The Cave of the Minor Sanhedrin is a burial cave located next to the Tomb of Simeon the Just in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.[1] It contains 26 burial niches, in which the 26[citation needed] members of the Minor Sanhedrin are said to be buried. There are also other burial caves in the complex.
מערת הסנהדרין הקטנה | |
 Cave entrance | |
| Location | Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 31°47′31″N 35°13′50″E / 31.7920426°N 35.2304935°E |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Preserved |
| Public access | Restricted |
The cave was plundered in the 19th century by Louis Félicien de Saulcy and another French archaeologist. They plundered the contents of the caves, scattering the bones of the buried people around the cave, before fleeing to the Jaffa port. This infuriated the local Jewish community, who turned to public figures like Moses Montefiore who acted to get the Turkish government to cancel their license to excavate.
The bones were collected by local Jews, and buried in a grave next to the nearby Tomb of Simeon the Just.[2] Artifacts from within the cave, including burial vaults and stones with Hebrew writing on them, are now displayed in the Louvre.
After the plundering, a Jewish woman purchased the site in order to preserve it due to its holiness.
Today, the cave entrance is locked and can only be visited in cooperation with the site management. In addition, a Kabbalistic prayer is held there weekly.
See also
edit- Rock-cut tombs in ancient Israel
- Tomb of Simeon the Just, nearby and contemporary burial cave
- Tombs of the Sanhedrin, nearby and contemporary burial cave
References
edit- ^ Foerster, G.; Rutgers, Leonard Victor (2002). What Athens Has to Do with Jerusalem: Essays on Classical, Jewish, and Early Christian Art and Archaeology in Honor of Gideon Foerster. Peeters. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-90-429-1122-2.
- ^ "The little-known historic significance of east Jerusalem". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-04-17.