Islamic Cemetery Research Articles

Rock Sources for Gravestones at the Islamic Cemetery of Rawansar: A Geological Perspective

Stone has played a crucial role in human history, serving both geological and stratigraphical purposes. Throughout the ages, it has been an essential material, providing raw resources for various applications. From prehistoric lithic tools to architectural elements, stone has significantly impacted our development. In cemeteries, stone has taken on a major role due to its physical resistance and durability. Different communities have considered and traded stones for tombs and graves, recognizing their value in memorialization. In recent years, the importance of stone materials has grown, particularly for grave inscriptions. Today, numerous varieties of stone are used in cemeteries, and the practice of stone trading and selection has expanded for tombstone purposes. An illustration of this transfer and import of stone can be observed in the Islamic cemetery of Ravansar. This cemetery, which is the focus of this article, is primarily composed of geological rocks and indigenous materials, such as limestone from the Bisetoun Formation. However, stones used in the Islamic cemetery of Ravansar, dating back nearly a century, are made of green sandstones specifically sourced from surrounding areas. In a study examining the geological potential for trade routes supplying stone to the Islamic cemetery of Ravansar, researchers have reviewed the available evidence, including social and ethnographic factors. This analysis has been approved and serves as a testament to the historical and cultural significance of stone in our society.

The Ethno-Necrocratic State: Mamillah and the Afterlives of Ethnocracy in Israel

AbstractUsing the unique and historic Islamic cemetery of Mamillah in Jerusalem as a primary example, this essay discusses the ethno-necrocratic order that led to the 2008 Israeli High Court of Justice's codification of the supremacy of Jewish bodies and afterlives over non-Jewish ones, on the basis of advancing Israel's values. Hundreds of Palestinian burial grounds, starting with village cemeteries, have been destroyed since 1948. Indeed, funerary sites have testified to the omnipresence and millenarian existence of a population that the state has sought to erase from memory. In a few decades, the deathscape was radically altered, in cities as in the countryside. Although real estate corruption plagues Israeli politics, land use planning and real estate capitalism are inseparable from the ethno-racial politics of exclusion, which affect both the dead and the living.

Potential of Islamic Cemetery Complexes in Barus-North Sumatra as Archaeological Tourism Destinations

Historical and Archaeological Potential Exploration Program in Barus, Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra that was carried out in 2017 had discovered Islamic cemetery complexes distributed throughout the area that have potential as destinations for archaeological tourism. This is supported by the data obtained from field surveys to each cemetery complex and focus group discussion conducted with local residents of Barus. This study focuses on exploring the potential of five cemetery complexes comprising the Mahligai Cemetery, Papan Tinggi Cemetery, Tuan Ambar Cemetery, Ibrahim Syah Cemetery and Tuan Machdum Cemetery to serve as archaeological tourism destinations. The process of spreading Islam carried out by the ulama or Muslim scholars and the existence of various types of tombstones are subjects of attraction for visitors. In the process of developing a cemetery complex as a destination, it is necessary to improve public facilities such as the construction of museums or galleries, places of worship, parking lots, and public toilets. Improving the human resources are also a necessity, which can be done by empowering the local residents.

Community practice and religion at an Early Islamic cemetery in highland Central Asia—ADDENDUM

Community practice and religion at an Early Islamic cemetery in highland Central Asia—ADDENDUM

Community practice and religion at an Early Islamic cemetery in highland Central Asia

Archaeological studies of Early Islamic communities in Central Asia have focused on lowland urban communities. Here, the authors report on recent geophysical survey and excavation of an Early Islamic cemetery at Tashbulak in south-eastern Uzbekistan. AMS dating places the establishment of the cemetery in the mid-eighth century AD, making it one of the earliest Islamic burial grounds documented in Central Asia. Burials at Tashbulak conform to Islamic prescriptions for grave form and body deposition. The consistency in ritual suggests the existence of a funerary community of practice, challenging narratives of Islamic conversion in peripheral areas as a process of slow diffusion and emphasising the importance of archaeological approaches for documenting the diversity of Early Islamic communities.

