Abbasids and Jerusalem
Abbasid Dynasty and Jerusalem In the year 750 CE, the Abbasid dynasty ascended to power over the vast Muslim Empire, moving the capital from Damascus to Iraq and establishing Baghdad.…
Second Generation Sufism
Bāyazīd Bisṭāmī – Annihilation in God (Fanāʾ) Sufism during the Golden Age of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad developed along two main currents: one was the sober, “calm” path of…
Fatimid Shi’ite Spirituality
Ismailism In 969, the Fatimid forces conquered Jerusalem and ruled it for over a century, until 1073—and for an additional year in 1098, just before the arrival of the Crusaders.…
Karaites and Israel Yeshiva
The Yeshiva of the Land of Israel Shortly after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem, Jews were permitted to return and live in the city. The Jews viewed the Muslim conquest…
Crusader Spirituality
Christian Messianic Expectation Towards the end of the first millennium, Christian messianic expectation intensified, especially in Catholic Europe, with a concrete anticipation of Jesus’ return. This led to a renewed…
Templars, Holy Grail and Lance
Spear of Destiny The sanctity of Jerusalem is magnified by its being home to holy relics—both the bones of people and sacred objects. One such relic is the Holy Lance,…
Hospitaller and Gothic Architecture
The Hospitaller Order and Gothic Architecture The Hospitaller Order takes its name from the word “hospital.” Indeed, this was an order that, from its inception (and still today), set as…
The Madonna and the Crusades
The Madonna and the Crusades An important element in the motivation of the Crusaders was the veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and of Mary Magdalene. An image of…
Great Queens of Jerusalem
Queen Melisende of Jerusalem The military orders, the Hospitallers and the Templars, received support from the King of Jerusalem, Fulk of Anjou, and especially from his wife, Queen Melisende (1105–1161),…