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The small domed sanctuary on Souk Tawile is today the only standing late Mamluk monument in the city. It links the visible with the invisible, the known with the unknown, the surviving with the buried.
The 16th-century historian Ibn Tulun originally describes
this sanctuary as a Mamluk house and ribat, or hospice. It
was built by the religious authority and Sufi Ibn 'Iraq al-
Dimashqi for his followers. The building continued to
play the role of a private madrasa or zawiya, where
Islamic law, jurisprudence and theology were taught. A
zawiya was often the converted house of the teacher or
founder. Many madrasas in Lebanon's Mamluk capital
Tripoli were endowed by their founders who were buried
in a domed mausoleum forming part of the building. This
is attested by inscriptions identifying the
name of the founder and interesting
details of the endowment of land,
property, shops and industries which
assured the continued upkeep and
function of such establishments.
No inscription has as yet been found in or
around the Beirut zawiya. Ibn 'Iraq left his
house in Beirut in 923 AH (1517) for the
pilgrimage. He died in Mecca in 933 AH
(1526) and was buried in the Bah al-
Ma'alla cemetery of that city. News of his
death was received with sorrow in Cairo,
Jerusalem and Damascus.
The building continued to function as a zawiya until it was eventually incorporated into the late Ottoman souk.
The excavation near the sanctuary provided ample evidence of
continuous re-use of earlier builclings. An intricate system of water
supply, including wells and cisterns, and a workshop for silk
production were recovered. The excavation also revealed that the
souks were built over an earlier artisans' quarter incorporating a
series of workshops.
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 al@mashriq 960118/960118 |
A research project was designed to explore aspects of the
methodology of urban archaeology in Beirut. It focuses
on the investigation of important, but thus far neglected,
phases of the city's history: the Mamluk and Ottoman
periods.
A Mamluk Ribat in Beirut
Teaching in madrasas took place in iwans or wide arched spaces
often opening on to a courtyard. The teacher faced his students
grouped around him in a circle or halqa. Rooms for students and
visiting scholars were provided. The extention of the Beirut zawiya
is still not fully known. Investigating the original plan, and the
changes affecting it during its long history of occupation, will
inhance our understanding of this type of Mamluk architecture. The
surviving domed chamber of the zawiya was probably intended as a
mausoleum and is said to have housed the tomb of a member of the
Bundaq family, a follower of the founder. The large arch in the
eastern facade of the building suggests a courtyard or garden in front
of it. Excavations in this area have revealed an open space with
evidence for associated activities.
Archaeological investigation near the ribat of Ibn 'Iraq al-Dimashqi
offers valuable information on the occupations and standards of
living of the people in the city at the time.
