Islamic Landmarks
The Burhan ad-Din pulpit is a Mamluk era pulpit located in the southern part of the Dome of the Rock plateau. It is also known as the Summer Pulpit.
- The Supreme Judge Burhan ad-Din bin Jamaa’ ordered the building of a marble pulpit in 1309 CE (709 AH) to replace a small portable one made of wood. The pulpit has a small entrance and a number of steps leading to a stone seat reserved for the speaker. It is topped with an attractive dome called the “Dome of the Scale” because of its adjacent location to one of the arched gates that were known as scales in the past.
- The Eid sermon (khutba) was performed here and addresses were also made from here on other special occasions. This appears to have stopped sometime in the 17th century.
- There are two niches carved in the body of the pulpit, one can be seen under the speaker’s chair while the other on its eastern side next to the arched gate pillar. The pulpit is the only exterior pulpit within Masjid al-Aqsa which has been used in summer time as well as religious festivals.
References: A guide to al-Aqsa mosque – PASSIA, HUMA’s travel guide to Palestine
