Eight freestanding archways calledal-Mawazin (see names below) are located at the top of the staircases leading to the platform (maṣṭaba) of theDome of the Rock from the surrounding courtyard (ṣaḥn) below. Each archway consists of open arches supported by 2 to 4 columns, set between two pilasters.
One of the reasons mentioned for these doors is that the beauty of theDome of the Rock should not appear right away, marking a separation between the city and the sacred place.[1]
They are calledmawāzīn (موازينlit. 'weighing scales', plural ofmīzān, ميزان) because of a belief that scales will hang from these arches to weigh souls onJudgment Day.[2]
They are also simply calledqanaṭir (قناطر,lit. 'arches', plural of قنطرة), i.e.,arcades or archedcolonnades.People also call thembā’ika (بائكة) andbawā’ik (بوائك) – also meaning "arcade".[3][4]
With the exception of the arcades bearing inscriptions which attest that they date back to theMamluk period, the others probably predate theCrusades, but their dating is difficult. However, it is very likely that some Mawâzim date back to the period of the construction of the Dome of the Rock and that they were an integral part of its initial construction plan. In particular, it is thought that the four arcades facing the four entrances were built at the same time as the dome.[5]
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a widely-accepted Muslim belief, on the day of the Last Judgment, the scales used by God to weigh the souls of humankind will be hung from these arches on the Haram.
بائكة arcade
Arcadesبوائك
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