Ǧāmiʿ al-Ḥanābilā

 

Ǧāmiʿ al-Ǧabal, well known under the name Ǧāmiʿ al-Ḥanābilā or al-Muẓaffarī (1).

ʾAbu ʿUmar Muḥammad, son of Qudāmā al-Maqadasī (2), began building Ǧāmiʿ al-Ǧabal; the expenses were taken care of by a certain Šayẖ ʾabu Dāwūd Maḥāsin al-Fāmī (3), until ibn Qudāmā took over the building and had spent all he owned. Al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Gōkbūrī, son of Zayn ad-Dīn Kuǧik, lord of Irbil (4), then sent a large sum and finished the work. Gōkbūrī means “blue bear.” According to ibn Qāḍī Šuhba's Annals, he was the son of ʿAlī, son of Baktakīn, son of Kuǧik (5), the Turcoman.

When Gōkbūrī heard of the lack of funds for the building of this Ḥanbalite mosque, he sent, by a chamberlain, 3,000 atābeki dinars for the construction, an eventual balance to be used as waqf. He also sent 1,000 dinar to construct a water conduit from the Barzā (6), but al-Malik al-Muʿaẓẓam opposed that, and a well was dug, the water of which was brought up by a mule that turned around. That was in 598 (7). The first preacher was ʾabu ʿUmar al-Maqadasī (8).

1. Of al-Malik al-Muẓaffar Gōkbūrī (an-Nuʿaymī).
2. From Jerusalem.
3. From Apamea.
4. Arbela.
5. Meaning "short."
6. Sauvaire, p. 243, and ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī, p. 152.
7. 1201-1202 CE (ibn Kaṯīr).
8. Ibn Šaddād, p. 86. 

Ernst Herzfeld. Damascus, Studies in Architecture IV. Ars Islamica XIII-XIV 1948 (p. 118-138). 

Photo credit: K.A.C. Creswell.