Name of Object:

Printing block (stamp) listing holy places in the region of Palestine

Location:

Jerusalem

Holding Museum:

Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif

About Islamic Museum, al-Aqsa Mosque / al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem

Original Owner:

Islamic Awqaf (Endowments), Jerusalem

Date of Object:

Hegira 13th century / AD 19th century

Museum Inventory Number:

أ/ ن/144

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Forged, hammered and engraved copper.

Dimensions:

Length 31 cm, width10 cm

Period / Dynasty:

Ottoman

Provenance:

Jerusalem.

Description:

A printing block (stamp) composed of a simple copper panel that is rectangular in shape. It is devoid of decoration except for the inscribed record on its surface. A frame encompasses the list on all four sides, composed of straight lines engraved into the copper with the exception of the lower line, which takes the form of an undulating wave. There are two curved forms on both edges of the last line. The block holds an engraved Ottoman Turkish inscription that names the principal holy places in Palestine, such as al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as al-Haram al-Ibrahimi (the Ibrahimi Mosque) in Hebron (al-Khalil). The block also includes the names of the tombs of some of the prophets, including that of Moses located on the road leading to Jericho; the tomb of David, located outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and the tombs of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isaac as well as Jacob, and their wives, in al-Haram al-Ibrahimi and the tomb of al-Khadir. In addition, the block records the names of a series of sites and shrines that include: the Mihrab of Zakariya in the Haram al-Sharif;the site of Abu 'Ubaida 'Amar bin al-Jirrah in 'Amwas (Nicopolis); the Tomb of Mary at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem;the Qubbat al-Mi'raj (Dome of the Mi'raj); Qubbat al-Arwah (Dome of the Spirits); al-Buraq al-Sharif (Sanctuary of al-Buraq) in the Haram al-Sharif; the Qubbat Rahil (Rachel's Tomb) in Bethlehem; the tomb of Joseph in Halhul and al-'Ais in Sa'ir. The block also contains the names of the great saints of the Sufi paths, among whom are Muhammad al-Khalili (d. AH 1146 / AD 1734), who was one of the 'ulama of the Bait al-Maqdis (scholar of the Bait al Maqdis) and Muhammad al-Budairi (d. AH 1220 / AD 1805) who was another scholar of the Bait al-Maqdis. The inscription ends with the word “Opening”.
It is possible that the printing block gave authorisation to enter the holy places named, or perhaps it was meant to be a list of places a Sufi should visit in the region of Palestine. It is likely that it was used to print on paper and then distributed to an interested public.

A rectangular copper panel devoid of decoration. It is inscribed with a list of the most important sites and shrines in Palestine. It might have been authorisation to enter these places, or a list of places that one should visit, or merely places where one could be blessed. It was probably stamped on paper to be distributed to interested parties.

How date and origin were established:

The piece was dated by ascertaining the life-spans of the pious men who are mentioned (Sheikh Muhammad al-Khalili and Sheikh Muhammad al-Budayri).

How Object was obtained:

The printing block was transferred on an unknown date from the Haram al-Sharif to the Islamic Museum in Jerusalem.

How provenance was established:

It is likely that this printing block was made in Palestine, as there were a number of copper workshops producing a variety of copper objects In Jerusalem. In addition, the names of the sites detailed on the printing block are all in Palestine, which strengthens the hypothesis that it was made locally.

Citation of this web page:

Nazmi Al-Ju'beh "Printing block (stamp) listing holy places in the region of Palestine" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;pa;Mus01;43;en

Prepared by: Nazmi Al-Ju'behNazmi Al-Ju'beh

Nazmi Al-Ju'beh is an archaeologist and historian and Co-Director of RIWAQ, Centre for Architectural Conservation in Ramallah, Palestine. He studied at Birzeit University in Palestine and at Tübingen University in Germany. He taught at Birzeit University and at al-Quds University. He was Director of the Islamic Museum, al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem, and directed various cultural heritage projects in Palestine, including surveys of archaeological and architectural sites. He was a major contributor to Pilgrimage, Sciences and Sufism: Islamic Art in the West Bank and Gaza (Vienna: MWNF, 2004) and is the author of numerous publications on the history, archaeology and cultural heritage of Palestine.
Copyedited by: Majd Musa
Translation by: Amal Sachedina (from the Arabic).
Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: PA 43