Sabil
Ein Sabīl , Turkish Sebil ( Arabic سبيل, DMG sabīl ), is a well room as part of Islamic architecture . It serves as a free public water point for pilgrims, travelers, for everyone and also for animals. In Islam, the building of sabilen not only had a purely functional purpose, but was also understood as a fulfillment of the religious obligations of mercy prescribed in the Koran . So the Sabile can also be viewed as religious buildings.
Origin of name
The word Sabil is related to the Arabic verb Arabic سبل sabala . Sabala means falling, dripping, hanging down, closing your eyes, shedding tears. The meaning of the Arabic word sabil is way, path. The word sabil is used more than 150 times in the Koran. There it has the meanings: God's ways, way to God, the right way, the way out of difficulties, selfless work, spiritual discipline, learning. The jihad is repeated 49 times as the struggle on the way to God al-jihādu fī sabīli Llāh /الجهاد في سبيل الله / al-ǧihādu fī sabīli Llāh . The word Sabil for a public well was derived from the opinion of doing God's will or doing a godly charitable work with it.
Connection to religion
Water plays a central role in the Koran and in the Islamic religion. It is considered a blessing given by God (Sura 15:22, 56: 68-69). It is needed for drinking, bathing and ritual cleansing . In the Koran it is emphasized several times that God made all living beings out of water (Sura 21:30, 24:45, 25:54). One of the three unforgivable sins of the Last Judgment is considered to be to deny the traveler water if one has it. The commandment to water those who are thirsty is also extended to animals.
The Sabil as a religious building
Especially under the Mamluks and during the Ottoman Empire , the Sabile were more and more decorated and expanded into splendid little buildings. Their religious significance became more and more apparent. It was argued: Water is a divine gift - it is God who soaks the thirsty with it - water symbolizes God's creation - so the Sabil is a house of God.
The Sabile were partly expanded into smaller or larger houses in which an employee sat behind a barred window and gave the water (free of charge) to those who asked for it. For this purpose, Quran reciters were even employed in some cases . The Sabile were partially equipped with a prayer niche that indicated the direction of prayer . He also received a mida'a, which is a pool of water, for ritual cleansing. The Sabil's employee acted as a prayer leader . So the Sabil could be used as an open place of prayer for the five daily prayers . In some cases, the sabil was even provided with an upper floor in which a Koran school was housed. The sable was also seen as a parable for the source of paradise.
Architectural design
The typical sabil was placed next to or above a cistern . From this the water was directed over an engraved marble surface, the salsabil, to enrich it with air. From there it got into a marble basin from which it was drawn to drink.
The sable often only formed an ornate niche in a wall or house wall. Sometimes, however, it was expanded into a detached house.
Sabile were often found at crossroads or in squares.
history
The earliest mention of a sabil comes from Damascus , Syria and is dated to 1077.
Ayyubids
The Arabic is one of the oldest surviving sables سبيل شعلان Sabil Scha'alan on the haram . It dates from the Ayyubid period and was built around 1216 under Sultan al-Malik al-ʿĀdil .
Mamluks
A sabil from the Mamluk period in Cairo was built under Sultan an-Nāsir Muhammad ibn Qalāwūn around 1325 at the corner of the Qalawun tomb complex . In Mamluk architecture, the sabil was a standard element often associated with a kuttab, which is an elementary school for reading, writing, grammar, Islamic studies and Quran recitation. These Sabil-Kuttab structures were often found at the corners of building complexes, at busy streets and intersections. The Sabil was on the ground floor, where water was poured out to passers-by. The kuttab was on the floors above. Initially they were integrated into larger buildings. It was not until 1479 that it became customary to build them as a stand-alone building. These Mamluk sabiles often had richly decorated facades and large windows with bronze grilles. Inside, they were decorated with marble mosaics and painted wooden ceilings.
Ottomans
Beginning in the 16th century in Ottoman architecture, the sabiles were increasingly ornately decorated. They were built as single buildings or integrated in mosques or in walls near mosques. They often received inscriptions that indicated the date of their construction. At festivals, sweetened fruit juices were served in them in addition to water .
present
In the 20th century, the apartments were increasingly supplied with running water. As a result, the Sabile lost their importance and were sometimes used as small shops.
In some cases, however, this loss of importance also led to the risk of decay. They were used as garbage dumps and defaced with graffiti .
literature
- Doris Behrens-Abouseif: “Sabīl. 2. As an architectural term ”in The Encyclopaedia of Islam. New Edition Vol. VIII, pp. 679b-683a.
- André Raymond: “Les fontaines publiques (Sabīl) du Caire à l'époque ottomane (1517–1798)” in Annales Islamologiques 15 (1979) 235–291.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Saleh Lamei Mostafa: The Cairene Sabil: Form and Meaning in Muqarnas, Volume 6, pp. 33-42, 1989, ISBN 9004090509 , ISSN 0732-2992 online at google-books. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ↑ Sabil in oxfordislamicstudies.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ↑ Sabil Scha'alan at qudsinfo.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020 (Arabic)
- ↑ Yusuf Natseh: The manuscripts of the al-Aqsa mosque Water supply systems of the Haram in pilgrims, Sufis and scholars. Islamic Art in the West Bank and Gaza , ISBN 978-3-902782-50-2 , online at google-books. Retrieved May 12, 2020
- ↑ Ottoman Sabils of Jerusalem at drexel.edu. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
- ↑ The "Ottoman Fountain" in Jerusalem at theologische-links.de. Retrieved May 12, 2020.