The Cup Spring Mayda’at Al-Kaas

Landmark Location: Is located in front of Al-Qibli Mosque in the middle of the distance between it and the southern pillars leading to the Dome of the Rock; the southern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Landmark Location relative to Dome of the rock:
The southern of Dome of the Rock.

Landmark History:
737 AH. 1339 AD. in the Mamluk era.

Reason of the name:
The cup spring Mayda’at Al-Kaas ( place of ablution; The place where people do wudoo ‘in preparation for prayer Al-Kaas spring. Called Al-Kaas spring because of its shape; which looks like a cup. Also, It has other names, such as: “ Blessing”.

Builder Name:
The Nazarene

Details of the shape:
-It consists of a circular pond with a cup in its center, from which the water flows into the pond. It pours from the cup to the pond, beautifully, and then from the pool to the taps; 20 tap.
-People spring of the cup for wudoo’; ( ablution) in particular, where they come down to the beautiful stone chairs, with several degrees.

The history of the spring:
-The oldest mention of the cup spring dates back to 737 AH / 1339 AD in the Mamluk period, where the traveler Khalid bin Issa al-Balawi recalled during his visit, saying: “In this bowl, a water tank comes from an arduous distance, and a faraway camouflage from the ground. Its’ mountains were cut off, and the great rocks were cracked with hard money and heavy hands, until the water poured on Al-Aqsa Mosque and it was crushed and spilled which led to a (pool or basin) of a large marble in front of the Great Mosque in the middle of which a sparkling water. It is clear from the description of Balawi that the spring of the cup returned by the water channel.”
-Many of Al-Aqsa landmarks’ books attribute the construction of the spring to the great Ayyubid sultan, Salah Al-Din’s brother, 589 AH. 1193 AD. and was reestablished in the time of Al-Mamluk prince The Nazarene.
However, we do not find any historical indication of the attribution the cup to the Ayyubids. To discuss this, see the text of the historian Majier al-Din: al-Nasseri, who crossed the water channel to the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif ( Jerusalem ), the beginning of its architecture in Shawwal, twenty-seven and seven hundred,  arrived in Al-Quds Al-Sharif ( Jerusalem)  and entered the center of al-Aqsa Mosque in late spring, twenty-eight and seven hundred and worked the marble pond between rock and Al-Aqsa to Al-Sabil ( the spring ), the cup is related to the spring channel. The history books did not mention Adel al-Ayoubi as a constructor of the spring channel. Majier al-Dins text tells us that Al-Nasri made the marble pond, not constructing it, because if he constructed it, we would say that he did so after a damage, but what did he mean by “ constructing “ is “ making “; “ working” . However, in another text, Ibn Katheer mentioned the time of the pond construction with an order from Al-Nasri :” in the late month of march, the channel reached Jerusalem who ordered its construction and establishment, Al-Nasri, he did so with the governors of those areas; muslims were happy, it even reached Al-Aqsa mosque beach, which caused a huge pond; it is, however, a marble between the rock and Al-Aqsa, its construction begun at the month of Shawwal in the last year.”

-The Ottoman Era:
Al-Kaas spring was renewed in the time of the Ottoman Sultan “ Sulieman Al-qanouni”, as the traveler Olia Jalabi mintioned in his book “sayiaihtinamuh”: “ The steps then proceed directly towards a large water basin built of marble, cut from one block according to the Sultan’s own instructions. It is a unique and unmatched landmark on the ground.”

-The History of the Spring summary:
Based on the testimonies of historians and travelers, which indicate that the spring when Tankz Al-Nasri built was a basin (or pond – as mentioned Majier Al-Din) and that Sulieman added the cup “ Al-Kaas” from which the water goes out of the basin of one piece of marble – as we see until today. In addition, the spring remained a large basin Water drink directly from visitors. The excess water from the cup “ Al-Kaas”  basin passed through a ground channel to the nearby lake well, As Abdul Ghani Nabulsi pointed out, “We found the cup in front of the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a large marble cupboard, five cubits deep in five arms, in a fountain in the center of the large, And it is poured into the sinks around it and being a large tank in the land of the mosque about forty cubits and width as well, and has four mouths built with stones – to extract water with buckets – in the form of humans »| In 1340 AH / 1922, the Supreme Islamic Council decided to put Darbizin “ fences “ around the pond to prevent tampering with the abusers and then renewed the stone chairs around him and worked taps for ablution.

Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Palestine 48, Sheikh al-Aqsa Mosque, said that the excavations of the Zionists in the vicinity of Al- Aqsa Mosque and below it reached under this cup “ Al-Kaas” , which indicates that it reached a dangerous stage that threatens the heart of Al-Aqsa Mosque; and not only external parts.

