قناة السبيل تاريخها، و اهميتها، و واقعها

Abstract: The need for water in Jerusalem increased in view of the growth in the population of the city. The local water sources were no LONGER sufficient for the needs of pilgrims or residents. Therefore, water was drawn into the city from distant places via stone or clay canals which were built making use of the difference in altitude of areas between the south of the city and its centre. In so doing, the water current winding from the upper parts to the lower ones was the main supply. Three main canals were built to maintain this supply. These were wādi al- biyār, the higher canal and the Sabīl canal. The Sabīl canal, which was the most important, represented the backbone of life in the city. The waters of a number of remote springs in the region of Al-Arroub were collected in it to be drawn to the city through it in a winding manner over a large distance . The canal was built during the Roman period and reconstructed in most of the following epochs. It was always preserved, renewed and maintained. A lot of returns were allotted to it during the Islamic periods of rule. Many establishments were erected to keep feeding it, such as Solomon’s pools reservoir and Al-Arroub pool. The canal was mentioned in tens of governmental documents in different epochs. Many travelers wrote about it whether by describing it or referring to it. Afterwards, it was permanently guarded as a result of frequent acts of vandalism against it. The following is a detailed study of the canal from its various architectural and historical aspects owing to its social, economic and political significance to the city of Jerusalem.