[JERUSALEM / PALESTINE / GUIDE] A brief guide to Al-Haram Al-Sharif Jerusalem

SUPREME MOSLEM COUNCIL, Moslem Orphanage Press, Jerusalem, 1930.

Original yellowish wrappers. Roy. 8vo. (24 x 17 cm). In English. 9, [7] p., 7 numbered lithograph reproduced photographic illustrations. A couple of old staple stains on the left outer margin, two puncher holes in the right outer margin affecting photographic illustrations, and a stub with a stamp of the Supreme Muslim Council have been torn off the upper left corner of the back cover (as in all copies). Overall, a very good copy.

Early edition of this guide for visitors to the Temple Mount (Al-Haram Al-Sharif) with two contemporary photographs of the Temple Mount district, description of its structures, their history, and significance. Accompanied to the book by seven photographs: a view of the Temple Mount, Sabil Qaitbay, The Summer Pulpit, the Dome of the Rock, the Foundation Stone, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This brief guidebook is an account written from a largely Muslim perspective but acknowledging that the building’s “identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute”.

This guide was published by the Supreme Muslim Council, an organization representing the religious interests of Arabs in Mandatory Palestine under British rule. The Council was established in 1922 and was responsible for managing Waqf (foundation) assets, including the Temple Mount, and administering the Muslim justice system; Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini was elected president.

On the cover, a quote from the Torah, the Jewish tradition regarding the Temple of Solomon: 'David built there an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings', [2 Samuel, 24:25].

The first edition in 1924; this is the fourth edition.