Jisr Jindas,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

for "Jindas Bridge", also known as Baybars Bridge, was built in 1273 CE. It crosses a small

wadi Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

, known in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

as the

Ayalon River The Ayalon River (, ''Nahal Ayalon''; Nahr el-Barideh), or Wadi Musrara (وادي المصرارة) in Arabic, is a perennial stream in Israel, originating in the Judean Hills and discharging into the Yarkon River in the area of Tel Aviv. The to ...

, on the old road leading south to

Lod Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...

and

Ramla Ramla (), also known as Ramle (, ), is a city in the Central District of Israel. Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with significant numbers of both Jews and Arabs. The city was founded in the early 8th century CE by the Umayyad caliph S ...

.Petersen, 2001, p
183
/ref> The bridge is named after the historic village of

Jindas Jindas (Arabic: جنداس; Hebrew: ג'ינדאס) is an archaeological site in modern-day Israel, 2 kilometers east of the city of Lod in Israel's Central District. History The site has been inhabited since at least the Roman period. Its name ...

, which stood east of the bridge. It is the most famous of the several bridges erected by Sultan

Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...

in Palestine, which include the

Yibna Yibna (; ''Jabneh'' or ''Jabneel'' in Biblical times; ''Jamnia'' in Roman empire, Roman times; ''Lordship of Ibelin, Ibelin'' to the Crusades, Crusaders), or Tel Yavne, is an archaeological site and List of villages depopulated during the Arab– ...

and the Isdud bridges.Petersen, 2008, p
297
/ref>

History

Transcription of Arabic inscription at Jindas Bridge

The present structure dates to AH 672/AD 1273, but is believed to be constructed on

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

foundations. It was first studied in modern times by

Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau (19 February 1846 – 15 February 1923) was a noted French Orientalist and archaeologist. Biography Clermont-Ganneau was born in Paris, the son of Simon Ganneau, a sculptor and mystic who died in 1851 when Clerm ...

, who noted that an Arabic chronicle had referred to the construction by Baybars in AH 672 of two bridges of a significant nature "in the neighbourhood of Ramleh".Clermont-Ganneau, 1896, vol.2, p
110
��117 The second of these two bridges is thought to be the Yibna Bridge. Clermont-Ganneau concluded that the bridge was built using masonry reclaimed from the Church of Saint George, which had been destroyed in the Crusader-Ayyubid War. On the west and east faces of the bridge are two nearly identical inscriptions, flanked by two lions (or leopards). The inscription on the east reads as follows:

Bismallah..., and blessings on their lord Muhammad, his family and his companions. The building of this blessed bridge was ordered by their master, the great Sultan al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars, ibn Abd Allah, in time of his son their Lord Sultan al-Malik al-Said Nasir al-Din Baraka Khan, may Allah glorify their victories and grant them His grace. And that, under the direction of the humble servant aspiring to the mercy of Allah. Ala al-Din Ali al-Suwwaq, may Allah grant grace to him and his parents, in the month of
Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...
, the year 671 H. arch–April 1273 C.E./blockquote> Ala al-Din Ali al-Suwwaq was the same official charged with overseeing the construction of the Great Mosque of
Lydda Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...
three years earlier.Petersen, 2001, p
184
/ref> During the 18th and 19th centuries, the bridged served a major road in the Nahiyeh (sub-district) of
Lod Lod (, ), also known as Lydda () and Lidd (, or ), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephelah on the east and the coastal plain on the west. The ci ...
that encompassed the area of the present-day city of
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut ( ''Mōdīʿīn-Makkabbīm-Rēʿūt'') is a city located in central Israel, about southeast of Tel Aviv and west of Jerusalem, and is connected to those two cities via Highway 443. In the population was . The populati ...
in the south to the present-day city of
El'ad El'ad () is a city in the Central District of Israel. In the 1990s, it was built for a Haredi population and to a lesser extent, it was also built for a Religious Zionist Jewish population. Located about east of Tel Aviv on Route 444 between R ...
in the north, and from the foothills in the east, through the Lod Valley to the outskirts of
Jaffa Jaffa (, ; , ), also called Japho, Joppa or Joppe in English, is an ancient Levantine Sea, Levantine port city which is part of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel, located in its southern part. The city sits atop a naturally elevated outcrop on ...
in the west. This area was home to thousands of inhabitants in about 20 villages, who had at their disposal tens of thousands of hectares of prime agricultural land. In 1882 the
Palestine Exploration Fund The Palestine Exploration Fund is a British society based in London. It was founded in 1865, shortly after the completion of the Ordnance Survey of Jerusalem by Royal Engineers of the War Department. The Fund is the oldest known organization i ...
's ''Survey of Western Palestine'' noted that Jisr Jindas had a representation of two lions and an Arabic text. It further noted that it appeared to be " Saracenic work".

