Men Column Shrine in Nablus
The shrine is considered the largest and most significant in Nablus due to its strategic location and association with important archaeological and historical monuments throughout the city's history. It is distinguished by its diverse components and the beauty and precision of its architectural elements, particularly the high stone domes above its rooms. Additionally, six inscriptions on some of its facades date the shrine and its owner. Built in front of the eastern gate of the Roman city of Nablus, the shrine's southern end features a stone staircase ascending to Tell al-Ras, where the Temple of Jupiter was located during the Roman period.
In 1927 AD, the Al-Mankoubin neighborhood was constructed west of the shrine following an earthquake that struck the city. This neighborhood later developed into what is now known as the Khilt Al-Amoud neighborhood. About 200 meters to the east of the shrine was the Ottoman prison of Al-Qishla, and next to it was the Roman burial spring. The shrine is attributed to its founder, Sheikh Muhammad Amoud al-Nour al-Amoudi, who died and was buried there in 799 AH. He had three sons; two were buried next to him, while the third moved to Mecca, where he lived and was buried. The Al-Amoudi family, to which the shrine's owner belonged, continues to bury their dead in the cemetery attached to the shrine on its eastern side and maintain the shrine to this day.
The shrine holds a special status for the residents of Nablus, who traditionally performed rain prayers and the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha prayers there. Sufi sects also held sessions of remembrance, recitation, and Quran teaching at the shrine. It consists of several rooms, the oldest being the southern prayer room. This room is topped with a high, finely-built stone dome that distributes positive and spiritual energies, facilitating lighting and ventilation. The walls feature several niches for storing books and the shrine owner's necessities, and the southern wall includes a niche.
In front of the prayer room, on the north side, is a hall containing the tomb of the Sheikh and two graves for his sons. A prominent stone column stands on the facade of the northern hall, believed by some to be the origin of the shrine's name. An inscription dating the shrine's construction and identifying its owner and founder is located at the top of the southern facade of the hall. The burial chamber connects to another room on the northern side, the Imam Ali Hall. Adjacent to it, on the north side, is the cave room, or the Cave of the Forty, with its entrance marked by three inscriptions. On the eastern side of the shrine, there are three separate rooms known as the Prophet Sheeth (Chit) room, the Al-Khidr room, and a third, unnamed room.
Architectural analysis of the shrine indicates it was built over successive periods. Many sections were demolished and rebuilt during the Mamluk and Ottoman periods, with cement rooms, halls, and facilities added later, which negatively impacted the shrine's external appearance.