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<< Text Pages >> Cave of the Patriarchs - Rock Cut Tomb in Palestine

Submitted by Andy B on Thursday, 25 February 2010  Page Views: 8302

Multi-periodSite Name: Cave of the Patriarchs Alternative Name: Tomb of the Patriarchs, Cave of Machpelah, Sanctuary of Abraham, Ibrahimi Mosque
Country: Palestine Type: Rock Cut Tomb
Nearest Town: Hebron
Latitude: 31.524744N  Longitude: 35.110726E
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
4 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
no data Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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Rock Cut Tomb in the West Bank. The compound, located in the ancient city of Hebron, is the second holiest site for Jews (after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem) and is also venerated by Christians and Muslims all of whom have some traditions which maintain that the site is the burial place of three Biblical couples: (1) Abraham and Sarah; (2) Isaac and Rebekah; (3) Jacob and Leah.

According to Midrash and other sources the Cave of the Patriarchs also contains the head of Esau, and according to some Islamic sources it is also the tomb of Joseph. Though the Bible has Joseph buried in Shechem (the present-day Palestinian city of Nablus), Jewish aggadic tradition conserved the idea that he wished to be interred at Hebron, and the Islamic version may reflect this. The Jewish apocryphal book The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, also states that this is the burial place of Jacob's twelve sons.

The caves under the enclosure are not themselves generally accessible; the waqf have historically prevented access to the actual tombs out of respect for the dead. Only two entrances are known to exist, the most visible of which is located to the immediate southeast of Abraham's cenotaph on the inside of the southeastern section. This entrance is a narrow shaft covered by a decorative grate, which itself is covered by an elaborate dome. The other entrance is located to the southeast, near the mihrab, and is sealed by a large stone, and usually covered by prayer mats; this is very close to the location of the seventh step on the outside of the enclosure, beyond which the Mamelukes forbade Jews from approaching.

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"Cave of the Patriarchs" | Login/Create an Account | 1 comment
  
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Palestinians clash with Israelis over holy sites by Andy B on Thursday, 25 February 2010
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Around 100 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Hebron today over an Israeli plan to renovate two deeply contested holy sites in the occupied territory.

Young men hurled rocks at soldiers who fired tear gas and rubber bullets in running clashes near the disputed Ibrahimi mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs), according to an AFP correspondent who saw four Palestinians detained by soldiers.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said “several illegal riots are taking place in a number of places around Hebron.”

“The protesters are burning tyres and throwing firebombs and rocks at Israeli security forces, who are responding with crowd-dispersal means,” she said.

There were no immediate reports of anyone hurt on either side.

It was the fourth day of clashes in the town following Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Bilal Ibn Ribah mosque/Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem would be included in a heritage restoration plan.

The decision infuriated Palestinians, with senior officials in the West Bank saying it could prevent the resumption of US-led peace talks and the Islamist Hamas in Gaza calling on Palestinians to “rise up” against Israel.

The Hebron site, revered by Jews and Muslims as the burial place of the biblical patriarch Abraham, has frequently been the scene of violent tensions.

A few hundred hardline Jewish settlers live under heavy Israeli military protection near the site in the heart of the town of 160,000 Palestinians.

Israelis worship in a part of the Ibrahimi mosque above the tomb which has been converted into a synagogue.

The mosque was the site of the infamous 1994 shooting massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers by the US-born Jewish extremist Baruch Goldstein.

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