Jisr el-Majami | |
|---|---|
 Jisr el-Majami after restoration (2016) | |
| Coordinates | 32°37′29″N35°33′53″E / 32.62472°N 35.56472°E /32.62472; 35.56472 |
| Crosses | Jordan River |
| Locale | Gesher, Israel and Baqoura,Jordan |
| Official name | Jisr el-Majami |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch |
| Total length | c. 70 m (230 ft)[1] |
| Width | c. 18 m (59 ft) |
| Height | 10 m (33 ft)[1] |
| History | |
| Opened | Roman period (?) |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Jisr el-Majami | |
Jisr el-Majami orJisr al-Mujamieh (Arabic:جسر المجامع,romanized: Jisr al-Majami,lit. 'Meeting Bridge or "The bridge of the place of assembling"',[2] andHebrew:גֶּשֶׁר,Gesher, lit. "Bridge") is an ancientstone bridge, possibly of Roman origin, over theJordan River on the border betweenIsrael andJordan. The name is derived from the bridge's location 200 m (660 ft) south of theconfluence of theYarmouk and Jordan rivers.[3][4]
The bridge is 70 m (230 ft) long, with one main arch being the only one letting through a permanent flow of water. In addition it has six smaller arches, higher up in a second row, presumably to help the flow during flooding of the river.[1]
The bridge hasvoussoirs throughout itsvault, differing from well known Mamluk bridges such as theDaughters of Jacob Bridge,Yibna Bridge andJisr Jindas, which use small stones in the vault of their arches.[4]
The bridge shows at least two major phases of construction; a possibly Roman-origin lower level and the upper pointed arches likely from the medieval period.[4] Some sources state that the bridge was built in Roman times, and others that it was built in the Middle Ages. A 1925 letter written by the Palestine Department of Antiquities wrote that the bridge was first built in Roman times.[1] This is supported by a Romanmilestone discovered nearby, which given the scarcity of other local structures makes it likely that a Roman river crossing existed at the point.[1]
Al-Muqaddasi (c. 945/946 - 991), described "beyond the lower end of theLake of Tiberias is a great bridge, over which lies the road toDamascus",[5][6][7] however, Andrew Petersen believes that Al-Muqaddasi may have been referring toJisr es-Sidd, further north (byUm al-Junah, near modern-dayDegania Bet).[1]
The bridge underwent at least two major repairs during medieval times, by Usama al-Halabi during the reign ofSaladin (1174–93), and one by a "Jamal ad-Din" in 1266–67.[4]Shihab al-Umari, writing in the mid 1300s, wrote of a renovated stop en route fromBeisan toIrbid called Jisr al Mujami, also knows as Jisr Usama, after Saladin'semir who repaired it.[1] A manuscript in theBibliothèque nationale de France states that it was built byMamluk sultanBarquq (r. 1380s–90s).[8] An epitaph of aMuslim fromBitlis who drowned at Jisr al Majami in October 1308 has been found under the Ottoman floor in the khan.[9]
A map fromNapoleon's invasion of 1799 byPierre Jacotin showed the bridge, named asPont de Magama, and the adjacent Khan, markedCaravanserail.[10][11]
James Finn wrote in 1868 that the bridge was "in tolerably good condition, with one large and several smaller arches in two rows, and a dilapidated khan at the western end... The khan has been a strong edifice, but the stones of the massive gateway, especially the great keystone, are split across, as if from the effects of gunpowder." Finn noted a story of "the wandering minstrels, even now among theBedaween, sing the songs of the forty orphan youths who competed in poetic compositions under the influence of love for an Arab maiden at the bridge of Mejama'a."[12] ThePEF'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) noted that the name was related to the "Bridge of the Gatherer", which became theAs-Sirāt.[13]
The bridge played a strategic role inWorld War I; it was captured by the19th Lancers during theCapture of Afulah and Beisan. When theRutenberg concession was given, it was defined as the area around Jisr Majami.[14]
The bridge was spared during the 1946Night of the Bridges, but was damaged during the1948 Arab–Israeli War, primarily caused by the explosion of mines placed on the parallel 1920s road bridge.[15]
The bridge was renovated in 2014 by theItalian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities together with theJordanian Department of Antiquities and theIsrael Antiquities Authority.[15]
A railway bridge was built parallel to it in the early 20th century to carry toJezreel Valley railway,[citation needed] opened in May 1904,[16] and a road bridge was built in the early 1920s.[citation needed] At 246 m (807 ft) below sea-level, it was the lowest point ever reached by railway anywhere in the world.[16]
Around 1365 a khan (caravanserai) was built at Jisr al Majami.[17]
In 1849,William F. Lynch described the ruins of the khan as “A ruined khan crowned the crest of the hill, at the foot of which large masses of volcanic rock or tufa were lying about, as if shaken from the solid mass by the spasm of an earthquake. The khan had evidently been a solid structure and destroyed by some convulsion, so scattered were the thick and ponderous masses of masonry.”[18]
In 1875Victor Guérin visited, and noted the remains of the deserted khan. The khan was two stories high, built around a courtyard. It was built ofbasalt stones, with the gates done in theablaq style; alternating white and black stones. The khan had only one entry. Not far from the khan Guérin noted the ancient bridge, with a central arch being much larger than the side-arches.[19]
In 1882 thePalestine Exploration Fund'sSurvey of Western Palestine (SWP) described a "ruined Khan, or 'hostel', a large square building with vaults beneath, still in a good state of preservation."[20]
A small settlement in the caravanserai existed until the early 20th century,[21] in the1922 census of Palestine, conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities, Jisr al Majami had a population of 121; 112 Muslims, 4 Jews and 5 Christians,[22] where all the Christians were of the Orthodox faith.[23]
Following the building of theFirst Jordan Hydro-Electric Power House, the population had totally changed in the1931 census to a total of 320; 3 Muslim, 316 Jewish and 3 Christian, in a total of in 43 houses.[24] Some of these building were inside the khan itself.[25]
13 August 1939, at the end of the1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, a Jewish "Tower and Stockade" settlement was established, known asKibbutz Gesher.[25]
In the1945 statistics Jisr al Majami had 250 inhabitants; 230 Jews, 10 Muslims and 10 Christians, and the total land area was 458 dunams.[26][27] A total of 15dunams were used forcitrus andbananas, 274 dunums were used for cereals,[28] while 169 dunams were classified as uncultivable land.[29]
The damaged kibbutz was evacuated after the fighting during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and rebuilt approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) to the west, at its present location.[30]
![The land surrounding the bridge was acquired by Palestine Electric Company in the 1920s[dubious – discuss][citation needed]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aLands_Acquired_in_the_Vicinity_of_the_Jordan_Works_in_Palestine_and_Transjordania%2c_from_the_Palestine_Electric_Company_Archives.jpg)
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