Stone Architectural Decoration in Burji Era: The Northern Mausoleum in the Khanqah of Al-Nasir Faraj Ibn Barquq (Cairo). Contribution to the Knowledge and Conservation Assessment

The conservation of monuments in Cairo represents a complex matter, influenced by the cultural context, the intrinsic features of a vast and heterogeneous architectural heritage, and the environmental conditions. Monument vulnerability levels strongly need to be systematized to delineate adequate programs of control, management, and intervention. Despite their leading role in the Egyptian architectural heritage, many monuments experience a critical state of conservation. Here, we report the results of a multi-scale investigation of the northern mausoleum in the complex of the Khanqah of Al-Nasir Faraj Ibn Barquq, located in the Islamic cemetery of Al-Qarafa Al-Kubra (Cairo, Egypt). Our research aims to increase the knowledge on the decorative stones used in the mausoleum and their decay processes. The investigation has been focused on the two areas of the building covered by a colored stone-slabs pattern: the floor and the qibla wall. A detailed architectural survey, carried out through photogrammetric techniques, provided a three-dimensional morphological knowledge of the mausoleum, upgrading the available surveys made about 50 years ago. The distribution of the materials has been verified by visual analysis, integrated by the first detailed mineralogical and petrographic characterization made on this mausoleum. The digital survey of the stone surfaces and the mineralogical, chemical, and petrographic analyses allowed a systematic mapping of the decay phenomena and some insights on the morphological alteration of single elements. The obtained results indicate a capillary rise of groundwaters and airborne pollution as the main degradation processes.

Does Place Matter? Burial Decisions of Muslims in Canada

This paper is concerned with the complex relationship between immigration, religion, burial decisions, and a sense of belonging. Drawing upon a case study of Muslims in London, Ontario, Canada, we examine Islamic funeral and burial services available in the city and the preferred burial locations of its Muslim communities. Our interviews with different immigrant generations of Muslims show that participants, regardless of their immigrant generation, prefer London as a location of burial for themselves and their loved ones. We argue that four major factors at the structural and individual level shape the preference of study participants with respect to the location of burial: access to an Islamic cemetery and Islamic funeral services; an established Muslim population in the city; relation to and interpretation of religious requirements; and a sense of belonging to Canada. We discuss the findings in relation to multiculturalism and recognition of cultural and religious differences.

Archaeological Study of Islamic History in Minahasa

This article shed light on an archaeological study about the spread of Islam in the land of Minahasa of North Sulawesi Province. As the biggest ethnic group living in North Sulawesi Province, most of its people are Christians. Islam arrival in Minahasa carried by Arab traders, <em>habaib</em> from Hadramaut, and political prisoners (Kiai Modjo, Tuanku Imam Bondjol, Kiai Ahmad Rivai, and Tubagus Buang). As a discipline with a focus on ancient cultural heritage, archaeology works based on the material culture taking the form of artifacts, ecofacts, or features. This study enables an investigation on Islamic history in Minahasa based existing physical cultural. The archaeological study on the history of spread of Islam in Minahasa is of novelty since the previous researches of the same topic were mostly conducted through manuscript and archive study. The result of the field observation reveals that the influence of Islamic culture in Minahasa comprises of some Islamic settlements, mosques, and Islamic cemetery. The influence of Islamic culture in Minahasa has a different character between coastal and inland areas.

Şehitlik Mosque and the Islamic Cemetery at Columbiadamm: Islam in Public Space

Studia Religiologica » 2019 » Tom 52, Numer 1 » Şehitlik Mosque and the Islamic Cemetery at Columbiadamm: Islam in Public Space A A A

REPRESENTATION AND IDENTITYOF PERSIAN ISLAMIC CULTURE IN ANCIENT GRAVES OF BARUS, NORTH SUMATRA

The traces of Islam in Barus to this day still hold a mystery that has not been revealed. The Islamic cemetery complex in Barus holds abundant information about religious leaders who are believed to be the first Muslims to have spread Islam in the archipelago. The name of this city (Barus) refers to its natural resource of camphor. The gravestones in the Barus cemetery are written with inscriptions in Arabic and Persian scripts. Among the cemetery complexes there is a complex named Papan Tinggi. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the cultural treasures of Indonesia, especially the relationships between Indonesia and Central Asia at the beginning of the spread of Islam. The problem that arises is the extent to which the inscriptions can be interpreted from a foreign and local culture. The expected benefit of this research is to reveal more information about the role of Barus in Islamic culture development in Indonesia. The research method used includes three stages, namely data collection, data processing and interpretation. This study is expected to answer the early development of Islam in Barus.

CANGKUANG TEMPLE: A TRADITIONAL HERITAGE

Cangkuang temple is a populer site for cultural tourism in West Jawa. Located in Leles, the district of Garut, the Cangkuang temple stands out due to its scenic location and the temple’s cultural relics. Within the temple, there is a place to worship the God Shiva that lies adjacent to an Islamic cemetery. Many people believe that the tomb of Arif Mohammad who is a holy figure behind the spread of Islam in the area lies in this cemetery. Until now, people in the Cangkuang area maintain the legacy, which describes a state of society living in harmony by preserving their cultural heritage. People not only preserve the physical form of the building, but also maintain the will to respect one other. Thus, the cultural heritage is maintained by the society through cultural tourism. By making cultural heritage as a cultural tourism site, the public can take advantage of for the benefit of others, namely tourism. By making the area into a site of tourism, the profits earned by people around the location is not confined to certain advantages, but also social and economic benefits.

