Bab al-Saghir Cemetery

Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr
مقبرة الباب الصغير
Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr ; مقبرة الباب الصغير
مَـقْـبَـرَة الْـبَـاب الـصَّـغِـيْـر
	From left to right, the graves of Maymunah (Umm Al-Hasan), Asma bint Umais, and Hamidah bint Muslim ibn Aqeel.
	Interactive map of Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr ; مقبرة الباب الصغير
Details
Established	Umayyad era
Location	Damascus
Country	Syria
Coordinates	33°30′22″N 36°18′23″E / 33.50611°N 36.30639°E

Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (Arabic: مقبرة الباب الصغير, romanized: Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr) is an Islamic cemetery in Damascus, Syria. It is about 200 meters to the southwest of the Bab al-Saghir gate.

History

Stephanie Mulder in a book documenting and analyzing medieval Alid shrines in Syria points out that the "tomb [dedicated to Sukayna bint al-Husayn] in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery is consistently mentioned in medieval Arabic sources from the late twelfth century onwards, and the text-based findings relating to its location, original structure, phases of development and various patrons, afford well with the rich architectural evidence documented."^{[page range too broad]} The place has notable Islamic interments. The 20th century poet Nizar Qabbani is also buried here.

Interments

Companions of Muhammad

Abd Allah ibn Umm Maktum (d. 636), early Medinian Muslim
Asma bint Umays (died 7th century), wife of Abu Bakr, Ali, and Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
Bilal ibn Rabah (580–640), the first muezzin and secretary of treasure of Medina's Islamic state
Ubayy ibn Ka'b (d. 649), early Medinian Muslim and scribe of Muhammad
Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (d. 680), converted to Islam in 630; first Umayyad caliph.

Alid community

Umm Kulthum (627–685/705), Ali and Fatimah's daughter, alleged wife of caliph Umar (r. 634–644)
Fatimah al-Sughra (died after 680), daughter of Husayn ibn Ali
Fidda, the maid of Fatimah
Kamaid ibn Aswad al-Kindi, a companion of Ali
Maymunah, daughter of Hasan ibn Ali
Hameedah, daughter of Muslim ibn Aqil
Abdullah, son of Zayn al-Abidin

Umayyad kings

Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (d. 705), fifth Umayyad caliph
Al-Walid ibn Abd al-Malik (d. 715), sixth Umayyad caliph

Shrines and Mosques

Maqam Ru'us Al-Shuhada

Zarih of Martyrs of Karbala at Bab al-Saghir built by Mohammed Burhanuddin c. 1970.

Maqam Ru'us ash-Shuhada’ (Arabic: مَـقَـام رُؤُوس الـشُّـهَـدَاء, lit. 'burial place of head of the martyrs'), also known as Ganj-e-sarha-e-shuhada’-e-Karbala, or Raous al-Shuhada, the former burial place of the heads of the casualties in Husayn's army at Karbala. Among them:

Cenotaphs

The following tombs are also found within this cemetery, however these are empty graves (cenotaphs) created for the purpose of ziyārah

Wives of Muhammad:
Abdullah, son of Ja‘far aṭ-Ṭayyâr, and husband and cousin of Zaynab bint Ali
Abdullah, son of the Sixth Ja`farī Shī`ite Imām, Ja'far as-Sadiq

Other religious significance

In addition, the area has the well from which the Fourth Shi'ite Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin used to perform wuḍú’ (Arabic: وُضُـوء).

References

↑ Kramer, H. (12 April 2015). "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". The Complete Pilgrim. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
1 2 3 4 5 "Places to Visit: Damascus". Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
1 2 Demeter, D. (24 September 2014). "Damascus – Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (دمـشـق – مـقـبـرة الـبـاب الـصـغـيـر)". Syria Photo Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
↑ Barrani, S. "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". Retrieved 12 March 2018.
↑ Mulder, Stephennie (2014). "3". The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria: Sunnis, Shi'is and the Architecture of Coexistence. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 129–41. ISBN 978-0-7486-4579-4.
1 2 "Bab al-Saghir cemetery". IslamicLandmarks.com. Retrieved 12 March 2018.

External links

Tomb of Muawiya I
Mosque and tomb of Umm Kulthum
Tomb of Bilal in the Damascus Cemetery at the Madain Project

[CP2015-1] Kramer, H. (12 April 2015). "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". The Complete Pilgrim. Retrieved 12 March 2018.

[ABDILP-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Places to Visit: Damascus". Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2018.

[SPG2014-3] 1 2 Demeter, D. (24 September 2014). "Damascus – Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (دمـشـق – مـقـبـرة الـبـاب الـصـغـيـر)". Syria Photo Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2018.

[LoveDamascus2-4] Barrani, S. "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". Retrieved 12 March 2018.

[5] Mulder, Stephennie (2014). "3". The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria: Sunnis, Shi'is and the Architecture of Coexistence. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 129–41. ISBN 978-0-7486-4579-4.

[IslamicLandmarks-6] 1 2 "Bab al-Saghir cemetery". IslamicLandmarks.com. Retrieved 12 March 2018.