Bab al-Saghir () is one of the seven gates in the Old City of Damascus,

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. It has '' qubūr'' (,

grave A grave is a location where a cadaver, dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is burial, buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of buria ...

s) on either side of the road, and is located in the Dimashq Neighborhood, southwest of the

Umayyad Mosque The Umayyad Mosque (; ), also known as the Great Mosque of Damascus, located in the old city of Damascus, the capital of Syria, is one of the largest and oldest mosques in the world. Its religious importance stems from the eschatological reports ...

History

The ''bāb'' (, gate) was initially built by the

Arameans The Arameans, or Aramaeans (; ; , ), were a tribal Semitic people in the ancient Near East, first documented in historical sources from the late 12th century BCE. Their homeland, often referred to as the land of Aram, originally covered c ...

, then it was dedicated to

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

during the Seleucid era. During the Roman era, the gate was dedicated to

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

. In medieval times, Bab as-Saghir was the main southern entrance into Damascus. It was refortified by General Nūr al-Dīn at around 1156 (550 in Islamic years) and then later by the Ayyūbid sultans. Bab as-Saghir was constructed out of mud bricks, causing it to be the weakest entrance to the city. Because of this, it is probable that during the Siege of Damascus (1148), the Crusaders planned on concentrating their forces on the gate. Before any possible plan could be implemented, Damascus's military commander (or ''atabeg'') Mu'in al-Din Abu Mansur Anur launched large-scale attacks on the Crusaders- made up of anyone who could fight- while strengthening the fortifications. After a four-day siege, the Crusaders withdrew from Damascus.

Cemetery

''Maqbarat al-Bāb aṣ-Ṣaghīr'' () is the ancient

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

, which is adjacent to the gate, and is a site of significant religious importance to Muslims.

References

External links

TripAdvisor: Photo: "The Ahl-e-Bait cemetery, also called Bab-as-Saghir"

Syria conflict: Damascus twin bombing kills 40 Iraqis
{{Damascus Cemeteries in Syria Family of Muhammad Islamic shrines Gates of Damascus Streets in Damascus

History

Cemetery

See also

References

External links