An Overview of the Landmark:
The cup spring or Mayda’at Al-kaas spring. It is located in front of Al-Qibli Mosque in the middle of the distance between it and the southern pillars leading to the Dome of the Rock; the southern side of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It was named the cup; because of its shape; which looks like a cup. Also, It has other names, such as: “ Blessing”. Tnkz Al-Nasri built it in 737 AH – 1339 AD. in the Mamluk Era. It consists of a circular pond with a cup in its center, from which the water flows into the pond. It pours from the cup to the pond, beautifully, and then from the pool to the taps; 20 tap. People spring of the cup for wudoo’; ( ablution) in particular, where they come down to the beautiful stone chairs, with several degrees.

The history of the spring:
The oldest mention of the cup spring dates back to 737 AH / 1339 AD in the Mamluk period, where the traveler Khalid bin Issa al-Balawi recalled during his visit, saying: “In this bowl, a water tank comes from an arduous distance, and a faraway camouflage from the ground. Its’ mountains were cut off, and the great rocks were cracked with hard money and heavy hands, until the water poured on Al-Aqsa Mosque and it was crushed and spilled which led to a (pond or basin) of a large marble in front of the Great Mosque in the middle of which a sparkling water. It is clear from the description of Balawi that the spring of the cup returned by the water channel.”
Many of Al-Aqsa landmarks’ books attribute the construction of the spring to the great Ayyubid sultan, Salah Al-Din’s brother, 589 AH. 1193 AD. and was reestablished in the time of Al-Mamluk prince The Nazarene.

However, we do not find any historical indication of the attribution the cup to the Ayyubids. To discuss this, see the text of the historian Majier al-Din: al-Nasseri, who crossed the water channel to the city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif ( Jerusalem ), the beginning of its architecture in Shawwal, twenty-seven and seven hundred,  arrived in Al-Quds Al-Sharif ( Jerusalem)  and entered the center of al-Aqsa Mosque in late spring, twenty-eight and seven hundred and worked the marble pond between rock and Al-Aqsa to Al-Sabil ( the spring ), the cup is related to the spring channel. The history books did not mention Adel al-Ayoubi as a constructor of the spring channel. Majier al-Dins text tells us that Al-Nasri made the marble pond, not constructing it, because if he constructed it, we would say that he did so after a damage, but what did he mean by “ constructing “ is “ making “; “ working” . However, in another text, Ibn Katheer mentioned the time of the pond construction with an order from Al-Nasri :” in the late month of march, the channel reached Jerusalem who ordered its construction and establishment, Al-Nasri, he did so with the governors of those areas; muslims were happy, it even reached Al-Aqsa mosque beach, which caused a huge pond; it is, however, a marble between the rock and Al-Aqsa, its construction begun at the month of Shawwal in the last year.”

– Al-Kaas spring was renewed in the time of the Ottoman Sultan “ Sulieman Al-qanouni”, as the traveler Olia Jalabi mentioned in his book “sayiaihtinamuh”: “ The steps then proceed directly towards a large water basin built of marble, cut from one block according to the Sultan’s own instructions. It is a unique and unmatched landmark on the ground.”

-Based on the testimonies of historians and travelers, which indicate that the spring when Tankz Al-Nasri built was a basin (or pond – as mentioned Majier Al-Din) and that Sulieman added the cup “ Al-Kaas” from which the water goes out of the basin of one piece of marble – as we see until today.
– In addition, the spring remained a large basin Water drink directly from visitors. The excess water from the cup “ Al-Kaas”  basin passed through a ground channel to the nearby lake well, As Abdul Ghani Nabulsi pointed out, “We found the cup in front of the doors of Al-Aqsa Mosque, a large marble cupboard, five cubits deep in five arms, in a fountain in the center of the large, And it is poured into the sinks around it and being a large tank in the land of the mosque about forty cubits and width as well, and has four mouths built with stones – to extract water with buckets – in the form of humans »| In 1340 AH / 1922, the Supreme Islamic Council decided to put Darbizin “ fences “ around the pond to prevent tampering with the abusers and then renewed the stone chairs around him and worked taps for ablution.

-Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic Movement in Palestine 48, Sheikh al-Aqsa Mosque, said that the excavations of the Zionists in the vicinity of Al- Aqsa Mosque and below it reached under this cup “ Al-Kaas” , which indicates that it reached a dangerous stage that threatens the heart of Al-Aqsa Mosque; and not only external parts