this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: The Plans of Tripoli Al-Sham and Its Mamluk Architecture
Author(s): TADMORI, Omar A.
Journal: ARAM Periodical
Volume: 10    Issue: 1-2   Date: 1998   
Pages: 471-495
DOI: 10.2143/ARAM.10.1.2002153

Abstract :
During the Crusader’s occupation of Tripoli, which lasted 180 years (AH 502-688, AD 1109-1289), they built the fort known as the Saint Jil fort. It was built where the leader Soufian Ben Moujib Azdi had constructed the first Islamic fort during his blockade of Tripoli in about AH 25 (AD 646), at the time of Khalifa Osman Ben Affan. The Crusaders also erected several structures at the northern and western ends of the fort, and a small Latin street developed. Before the period of the Crusaders, the Fatimids had ordered the constructions of several monuments in the same area. They built a small mosque (Mashad) inside Soufian’s fort, and the Crusaders did not demolish it when they built the Saint Jil fort. The Fatimids also built a Khan (Kisaria) on the eastern side of Tripoli river. The Crusaders converted it into a palace known as the Prince Palace. Apart from this, many other Fatimid milestones were erected, but the details which they bore were obliterated by the passage of time. When the Mamluks started building the new city, they used sculpted stones brought from the demolished coastal buildings of both Crusaders and Fatimids. These stones were originally cut from the solid sand-stone rocks of the seaside. Mamluks also used granite pillars, brought by Egyptians, Romans and Crusaders in the past, to support and strengthen many different buildings, many of which still stand. Some of these pillars can be seen in the Taynal Mosque, the Tahhan Mosque, the Houjayjieh School, the yard of the Mansouri Great Mosque, the High Great Mosque in the city of Mina, the Amir [Prince (Barsbay Nasiri)] Tower, the gates of the Prince (Kartay) School and the Sakrakieh School. Several of these pillars continue to stand in the streets of the city of Mina, in the Haraj Bazaar, and elsewhere.

Download article