AYYUBID JERUSALEM (1187-1250)

The conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin in 583/1187, after nearly nine decades of Frankish rule, opened a new era of cultural, socio-economic and architectural changes. The renewed political fervour that followed it gave a fresh impetus to an extensive building activity initiated by the Ayyubids, which signified a renaissance in the style of Islamic architecture. Such style is exemplified in a large variety of monuments which would come to influence the magnificent Medieval Islamic architecture of Jerusalem. This research provides a comprehensive architectural and archaeological study of the Ayyubid monuments that still remain in the Old City of Jerusalem. These monuments are described and recorded by means of survey drawings and photographs, providing essential archaeological data, thus complementing the epigraphic, archival and literary historical evidence. The work comprises six chapters. A brief historical overview of the Ayyubid state, the major factors on which it was based, makes the first chapter. The sources of information utilised in this research are illustrated in the second chapter. Chapter three deals with Jerusalem in the political context of the Ayyubid state