Dictionary of islamic architecture

particular was provided with a large number of
religious buildings as befitted Islam’s holiest shrine
after Mecca and Medina. Mamluk architecture in
Jerusalem was characterized by the use of joggled
voussoirs, ablaq masonry, muqarnas mouldings and
coloured marble inlays. In Ramla, the Great Mosque
was rebuilt and the Crusader church was converted
into a mosque.
One of the more beautiful Mamluk buildings of
Palestine

---

232
Palestine is the tomb of Abu Hoeira near Yabne
(modern Yavne). This consists of a triple-domed
portico and a central area covered by a large dome
set on squinches. The decoration is restrained and
restricted to the areas around the doorway and
mihrab which are decorated with inlaid marble and
inscriptions.
A characteristic feature of the Mamluk period was
the revitalization of the road systems which were
provided with khans, mosques and bridges. Examples
of Mamluk khans include Khan al-Tujjar, Khan al-
Minya, Jaljuliyya, Ramla and Lydda. Probably the most
impressive of these is Khan Yunis at Ghaza built out of
ablaq masonry with a mosque and minaret included
in its design. Several Mamluk bridges survive in
Palestine, the most impressive of which is Jisr Jindas,
decorated with an inscription flanked by two lions
(other bridges include Jisr Banat Yaqub and a bridge at
Beisan).
Ottoman Conquest
The Ottoman conquest of Palestine in 1516
introduced new architectural concepts, although
these were only gradually adopted and never
became universal. The most obvious symbol of the
Ottoman conquest was the redevelopment of
Jerusalem; this included rebuilding the walls, tiling
the Dome of the Rock and renovating the city’s
water supply.
The city of Acre, rebuilt in the eighteenth century,
is the best example of a complete Ottoman city in
Palestine. It has several khans, at least two bath
houses, three main suqs, at least ten mosques and a
citadel. The wealth of the city was expressed in the
mosque of al-Jazzar Pasha and the large bath
complex known as Hammam al-Basha. The mosque
was modelled on those of Istanbul with a large
central dome and a pencil-like minaret. The baths
were extensively decorated with Armenian tiles and
inlaid marble floors. The houses of Acre were two,
three- or even four-storeyed structures with painted
wooden ceilings.
Important cities during the Ottoman period
included Hebron, Nablus, Ramla, Jaffa, Safed,
Tiberias and Acre (from the eighteenth century
onwards). Most of the cities were surrounded by
walls, the best surviving example of which are the
walls of Tiberias rebuilt by Dhahir al 
Umar. The walls
of Acre date mostly from the late eighteenth century
and are of Italian design.
The houses of Ottoman Palestine varied
depending on the region in which they were located.
There are few or no remains of the mud-brick houses
of the coastal plain although the stone houses of the
villages have survived well until recent times. The
predominant form of roofing for stone houses was
the dome made by filling a room with earth, covering
this with a reed mat and then building the dome over
the top. During the eighteenth century domes were
often decorated with carved plaster usually in the
form of swirls, rosettes and semi-circles. In Galilee,
buildings were roofed by using transverse stone
arches to support short beams over which a roof
could be laid.
Outside Jerusalem Ottoman control was
established through a series of forts garrisoned by
Janissaries (imperial Ottoman troops). These
fortresses were large square or rectangular structures
with square corner towers; surviving examples can
be seen at Ras al-Ain near Tel Aviv, Khan al-Tujjar
near Kefar Kanna and Qal
at Burak south of
Jerusalem.