Al Khanqah al- Salahiyya

Al Khanqa al-Salahiyya is a mosque located within the Christian Quarter, near the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The history of the building is interesting. Apparently it served in its early days as the palace of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem during the era of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. After Salah ad-Din Al-Ayyubi conquered the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187, the building became a “Khanqa”, a prayer house and a residence for Sufi dervishes, named in honor of Salah A-Din: Al Khanqa al-Salahiyya. The Sufi Dervishes were Muslim mystics, who dedicated their time to prayer, ecstatic dance, seclusion and mysticism. They may have been influenced by the monasticism movement in Christianity. During the 14^th and 15^th centuries, when the Mamelukes ruled Jerusalem, the building was renovated, and achieved its current shape. This period also witnessed the building of the mosque’s minaret, which stands out in the Christian Quarter’s landscape. The façade of the building is impressive and decorated with stone guilloches that are characteristic of the Mameluke architecture in Jerusalem: a combination of black and white stones (part of the black stones were damaged or have disappeared over the years, leaving only the white stones) and Ablaq- a combination of dark red and light yellowish stones.