Milestone Of Khān Al-Hathrūra From The Time Of ʿAbd al-Malik, 65-86 AH / 685-705 CE

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First Composed: 6th December 2005

Last Updated: 3rd January 2010

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Assalamu ʿalaykum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure (a) the original inscription, (b) its plaster cast, (c) its trace and (d) its contents.

[] encloses letters supplied to fill a lacuna

Date

65-86 AH / 685-705 CE.

This milestone is from Khān al-Hathrūra, Palestine, on the road between Jerusalem and Damascus. The marble slab contains seven lines engraved in bas-relief. The first two lines are broken off.

Accession Number

TIEM Inv. No. 2511 (‘Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi Inv. No. 2511’)

Size Of The Slab

40 cm. x 30 cm.

Script

Kufic.

Contents

The translation of the inscription is:

  1. ... and blessings [be upon him] ...
  2. Has ordered the repair of the road and construction
  3. of the milestones. Servant of
  4. God ʿAbd al-Malik
  5. Commander of the faithful, may God's mercy be
  6. on him. From Damascus till this
  7. milestone, (there are) 109 miles.

Location

Türk ve İslam Eserleri Müzesi (Turkish and Islamic Art Museum), Istanbul, Turkey.

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References

[1] M. van Berchem, Matériaux Pour Un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum, 1920, Tome 2 / 3, Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut Français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale: Le Caire, Plate II:1.

[2] M. van Berchem, Matériaux Pour Un Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum, 1922, Tome 2 / 1, Jérusalem "Ville", Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut Français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale: Le Caire, No. 1, pp. 17-18 and p. 21. The inscription was also reproduced by Adolf Grohmann in Arabische Paläographie II: Das Schriftwesen. Die Lapidarschrift, 1971, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften Philosophisch - Historische Klasse: Denkschriften 94/2. Hermann Böhlaus Nachf.: Wein, p. 83.

[3] S. Şahin, The Museum Of Turkish And Islamic Arts - Thirteen Centuries Of Glory From The Umayyads To The Ottomans, 2009, Blue Dome Press: New York (NY), p. 20 (part of the inscription) and p. 26 (full inscription).

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