Al-Asali ( ar, العسالي) is a neighborhood and district of the
Qadam
Qadam ( ar, ٱلْقَدَم, al-Qadam) is a municipality and a neighborhood in the southern part of Damascus, Syria, due west of Yarmouk Camp.
History
Prior to its urbanization and integration into Damascus municipality al-Qadam was a village on ...
municipality in
Damascus
)), is an adjective which means "spacious".
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, image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg
, image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg
, seal_type = Seal
, map_caption =
, ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
It had a population of 21,731 in the 2004 census. The neighborhood was built around the small al-Asali
maqam (shrine)
A Maqām ( ar, مقام) is a shrine built on the site associated with a religious figure or saint, typical to the regions of Palestine and Syria. It is usually a funeral construction, commonly cubic-shaped and topped with a dome.
Maqams are as ...
, named after Shaykh Ahmad al-Asali al-Khalwati, a local Muslim holy man.
The al-Asali shrine was a station in the annual
Hajj
The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
pilgrim caravan, which came to an end in the early 20th century.
During the caravan procession, tents were set up around the shrine to host dignitaries and pilgrims before the caravan departed the city for
Mecca
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
.
References
Neighborhoods of Damascus
{{DamascusSY-geo-stub