Masjid-Al-Aqsa Archives Taken Under Protection

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) delivers materials in the context of infrastructure strengthening project to preserve Masjid-al-Aqsa Archives.

TIKA continues project activities in Jerusalem. TIKA commissioned, in a project for archives, the construction of special cabinets for archives, archival storage boxes, electronic digital printers and cameras, stationery supplies and fire extinguishing systems for Masjid-al-Aqsa Archives which were not physically well preserved and thus running a risk of degradation and extinction.
The materials supplied by TIKA in the context of infrastructure strengthening project to preserve Masjid-al-Aqsa Archives were delivered to the officials in a ceremony honored by Murat Yıldırım, AKP Parliamentary Deputy and Chairman of Palestine-Turkey Relations Friendship Group Commission; TIKA President Dr. Serdar Çam; Turkish Consul at Jerusalem Mustafa Sarnıç, and Sheikh Abdulazim Salhab, President of Masjid-al-Aqsa Waqf.

TIKA President Dr. Serdar Çam reminded in the ceremony that they recently visited Jordan and visited the Minister of Endowments with which the Masjid-al-Aqsa Waqf was affiliated and said: “We told them that we wished to do more for Masjid-al-Aqsa. Each community group that comes here indeed represents millions of Muslims. In that context, and on every occasion, we seek to solve problems of Palestine. Particularly, we believe that Jerusalem and Gaza should be supported.” The President of Masjid-al-Aqsa Waqf Salhab expressed his thanks to the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the support accorded to the people of Palestine, and said they always felt stronger because TIKA was with them.

Following the addresses, the official launch of the project for Strengthening the Infrastructure of Masjid-al-Aqsa Archives was collectively held by Murat Yıldırım, AKP Parliamentary Deputy and Chairman of Palestine-Turkey Relations Friendship Group Commission; TIKA President Dr. Serdar Çam; Turkish Consul at Jerusalem Mustafa Sarnıç, and Sheikh Abdulazim Salhab, President of Masjid-al-Aqsa Waqf. Following the launch, Sheikh Salhab showed an original “judge records” of 1530.

What is in the archives?
The archives contain some 600 original ledgers, court records (records of Sharia), charters and firmans and various correspondence of 400 years from 1517 when the Ottomans conquered Jerusalem to 1917. About 15 percent of the ledgers in the archives are in Ottoman Turkish, and the rest are Arabic works. The archives contain an original manuscript reproduction of Ghazali’s “Ihya-ı Ulum’üd-din” scribed by a student of Ghazali. Also present are many record books, some 100 of which were of the Ottoman era that included marriage contracts called “Ukud-u ezvac”. TIKA also invited experts of Ottoman Turkish and Archives from the Division of Ottoman Archives to give training courses to the archives employees in Jerusalem.