The Islamic cemetery at 33 Bartomeu Vicent Ramon, Ibiza: investigating diet and mobility through light stable isotopes in bone collagen and tooth enamel

The Balearic Islands occupy a central space in the western Mediterranean, at the maritime crossroads between North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of southwestern Europe. As such, it is well placed to investigate changes in subsistence practices associated with the major cultural transitions following the arrival of Islamic rule. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was carried out on bone collagen from the Islamic cemetery (ca. AD 950–1150) population excavated at 33 Bartomeu Vicent Ramon, Ibiza, including human (n = 42) and faunal remains (n = 3). Stable oxygen and carbon isotope analysis was also undertaken on human tooth enamel carbonate (n = 6), and six humans were directly radiocarbon dated, confirming the presence of two distinct burial phases. The collagen results emphasise a C3-based diet, with variable but generally minor contributions from marine and/or C4 foods. However, the enamel carbonate results indicate a far greater importance of C4 crops than suggested by the collagen results, contributing up to 40% of energy intake. In keeping with previous studies of the region and period, the dietary contribution of marine protein is probably limited. A small number of outliers in both collagen and carbonate isotope results are identified, suggesting the presence of individuals originating elsewhere. The results are compared with those from previous investigations on the Balearics and the Spanish mainland, highlighting the complexity of factors—both cultural and methodological—affecting inter-regional dietary investigation.

Alexandria, Kom el-Dikka. Seasons 2014–2015. Appendix: Islamic cemetery at Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria: research in the 2014 and 2015 excavation seasons

The Polish–Egyptian mission at Kom el-Dikka, ran by the Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology, University of Warsaw, stepped up the already advanced preservation processes aimed at establishing an Archaeological Park at the site. Conservation work was carried out in the theater portico, the bath complex and the residential quarter of late Roman date in the eastern part of the excavation area. In turn, the western part was the focus of archaeological research centered on the exploration of some late Roman structures located underneath. The early medieval/Islamic cemetery overlying these remains was explored first. A detailed report from this work is appended to this article. The human skeletal remains from the cemetery were examined by anthropologists. The western gate to the bath complex, leading from the theater portico, was fully exposed. Finds from present and earlier work at the site continued to be studied: glass vessels, pottery, lamps, bone objects, painted wall plaster, and a vast collection of coins.

Glazed Ifriqiyyan ceramics from the Hafsid period from the site of Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria

The presented pottery collection comes from the excavation of a medieval Islamic cemetery discovered at the Kom el-Dikka site in Alexandria, Egypt. The described set represents only a small fraction of an assemblage consisting of ceramics imported from the world known at the time. Hafsid pottery is easily distinguished thanks to a characteristic palette of colors: brown and blue patterns painted on a creamy-white background. The decoration repertoire can be divided into the following main groups of motifs: zoomorphic, floral, geometric and pseudo-epigraphic. The archaeological evidence is insufficient to support a periodization of this collection; the suggested dating follows from a stylistic analysis of the decoration compared with dated parallels from excavations on the citadel in Tunis and the bacini (bowls) preserved in Italian cathedrals.

Alexandria: Excavations and preservation work on Kom el-Dikka, seasons 2012 and 2013

Archaeological research in the 2012 and 2013 seasons was focused on excavations in area U in the northwestern part of the site of Kom el-Dikka in Alexandria. Previously discovered structures of early Roman age continued to be explored. A large forica and other buildings have been found to follow an unusual, strictly geographical orientation, the reason for which has yet to be ascertained. A large group of burials belonging to three successive phases of the early Islamic cemetery (8th–12th century AD) was excavated in the same area. Additional testing in already cleared auditoria T, U and B as well as next to auditorium H helped to verify issues of stratigraphy and chronology of the academic complex to which these auditoria belonged. Preservation work focused mainly on an overhaul of the mosaic shelter (Villa of the Birds), including treatment of mosaic floors. Equally important tasks were the conservation of remains of domestic architecture in area W1N, restoration of a well in the cistern (area L), and finally preservation of auditorium RS.

