Name of Monument:Sabil Birkat al-Sultan Also known as:Sabil of Bab al-Khalil Location:Located on the southwest side of Bab al-Khalil (Jaffa Gate), one of the city gates on the road between Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron. Located in a lively area of the city, it receives visitors from both the west and south, Jerusalem Date of Monument:Hegira 10th Muharram 943 / AD 29th June 1536 Architect(s) / master-builder(s):The construction supervisor was Muhammad Chalabi al-Naqqash, the guardian of the sultan’s revenues as well as the construction manager for the walls of Jerusalem. Period / Dynasty:Ottoman Patron(s):Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent (r. 926–74 / AD 1520–66). Description:The Sabil Birkat al-Sultan is one of the six sabils that were erected in Jerusalem by order of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent. The sabil is built with cut white stone in a multiplicity of sizes, which form a rectangle 3.70 m long and 1.5 m wide. In front of the sabil block there is a recess 71 cm deep and 1.9 m long. Above the recess is a pointed arch composed of stone voussoirs decorated with saw-like ornamentation, in a style known as a Persian arch. The voussoirs are surrounded by moulded decoration. On each of the two sides of the arch there is a projecting circular stone medallion devoid of decorative elements. Around the bulk of the sabil, on both sides and above it, there is a frame of moulded decoration that terminates with more embellishment where the base of the sabil starts to form. View Short DescriptionThis was the only sabil (public fountain) of the six commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent to be built outside the walls around Jerusalem. It is located on the road that connects Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron. The sabil is provided with water from a canal linked to Solomon’s Pools. Inside a recessed niche, open at the front, in the middle of a rectangular plaque an opening allows water to pour into a wide basin. Above the basin is a large foundation inscription. The sabil is constructed of cut stone in different sizes with rich decorative motifs. Behind the building is a reservoir which collects the water. How Monument was dated:The sabil was dated by the inscription on its façade, and further supported by a waqf document in the archive of the Shari'a Court of Jerusalem, that dates to AH 948 / AD 1541. Selected bibliography:Berchem, M. van, Materiaux pour un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarium (Part II), Cairo, 1922. Citation of this web page:Yusuf al-Natsheh "Sabil Birkat al-Sultan" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;25;en Prepared by: Yusuf Al-Natsheh
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