Palace of Urwa b. Zubayr

Urwa b. Zubayr b. al-Awwam (d. 94/713) is one of the seven great jurists (fukahâ-i seb'a) of Medina. His father, Zubayr b. Awwam, was a great companion, and his mother was Asma bint Abu Bakr, the daughter of Hz. Abu Bakr. He narrated numerous hadiths from his aunt Hz. Aisha and is considered one of the most reliable scholars of Islamic history and hadith. During the time of Hz. Umar b. al-Khattab, certain parts of the Aqiq Valley surrounding Medina were allocated to companions and Tabi'in. Urwa b. Zubayr took advantage of this allocation to establish a palace (qasr) and property in the valley. The palace was located on the fertile land of the Aqiq Valley and was notable for its abundant gardens and cultivated areas. In Urwa's palace, scholarly gatherings were held; many students and scholars would come here to learn hadith and fiqh from Urwa. Just as Urwa conveyed the hadiths he heard from Hz. Aisha here, he also meticulously compiled information about the life of Hz. Prophet. His works serve as primary sources for subsequent generations of hadith and history scholars. A tragic event also occurred in the life of Urwa b. Zubayr: while visiting Caliph Walid b. Abd al-Malik in Damascus, he suffered from gangrene in his leg, leading to amputation; during the same visit, his son also died due to being trampled by a horse. Urwa faced this heavy trial with great patience and acceptance. [Source: "Urwa b. Zubayr", TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/urve-b-zubeyr; "Aqiq", TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/akik]