272. Nebi Hūd | النبي هود

Jerash governorate

Maqām Nebi Hūd

JADIS no. 2318072

MEGA no. 12584

Coordinates: 32°15'20.7"N 35°54'35.6"E

32.255742, 35.909878

Plan: square, entrance in the W, in the middle of each wall a small rectangular slit window. Old photos depict a narrow entrance porch with an arch. Under the mausoleum was a natural cave which is still preserved today.

Measurements: unknown.

Building Materials: unknown.

Construction details: unknown.

Preservation: The old maqām has been destroyed in the 1990s and replaced by a new mosque. Only the cave in the NE environs and the graves of the old cemetery are preserved today.

Inscription(s): none known

Date(s): Ottoman (MEGA)

Traveler Reports: “Then came Shaikh Barakât el Fraikh with a large train. He is ruler over all the Jebel ‘Ajloon, and has been residing lately on the summit of a high hill rising before us to the east, where there is a weli or tomb of a Muslem saint, the Nebi Hhood who works miraculous cures…As for the saint himself, he has a very respectable name for antiquity, too ancient for regular chronology to meddle with – it is only known that he preaches righteousness to an impious race of men previous to their sudden destruction. The circumstance of his tomb being on the summit of a high hill is perfectly consonant with the sentiments of great heroes and chiefs, as frequently expressed in poems of the old Arabs. The restoration of health which he is supposed to bestow, must be that effected by means of the fine mountain air at his place…” (Finn 1868, 56-57). “Zu unserer linken in einer Entfernung von etwa 2 km erhebt sich der Bergkegel mit dem Dorfe nebi hûd. Dieser muslimische Heilige war durch seine Heilung von Irrsinnigen früh ... bekannt, und noch jetzt sucht man für solche Kranke Linderung am Grabe des Nebi; wir selbst waren Zeugen wie eine arme, gebrechliche Frau an den Südabhängen des zerkâ von deren Verwandten durch rohe Gewaltthaten zur Reise nach dem weli des Heiligen gezwungen wurde. Der Frau sollte angeblich eine ‘abdi (Negerin) nachts den Verstand geraubt haben und mit demselben dann in der Erde verschwunden sein. Nun sollte der Nebi die Zauberin wieder heraufbeschwören...” (Schumacher 1893).

Bibliography: Finn 1868, 56-57; Schumacher 1893, 155-156; Hiyyari 2008, 61-62; HSJ 28-29; Hattab 2015, 94-97; Samman - Tabbah 2019, no. 4.