The Makhkame

The Makhkame is a magnificent Islamic madrasa founded by the Mameluke Emir Tankiz in year 1328/9. Following the Mameluke conquest in 1260, Jerusalem became a center of pilgrimage for Muslims, who also settled there and became a significant part of the city’s population. During this era Jerusalem saw a religious prosperity which lead to the establishment of many religious institutions, along with the construction of water facilities for the benefit of the pilgrims and the city’s residents, markets and public institutions. Many Madrasas were built around the Temple Mount, serving as centers for religious studies. The Makhkame was one of the most famous Madrasas in Jerusalem during these days, and it was built by the Emir Tankiz, ruler of Damascus. Tankiz built additional buildings throughout the country and Jerusalem, among them Khan Nebi Yamin in Jaljulia- next to Kfar Saba, “The Cup” (El Kes)- a drinking and purifying facility in the Temple Mount, the cotton market etc. One can see in the impressive entrance of the building the decorations characteristic of this era: guilloches of black and white stones (Ablaq), stone-carved Muqarnases, stone benches at the entrance and a decorated inscription bearing the Heraldic symbol of Tankiz: a goblet inside a medallion. Starting from the end of the 15^th century, the building served as a courthouse (Makhkame), and it kept its name till this day. Since 1968 the building serves as a base for the Israeli Magav (Border Guards).