Description
The bridge is over long and wide, and runs north–south. It consists of three
arch An arch is a curved vertical structure spanning an open space underneath it. Arches may support the load above them, or they may perform a purely decorative role. As a decorative element, the arch dates back to the 4th millennium BC, but stru ...
es and two central
piers Piers may refer to: * Pier, a raised structure over a body of water * Pier (architecture), an architectural support * Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name) * Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
, with the central arch wider than the two other arches.

Baybars panthers or lions
In his native
Turkic language The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...
, Baibars' name means "great panther". Possibly based on that, Baibars used the panther as his heraldic
blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...
, and placed it on both coins and buildings. On the Bridge of Jindas, the lions/panthers used play with a rat, which may be interpreted to represent Baibars' Crusader enemies. According to Moshe Sharon, the lions on Jisr Jindas are similar to the ones on the
Lions' Gate Lions' Gate (, ), also St Stephen's Gate, is one of the seven open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It leads into the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. History The start of the traditional Christian observance of the last walk of Jesus from ...
in Jerusalem, and Qasr al-Basha in Gaza. All represent the same sultan:
Baybars Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (; 1223/1228 – 1 July 1277), commonly known as Baibars or Baybars () and nicknamed Abu al-Futuh (, ), was the fourth Mamluk sultan of Egypt and Syria, of Turkic Kipchak origin, in the Ba ...
. The Gaza lions were created with interlocking lines suggesting leopard spots, however, the felines' outline is similar. Sharon estimates that they all date to approximately 1273 C.E.
Sharon Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In Anglosphere, English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, ...
, 2009, p
58
and pl.6.

See also
*
List of Roman bridges This is a list of Roman bridges. The Roman Empire, Romans were the world's first major bridge builders. The following constitutes an attempt to list all known surviving remains of Roman bridges. A Roman bridge in the sense of this article in ...
*
Barid The ''barīd'' (, often translated as "the postal service") was the state-run courier service of the Umayyad and later Abbasid Caliphates. A major institution in the early Islamic states, the ''barid'' was not only responsible for the overland deliv ...
, Muslim postal network renewed during Mamluk period (roads, bridges, khans) **Jisr al-
Ghajar Ghajar (, or ), also Rhadjar, is an Alawite-Arab village on the Hasbani River, on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights. The name of the village means "gypsy" in Arabic. As of , it had a population ...
, stone bridge south of Ghajar **
Daughters of Jacob Bridge The Daughters of Jacob Bridge (, ) is a bridge that spans the last natural ford of the Jordan River between the Korazim Plateau in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. The area has been used as a crossing point for thousands of years; it wa ...
(Jisr Banat Yaqub) ** Al-Sinnabra Crusader bridge, with nearby Jisr Umm el-Qanatir/Jisr Semakh and Jisr es-Sidd further downstream ** Jisr al-Majami bridge over the Jordan, with Mamluk khan ** Yibna Bridge or "Nahr Rubin Bridge" ** Isdud Bridge (Mamluk, 13th century) outside Ashdod/Isdud ** Jisr ed-Damiye, bridges over the Jordan (Roman, Mamluk, modern)

References

Bibliography
* Clermont-Ganneau, C.S.,
Le pont de Beibars à Lydda
" In Recueil d'archéologie orientale. Clermont-Ganneau, Charles. 262–279. Paris: Ernest Leroux, 1888. (''
editio princeps In Textual scholarship, textual and classical scholarship, the ''editio princeps'' (plural: ''editiones principes'') of a work is the first printed edition of the work, that previously had existed only in manuscripts. These had to be copied by han ...
'') * *
Marom, R
(2021)
Jindās at Lydda’s Entrance: A Cornerstone of the Study of the City’s Rural Hinterland
(1459 – 1948). ''Diospolis 7'', 9-43.
Marom, R.
(2022)
Jindās: A History of Lydda's Rural Hinterland in the 15th to the 20th Centuries CE
''Lod, Lydda, Diospolis'' 1, 1-31. * * * *Petersen, A. (2008):
Bridges in Medieval Palestine
', in U. Vermeulen & K. Dhulster (eds.)
History of Egypt & Syria in the Fatimid, Ayyubid & Mamluk Eras V
, V. Peeters, Leuven
p.229
"From Ramlah the route continued to Ludd (Lydda) and over a bridge (near Jindas) to the north of the city built in 1273, up to the khan of Jaljulyah, built around 1325." *

External links
*Survey of Western Palestine, Map 13
IAAWikimedia commons
{{coord, 31, 58, 07.51, N, 34, 54, 00.78, E, region:SY_type:city, display=title Bridges in Israel Bridges completed in the 13th century Mamluk architecture in Israel Lod