User:Huldra/Maqam Sitt Sukayna

The shrine of Sitt Sukayna is located south of Tiberias. Sitt Sukayna was a descendant of  Muhammad. According to one Islamic tradition, she escaped the Kerbala massacre and fled to Palestine.

History
Schumacher wrote that Sitt Sukayna was a daughter of Zen el-Abidin, but Petersen, an archaeologist specialising in Islamic architecture,  writes that she was the daughter of Husain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Mamluk era
al-Harawi (d. 1215) who visited Tiberias in 1173 CE, mentioned her shrine, as did Yaqut (d. 1229).

Two later Mamluk inscriptions relates to the shrine:

Construction inscription
1st inscription, on a marble slab (0.93m x 0.56m), written in monumental naskhi script, relates to the founding of the shrine: ...."Ordered the building of this blessed shrine of the Lady Sukaina, daughter of Husein b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib, and of 'Abdallah b. al-'Abbas b. 'Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon them, the servants yearning for God the Exalted, Faris ad-din Ilbaki, the cup-bearer, (officer) of (al-Malik) al-'Adil and of (al-Malik) al-Mansur, Governor of Safad, Shaqif and the Maritime Plain. This (was done) on 1 Rajab 694 AH" (=17 May 1275 CE).

Until mid 1990s this was embedded in the western wall of the shrine, but presently it is in the Rockefeller Museum in Jerusalem.

Endowment inscription
The 2nd inscription, (1.03m  x 0.90m), is 8 lines long, relates to the endowment of the waqf:

" Bismallah….These are the sites founded a waqf for the benefit of the shrine (mashad) of Sitt Sukayna following the decision of the court: two faddan of Tiberias from a total of thirty faddan in all; two pieces of land each known al-Harithiyya; the land known as al-Minbar(?);  the land known as Bustan al-Qasis;  the garden known as al-Qasil;  two gardens in the neighbourhood of this blessed shrine;  the garden Karm Dar Masur;  two pieces of land, one known as al-Bir, and the other as Umm Rujm;  a land known as al-Bustan; ….(the waqf) consisting of the whole of the Bustan al-Hannana, in the vicinity of the town of Tiberias and its lake….   "

Until mid 1990s this was also embedded in the western wall of the shrine, below the previous inscription. Presently in the Bet Gordon Kibbutz Museum.

Ottoman era
In spite of the Mamluk inscriptions, the building seems to be of Ottoman origin, according to Petersen. The time of the rebuilding is not known, but it might have been after the earthquake of 1837.

In 1861, it was noted as Sitt Skene on a map made by Zimmerman that year.

Post 1948
Before 1948, the shrine was well maintained, however, when Petersen visited in 1991 it was falling down, and the site was used for dumping rubbish.

After 1995, it har been renovated and is presently operated as the tomb of Rachel, wife of Rabbi Akiva.