Week 9!

Tuesday: Crusader Jerusalem

A Crusade is Holy War, it was a battle between Roman Catholic forces and Muslims. Crusaders took vows and were granted penance for past sins (indulgences).  The Crusades were an attempt to recapture Jerusalem from Islamic rule. The Crusades occurred in Jerusalem from 1099-1187. There were several factors that contributed to the crusades: The emergence of Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe; the division in Christianity in terms of Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church; the late reaction to persecution of Christians in Jerusalem; the Holy Sepulcher being set on fire and the Patriarch of Jerusalem killed; Al hakin destroyed the Holy Sepulcher in 1009; Christians had a difficult time making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem because they were be killed along the way. The Crusades were set into motion in 1095 when Pope Urban II makes a speech calling upon western Europe urging Christians to take action and liberate Jerusalem.

In the 1^st crusade (1095-1099) Jerusalem is conquered by Godfrey de Bouillon and divided into 4 quarters: Patriarch’s quarter, Templar’s quarter, Syrian quarter, and Armenian quarter. There is a renewed interest in the Temple Mount, the existing Islamic monuments were modified, there was a rebuilding of ruined Byzantine churches, and building of other new churches. Saladin conquered the Crusaders in 1187. Saladin gave the Holy Sepulcher to the Greeks.  A third crusade occurred in 1187 led by Richard “the Lionheart”, where he was able to make a truce with Saladin and the Christians were finally able to return to Jerusalem.

Thursday: Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem

During Mamluk Jerusalem (1250-1516), Jerusalem becomes a religious center. There is the development of the Haram, n intensive building of schools, hospices, and hostels, the construction of Al-Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya, and Ghawanima Minaret. Politically and militarily the time period is insignificant and from 1351-1353 Jerusalem suffers from the plague. Mamluk is known best of its characteristic architecture. Most of the architecture had walls built of alternating red and white courses of stone, was domed, contained muqarnas and had alternating black and white inlay designs in entrances and walls. During this time the Jewish Quarter actually grew significantly and Rabbi Moses ben Nachman makes aliyah in 1267 CE and developed Kabbalah.

Ottoman Jerusalem followed Mamluk Jerusalem from 1516-1918. Ottomans take Constantinople in 1453. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rules from 1520-1566. He put in place many public works such a repairing and enlarging aqueducts and pools, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, refurbishes the Haram and its monuments, rebuilds and renovates the markets, and builds a huge public charity for Jerusalem’s inhabitants. He also established a shari’a court and Jewish refugees are encouraged to settle in Jerusalem to restore the city and the population of Jews triples. Lastly we talked looked over slides and discussed the significance of the Western Wall and the Damascus Gate.