16 Excursus: The Founding of an Islamic Lunar Calendar

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Figures vii
4. Acknowledgements ix
5. Map of the Middle East xi
6. Introduction 1
7. 1 Etic Concepts and Emic Terms 9
8. 2 The State of the Art 17
9. PART ONE A Sacred Place: The Shrine of al-Husayn’s Head
10. Introduction 25
11. 3 From Karbala to Damascus: A Relic with Multiple Shrines 29
12. 4 The Commemoration of al-Husayn in Fatimid Ascalon 42
13. 5 Excursus: Donations to Mosques and Shrines 55
14. 6 Why Ascalon? Christian Martyrs and Muslim Murābiṭūn (Defenders) 61
15. 7 Excursus: Medieval Pilgrimage – Victor Turner’s Input 70
16. 8 From Ascalon to Cairo: The Duplication of Sacred Space 73
17. 9 Excursus: Arabic Treatises in Praise of Ascalon 85
18. 10 The Shrine in Cairo under the Sunni Ayyubids and Mamluks 87
19. 11 Excursus: al-Husayn and Saladin in Palestinian Lore 97
20. 12 The Shrine in Ascalon under the Ayyubids and Mamluks 101
21. 13 Excursus: Ibn Taymiyya on the Veneration of the Head of al-Husayn 112
22. 14 Summary 119
23. PART TWO A Sacred Time: The Month of Rajab
24. Introduction 125
25. 15 Rajab in Pre-Islamic Arabia and in Early Islam 134
26. 16 Excursus: The Founding of an Islamic Lunar Calendar 151
27. 17 Rajab Under Fatimid Rule 154
28. 18 Excursus: Istighfār (Seeking Divine Forgiveness) 179
29. 19 Rajab under the Ayyubids and Mamluks 182
30. 20 Excursus: Arabic Treatises in Praise of the Sacred Months 218
31. 21 Summary 221
32. Final Comments: Spacial and Temporal Sanctity 227
33. Works Cited 235
34. Index 265