Monday, June 02, 2003

A TOMB IN IRAQ IS ASSIGNED TO THE PROPHET EZEKIEL:

"In Iraq, reverence for ancient tomb of a Jewish prophet" (Christian Science Monitor)

A Shiite Muslim worships at the tomb of Ezekiel, harking back to Iraq's shared heritage.

By Peter Ford

The bearded worshiper moved slowly round the shrine in his bare feet, uttering Muslim prayers and pausing every few steps to bend his head and kiss the golden cloth that covered the holy tomb.

The dome above him, though, bore the painted floral traces of a very un-Islamic past. And the script running around the walls also bore no relation to the flowing Arabic calligraphy that decorates most mosques in the Middle East.

It was in Hebrew. The body lying in the tomb that this devout Muslim was venerating is that of the prophet Ezekiel. And until just 50 years ago, the building sheltering it - first recorded by a 12th century Jewish pilgrim - was a synagogue.

[...]


There's more. Read it all.

UPDATE (3 June): Giorgio Francia, who is in Iraq, has said on Ioudaios-L that he will try to get us a photograph of the tomb and synagogue next week, roads permitting. I'll keep you posted.

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