Asabil orsebil (Arabic:سبيل,romanized: sabīl;Turkish:sebil) is a small kiosk in theIslamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also used to refer to simple unmanned fountains with a tap for drinking water,[1] though other names often exist for such fountains (such asçesme in Turkish).[2]
Historically, sabils are structures of both civic and religious importance inMuslim cities, most prominently in the cities of theOttoman Empire,[3][4] based inIstanbul, and of theMamluk Empire, based inCairo.[5] They were built atcrossroads, in the middle of city squares, and on the outside of mosques and other religious complexes to providedrinking water for travelers and to assistritual ablutions before prayer.
The wordsabil comes from theArabic verb rootsabala (سبل) meaning "to let fall, drop, to let hang down, to close eyes or to shed tear".[6]: 34 Sabil initially meant "road" or "path" and is used both metaphorically and literally in multiple instances in the Qur'an.[6] Its use as an architectural term for a public water building or fountain likely derives from a more abstract meaning it acquired to refer to general acts or provisions done for the sake of God (such as a charitable act).[6][7]
A typical sabil was built over an undergroundcistern which supplied the water for distribution.[8] In some cases, the water drawn from the cistern then ran down a decorative carved marble panel called asalsabil, which may also have served the purpose of aerating the water as it came from the cistern.[8]: 63, 262 An attendant collected the water and distributed it to passers-by outside the sabil, usually through a window with a metalgrille.
This service was free to members of the public, and was paid for by the revenues or funds of a charitable endowment, an Islamicwaqf, provided or set up by the patron who commissioned the building.[8][3][5] Endowing money for the construction of sabils was considered an act of piety, and the construction of many sabils was considered the hallmark of a beneficent ruler.[7][9]
During the formative period ofearly Islamic society (seventh century onward), the Islamic world inherited the water traditions of thelate antiquityMediterranean world (formerly underRoman andByzantine rule) andIranian world (formerly underSasanian rule).[10] Islamic society developed existing methods into new ones or revived neglected ones.[10] In addition to the regular water needs for drinking and for agriculture, water also had an important religions role in theablutions or purification ritual required before prayer inIslam, such that even early mosques were equipped with either a water basin or fountain.[10][6] Water also had other religious or spiritual symbolic importance, being associated withParadise (heaven) and being used in theQur'an as a symbol of Creation.[6] The Qur'an describes water as a blessing from God (Allah), and somehadiths exhort Muslims to offer water to thirsty humans and animals.[6]
As a result, water became an important element in Islamic architecture, both as a practical/religious provision as well as for aesthetic effects.Hammams (public bathhouses), inherited from the Romanthermae, continued to be an essential public facility in Islamic cities in addition to public fountains. At the same time, water was featured in palace and garden design as early as theUmayyad Caliphate (7th–8th centuries).[9] It played a role in formal gardens (such asPersian gardens) and in palace architecture such as in the famous example of theAlhambra in Spain.[10]
How the architectural format of the sabil itself first developed is debated. While water was implicated in architectural design across theMuslim world, the sabil as a recognizable structure with a particular purpose is associated mainly with theMamluk Sultanate and with theOttoman Empire, with bothIstanbul andCairo having numerous examples.[6] Its architecture has been argued to draw inspiration from the descriptions of Paradise in the Qur'an.[6]
The oldest sabil for which we have a date is inDamascus,Syria, and is dated to 1077–78CE (570AH) according to its inscription, which is well beforeAyyubid or Mamluk rule inEgypt and Syria. The earliest (surviving) sabil in Cairo is the one installed by the Mamluk sultanal-Nasir Muhammad at the corner ofhis father's monumentalhospital-madrasa-mausoleum complex during restorations in 1325–26.[6][8][5] AsMamluk architecture developed, sabils became a standard feature of the religious and funerary complexes built by the Mamluk elites and also came to be typically accompanied by akuttab (a space offering primary education, especially reading of the Qur'an).[6][5][8] These "sabil-kuttab" structures were often located at the corner of the building complex along a busy road or at an intersection.[6] The sabil was located at ground or street level (where it was accessible to passersby) while the kuttab was usually above it on the upper levels. Mamluk sabils had facades with large windows covered by heavy bronze grilles and their exteriors were well-decorated, typically with stone-carving along their surfaces and with multi-coloured marble panels above the windows.[6] The interiors were also typically decorated with marble mosaics and with painted wooden ceilings, while the water from the cistern often trickled over an ornamental carved marble panel (known as asalsabil) before being collected by the sabil's attendant.[6][8]
During the Mamluk period, such structures were almost always integrated into a larger building, and were rarely ever built as separate or stand-alone structures.[6] The earliest free-standing or independent sabil-kuttab was the one built by SultanQaytbay in 1479 (theSabil-Kuttab of Qaytbay) alongSaliba Street.[11][8] It was only underOttoman rule (from 1517 onward) that independent sabil-kuttabs became a common building type in Cairo, with notable examples like theSabil-kuttab of Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda atBayn al-Qasrayn.[8] This was in part because the Ottoman governors and elites of this period had relatively limited resources and Cairo itself had become densely built-up, leaving little space to build more. As such, the small but multi-level "sabil-kuttab" structure became a cost-effective option for political elites to offer charitable services to the general population, which in turn helped them publicly display their piety.[8]
In 16th centuryIstanbul, sebils[a] were a symbol of public possession. The attempt to addspigots (taps) was opposed because this was perceived as limiting public access to the blessings of nature.[7] In later centuries, sebils became elaborately decorated structures, either attached to mosque complexes or existing as stand-alone structures, often at busy intersections or street corners.[7] They were a prominent type of construction in the "Tulip period" during the reign ofAhmed III in the early 18th century, which saw an emergence of the "Rococo" Ottoman architectural style, and during the later "Baroque" phase of Ottoman architecture that followed.[3][2] TheFountain of Ahmed III, next toTopkapı Palace and theHagia Sophia, is one of the most famous and elaborate examples.[2][4] Like other public monuments, they were often inscribed withOttoman Turkish verses that formed achronogram using theAbjad numbers to date the construction.[7] Historically, during holidays and major celebrations, some sebils also distributed a sweetened fruit drink known as "sherbet" or another fruit juice.[7]
Until the spread of in-house plumbing by the end of the 20th century, sebils and other fountains were essential for the daily life of the inhabitants of Istanbul. In present-day Istanbul, many sebils have either been abandoned or serve other functions such as commercial shops.[7] Some have been restored as part of wider historical architectural complexes, but still do not serve their original purpose.[7][4]
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