Bab al-Saghir Cemetery

Graveyard in Syria

Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr
مقبرة الباب الصغير

مَـقْـبَـرَة الْـبَـاب الـصَّـغِـيْـر

From left to right, the graves of Maymunah (Umm Al-Hasan), Asma bint Umais, and Hamidah bint Muslim ibn Aqeel.

Details
Established| Umayyad era[2]
Location|

Damascus[1]

Country| Syria[1]
Coordinates| 33°30′22″N 36°18′23″E﻿ / ﻿33.50611°N 36.30639°E﻿ / 33.50611; 36.30639[3]

Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (Arabic: مقبرة الباب الصغير, romanized: Maqbarat al-Bāb al-Ṣaghīr) is an Islamic cemetery in Damascus, Syria. It is about 200 meters to the southwest of the Bab al-Saghir gate.[4][3]

## History

[edit]

Stephanie Mulder in a book documenting and analyzing medieval Alid shrines in Syria points out that the "tomb [dedicated to Sukayna bint al-Husayn] in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery is consistently mentioned in medieval Arabic sources from the late twelfth century onwards, and the text-based findings relating to its location, original structure, phases of development and various patrons, afford well with the rich architectural evidence documented."[5][page range too broad] The place has notable Islamic interments.[1][6] The 20th century poet Nizar Qabbani is also buried here.

## Interments

[edit]

### Companions of Muhammad

[edit]

* Abd Allah ibn Umm Maktum (d. 636), early Medinian Muslim
* Asma bint Umays (died 7th century), wife of Abu Bakr, Ali, and Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
* Bilal ibn Rabah (580–640), the first muezzin and secretary of treasure of Medina's Islamic state
* Ubayy ibn Ka'b (d. 649), early Medinian Muslim and scribe of Muhammad
* Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (d. 680), converted to Islam in 630; first Umayyad caliph.

### Alid community

[edit]

* Umm Kulthum (627–685/705), Ali and Fatimah's daughter, wife of caliph Umar (r. 634–644)
* Fatimah al-Sughra (died after 680), daughter of Husayn ibn Ali
* Fidda, the maid of Fatimah
* Kamaid ibn Aswad al-Kindi, a companion of Ali
* Maymunah, daughter of Hasan ibn Ali
* Hameedah, daughter of Muslim ibn Aqil
* Abdullah, son of Zayn al-Abidin

### Umayyad kings

[edit]

* Muawiya I (597, 603 or 605–680), founder and first of the Umayyad Dynasty *
* Al-Walid I (674–715), sixth Umayyad king

## Shrines and Mosques

[edit]

Maqam Ru'us Al-Shuhada

Zarih of Martyrs of Karbala at Bab al-Saghir built by Mohammed Burhanuddin c. 1970.

Maqam Ru'us ash-Shuhada’ (Arabic: مَـقَـام رُؤُوس الـشُّـهَـدَاء, lit. 'burial place of head of the martyrs'), also known as Ganj-e-sarha-e-shuhada’-e-Karbala, or Raous al-Shuhada, the former burial place of the heads of the casualties in Husayn's army at Karbala.[1] Among them:

* Abbas ibn Ali
* Ali Al-Akbar ibn Husain
* Al-Qasim ibn Hasan
* Al-Hurr ibn Yazid
* Habib ibn Mazahir

Tomb of Muawiya I

Mosque and tomb of Umm Kulthum

Tomb of Bilal

## Cenotaphs

[edit]

The following tombs are also found within this cemetery,[1] however these are empty graves (cenotaphs) created for the purpose of ziyārah ({

* Wives of Muhammad:[6]
* Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayyah
* Ramlah bint Abi-Sufyan
* Hafsa bint Umar
* Abdullah, son of Ja‘far aṭ-Ṭayyâr, and husband and cousin of Zaynab bint Ali
* Abdullah, son of the Sixth Ja`farī Shī`ite Imām, Ja'far as-Sadiq

## Other religious significance

[edit]

In addition, the area has the well from which the Fourth Shi'ite Imam, Ali Zayn al-Abidin used to perform wuḍú’ (Arabic: وُضُـوء).

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Places to Visit: Damascus". Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
2. ^ Kramer, H. (12 April 2015). "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". The Complete Pilgrim. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
3. ^ a b Demeter, D. (24 September 2014). "Damascus – Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (دمـشـق – مـقـبـرة الـبـاب الـصـغـيـر)". Syria Photo Guide. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
4. ^ Barrani, S. "Bab Al-Saghir Cemetery". Retrieved 12 March 2018.
5. ^ Mulder, Stephennie (2014). "3". The Shrines of the 'Alids in Medieval Syria: Sunnis, Shi'is and the Architecture of Coexistence. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 129–41. ISBN 978-0-7486-4579-4.
6. ^ a b "Bab al-Saghir cemetery". IslamicLandmarks.com. Retrieved 12 March 2018.

*[r.]: reigned
*[c.]: circa