Maqam Shihab al-Din is the tomb of Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi.[1] It is situated roughly 200 meters south of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. It is built on the opposite side of Khan al-Pasha. Local Muslim tradition claims Shihab al-Din was a nephew of the Ayyubid sultan Saladin,[2][3] who conquered Palestine from the Crusaders in 1187. Shihab al-Din, according to tradition, was wounded in the Battle of Hattin and later died in Nazareth where he was buried.[2] It is also possible that Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi was a Muslim weli and the maqam (shrine) in Nazareth was built in his honor.[4]

History

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Sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century, a small mosque (15 sq. meters) was built to commemorate the tomb.

Architecture

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The floor level in the shrine is approximately 2m below that of the lane and is reached by a flight of stairs. The building consists of two parts, an old part covered by a dome, and a newer concrete part. The new part has a triangular plan and is joined on to the north side of the original structure. The older part has a rectangular plan consisting of a square area covered by a dome and a shallow iwan to the east. The dome rests on pendentives springing from large corner piers. There is a small doorway in the western wall providing access to the ablutions area. In the middle of the south wall is a modern flat wooden mihrab. The tomb of Shihab al-Din is located in the southern part of the iwan. It is likely that the eastern side of the iwan was originally open although it is now filled with a modern window.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Petersen, 2001, p. 241
  2. ^ a b Irving, 2012, p. 279
  3. ^ Breger, 2009, p. 139
  4. ^ Mansour, 2004 p. 281.

Bibliography

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  • Breger, Marshall J., ed. (2009). Holy Places in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Confrontation and Co-existence. Routledge. ISBN 1135268126.
  • Irving, Sarah (2012). Palestine. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 1841623679.
  • Israeli, Raphael (2014). Green Crescent Over Nazareth: The Displacement of Christians by Muslims in the Holy Land. Routledge. ISBN 1135315213.
  • Louër, Laurence (2007). To Be an Arab in Israel. Columbia University Press. ISBN 0231140681.
  • Mansour, Atallah (2004). Narrow Gate Churches: The Christian Presence in the Holy Land Under Muslim and Jewish Rule. Hope Publishing House. ISBN 1932717021.
  • Petersen, Andrew (2001). A Gazetteer of Buildings in Muslim Palestine (British Academy Monographs in Archaeology). Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-727011-0.

[1] [2] [3]