This is a story about an Islamic minbar (pulpit) that was rescued from the Crusaders. The minbar was made originally for the maqam (shrine) of the great Muslim martyr al-Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, in Ashqelon. Like the mihrab (the prayer niche), the minbar is a focal point of the mosque but unlike the mihrab the minbar is usually mobile. With the exception of copies of the Qur’an, the minbar is, therefore, the only removable object in a mosque that carries profound spiritual value.