Sabil Ibrahim Rumi
Sabil al-Basiri (سبيل البصيري), at Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount) also known as Sabil of Ibrahim Rumi and Sabil Bab al-Nazir, but according to the foundation inscription, the one who renovated it was Ibrahim al-Rumi in the Mamluk era, during the reign of Sultan al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Barsbai, Eypt’s 9th Mamluk sultan.

circa 1460 CE

Sabil Qaitbey
Sabil Qaitbay (سبيل قايتباي), as seen from Dome of Rock platform, the Bab ul-Qattanin (Gate of Cotton Merchants) can be seen in the background. Originally constructed in 1455 on the orders of the Egyptian Sultan al-Ashraf Sayf ad-Din Enal. In 1482, however, Sultan Qaitbay had it rebuilt, and the structure is named after him. The Sebil is fed by an old water cistern.

circa 1527 CE

Sabil Qasim Pasha
Sabil Qasim Pasha (سبيل قاسم باشا) with Qubat ul-Sakhr'a (Dome of the Rock) in the background. The Fountain of Qasim Pasha also known as the Fountain of the Bitter Orange (al-Naranj Sabil) is an ablution and drinking fountain located in the western esplanade of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is situated in front of the Chain Gate.

circa 1537 CE

Sabil Sultan Suleiman
Sabil of Sultan Suleyman (سبيل سليمان القانوني), also known as Sebil e bab e Attim Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount). It is a free standing fountain and is fed through an aquaduct. It is located immediatly inside the Bab Malik Faisal (Dark Gate) and faces Iwan of Sultan Mahmud.

circa 1579 CE

Sabil Bab al-Maghariba
Sabil Bab al-Maghariba (سبيل باب المغاربة) is a simple square plan structure built around an ancient cistern, located immediatly in front of the Bab al-Magharibah. Inside, three basins are located in front of three identical windows centered in three rectangular walls. The al-Buraq Mosque (right) with green window grill, and a couple of Corinthian column capitals are also visible (left). Today the sabil is no longer used, however, an 18th century waqfiyya (endowment document) mentions that a water-carrier was paid to fill the basins daily.

circa 1740 CE

Sabil Mustafa Agha
Sebil Mustafa Agha (سبيل مصطفى آغا) also known as Sebil Shaikh al-Budeyar was built by Mustafa Agha and Uthman Beq al-Fiqari in 1740 CE inside Haram al-Sharif (Temple Mount). It's a free standing fountain with arches on three sides and closed wall on the fourth.

circa

Sabil Bab al-Hittah
Sabil Bab Hittah (سبيل باب حطة), it is located adjacent to the eastern wall of the Hittah gate.

circa

Sabil Zaitoonah
Sabil Zaitoonah (سبيل الزيتونة), Fountain of the Olive Tree,

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