Saïd Nuseibeh

Once Saladin conquered Jerusalem, he purged the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif of the Crusader presence. These braided double columns, a typical Crusader motif, may have been taken from one of the cloisters built by Crusaders on the Temple Mount. Saladin and others dismantled Crusader structures and then reused their parts in their own buildings. In this case, the columns were incorporated into a madrassa, a school for the teaching of Islamic law. Today, this building, erected in 1207, is the office of the local Muslim religious authority.