Learning From the Past: The Reconstruction of the Minbar of Salah Al-Din in Al-Aqsa Mosque

Abstract

The Minbar of Salah Al-Din is considered a masterpiece of traditional Islamic arts and crafts heritage. It stood in Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem for nearly 800 years until it was burned down completely in 1969. In 1993, King Hussein of Jordan gave instructions to initiate the process of reconstructing the Minbar based on old photos of the original one and small wooden pieces that remained after the fire. The reconstruction job was commissioned in 2002 and finished in 2006 as a replica of the original one. This paper discusses the lessons learned from the reconstruction process through the analysis of geometric principles and features of the design process and construction of the Minbar, towards the rekindling of this artistic heritage. The Minbar geometric patterns are constructed of many interlocking pieces of wood, each carefully carved to fit together like a three-dimensional puzzle. The novel contribution of this study is in the relationship between the geometric construction of the patterns and the Interlock (ta’sheeq) construction methodology. Which will hopefully provide a deeper understanding of the structure of the Minbar, allowing architects and craftsmen to achieve improved control over their new design’s compositions and structure.