Fountain of Qayt Bay

The fountain/sabil was originally built in 1455 on the orders of the Mamluk sultan Sayf ad-Din Inal.The fountain where the Fountain of Qayt Bay is located today; nothing remains of this original Fountain of Sayf ad-Din Inal. In 1482 (AH 887), then Sultan al-Ashraf Qaytbay (r. AH 872–901 / AD 1468–96) completely renovated the structure and made it an extension to his neighbouring Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya, which Qaytbay had ordered built to replace another earlier Mamluk building (in this case, a madrasa built by Sultan Khusqadam in 1465). It is probable that the same team of engineers, architects and builders constructed both the Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya and the Fountain of Qayt Bay, and that they were sent by Sultan Qaytbay from Egypt to Quds to execute the work. The fountain was constructed in a style mostly seen in Egypt, characteristic of the late Burji Mamluk architecture of Qaytbay's period. In 1882–83, the Ottoman sultan Abdul Hamid II restored the fountain and made some additions to it. The fountain which is still used continues to provide visitors to the al-Haram al-Sharif with fresh water. ==Architecture==

The Islamic heritage of Jerusalem was maintained by the successor to the Prophet, caliphs, begin with, such as Umar and Abd al-Malik, but also by sultans the likes of Salah al-Din, al-Malik al-Nasir Muhammad, and Qayt Bay, and viceroys such as al-Amir al-Nashashibi. Evidence of these rulers' veneration for Quds is found not only in their exploits as recorded by Mujir al-Din but also in the institutions they founded and patronized, the monuments that survive. The one of that is the Fountain of Qayt Bay. Placed on a raised prayer platform, together with a freestanding mihrab, The tallest part of the fountain is the base, The fountain is dated by an inscription band which goes around the top of the all four sides of the facade. The date is further verified by the writing of the historian, Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali (d. 928 / 1521) who describes the works of Sultan Qaytbay in Quds. == Environs ==

It sits on a (elevated platform) called . It is north of the an-Nāranj Pool and Fountain of Qasim Pasha. It is between the Ablution Gate (to its west) and western colonnade (east) The Ashrafiyya and Uthmaniyya Madrasas are also to its west. ==References==