This monumental burial complex was rediscovered in 1902. Among the seven ossuaries (stone burial chambers) discovered from this complex, one had an inscription in Greek and Hebrew with the name "Nicanor". The inscription goes: “bones of Nicanor of Alexandria who made the gate". He is identified with the Nicanor of Alexandria, mentioned in the Jewish sacred texts of Mishnah, as the person who donated the eastern gates of Jerusalem Temple. There is an interesting story about how the gates were brought to Jerusalem.
Today, the ossuaries you see inside the tomb are replicas. The originals (including the one with Nicanor inscription) are in Israel Museum. You can also find two modern tombs inside the complex, which are actually the graves of two pioneering Zionist activists of modern State of Israel, Viz. Avraham Menachem Mendel Ussishkin (1863-1941) and Leon Pinsker (1821-1891). For those who are interested to know more about the tomb, please go through the initial few photographs.
No comments:
Post a Comment