Talk:Al-Buraq Mosque

need better sources

Al-Buraq mosque was within the Temple Mount wall, behind Barclay's Gate (also called the Gate of the Prophet, i.e. Mohammed). It was accessible from the inside only, since the gate itself was mostly below ground level. In 1967 the gate was exposed but it is unclear what if anything happened to the mosque. So far I can only find polemic sources making contradictory claims. Zero^talk 03:50, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Described in 1850s, still exists, will expand soon. Zero^talk 17:05, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

New article under development here. Zero^talk 05:50, 18 May 2013 (UTC)

Western Wall

Jews don't call it the Wailing Wall. I distinctly remember reading somewhere that the identification of the Western Wall as al-Buraq is quite new, and that the location of the latter was previously believed to be on the Eastern rather than Western end of Haram esh-Sharif. I believe the claim was made by a Jewish representative, citing some Ottoman source, and that is was voiced during an investigation in the 1920's into the right of Jews to pray at the site. Regrettably, I didn't any take notes.--ארינמל (talk) 08:34, 25 April 2017 (UTC)

That article is very inaccurate, for example the phrase "Wailing Wall" appeared in English more than 50 years earlier than it says, and Jews often used it too (though there is no argument that "Western Wall" is preferred by Jews). It is even more wrong about the association of the wall with Buraq. Rather than being a 1920s invention, the area around the wall was associated with Buraq from the mid-19th century or earlier and Buraq mosque inside the wall at this place was described already in the 17th century. A partially finished article I have not worked on for a long time (but should) is here. Zero^talk 09:19, 25 April 2017 (UTC)

Your article is very solid. Is there a difference between the identification of the place al-Buraq and its rider entered and the place it was tied? Some 19th century sources identify the former as the gate of funerals. "Dans le mur oriental près des deux portes susmentionnées du côté du sud il en existe une petite bouchée avec de la maçonnerie Elle est en face de l escalier dela Sakhrah connu sous le nom d Escalier d El Borâq On dit que cette porte est celle d El Borâq par laquelle entra le Prophète lors de son voyage nocturne On l appelle aussi la Porte des Funérailles Bâb el djanâï parce que c était par là que sortaient anciennement les convois funèbres" - Histoire de Jérusalem et d'Hébron, 1876.--ארינמל (talk) 20:02, 25 April 2017 (UTC)

That French book is Sauviare's translation of a work of Mujir al-Din ca. 1495. You are right that the place of entry and the place of tying up don't have to be the same. There are a lot more traditions too (a place where he left a footprint, a place he left from, etc). A big problem is that when we don't know when traditions arose we also don't know which gates existed the time and what they were called. As you know, the full history of the opening and closing of gates, and their somewhat portable names, is not completely settled. A famous example is that Benjamin of Tudela refered to the Golden Gate being in the western wall, whereas there is no other historical record of it being anywhere except in the eastern wall as it is today. Zero^talk 04:27, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

Per talk discussion now and in 2013 I added the "factual accuracy" tag.--Shrike (talk) 13:23, 26 April 2017 (UTC)

There is no such discussion in 2013 or now. Don't you have anything better to do? I removed your tag. Zero^talk

Buraq's "apartment"?

Is it the chamber Ali Bey called by this name? (see the previous page for description) --ארינמל (talk) 21:59, 21 November 2017 (UTC)

That's a good question. The text seems to be referring to outside the wall, which eliminates this mosque as being intended, and anyway the mosque with its iron ring is described in the previous two paragraphs. I propose that "apartment" is here used in an archaic sense of "compartment" (OED meaning #4) and that "apartment of El Borak" is none other than the Western Wall enclosure, or perhaps the slightly larger "enclosure" Hosh al Burak. The text says that El Mehkemé was "between the mosque of the Hanbeli rite and the apartment of El Borak". The Mehkemé was just on the north side of Western Wall enclosure, so to confirm the identification we need to find a mosque of the Hanbeli rite on the north side of the Mehkemé, in the region of Wilson's Arch. I'm looking... Zero^talk 00:31, 22 November 2017 (UTC)

The text seems very clear to me. Both the "apartment" of the Buraq and the Hanebli mosque are on the interior side; between them, on the exterior, stands the Mehkeme:

"On the western side of this court, near the northwest angle, there is a mosque of one nave, which is the place of prayer for the Mogrebins, or western Mussulmen. It is composed of a single pointed vault, about fifteen feet wide and thirty long.

Towards the south is seen a long line of arches upon square pillars; and above the arches are some habitations and galleries, in ancient times occupied by the schools of Jerusalem, but now entirely forsaken.

There is another mosque under these galleries, composed of square or curved vaults placed round two large central pillars. This is at the present day the place of prayer for the individuals of the rite Hanbeli, and as there were none at Jerusalem during my stay the Imaum and Muedden found themselves alone at the canonical prayers of each day.

...

Continuing along the west side of the court also, we come to an apartment under lock and key, in which is a staircase that leads to a subterraneous vault, about fifteen feet square. It was at this place that the Prophet alighted from El Borak, having come from Mecca in a single night. There is still an iron ring fixed in the wall, to which the prophet tied the celestial mare before he entered the temple to pray with the angels and the prophets.

This spot, which is at present under ground, was formely one of the gates of the temple; for the upper part of a magnificent portal is still to be seen; the superior portion of which consists of a single stone twenty feet long. It is thought also that the roof of the vault is one entire stone, but I perceived very plainly the joints which compose it.

On the exterior of this same side of the court of the temple, is El Mehkeme, or the tribunal of justice; between the mosque of the Hanbeli rite and the apartment of El Borak." --ארינמל (talk) 19:06, 22 November 2017 (UTC)

After reading it all again, I think it is not perfectly clear but your interpretation is better than mine. In either reading, it is clear that the mosque of Buraq is being described, including its association with a former temple gate (whose discovery is usually attributed to Barclay decades later). Zero^talk 02:01, 23 November 2017 (UTC)

Merge from Zero's sandbox

Should content from User talk:Zero0000/Buraq be merged here? Pinging all those who participated in creating that content: @Zero0000:, @Huldra:, @Nishidani:. VR _talk 08:44, 29 December 2021 (UTC)