Vandalization of the tomb of Sheikh Shihab ed-Din

Vandalization of the tomb of Sheikh Shihab ed-Din Prof. Salah H. Al-Houdalieh Abstract Sheikh Shihab ed-Din lived during the Ayyubid period (1187-1250 A.D.). When he died, followed by his two sons, the three of them were buried close to each other at a site known by Saffa residents as ed-Deir and/or Shihab ed-Din. The sacred place of the Sheikh, now recognized as an archaeological site, covers an area of about 1,700 square meters encompassing the shrine itself, a Late Islamic cemetery, a Byzantine wine-press, three cisterns, a Byzantine monastery, and remains of other ancient walls from different periods. The majority of the people of Saffa, along with and some residents of the larger Ramallah province, believe that the Sheikh enjoys a distinguished charisma from God. Therefore, until the mid-1980s the sacred place of Sheikh Shihab ed-Din was a center of attention for many people of Saffa and the surrounding villages, in order to gain the blessing of the Sheikh and obtain the benefits of his supernatural power. Despite this distinctive respect given to the personality of the Sheikh and his sacred place over the past centuries, in 2015 an as-yet unknown group vandalized the shrine and completely disrupted and destroyed the graves of the Sheikh and his two sons. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jisc.v4n1a2

Cultivating Convergence: The First Islamic Cemetery in Vorarlberg, Austria

Abstract The Altach Islamic cemetery, winner of the 2013 Aga Khan Award, exemplifies how Islamic funerary architecture can contribute to nurturing pluralism in Western Europe. This newly opened cemetery is part of a wider trend in European funerary architecture; the increasing number of Islamic cemeteries reveals the contemporary dynamics of Europe’s cultural and religious diversification. While this new trend provides an opportunity to broaden the scope of representation for Islam in the West, most of the new Islamic cemeteries have been designed mainly to fulfil functional necessities, neglecting an opportunity to shape an intercultural dialogue from an architectural standpoint. In this context, the Altach Islamic cemetery demonstrates a new approach to creating Islamic architecture in non-Islamic environments that fosters cultural convergence. By emphasizing the dialogic dimensions of architecture through design, implementation and public mediation, this approach allows for an understanding of architecture as a medium for community-making and as a bridge between cultures.

Musulmanes y Política: Las comunidades islámicas como grupos de interés religioso

The growing presence of Muslims in Spain sets new demands and strains that examine the ability of Spanish society to accept “other” religions and “other” cultural practices. Based on a concept of interest groups, we can expect the creation of associations representing those interests. This paper analyzes the collective behaviour and configuration of interests of Muslims in the city of Granada. We rely on two case studies to draw our conclusions: first, the long Muslim claim to have an Islamic cemetery and, secondly, the tense negotiations about “el Dia de la Toma”. We have used a qualitative methodology based on interviews with key players and references to local press, official documents and private reports. We provide some conclusions: first, in regard to their organization, we must understand the Islamic communities -varied, numerous and not always connected- as the most representative interlocutors. Second, their influence will be characterized by their (to date) outsider position, something that will prevent them from developing high-impact, short-time strategies. And third, continuity in claims leads them to achieve, in whole or in part, their goals.

Mamlūk Epitaphs from Māmillā Cemetery

Māmillā cemetery was the largest Islamic cemetery in Jerusalem. During the Mamlūk period it was the burial ground for most of the important citizens. This article contains newly discovered Mamlūk epitaphs from the cemetery offered in an effort to trace the original locations, and to examine the relocations. Photos and plans prepared mainly during the British Mandate have been used to track the original locations. The historico-topographical presentation by Mujı¯r al-Dı¯n al-'Ulaymı¯ is the main historical source used to illustrated these inscriptions. Finally, the evidence of the relocation leads to the conclusion that a sacred axis existed at the eastern end of the cemetery, along which the existence of two mausolea and several graves have been discovered.

A possible case of Scheuermann's disease from Akarçay Höyük, Birecik (Şanlıurfa, Turkey)

AbstractDuring excavations in Akarçay Höyük, located in Birecik (Şanlıurfa, Turkey), a human and a horse skeleton were found together as a co‐burial. This burial was in an Islamic cemetery dated to 13th–14th century AD. The human skeleton was that of a young adult female with a distinct thoracic kyphosis. Three adjacent thoracic vertebral bodies, T4, T5 and T6, were wedge shaped and this wedging was also apparent in radiographs. There were Schmorl's nodes and anterior extensions on the same vertebral bodies. All these vertebral changes are typical signs of Scheuermann's disease (SD). Since she was buried with a horse, it is likely that she was a horse rider. Although she was young, the skeletal changes associated with horse riding like elongated acetabula and enthesopathies on the femora were evident. There was a compression fracture on T12, and irregularities on the upper and lower vertebral body rims due to traumatic anterior disc herniation. It is postulated that a trauma due to horse riding is responsible for the occurrence of SD in this case. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.