Name of Monument:Solomon’s Pools Location:Located 3 km southwest of Bethlehem near the old road that runs from Jerusalem to Hebron, Bethlehem, Palestine* Date of Monument:The construction of the first and second pools dates to the second half of the 1st century BC. The third, lower pool was built between hegira 865–72 / AD 1461–7 Architect(s) / master-builder(s):Documents in the archives of the Shari’a Court in Jerusalem cite the appointment of Murad al-Nasrani the Armenian, in the position of “Architect of the Aqueducts of the Sabil” in AH 970 / AD 1562. Period / Dynasty:The first and second pools date to the Roman period, the third dates to the Mamluk period Patron(s):It is not known who sponsored the construction of the water system in the pre-Islamic period when the first and second pools were built. The third pool was commissioned by the Mamluk sultan, Khushqadam (r. AH 865–72 / AD 1461–7). Restoration and renovation of the pools and the aqueducts known as al-Qanat al-Sabil (the Aqueducts of the Sabil), were undertaken by the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay (r. AH 872–901 / AD 1468–96) and after him, Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66). Description:The Pools of Solomon comprise three neighbouring pools that were arranged in such a manner that the first pool poured into the second, and the second into the third, and from which canals branched out. The first pool is 116 m long and approximately 72 m wide. Its depth ranges from between 6 m and 12 m, and its capacity was 85,000 cu m. The middle pool is 129 m long and 76 m wide. It is 12 m deep and its capacity was approximately 90,000 cu m. The lower, third pool (Mamluk), is the biggest of the three at 177 m long and 86 m at its widest point. It is around 15 m deep and had the greatest capacity of around 113,000 cu m. Thus the total capacity of all three pools exceeded a quarter of a million cu m. View Short DescriptionThese large water reservoirs located to the south of Bethlehem were named after Ottoman Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent who restored and developed them. Three large pools collected water and were connected to a complicated system of canals that channelled water from springs located tens of kilometres away. Canals transported the water from the pools to Jerusalem. The system was begun in the Roman period and was improved over the ages. A third pool was added in the Mamluk period. The improvement of the system to provide Jerusalem with water was considered a measure of the success of the ruling administration. How Monument was dated:The water system is dated with the support of information handed down by the Roman historian Josephus (died after AD 100) and the Arab historian Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (d. 928 / 1521). Selected bibliography:Berchem, M. van, Materiaux pour un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum (Part II), Cairo, 1922. Citation of this web page:Yusuf al-Natsheh "Solomon’s Pools" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;22;en Prepared by: Yusuf Al-Natsheh
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