Letter A
23. ‘Ajlūn | عجلون
‘Ajlūn Governorate
Maqām Shēkh al-Ṣmādi al-Ba‘ādj.
JADIS no. none
MEGA no. 58165
Coordinates: 32°19'54.7"N 35°45'00.4"E
32.331861, 35.750111
Plan: long rectangular with entrance hall in the N facing the miḥrāb in the S wall of the mosque. Both rooms are divided by a transversal arch, underneath which is the tomb in E-W orientation. The prayer hall in the S is covered by a squinched dome while the N chamber has a flat cross vaulted ceiling (figs. 23.1-3). The N façade has a centralized door with steps descending from the street. It is flanked by two low windows with rounded upper frames (fig. 23.5). The door, also crowned by a slightly pointed arch, has a recessing frame. A small rectangular window is above the miḥrāb in the S wall.
Measurements: Total area 98,2 m2
Exterior: ca. 19.4 x 11.4 m.
Interior: ca. 17.2 x 9.2 m.
Building Materials: Partly reused lime stone blocks from older (Roman?) buildings, at the N façade yellow and rose limestones for bichrome framing of the windows. At the left side of the miḥrāb a white marble pole of a chancel screen (fig. 23.11) from a Byzantine church has been reused.
Construction details: The façade is constructed in 13 horizontal layers of limestone masonry out of bigger ancient ashlars combined with smaller stones with mortar. The transversal arch in the interior shows a construction in two elaborate masonry sides with a fill of smaller stones in between them. The cross vault of the N chamber rests on corner buttresses in the N wall and on corbels in the corners of the arch (fig. 23.12). The dome covering the S chamber rests on squinches of two corbelled beams laid obliquely over the corners in order to produce an octagon for the circular base of the dome.
Preservation: intact. In the interior, the original plaster has recently been removed from the walls in order to dis play the stone masonry. This hardly conveys with the original appearance of the walls which have been always covered with a plaster. The maqām is occasionally used for Quran-teaching, otherwise abandoned.
Inscription(s): On the outside N wall above the entrance (presently covered by a modern sign) an Arabic inscription (1) in three lines, set in a cartouche with pointed left end with two horizontal lines in flat relief (Transcription and reading by NAt):
Translation: “In the name of Allāh, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The mosques of Allāh shall be maintained by who believes in Allāh and the Last Day, establishes prayer and brings alms and does not fear except Allāh” (Q. 9 al-Tawbah, 18). This blessed mosque was built by […] Ibraḥīm al-Fawāz (?), may Allāh have mercy on him.” (edited by RS).
On both sides (2) incised inscriptions are added (reading, transcription and translation by NAt):
Translation: “This (scil.: work was concluded in the) great month Ramadhān 7 of the year twenty and [sevenhundred H[ijri]]” ).
Date(s): The longer inscription (1) is probably older than the lateral ones and it belonged to a mosque inaugurated by Ibraḥīm al-Fawāz. The incised inscriptions (2) on both sides are the ones which date the funeral building of Shēkh al-Smādi al-Ba’ādj. Unfortunately, the date of H 720 / AD 1320 cannot be identified with certainty due to the preservation of the stone.
Traveler Reports: „Außer der Moschee besitzt das Dorf noch ein Weli el-ba’ādsch.” (Steuernagel 1927).
Bibliography: Steuernagel 1927, A 304.
Fig. 23.1 Sketch plan (NJ) and sections (redrawn by Akh). 
Fig. 23.2 Historic photo with maqām, red circle (NAt). 
