Bab al-Rahma Cemetery explained

Bab al-Rahma Cemetery
Location:Jerusalem
Coordinates:31.7789°N 35.2369°W

Bab al-Rahma cemetery is located along the eastern wall of Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.[1] It extends from Bab Al-Asbat (Lions' Gate) to the end of the Al-Aqsa Mosque wall near the Umayyad palaces on the southern side.[2] It has an area of about 23 acres. The Bab al-Rahma cemetery contains many graves of the Companions, most notably Ubadah ibn al-Samit and Shadad ibn Aus, and on the graves of Mujahideen who participated in the conquest of Jerusalem during the Omari and Ayyubid conquests.[3] The road to Lions' Gate separates the cemetery in two, Bab al-Rahma Cemetery to the south and Al-Asbat Gate Cemetery to the North.[4]

Since at least 2011,[5] Palestinian sources assert that the Israeli government intends to convert part of the cemetery into a biblical garden.[6] [7] [8] According to Israel's courts and Nature and Parks Authority, work near the cemetery is minor and no displacement of graves is allowed.[9] Despite the restriction, burial activities continue with adding new graves on a regular basis, providing ongoing water contamination of the Gihon spring in the City of David.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Bab al-Rahmah Cemetery (Jerusalem) - Madain Project (en). madainproject.com.
  2. Web site: Renovating the Bab ar-Rahmah Cemetery | Muslim Hands UK. muslimhands.org.uk.
  3. Web site: Bab al-Rahma Cemetery of Jerusalem lies next to Old City's Wall.
  4. Book: A Guide to Muslim & Christian Holy Places in Jerusalem. Passia.org. 1 February 2014. 101–102.
  5. News: The Palestinian Information Center . 18 March 2011 . Israel court decides to turn Rahma graveyard into Jewish garden . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110907050357/http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/En/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2BcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2Bi1s733Q4TvgzdBYXDAaitjWk5KMu1dxU9elOIBgip6BrH%2BGiFh5CAid9vacGMBNXKpec/uTA%2BYcjb4jUGZRM%2BzZBtrDBdXhiO%2BHVBbSxF7uv9YA%3D . 7 September 2011 .
  6. Web site: The Bab al-Rahmah Cemetery: Israeli Encroachment Continues Unabated.
  7. The Bab al-Rahmah Cemetery: Israeli Encroachment Continues Unabated. 10.1525/jps.2018.48.1.88. 2018. Jubeh. Nazmi. Journal of Palestine Studies. 48. 88–103. 158187284.
  8. Web site: Bab al-Rahma Cemetery. Institute for Palestine Studies.
  9. News: Construction on park near Arab graves sparks widespread outrage. The Jerusalem Post. 7 December 2021.